The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy



The next morning I can barely run, I'm laughing so hard.

"Jesse!" I shout, tripping over my own feet as I try to keep a bead on him with my paintball rifle. "Quit doing that!"

"No way, you're getting too good!" He shouts back, laughing himself and disappearing again into a cloud of shadows before darting off between the trees. He found out this morning, when we were messing around in our run, that he can cast the shadows over himself, making them cling tightly to his form so that he, in essence, becomes a shadow himself.

It doesn't make him invisible - not really - but in the shade it does make him basically indistinguishable from the shadows cast by the trees. And damn, does it make him hard to shoot.

"Jess!" I growl before I dart off after him, still laughing. "This is so unfair!"

"You're the one with the damn gun, Ari!"

Left, Jackson says, directly into my mind. He's ahead of me, of course, with those long Alpha legs. See where he's running through the leaves and shaking them? Shoot there.

I grin, loving that I have my own magical advantage via the connection to my mate, and I stop short, casting my vision to my left as instructed and taking aim, even as my heart pounds and my breath shudders in my chest. I take in one deep gasp of breath and then see it - the disturbance amongst the branches - and shoot.

A very satisfying gasp of pain sounds out in the trees, and a moment later Rafe's loud shout of laughter follows.

Grinning wildly, I send a pulse of thanks and love Jacksons way and sprint in the direction Jesse went. I find him almost immediately, mostly because Rafe's standing over him, his hands on his hips, cracking up at the sight of Jesse sprawled in a puddle, a bright splash of blue paint right between his shoulder blades.

"How did you do that, Ari?" Jesse growls, sitting up and glaring at me, brushing mud from the front of his shirt just as Jackson comes into the clearing too, beaming at me.

"Oh, I had some intel," I say, laughing and reaching a hand for Jacks. He gives his usual snarl of delight when he takes my hand, pulling me close to his side.

"No!" I laugh, shoving Jackson playfully away. "I want to chase Rafe now!"

"Absolutely not," Rafe says, grinning at me even as he offers a hand to Jesse and pulls him up. "If you can take out Jesse when you can't even see him I don't stand a chance."

"But -"

"Honestly we should get Luca out here," Rafe says, raising his eyebrows at me. "He might be the only one who can give you a run for your money. Quite literally."

I turn my head, intrigued at the idea, and when I glance up at Jacks he just gives me a little shrug, letting me know he doesn't mind. "Cool!" I say, my face breaking into a grin. "Yeah, let's ask him! But let's invite Ben too, I don't want him to be left out."noveldrama

"Not Tony?" Jesse asks, raising an eyebrow my way and giving me a devious grin.

"Let's let Luca have some space," I sigh, my shoulder slumping slightly. "Tony would take too much pleasure watching me shoot him."

"I'd kind of like to see some of his assassin tricks, though," Jacks murmurs, looking down at me with interest. "You could probably learn a thing or two from him."

I tilt my head to the side at the

prospect, likewise intrigued, but Rafe sighs and turns towards the Castle "As fun as this is, we're running late for breakfast and should head in I feel like the Captain might send information on the next Games, what twists and turns are coming next."

All of us eager to have that information as well, we head quickly back and move right for the dining hall after securing the paintball gun back in its locker. No time for showers, we enter the breakfast hall sweaty and cheerful, with Jesse muddy and painty too.

Immediately, we realize something

is off. The room is far too quiet, too dour. Rafe narrows his eyes as he looks around and Jackson and Jesse step closer to me as we

quickly cross to our table, we

around the room and catch Redman Blythe's eyes on me, predictably glaring.

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I flash my teeth at him though, not forgetting that he so casually mentioned my little sister. When we get to the table, I call a hello to Ben、 and put a warm hand on Luca's shoulder, but I sit next to my brother, leaving the open seat next to Luca open for Jesse. Jackson takes the seat on my other side as Hean in close to Rafe, intending to tell him immediately about Blythe's little name drop during the Games.