The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"Jesse!"

He ignores Midnight's frustrated call, his eyes focused on the top of another rounded hill that promises a better view. Jesse breaks into a tired jog, determined to follow the sound - the first new thing he's heard in this world in hours.

Midnight calls after him again but he doesn't pay attention, instead cresting the hill and frowning as he peers far, far into the distance.

But in the darkness beneath the moons...shit, but he can't see far.

Midnight crests the hill at his side, panting a little, and he glances down to see her glaring up at him. "What, so you've got energy now? For this hill? You've been dragging all day! Honestly, Jesse, you're not very impressive -"

"What was that noise?" Jesse asks, again peering out into the darkness. Is that...are those tire tracks? There in the dirt and the dust?

"It was nothing," Midnight says, petulant.

Jesse turns to her, frowning down at the girl who has her arms crossed over her chest, determinedly not looking at him.

"You know I have five siblings, right?" he asks.

She turns her head to look up at him again, still frowning.

"And four cousins?"

Her face turns to confusion now. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means that I know when you're lying," he says, smiling a little, leaning down close to grin into her face. "You don't!"

"I do!"

"That's impossible!" She lashes out a hand and hits him on the arm. "Only I know when I'm lying! They're my lies!"

Something about this logic makes Jesse burst into a grin. "No," he sighs. "I have magic. I can tell. Now seriously what the hell was that noise?" He stands straight and gestures out to the tracks.

"I'm not telling you," she snaps, her lips all tight in anger.

"See? Told you I knew you were lying."

Midnight gasps a little, her eyes going wide when she realizes what she admitted. Jesse laughs - he can't help it. This poor girl has spent way too much time alone, and he has spent way too much time messing with his cousins and his siblings.

"Mids," Jesse sighs, crossing his own arms and shaking his head at her. "Come on, just tell me." "No!"

"I'm your mate, you have to."

She gasps a little with delight, looking up at him. "Does that mean you know it's true? That you accept our bond?"

"Midnight," Jesse sighs, turning his

head a little and looking down at her. "Come on. It's...complicated, all

right? But yeah, of course I know you're my mate, my wolf knows it. Of course he does. I'm not denying that anymore."

The smile that leaps onto her face - it's so sunny and lovely that his heart breaks for her again and he has to look away.

"What are the tracks, Midnight? What was that noise?"

"I don't know," she groans, frustrated

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and not wanting to answer. She grabs at his sleeve and tries hard to tug him away from the sight of the tracks, from the questions he's. asking Jesse pulls his arm away from her, not wanting the touch stiff not sure about the corruption that has seized her wolf and how it spreads. "Can you just come with me? My house -"

"Just across that last hill, right," he says, dry. But then he takes a page from Seraphina's book and sits down hard on his butt, leaning back on his hands.

"What are you doing?" Midnight asks, spinning to look at him, her frown returned.

"I'm not going to your house until you tell me what those tracks are from," Jesse says, the corners of his lips turning up.noveldrama

"Jesse!" The name bursts from her lips as she turns red with frustration. "Just go!"

"No way!"

Midnight growls and grabs for him, but Jesse just hooks his foot behind her ankle and pulls, knocking her off balance and sending her to the ground too. She snarls, pushing back her riot of curls and glaring at him from beneath it.

Jesse can't help smiling - the girl is weird but...very earnest. And funny.

"I'm not leaving here," he says, slowly shaking his head, "until you tell me what that noise was and what left those tracks."

"But you'll die if you stay out here all alone!"

"Then I'll be dead!" he shoots back. "And it will be your fault and your weird Papa will be all pissed off!" Midnight gasps, horrified at the idea, and then stares at him. "Don't call Papa weird," she says, shaking her head vehemently and setting her curls bouncing. "He will smite you."

Jesse looks right back at her, not giving an inch, thinking that it is...a little too easy to manipulate this poor girl But he's also secretly glad for that, because she did kidnap him from his girlfriend's bed and he needs some leverage in this world where she and the God of Darkness clearly have all the power.

"Fine," Midnight snarls, leaning forward, picking up on the game. "But if I tell you, you'll come?"

"Yes," Jesse says, nodding once. "I promise."

Midnight sighs and leans forward, glancing anxiously towards the tracks, and begins.