The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"Oh, come on, Luc," I say, laughing a little, delighted at the shock on his face. "Of my three mates, you were never the one who I thought needed the 'where do babies come from' chat -"

"Who the hell was he sleeping with!?" Luca whispers, shocked, still staring up at Jackson and his little girl in the window. Luca runs a mystified hand through his hair. "He's such - he's so awkward - how did he get a girl -"

"He's also insanely hot," I point out, raising my brows at him. "I don't think it's very hard for him."

Luca scowls a little, snapping his eyes back to mine. "He's not that good looking."

I just lift a hand to tap at the magazines still pressed to my chest. "The people are with me on this one, Luca. Jackson's a babe."

Luca ignores this very valid point. "Is that - is that like his biological kid!? Or did he just like, snag one off the street -"

"Please, he's not my mom," I say, rolling my eyes. "She's his! That's his daughter, Marigold. She's great!"

Luca's eyes flash back to me. "She's great!?"

I raise an eyebrow at him, challenging him to try that again.

"I mean, I'm sure...she's a great kid," Luca says, shaking his head as if to clear it. "But Ariel, you can't tell me that you're actually happy about this -"

"Why not!?" I scoff, kind of appalled at his reaction.noveldrama

"Because because that's someone else's kid, Ariel!" he says, taking a step closer, shaking his head at me like I'm a little crazy. "Now Jackson's what, a dad? And you have to change your whole life to accommodate that!?"

"He's my mate, Luca," I say, my voice deepening as I start to get mad. "What did you expect I'd do, just kick him out the door at the first big challenge? I love him, of course I'm going to welcome his daughter into my family!"

"You deserve better," Luca snaps, shaking his head and crossing his arms, standing up to his full height. "You shouldn't have to raise someone else's kid just because Jackson made some kind of youthful mistake."

"The only mistake here, Luca," I say, quite low, my magic beginning to simmer in my heart. "Is you thinking that it won't be the honor of my life to raise Marigold at Jackson's side."

"Ariel," Luca says, leaning closer and reaching for me with both hands. My glare stops him before he touches me and his arms fall to his sides. Still, he persists, holding my gaze steadily. "I'm serious - you deserve your own family without these complications!" He shakes his head, pressing a hand to his chest. "Come with me - you want kids? Let's have kids! But they'll be our kids – kids produced from a goddess-blessed bond - we'll be so happy -"

"Or," I say, tilting my head to the side, ironic. "If I want goddess-blessed

kids, why don't I just go back to Atalaxia and take Gabriel up on the same offer? Be his Queen and have a whole bunch of Princes and Princesses with pretty black hair and blue eyes!"

Luca scowls as he stands straight, as he realizes that his offer to me is not as unique or shining as he thought it was.

"If you think the problem here is that I don't understand my options, Luca," I say, stepping towards him and tilting my chin up as I hold his gaze. "Then you're very mistaken. I choose Jackson. I choose that little girl."

I point solidly up to the window, where I can feel Jackson still standing, steady

and...well, not precisely patient. But enduring.

"They're mine," I say, firm. Possessive. Right.

Luca just sighs, hanging his head for a long, long moment.

I let Luca take the time and space to think, dropping my hand. As I do my anger floods from me and my wolf presses herself warm against my heart. Because it's hard - all of this is hard. Luca is right – it is a surprise and a challenge to have Marigold show up on my door.

But his suggestion that I should walk away from her, that there's a child that I might want more?

God, it just solidifies for me, in my heart, precisely how much I really want her.

"Where does this leave us?" Luca whispers, raising a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers like he does when he has a headache.

And my heart goes out to him too because...well, he broke our bond. And I came out of it whole and strong. And he...