Big Novel

The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 11
“Cut the crap, Rafe,” dad snaps, and my eyes go immediately wide because dad
only uses that tone when he’s really mad. “What the hell are you doing at the
Academy when you told us two nights ago that you were taking your sister
somewhere safe?!”
Jesse visibly gulps while Rafe struggles to keep his composure under what is
probably dad’s most menacing glare. While the three of us obviously know that
he loves us, he’s still probably the scariest man on the planet. Only mom is
completely immune to him.
“Rafe, you look so cute!” My face bursts into a smile when I hear mom's voice
coming through the video call. “Show me Jesse! Oh my god, your little uniforms!”
“Ella -” Dad says on a sigh, reminding her that they called for a reason.
“Oh right. Yes! Boys, where is your sister!?”
“It's fine, mom,” Rafe says, and I know that he feels more secure now, talking to
her. Rafe
we've got and mom have always had a special bond, just like me and dad. “I
promise you everything under control, Ariel's doing great
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“How is that possible,” dad grumbles, cutting him off, “when you are at a military
Academy and she is — Rafe! Where the hell is she?!”
I wrap my arms around my legs and stare up at my brother, wondering if he’s
going to break under the pressure of dad's glare. Deep down I desperately hope
he doesn’t — I'm not done here, not nearly.
“We've got
it all under control, Uncle Dom,” Jesse says, reaching out and turning the tablet
so that my parents can see him. “We promise — we'd never let her be in any
danger, and it's actually safer if we're the only ones who know!”
“You have to trust us, dad,” Rafe snaps, turning the tablet back to him, starting to
glare back at our parents now. “You know that we would both rather die than let
anything bad happen to Ariel. So, either you call us all back right now, or you
trust the three of us together.”
The other line is silent for a moment and I go tense with hope.
“We trust you, Rafe,” mom says, her voice thick with emotion. “If you promise that
she’s safe and that you're taking care of her? I believe you.”
Rafe and Jesse shift their eyes, clearly looking at dad now. His answer takes
longer.
“She’s my little girl, Rafe,” dad says, his voice cracking on the words in a way that
makes my entire stomach tie in knots. “I know she’s growing up — you all are but
god damn it, if you let anything happen to her “
“I won't,” Rafe says, giving a single nod and looking steadily into the camera.
Jesse nods too, sealing his promise as well.
“All right,” dad growls, clearly unhappy with how this went but determined to trust
his kids.
“Good luck, babies!” mom calls. “Don’t let them beat you up too much! And don’t
But then I hear dad sigh, and mom laughs, and a little smile pulls at my lips
because I can almost see him shaking his head at her. Rafe and Jesse smile
now too, saying their final goodbyes before Rafe turns the tablet off, tossing it on
the bed before looking around to see if any of the other candidates have been
listening in or figured anything out. When he decides they haven't, he slips his
hands in his pockets and turns his glare on me.
“You'd better not make a liar out of me, Ari,” he growls, shaking his head.
“What did I do!?” I gasp, sitting up straight and glaring right back. “I'm just going
along with the plan!”
“What I mean,” Rafe growls, stepping towards me now and glowering over me —
an act that just makes me roll my eyes because he’s been doing that to me since
we were six — “that you'd better not do anything stupid that makes dad tear me to
pieces because you got hurt, or killed, or pregnant.” He delivers the last word in a
vicious whisper—hiss.
“Oh my god, Rafe,” I snap, jumping to my feet from Jesse's bunk and glaring
back at him. “I'm not doing anything but trying to get into the academy just like
you
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“I wasn't the one staring at the other candidates like they were prime cuts of meat
“Ew!” I shout, slapping my hands onto his chest and shoving him, hard. “Rafe,
you're being ridiculous —"
Behind my brother, Jesse just raises an eyebrow at me, his face unusually grave.
Because now...well, he’s probably figured out what, precisely, I was looking at.
God, can he have already guessed who?
I burst into a vivid blush for what feels like the hundredth time tonight, and before
either of them can say anything else I grab my toothbrush kit from the edge of my
bed and start to storm off to the bathroom, needing a moment alone.
“Where the hell do you think you're going!?” Rafe shouts, storming after me.
“To brush my teeth, Rafe,” I growl, turning stop so abruptly that he smacks into
me and makes me stumble a few steps back. His mouth pops open in surprise
and I see the apology on his tongue for almost knocking me over, but I wave a
hand in his face, dismissing it. “What, I can’t even do this alone!?” I snap,
shaking my head at him as I step closer enough, close enough for him to hear
my whisper. “Or is the risk of me getting pregnant, and ruining my entire life, too
hight?”
He glares at me again, but I can see him processing my words, realizing that he
has perhaps. stepped a little over the line between protective big brother and
complete asshole tonight. So I nod curtly once more and turn on my heel,
storming into the bathroom alone.
I pointedly refrain from looking towards the showers, where a few cadets are
catching the final now—icy showers, and instead stalk right to the row of sinks
where I furiously squeeze toothpaste onto my brush and stare blankly at the wall
while I scrub my teeth.
Stupid idiot brother, I think to myself, anger still pulsing through me.
He just loves you, my contrary little wolf says, brushing her warm fur up against
my soul and making me sigh in defeat, because I know she's right.
Can't you just let me be mad? I ask, leaning over to spit my toothpaste into the
sink with a scowl. Sometimes a little anger can be very therapeutic.
Nope! She replies, suddenly standing up straight and swishing her tail. Cheer
better things to concentrate on!
up
we've got
What? I ask, standing up straight, but before I can even fully consider her words,
a hand grabs the fabric at the back of my uniform and begins to haul me along,
away from the sinks. I drop my toothbrush in surprise.
“Come on, Shrimp,” Luca says, smirking down at me as he pulls me towards the
door. “You and I are going to have a little talk.”
“What!?” I gasp, and then as the surprise fades I snarl, putting my weight back
into and trying to get out of his grasp. “Let go of me! I'm not going anywhere with
you!”
my heels
Go! My wolf howls, prancing around inside of me, maybe he'll kiss you — maybe
he'll take his shirt off! But I hastily shove her away, glaring up into my mate’s
face. He doesn't let of me at all, instead grabbing the front of my uniform now
and leaning closer to whisper to
1. me.
go
“You either come willingly,” he says, raising his eyebrows, “or we go have this
little conversation about what you were really doing out last night in front of your
over- protective cousins, who I'm starting to realize don't know anything about
your midnight. bath and would probably not be thrilled to hear of it.”
crap — if he's figured out that
My eyes narrow at Luca even as I inwardly shriek, because Rafe and Jesse are
overprotective, that means he’s been watching me.
And he’s right. After Jesse and Rafe’s little chat with mom and dad? They
definitely don’t need any more information about my midnight adventure not
tonight.
But Luca — he’s not letting me out of this either.
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I take a moment to assess before I
. . . we: »
lift my chin at him. “Fine,” I snap,
stepping back and jerking my
uniform out of his hand. To my
i “But I
surprise, he lets me go. “But let me
Thre s oar
get my toothbrush,” I insist, pointing
to where it clattered into the sink. The
content is on bignovels.com! Read
the latest chapter there!
To my surprise, Luca laughs. “They'll give you a new toothbrush, Shrimp
46
“That's wasteful,” I murmur, sending him a nasty glare over my shoulder as I go
to retrieve my kit and come back to his side.
Still smirking, he nods to me and wraps his hand again around my arm —
The moment he touches me, even with fabric between us, a tingle runs through
me, spreading from his hand all up and down my arm. My eyes widen and I look
up to find him frowning down at me.
He feels it too! This is so great! My wolf spins in a thrilled circle within me.
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Luca stares at me for a long moment,
)
but he doesn’t drop my arm. Instead,
quite gently, he guides me from the
bathroom, putting himself between
B p
me and my family so that they can't
see where I go. My heart starts to
pound for a thousand reasons The
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the latest chapter there!
100
Rafe’s going to kill me —
Jesse's going to figure out Luca's my mate
My whole body is tingling —
And crap — where is he taking me?
I'm going somewhere alone with my mate, what if he smells my scent!?
Chapter Il
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, : : 5
I'm basically panting with anxiety by
$ > ) 2
the time I realize that Luca's walking
me over to his bed — my wolf lifts her
nose with joy, howling a single high
note to the sky as her toes tap in a
skittering dance. The content is on
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chapter there!

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