The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 99

“You stay away from my friend,” I snap as we climb back into the elevator.

“Absolutely not,” he says, his voice deadpan as the doors shut and we head down, down, down to the ground floor.

I’m still panting and gross with sweat an hour and a half later when Jesse and I get back to the room, me stumbling in exhausted and him casually strolling as if we did nothing more than take an evening walk.

We leave the door open in case any other cadets want to come by and say hello, introduce themselves or whatever.“Hey!” Rafe shouts from the couch, where Ben and Luca are already sitting. Rafe glances up at the clock. “You’re pushing it close to dinner time,” he says, curious.

“Well, Shrimpy here just needs to get faster, doesn’t he?” Jesse says, grinning at me and shoving me towards the bathroom, letting me subtly know that I can take first shower.

I rush towards it, blushing a little – as ridiculous as it is – for Luca to see me all red and sweaty.

I take my time in the shower because while I’m in it my mind returns, perhaps inevitably, to the way Luca’s face looked at breakfast this morning – his absolute shock at the realization that not only are our midnight dream meetings real, but that in the end I tried to keep that from him.

But eventually my growling stomach forces my hand, and I towel off and pull my new uniform on – chic and fitted, as promised – before braiding my hair up and tucking my cap onto my head.

When I open the bathroom door, I almost moan at the scent of foot that immediately floods my nose.

“Seriously, Ari,” Rafe says, glancing up at me. “I had to basically fight these guys to keep them away from your serving. What took you so long?”

“Just tired,” I murmur, heading to what is clearly becoming my little corner of the couch – a place which is, fortunately or unfortunately, right next to Luca. My attention immediately goes to the food in front of me – roasted chicken all wrapped up in soft flat bread, spread with spicy sauce and topped with crispy vegetables.

I dig in with gusto.

As I eat, the boys continue their conversation around me, everyone filling in the details of their day. Ben is chattiest, and while I am interested in the details of his program (which sounds almost as rigorous as mine), I do not miss the fact that Luca is noticeably silent and still moody, like he was this morning.

But I don’t look up at him, simply concentrating on my food.

“Actually, Luca,” Ben says, and I lift my head to see him turning to my mate from his spot on the floor. “I was practicing those punch combos you showed me earlier, but my shoulder is tweaking after like ten of them. Can you show me if I’m doing them right?”

“I actually hurt my arm in workout this morning, Ben,” Luca says, frowning at him with true apology on his face. “Maybe Rafe could take a look? He can throw a punch almost as well as I can.”

Luca glances over at my brother, who smirks at him before nodding eagerly to Ben. The two stand up and move to the center of the room behind the couch, where there’s more space. My stomach twists with anxiety as I hear them get started, Rafe directing Ben to lift his fists and show him what he’s got.

“All right,” Jesse says with a sigh as he pushes himself up from the chair. “Time for my shower –“

Oh no, my wolf says, raising her snout as my eyes dart between Luca and Jesse’s retreating form. Say anything! Get him to stay here!

“Wait, Jesse,” I say, and he pauses, turning to look at me. “Um,” I say, glancing around for an excuse for him to stay but coming up with absolutely nothing. “Don’t you want to…finish…dinner?”

“I ate enough for both of us, Ari,” he says, gesturing towards my unfinished plate. “You should worry about yourself before me.”

Ohhhh nooo my wolf moans as I watch my cousin disappear into the bathroom, dread pooling in me.

“What is it, Shrimp,” Luca says, his voice soft as he turns to me. I sink back into the corner of the couch. “Don’t want to sit alone with me? Don’t want to have a nice little one-on-one chat?”

“Um,” I say, my eyes going wide as his narrow.

And then I gasp as, quicker than I can see, Luca ducks below the high back of the couch and snaps his hand out, grabbing the front of my uniform and pulling me so close that there’s barely a few inches between our faces.

“What the fuck is going on, Ari!?” he growls, his face livid.

I stare at him, my eyes wide, but before I can bluster out some kind of excuse or apology or protest, a hesitant voice rings out from the door.

“Sorry,” it says, and I spin around in shock to see Jackson standing at the open door, his hands sunk into his pockets. “Am I…interrupting something?”