The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy



Jackson and I look up at Tony at the same instant, realizing that we've made a mistake. Cora and Jesse grin, picking up on things instantly as they sit down next to each other on the armchairs.

"I thought Ariel Sinclair was mated to Luca Grant," Tony says, grinning at me and nodding to the door where he just left.

"Um,” I say, my voice high and prim.

"Was that just tabloid gossip?" Tony presses, leaning forward a bit and I think enjoying himself. "Or was that kiss at the boxing match subterfuge, meant to distract the public? Or is this..." he says, tarting a finger between us, "somehow illicit?"

Jackson just growls a little, his eyes on Tony as his arm tightens around me, I think a mostly unintentional reaction to the suggestion that our connection is illegitimate.

"Oh, she's mated to Jackson too," my mom breaks in as Rafe sits up and the two of them gather around the table as well. Rafe spins to mom with his mouth open, appalled that she'd drop the secret like that, but mom just flaps a hand like she can dismiss the tension like smoke in the air. “Honestly, that drama is the least of our concerns today."

Tony raises his eyebrows at me and I just shrug as Jackson takes a rather vicious bite of his sandwich, daring Tony to doubt for a second that he's my mate. Tony's face breaks into a grin and I work hard to fight my own.

"Cool," Tony says, shrugging and apparently taking the news in stride, nodding to Jackson to let him know that they're good. Jackson's arm loosens around me, just slightly. "So...not that I mind his absence, because I think he's full of crap, but...if this is magic class, where is Alvez?"

"Jackson punched his lights out," Jesse says happily, leaning back in his chair with a clever grin, watching Tony's face go pale at his words. "Are you serious?" Tony breathes, turning to stare at Jackson.

"Only a little," Jackson says with a shrug before taking another huge final bite of his sandwich and then reaching for another. "Then Jesse grabbed him with his shadow magic and shook the soul of the God of Darkness loose. I think that's what really took him down."

Tony pales further, his mouth falling open.

"Tony, ignore them," Rafe says with a sigh, glaring between Jesse and Jackson as he likewise digs into the food. "They're each just trying to one-up each other."noveldrama

"So," Tony says, looking over at Rafe now, still clearly a bit shaken. "None of that happened?"

"No, it did," Rafe says with a sigh,

making Tony blanch even further.

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Rafe hurries into a quick explanation then for Tony's sake - because of course we told mom and Cora everything as soon as they got here - of how Jesses' power manifested last night, and then Alvez trapped me in the room, and how they broke down the door and Jesse forced the God of Darkness out of Alvez and now Alvez is down in his room, shaken but sleeping it off after mom healed him up too. Content belongs

"Whaaat the hell," Tony breathes, looking around at all of us. "I mean, I was considering taking you guys up on your invitation to dinner but...I am no longer sure I want to join this group of friends."

Mom's mouth falls open in protest that someone wouldn't want to hang out with her darlings.

"No offense, your highness," Tony says, resting back into the couch's cushions. "That just...sounds like one hell of a morning."

"It was," I sigh, thinking of the one thing that I'm keeping back from everyone, wanting to talk to mom about it in private before anyone else.

Still, Jackson looks down at me with

a frown, sensing my worry and

sending a little question to me, asking iføm all right. I snuggle

closer to him, looking up into his

face, nodding quickly to let him

and

know it's fine. He nodom.

returns his attention to

"Well, as you can imagine, Tony," my mom says, resting a half-eaten cookie in her lap and looking around at all of us evenly. "Professor Alvez is...not precisely up to teaching any longer this semester. And, considering that you have thus-far been working with a dark God who very likely was actively working against any of you learning anything real about your magical skills," she grimaces, apologizing silently for that, “clearly, we need to make some changes here."

"Study hall?” Jesse asks eagerly. "Nap time?"

Cora smacks him on the knee, even as she laughs. He smiles back at her, making me grin too to see them.