The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

But my grin falls when I turn my head to look up at Mark, because that

devastation...it persists.

"Mark," I say quietly, leaning towards him, wanting very much to play the big sister right now.

"Still not yet, Ari," Mark says on a sigh, glancing down at me. He gives his best attempt at a smile, but it fails.

"Okay, then let me get you a drink, little boy," I say, resting my cheek against his

arm.

Ben laughs a little. "He's not a little boy at all, Ari," he says, shaking his head. "He's gigantic - nearly as tall as Rafe and Jacks -"

"Incorrect, Benny," I say, spinning my head to grin at him. "He's just teeny tiny, like me. Come on, both of you - drinks all round."

Ben, Mark, and I head into the family apartments, which are empty, suggesting that the meeting about the Community is still going on. I do as I promised, fetching us a couple of drinks and handing them round, but we're a quiet little group tonight. None of us feels particularly chatty, each of us instead lost in our thoughts about burgeoning parenthood, and the loves of our life, and what on earth the future looks like.

I smirk at Mark and Ben sitting on either sides of the same couch, considering that.....if what I suspect about Markie is true, then he and Ben have a great deal more in common than I ever thought they would. Privately I wish that they would just talk to one another, thinking that they could really be a help to each other. But, not wanting to push it, I just sigh and leave them to their easy silence as both sip calmly at their drinks, lost in thought.

I move to the window, sipping at my own glass of wine, looking out at the beautiful city as dusk falls. I sigh, happy, struck by the beauty of our capital city even as my thoughts turn to the surprising new developments of my life. To Jacks, and sweet little Marigold, and how she fits into our world. Because while it's clear that she slips into the family quiet easily and that everyone has fully embraced her, what does my life look like going forward?

Do we go back to Alpha Academy for our second and final year? How do we manage to balance Marigold's needs with our own responsibilities and ambitions? What am I supposed to do, like, carry her up into the sniper's blind in a sling on my back or something?

I smirk a little at the thought, thinking that Jackson would completely flip about it, when my eye suddenly catches on movement in our courtyard below. My attention immediately shifts, something in my wolf instinct allowing me to focus immediately on the figure that stands in shadow, leaning against a tree. Looking up at this very window.

At me.

And my lips curl quietly into a smile, because even if the figure is indistinct...

I know, instantly, precisely who it is.

"I'm going downstairs for a minute," I murmur, swallowing the rest of my glass of wine down in a single gulp and leaving the glass on the windowsill.

Ben and Mark mumble something

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back but I'm already moving, heading for the door, my wolf prowling restlessly in my soul. As hurry down the steps to the first floor, heading for the door that leads directly to that courtyard, I send a pulse down my bond to Jackson, careful to keep it cheerfuPand easy.

You good? Jackson asks, interested but not worried.

Yup, I say, reaching for the doorknob. Just going outside for a bit of fresh air - the

east courtyard. In case you're looking for me.

Cool, Jacks says, calm and a bit distracted. We're almost done here.

I send a happy little pulse of love back to him in confirmation, even as I push the door open to the courtyard and rush through it. Then I close the bond off - not completely, but numbing it a great deal. noveldrama

Because this? This is...just for me.

I slow my steps, slipping my hands behind my back as I walk forward towards the figure who still leans far too casually against the tree. My wolf gives me an anxious nip of warning as I step close, but smooth a hand over her fur.

Because this one? He can't hurt me. Not anymore.

"Hey, Luca,” I say, smiling slowly up into his gorgeous face.

"Princess," Luca says, one corner of his mouth turning up into a dimpled smirk. "How've you been?"