The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

A little worry curls in me at this and I open my mouth to ask more questions, but suddenly the train emits a loud whistle that makes me leap nearly out of my boots.

“Come on!” Jesse calls, sticking his head out from inside the coach. “There’s champagne in here! I am not waiting for you! If it’s all gone by the time you get in here then you only have yourselves to blame!”

I laugh, moving eagerly forward, Rafe and Luca following close behind. But just as I put my foot up on the prettily–wrought golden stair, I hear someone shyly clear their throat behind me. I gasp, recognizing the sound somehow, and spin, my eyes wide.

“Daphne!” I shout, thrilled to see her standing there, a tiny suitcase anxiously clutched in her hands, her auburn hair curling prettily over her shoulders.

“Um,” she says, biting her lip, looking at me with sad and sorry eyes, her whole body tight with unease. “Is it okay? I mean…does my invitation to the Capital for midwinter still

stand?”

“Daph!” I shout with a laugh, dashing away from the train car towards my friend and almost knocking her over in my eagerness as I hug her tight to me. She gasps a little at the force of me and then laughs too, wrapping one arm around me, her suitcase pressed between us. “Of course it stands! I’m so happy to see you! I’m so happy you came!”

“I’m so sorry, Ari,” she whispers, and I can tell by the tightness in her words that she’s on the edge of tears. The train emits another sharp whistle and starts to rumble. “I didn’t want to do it, but they made me – they said I wouldn’t be allowed to keep my job if I didn’t –”

“This is all very nice!” Luca shouts, and I jump a bit, turning to see him leaning from the edge of the gilt stairs, already boarded, a hand out towards us. “And I hate to interrupt a sentimental moment, but you two need to get on now, because this train is leaving!”

Almost as if Luca’s words themselves made the train move, it gives a sudden jolt and starts forward. I gasp, shoving Daphne in front of me, and she stumbles towards Luca’s hand, grasping it. Luca pulls Daphne upwards with ease as I start to run alongside the train, but my powerful mate handles the situation like he’s done it all his life. After Luca safely hands Daphne off to a waiting Jesse, who, beaming, helps her into the car, he reaches out for me.

I grab Luca’s hand he Luca laughs as he pulls me upwards, settling me against his chest as the train pulls away from the platform and picks up speed. I turn towards the carriage, eager to get inside, but he holds me still for a moment, smiling down into my face.

+15 BÔNUS

“Almost too late, Princess,” he purrs, putting a hand on my cheek and running his thumb over my lower lip just briefly, just once.

“Never too late,” I say, lifting my chin and shaking back my head in a way that would send my hair cascading over my shoulders if it weren’t tucked up under my cap a

– a very girlish, very Princess sort of gesture. “I am royalty, after all. This train leaves when I say it does.”

“Yeah right,” he mutters, laughing at me. “We almost left you crying on the tracks, and then you’d have had to run home –.”

But when I start to sputter a protest, pounding him ineffectually on the chest with my fists, Luca just laughs harder, and so I do, and he lowers his face to mine and presses a kiss to my mouth like he can’t help it. And I know I should care, should worry about who might see us kissing out in the open like this but as the train begins to speed through the countryside, and the air whips around us, and my mate kisses me all alone – just the two of us – little platform on the caboose of the train taking us back to the Capital?

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on the

God, but I can’t bring myself to care. Because it’s just so perfect, and just so wonderful, to be here and wrapped in his arms.

But as we speed away, and I lose myself in Luca, my little wolf raises her snout in my soul and looses a tiny, mournful howl, sniffing the air.

Her little nose works hard, trying to find any trace of the scent of embers and pine, leather and whiskey and cold winter nights.

But sniff as she might, we both know it’s not there.

And she lets out another tiny, mournful noise. And then tucks her head down against her paws.