The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

But the way she'd ushered him inside and showed him her home...he'd hadn't had the heart to do anything but tell her how comfortable and lovely the place was. But it was a lie, blatant and boldfaced. The entire yurt contains one small sleeping mat, her "kitchen" - which is just a couple of baskets filled with the bare necessities of cooking supplies and several small, grey potatoes - and the saddest little collection of children's books that he's ever seen, alongside a single half-burned candle and a pack of matches.

"Galushka," Midnight says, spooning some out onto a tin plate and setting it aside at her "table" - a worn red rug spread across a plank of wood next to the fire - before patting the floor, a clear invitation to come sit. "Is my own recipe. It's shadow cabbage all cooked down until it's nice and burney. The burning gives it the flavor."

"What's shadow cabbage?" Jesse murmurs, crawling across the floor and taking his place at the table, feeling of all things like he's at one of his siblings' imaginary tea parties.

"I don't know," Midnight murmurs, giving him a little glare. "It's...that," she says, nodding her head towards his plate as she dishes out her own. "It's a vegetable. It grows here. That's what it's called."

Jesse nods and picks up his plate, grimacing inwardly at the sad grey vegetable on his plate and picking up his fork, digging in. His wolf snarls and scratches at his soul. You'd better pretend that's the most delicious cabbage you ever ate, his wolf orders. You'd better be nice to that poor girl. Jesse nods and sighs again, silently agreeing to it. Quite cheerful, Midnight settles down across from him and begins to dig into her breakfast.

"So, Mids," Jesse says, forcing himself to forget about the tasteless lump of vegetable in his mouth as he chews. "What's your favorite food?"

She goes still with her fork halfway to her mouth. "What are you talking about?"

He grins, looking at her, not understanding why this is a difficult question. "Of all the things you eat," he says, quietly trying to figure out how to be clear about this, "which one do you like the most? Or look forward to?"

She stays still for a moment, staring at him as she considers the question, before she shrugs. "It all pretty much tastes the same."

Inwardly Jesse groans because...well, because he's a Sinclair. He loves food and was basically raised on take-out and his aunt Ella's rather indulgent tendency to pack all the kids in the family full with whatever sweets they like. "It's all the same?"

"It's all...potatoes and cabbage. And like, shadow carrots," Midnight says with a shrug, continuing to eat with gusto. "So, there's no favorites. It's just all...that."

"So...you've never had meat?" Jesse asks, his stomach grumbling at the thought of a nice juicy steak. Or, god, all of the bacon they have at the Academy for breakfast - just mountains of it.

His wolf nips him. Eat your galushka.

Easy for you to say, Jesse grumbles to his wolf. Considering you're incorporeal at the moment.

But Jesse does as he's told, continuing to clear his plate.

"Of course I've had meat," Midnight says, rolling her eyes elaborately at him, like it's the stupidest thing to ask.

Jesse grins. "Okay, well, if everything is carrots and cabbage, how did you have meat?"

"I had it at the Fancy House," Midnight murmurs, eating her last forkful of cabbage and the scraping the plate with the fork, trying to get all the bits and juices.

"Fancy House," Jesse says, sitting up a bit. "What's that?"noveldrama

Midnight goes still and doesn't look at him. "I don't know. I didn't say that."

Jesse smiles, shaking his head. "Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't. You imagined it. The wind came in and whispered lies in your ear."

Jesse frowns for a moment at that

strange idea but then moves on from Midnight's very poor job of lying. He leans forward a bit, ducking his head low, trying to look her in the eye. "You're not in trouble, Mids," he says softly, shaking his head. "I'm not...I'm not trying to pin yo down or anything. I'm just trying to learn

about your life."

"You are?" she asks, lifting her head, her eyes wide as she stares up into her mate's face. "Why?"

"Because," he says, giving a little

shrug. "You're my mate. And you're interesting and I like you. I... want to learn how to be your friend. Friends talk about each other's lives.

en

Midnight stares at Jesse for a long second. And then her face slowly spreads in the loveliest, happiest

smile - sobright and excited that et

Jesse can't help but smile back. "Really?" Midnight whispers, eager. "You...you want to get to know me?”