The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 7

“Wait a second,” Luca says, cocking his head and looking the larger candidate up and down. “How do we even know we’re looking for the same girl?”

I snap my attention to the other guy as I subtly move further back into the pool, seeking shadow. God, if the moon could just slip back behind the Academy…

“Don’t be an idiot, Grant,” the taller one growls, advancing on Luca another step. “Do you seriously think that there are two girls wandering around the candidate barracks of Alpha Academy?”

“Point taken,” Luca says with a shrug, not giving any ground even though the larger

candidate looks like he outweighs him by at least thirty pounds of solid muscle. “But let’s be sure – what’s your girl smell like?”

My eyes flick between them as they share notes on my scent, coming to the conclusion that they are indeed both chasing the same girl who smells of smoke and cloves and honey. Is that seriously what I smell like? I wonder absently as my mind focuses on the more important thing: coming up with a plan to get the hell out of here.

Yes, my

wolf replies, preening as she prances, we smell very nice.

And suddenly, as the boys again begin to argue about whose mate she is, I realize exactly what I need to do.

“Um,” I say, pitching my voice louder to be heard over their argument. The boys stop talking and snap their gazes immediately to me, which makes me sink deeper into the water, even though my wolf nips me internally, urging me ridiculously to just climb n*ked out of the pool and go to them. “You’re looking for the person who smells like cloves and honey?”

“What do you know about it,” the big guy snarls, stepping towards me with narrowed eyes as if he’ll leap into the pool and beat me to a pulp if I say anything out of line.

“Nothing!” I protest, putting my hands up, even though just my fingertips stick out of the water. “Um, sorry – I didn’t get a good look – I didn’t even realize it was a girl – I only saw like, a silhouette.”

“Well, where did she go,” the larger cadet growls, and as I look up into his face I’m suddenly shaken by…

+5

Well, by how incredibly gorgeous he is beneath his scars and his snarl. Besides being so large that he could toss me around like a rag doll, his face is shaped by a square jaw and a long, straight nose beneath dark brows. And his eyes…

Despite myself, I take a step forward, peering closer –

Because I think they’re blue – the darkest, most gorgeous shade of sapphire blue, such an unusual contrast with his chestnut hair….

“Is something wrong with you?” he spits out, looking at me in shock and rage.

I flinch back, realizing that – oh my god – I was just gazing into his eyes when he’s ready to kill me –

“Nope!” I squeak, shaking my head and backing up again into the shadow. “Sorry, yeah, she went that way!” I point out into the distance, away from the barracks.

she look like?”

of me, I think, frantic. “Um, really tall! With

direction I indicated. He shoots a glare at Luca but sets off at a

at Luca now as he studies me.

his eyes, trying to get a better look at me. “Why

truth because I can’t think of anything

you just take a shower, like the rest of us?”

then I gasp at how stupid I’m being and duck half my face under the water

and smiling at me, “but you’re funny. I like funny.”

her haunches and lifts her nose to the sky, howling in her grief

46

hurling myself out of this spring

–

god, something in me melts at the sight of

Luca just laughs again and shakes his head. “Anyway,” he continues, “thanks for the tip on the

nod vigorously, not even looking where he points because I don’t care – I just want him to

go-

grins again and nods to me one last time before turning and

that it’s absolutely silent around me for a few minutes. And then, when I hear nothing in the

—-

–

grasses

and pull on my clothes as fast as I can – seriously, I’ve never gotten dressed faster – I have no

bathing kit,

–

– because any second I expect a

—

know, above all things, that secrecy is still absolutely necessary. No one can find out that I’m a girl – no one can find out that my mates are here – no one can find out that the Princess is in hiding at

I’ve been so stupid and reckless tonight, I should have listened

–

invited them into the pool with us, my contrary wolf grumbles. Then

–

her voice away as I reach the barracks, my feet stuttering to a stop as I reach the door. I force

dart to the back corner of the room, my feet slapping against the floor. I’m way too full of

anyone who

stuff

I hurl my

silently, and then leap ungracefully onto Jesse’s bed, slamming my hand over

fly immediately open and fear, then rage, then wonder pass over his face in a series of flashes as he sees me above him, a single finger pressed to my lips, my eyes begging him to be quiet. He shouts my name, but it’s muffled by my hand, and I