The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"You can talk to me about it,” he says, smiling up at me, tucking my messy hair back behind my ear. "I might like that. A lot."

"Yeah, but you're more of a learn-by-doing type," I say, grinning down at him. "I think I need more girlfriends."

Jackson hums consideringly, nodding as he runs his hands slowly up my sides, his palms sliding over my ribs. "Only problem with that is that I have no intention of ever being separate from you ever again. Not even in another room. Not even on the other side of the room. So, your girlfriends will be my girlfriends."

"That's so creepy," I whisper, beaming at him, kind of loving it. "You're so obsessed with me."

Jacks snarls his confirmation and grabs me to his chest, turning me over and making laugh delightedly as he presses kisses all over my neck and my cheeks, my mouth and my chest, lingering again and again on the mark he gave me last night.

"How's that looking?" I whisper, trying to peer down at it. I mean, with my wolf healing and Jackson passing me power, I know that it's well on its way towards being all healed up. But still, it's not there yet.

"It looks perfect," Jackson murmurs, pulling back a little to get a better look and then leaning close to give it a long lick with his tongue, wolfish and sweet. "Much better than the others, if I'm honest."

I laugh again. "You're biased."

"I am," he says, nudging it proudly with his nose. "But even if I weren't, I'd be right."

I smile and run my fingers through his hair, believing him, and Jackson presses a lingering kiss to the soft skin beneath my jaw. Then he delivers a smart smack to the side of my ass that makes me yelp in surprise and then burst out laughing. "Come on, Princess," he says, sitting up with a sigh. "Let's get you home."

"Nooo," I moan, sitting up too and wrapping my arms around him again, trying to tug him back down. "Let's stay - this tent is nice! We're so cozy and alone with no one to bother us -"

"Your family is going to be worried," he says, grinning, running a hand over my hair.

"Oh, let them worry," I sigh, beaming up at my pretty mate. "Who cares."

"You care," he says, laughing and cupping my cheek in his palm. "Besides, we're gross. We need showers - lets get home and all cleaned up."

"And by showers...you mean just one shower, yes?" I say, raising an eyebrow at him.

He laughs and gives my ass another smack before grabbing his clothes and smoothly stepping out of the tent, fully naked in the early-morning Atalaxian sun. "Whatever you want, tiny, he says, stretching with his back to me. "Whatever you want."

I grin, watching him for a moment as he gets dressed, and then I sigh, and turn, and grab for the backpack my mom sent for the two of us, rifling through it. It only takes a moment to find the bottle of medicine at the bottom. I laugh when I pull it out, shaking my head at my mom who of course thought of this.

"Mommy," I sigh, pulling the top off and taking a swig of the potion that will keep

me from getting pregnant. "So practical."

"You ready?" Jackson calls to me from outside.

"I'm still naked!" I call back, re-capping the potion and slipping it back into the bag.

I grab my dress and peer outside to see him fully dressed, the ATV already prepped and ready to go.

"Well come on, Ariel," he says, shaking his head at me like I'm bafflingly slow. "I can't take down the tent with you in it."

"Listen, I just saved the world," I say, pointing a finger at him even as I pull the stupid Atalaxian dress over my head "I can take my time getting up in the morning."

"I always thought Rafe was exaggerating when he called you a lazy riser," Jackson murmurs, turning away again and shaking his head. "But now...he has a point..."

I snarl playfully at my mate even as I climb out of the tent and stand, zipping my dress up, a little sad to leave the peaceful quiet time alone with my mate but... Well, yeah. Excited to get home too. After all, my family is waiting for me. And I really, really love my family.