The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Midnight stares between Jesse and I with a frown. "What?" she asks. “What's surprising about this?"

"You'd really come and take care of Marigold?" I whisper, shocked and a little thrilled. I mean, I never even thought about hiring a nanny - but then again, I haven't thought about much of anything at all in the past few minutes besides how mad I am at my dad -

"Wait, you're enrolling in Alpha Academy!?" Jesse asks, a bit awed.

"Well, if Ariel can do it, I can too," Midnight says, casting out a hand towards me. "After all, I am much tougher and more powerful than she!"

"Oh, try me, Mids," I say, dry, grinning as I unfurl my hand, a blue flame flicking to life there.

Midnight grins wickedly as shadows shoot out from her, leaping for the flame in my hand. I gasp at first when the shadows hit my flame, feeling it like a true impact, but then I grin when I see the two forces grappling with each other. I laugh, putting a bit more power in it, and my flames gobble up her shadow.

"See?" I say, cheerful, grinning at her. "I win."

"Not fair," she snarls, pouting as she crosses her arms over her chest. "You got all those Goddess perks. If it was still just your red fire I could take you out."

"I believe you," I say, flicking my fire away. "We should experiment more with it, though. Could be helpful for both of us."

Midnight looks at me with a bit of suspicion for a moment, well aware that my fire can burn away the darkness in her soul, but then she nods. I smile, genuinely warm by the trust she has in me.

"Pardon me," Jesse says, polite and sarcastic, "can we please get back to the point here? Mids, are you serious about wanting to enroll in the Academy?"

She shrugs, turning towards him. "Well, if that's where you're going, that's where I want to be. And I certainly don't want to waste my time sitting around all day, so I will want to go to lessons. Miss Ella says I can go to school, after all."

"Are you ready for school?" I ask, tilting my head to the side. "The Academy is very rigorous, Mids - and I know you're clever, but can you...do advanced math and stuff?"

"I can do plenty math," Midnight growls, turning her glare on me.

“Okay, but like, what about a basic understanding of chemistry?" I ask, tucking my hair back behind my ears, thinking that she – like me - certainly doesn't have the physique for Warrior track, so she very likely would be Espionage, like me.

And what a hell of a spy she'd be.

Or, Ambassador, but...well, my wolf rolls onto her back in my soul, laughing at the prospect.

"What's chemistry?" Midnight snaps out, still glaring.

Slowly, I smile.

Midnight's eyes narrow further. "If I knew what that word meant, I'd likely be offended by your suggestion that I didn't know anything about it. But I probably do. I'm very smart, Ariel, I can do everything."

"Well, I mean, you'd have some time to catch up," I say eagerly. "It's only March now, and enrollment isn't until September -"

"Whoa, whoa," Jesse says, sitting up a little, anxious. "Are we have we decided on this? Is this our plan?"

"Do you not want her to enroll?" I ask, bristling a little.

"You stop that," Jesse snaps, pointing a finger at my face. "You know I was always Team 'Girls in the Academy I'm just saying let's... think about this for a moment. Consider if it's what Midnight really wants amongst her plethora of options."

"Well, if you think you're just going to be springing off to the Academy and leaving me behind to sit on the palace roof for the next few months," Midnight says, sitting quite straight and proud. "That's certainly not going to happen."

Jesse nods consideringly, accepting her thoughts on this issue.

"I think it's a good plan," Midnight says, nodding like it's finished. "I'll come and

study Chemas-tree and ensure the pup doesn't die."

I bite my lip, wondering, because while it would solve one problem for me...does it create more for Jesse? And for Daphne? I mean, when I

spoke to my friend yesterday via net

videocall she was still visibly devastated about losing Jess to a fated mate. Will bringing Midnight around rub salt in the wound?

But then again...will keeping Midnight away for Daphne's sake be completely unfair to Mids?

"Why don't we...take a few days to think on this," Jesse says, his face unusually serious, nodding to both of us. "It's a good idea but I don't think it does a great deal of harm to...consider all sides of the equation."

“Okay,” Midnight says with a shrug.noveldrama

She lifts her eyes to me. "Does

Jackson even want to return to school now that he has a pup? The book says that some mothers

do

not want to return to their jobs once they have a baby so they can

concentrate on rearing it properly."