The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy
Chapter 0397

Despite the rather dramatic way in which Jackson carried me to his room, about half an hour later the vibe is very different - calm, easy and simple, honestly like we do this every night. I'm freshly showered and dressed in another ridiculously large set of his pajamas as he

comes out of the bathroom in his own set of pajama pants, towel-drying his hair.

I grin, delighted, when I see that our pajamas match.

Jackson just raises his head and smiles at me, glad to feel my happiness down the bond, not really needing to know the reason. Just...happy I'm happy.

"You come here," I murmur, opening my arms as I lean back against the headboard. To my distinct pleasure, my mate obeys, neatly draping his towel over his desk chair and crawling onto the bed, turning so that his back is to me and I can wrap my arms around him from behind.

I take a long, deep sniff of his delicious scent, clean and fresh now after the shower. "You smell amazing," I murmur, a little drunk on it.

"So do you. I know everyone teased about it today, but I think your scent improves with a little of mine thrown in the mix.

I hum my approval, kind of wishing I could smell it, thinking that it's a shame that one can't smell their own scent. I'd like to know what it was like - honey, and clove, and pine, and ember. It sounds...nice.

"It is nice," he murmurs, nodding. I smile. And then Jackson leans more of his weight back against me and lets me feel - a little - how tired he is. But still, tired as he is, he takes a minute to check in. "Are you all right?" he asks. "I feel...you're unsettled. Or something."

I smirk a little. "It's been an unsettling day," I murmur, tracing my nails lightly, passively, over his skin. He shivers a little and hums, giving me time to find my words. "I guess I felt...a little stupid tonight." "Stupid?" he asks, going still and turning a bit sharply to look up at me. "What? Why?"

I grin at him, pleased slightly that he's angry even at the idea that I'd ever feel stupid. "Well, all of you were really in on the planning - you, and Rafe, and Jesse, and Ben, and Luca, when he could lift his head up. But especially you and Rafe. I...didn't have anything to add. I felt...well, kind of left out, and like I was not as good at being a Cadet as you all."

"But you're espionage," he replies, frowning at me as I start to run my fingers through his damp hair, my nails scratching gently against his scalp. "Ariel, this is what we're trained for. I know that sometimes Warrior cadets get marked as brutes who just run around all day, but we do a lot of studying too. Not as much as you, granted, but we read military theory and study strategy for a reason. Plus, I've been studying military history since I was a child - I was literally raised for this."

I frown a little, Jackson's words having - I think - the opposite effect. "Well, I want to learn all of that too," I say, feeling left out. "I want to be...helpful. And not just know a bunch of chemistry and poisoning stuff."

"Ariel," he growls, shaking his head at me, and I grin at his frustration. "Do you distrust Neumann?"

"What?" I frown at him. "No, absolutely not."

"Do you think he's easy on you? That he gives you less work than the rest of us?"

I guffaw at him a bit at the understatement, because I work way harder at my studies than anyone in our little group - and I let Jesse and Rafe put me through my athletic paces. If he were actually accusing me of taking it easy in the Academy then I'd truly give Jackson a real piece of my mind. But, I'm aware that his question is rhetorical.