The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

She has to admit though...the stars are a pleasant addition.

Midnight's wolf gives a little worried howl, sprawled out in her soul, her little legs too weak to carry her much or far these days. But Midnight smiles a little and strokes a mental hand over her wolf's fur, pleased to see her free and clear and happy. Excited now to have that for herself too.

The world just...open for her. Infinitely possible. Midnight smiles, looking up at the stars in the velvety black sky, full of hope.

But beneath that hope curls...worry. Dread. Because she knows...

Well, I know what I want now, don't I? she thinks, sighing long through her nose. And to get it...I have to hurt the one who loves me most.

Midnight turns her head towards the creaking of the window, and then the footstep that sounds on the roof next to her.

"There you are," Jesse says, strolling over to her with his hands in his pockets, a little frown on his lips. "We were worried for you, Mids. Are you okay up here?"

"I'm okay," she says, giving him a soft smile.

His frown deepens, his eyes narrowing, suspicious. "You're all...calm," he murmurs. "I don't trust it."

She grins, patting the roof next to her. Her mate sits down with a sigh, looping his arms around his knees. They sit that way for a long time, just looking up at the sky together, basking in the cool air and the quiet and the solitude. But then he leans closer to her, nudging her shoulder with his, inviting – or requesting - for her to tell him what's wrong.

"Jesse," Midnight says on a sigh, dropping her eyes to the roof tiles. "I...I think I need to make some changes."

He pauses for a moment. "All right," he says, his voice low. "What kind of changes?"noveldrama

She bites her lip, anxious. "I..." But then she sighs, shutting her eyes, frightened and out of her element, but determined all the same. "Can I...can I tell you the long story?"

"Of course."

She nods and takes a deep breath. "My whole life, Jess," she says quietly, the words spilling off her tongue like they've been waiting there a long time. "I've been...just waiting for you to show up."

He goes still but stays silent, letting her have the space.

"That's...all Darkness ever said to me. It was the only thing that was important. That one day he would show me how to find you, and that it would be my job to bear your pups, and that we would raise them all to worship Darkness. And that you would love me and everything would beright. And I...I was so excited when Darkness finally came to me and took me to the place where I could shift to the Academy and spy on you."

She takes a deep breath, opening her eyes and turning them to her mate.

"And you were...so great, Jess," she whispers, her voice creaking, tears coming to her eyes. "I was...I watched you all for hours. And you were so funny. And you all...loved each other so much. I was so excited to take you home and make you mine."

He swallows hard, getting choked up too.

"You weren't what Darkness promised, in the end," she whispers, dropping her eyes again to the roof.

He laughs a little, a strangled sound.

"Nah, you were better," she says, sniffing, the tears finding their way down her cheeks. “You saved me instead of the other way around. And you brought me home and made me family. And gave me...so much. I love you so much, Jesse, I - I am so grateful –“

"I love you too, Mids," Jesse says, slipping an arm around her and pulling her tight. "You don't have to be grateful. You deserve...all of it. Everything."

She nods, sniffing again. "Do you promise not to hate me?"

He goes still again. "What? I mean...I mean, yes, Midnight. I'll never hate you - I couldn't. But...why on earth do you ask?"

"Because,” she whispers, shaking her head, her black curls bouncing lightly. "I'm going to ask you to let me go."

"Midnight," Jesse whispers, his arm tightening around her. "Wha - what are you talking about?"

"If you want to blame someone you should blame your mom," she says, slightly snappy, turning her face up to him with a frown. He smiles a little at this, but it falls quickly away. "She she told me that I can live whatever life I want. That I can have my own dreams. That I can do anything absolutely anything. And that no one has any power to stop me."

"Midnight, all of that is true," Jesse murmurs, just staring at her. "But...what does

that have to do with me?"

"Jesse," she says, turning and taking

his cheeks between her palms. "My whole life, all I've been told is that you're my fate and you're my destiny. And now that I know that there's more...I want that. All of it. best

And it's not that you're not tha thing on the planet - because I think you might be?" Her voice goes all high and squeaky with pain. "But I...I

want...I want to decide what my

destiny is. I want to be free."

"Midnight," Jesse says, his voice breaking on the word. "What are you saying to

me?"