The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

 noveldrama

But our warm moment is short-lived as the doors to the hall open and Rafe and Jackson walk into the room, both of their faces stern and worried.

My breath leaves my lungs a bit as I watch them - as we all watch them. Rafe and Jackson, side by side, look like...I don't know, like warriors out of a myth or something, so tall and broad and radiating so much power that it's hard to believe that they're real. The sheer physicality of these two, especially together, is enough to make even the toughest Alpha quail.

Luckily, I'm not an Alpha.

I perk up in my seat, dropping my fork and raising my hand to wave eagerly at them. It doesn't get far, though, when Ben snatches my wrist and lowers my hand to the table.

"Boys don't wave and call cheerful hellos to their mates and their brothers," he murmurs, smirking at me.

"Well, that's very rude of boys," I say, blinking innocently at Ben, even though I laugh, grateful for his help. I have to admit - the more comfortable I become at the academy the more I forget that I'm supposed to pretend to be a boy. Ben - he's just helping.

"Yeah, we're not fun," Ben says, smirking at me and turning his head up to Jackson, who looms over him as Rafe takes his own seat moodily next to Jesse. "Oh hey, Jacks!"

Jackson just growls at Ben, not in the mood, wanting to sit next to me.

"Oh, did - did you want this seat!?" Ben asks, beaming up at Jackson and playing dumb to tease him.

Jackson's growl just deepens.

"Well sure, buddy!" Ben says, his voice over-friendly and cheerful. "Any time!"

I give Jackson a sharp nudge down our bond alongside a glare, reminding him of his manners, and he sighs and turns to our friend as Ben takes his plate and moves over to the next seat to Jackson can sit next to me.

"Thank you, Ben," Jackson says, his voice dark and testy. "That was...very nice of you."

Ben just gives Jacks a wink and turns to Rafe as Jackson sits next to me. I give my mate a warm pat on the knee, and he growls again - warmer, this time, which is pleasing to me - but still clearly in a bad mood from whatever happened at the draft.

I turn my attention to the table at large. “So?" I ask, perky and excited. "How did it go?"

"It was...weird," Rafe says, nodding kindly to the waiter as he brings his warm breakfast plate. “Not like the last time. Wright and Blythe have... something up their sleeve."

"What was weird?" I ask, my eyes going wide with interest.

"That Blythe didn't contest any of it," Rafe replies, meeting my eyes with a frown. "Just...hung out like he didn't care. Wright put up a fight for the best Cadets, which is to be expected but..."

"Either Blythe gave in because Wright bribed him to throw the games," Jackson says, looking over his shoulder to where I suppose the other Captain is in the room, "or...something's up."

"I think we're about to find out," Luca

ne

says, getting swiftly to his feet as a Lieutenant comes through a door at the front of the room, stacks of paper in his hand. Luca's moving for the head table before any of the rest of us even stand up. I make a move todo so but Jackson puts a hand on my thigh, halting me.

"Everyone's so bossy today," I mutter, keeping my eyes on Luca.

"He's faster than you," Jackson murmurs, keeping his eyes on Luca. "He'll be back with the results before you could even make it to the table. I'm just saving you the trip."

I sigh, recognizing that he's probably right, watching as Luca reaches the Lieutenant first, followed closely by a mass of other Cadets. Luca takes a few sheets of paper and looks down at them even as he starts back. But then he stills mid-step, staring down at the papers, as a whisper and then a roar begin to spread through the room.

Rafe is instantly on his feet, sensing that something is wrong, and Jesse is too a second after him. Jackson stays in his chair but stretches his arm out to wrap around the back of mine, protective.

"What's happening?" I whisper, as the room basically explodes with whispers, everyone staring down at the sheets and then talking to each other in hushed, shocked tones. I go still when I realize that almost every eye takes a moment to glance up at at us.

At me.

"Luca!" Rafe barks, striding a few steps forward as Luca re-starts his walk across the room towards us. "Get the fuck over here!"

Luca jogs back, his face pale, holding out a sheet to Rafe. “There has to be some mistake.”

“What's happening?" I whisper, starting to get scared as Luca looks back at me and then closes the distance, handing a sheet to Jackson that he takes and turns so that we can both read it at once.

Simultaneously, Jackson and I both go pale.

Because while Jackson's and Rafe's individual teams are stacked with impressive Cadets...I'm not on either of them.

No, my name is listed under Captain Redman Blythe.

And it's the only name on his list.