The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

My four Alphas turn to me as I steadily hold the Captain's gaze. "We're ready," I say, soft and sure, and my wolf howls proud in my heart. Because even if there's still pain, and even if I am still finding my feet amongst all this grief, my nation needs me now.

And god damn it, but I'm going to show up.

The Captain nods once and sends us on our way.

Jackson keeps his eyes on Ariel the entire walk back to the room. Ben splits off at his floor, going to quickly pack a bag, but Ariel and Jesse walk close together, murmuring about possibilities for the magic now that Luca's gone, discussing honestly if they need to switch things around - if he should be sending out his shadows with the flames tracing through them, rather than the reverse, which they've been doing so far.

But Jackson barely hears it, because he knows whatever they decision they come to is fine with him. Whatever power Ariel needs on the battlefield he'll give it, and more - no matter what the configuration. No, what matters to him now is keeping her safe.

We have to destroy them all, his wolf says, wary, his lips peeling back to bare his fangs. All of Atalaxia - anyone who would hurt her - they must be ended, immediately-

Jackson sighs and puts a hand over his wolf's ruff to calm him. It's not that he thinks the wolf is precisely wrong...his wolf has been...trouble over the past few days. Going into over-drive, ready to attack anything at the slightest sign of trouble. It's been difficult, keeping him in check.noveldrama

Rafe wordlessly strides ahead down the hallway to their room, pushing open the door and moving in. Jesse and Ariel follow, Jackson bringing up the rear, thinking over what these past days have been like - how incredibly, incredibly had it had been to play it cool when Ariel took that bandage off her neck this morning and showed him Luca's mark.

Because even if he had managed, somehow, miraculously, to hide his wolf's howling devastation and convince Ariel that it really had been fine -

The truth was that it really did feel like a knife to his heart, an absolute devastation.

We did the right thing, his wolf snarls, looking up at Jacks, pausing in his plans for world destruction. She needed to hear it was okay. That it will be okay.

Jackson nods, agreeing - because

none of that was a lie. Jackson – he loves Ariel to the absolute ends of himself, and things will be fine. It's just...he exaggerated, just slightly, for her sake, just how fine he feets about Luca's mark on her body.

The real truth? When he saw the mark, he instantly regretted not killing that boy. Fought hard against the urge to leap up, and run to the capital, and tear him to pieces. He should have done it when he had the

chance. Only stupid pity had held back his hand for that pathetic

wretch of a man, that horrible

excuse for a mate.

And yet here Jackson is, planning to kill all of Atalaxia and every threat to Ariel, when he can't even take out the one person who actually posed a threat to her safety? Who marked her and left her bare for the vultures to take?

God, can he even protect her at all?

What good has he been in any of this? Ariel, she's suffered so much in the past week and at every turn Jacks has failed her - just completely failed to be there when she needed him. When Tony died, he hadn't been there. When Luca snatched her away from Daphne's room and took her to his own? Again, gone.

Jackson hangs his head, wondering how the hell he's going to manage this, how he -

"Whatever," Jesse snaps, slamming his dresser drawer shut. Jackson's head snaps up, distracted from

his terrible thoughts. He glances down at Ariel pressed close to his side and frowns, watching Jesse stride for the door.

"What's happening?" Jackson murmurs. "Why's he...mad?" Ariel grimaces as she looks up at him. "Jesse!" Rafe snaps, striding after him. "You're being a fucking fool! We have work to do -"

"I'm going to see Daphne," Jesse bites out, shoving Rafe hard away from him. "You try to stop me and I'll break your damn arm."

Jackson's eyes go wide. What - what the hell? These two never fight - and what the hell does Daphne have to do with it?