The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"We won't be here all the time." A new voice surprises me and I turn, starting to cry in earnest when I see my dad come around one of the houses, Rafe at his side. "We have a country to run, after all." He grins at me, opening an arm.

“Dad,” I croak, shaking my head and tucking myself against his side when he comes close. "Are you - are you serious with all of this?"noveldrama

"It was all Rafe's idea," dad says, grinning over at my brother, who gives me a wink.

"Me and Jesse came up with it," Rafe says with a laugh, tucking his hands into his pockets. I gasp again and whip my head to the side to stare at Jesse, who just laughs. “I just drew the short straw of having to convince mom and dad about it and arrange the spur-of-the-moment purchase of four ready-made homes while the rest of you got to have a fun train adventure."

"So," I whisper, looking back up at my dad. "This is...this is all happening? I can stay? I can enroll?"

"You clearly already decided, baby trouble,” dad says, stroking a hand over my hair. "And you were right. We never wanted to restrict you from your education, Ariel, we just...wanted to make sure you were safe while you did it. And the Captain is correct," he says, nodding to the man in question, who walks over with Neumann. “It isn't practical to have Midnight and Marigold or the infants living in the Castle with all of the Cadets. We should be grateful to Rafe for this clever compromise."

"So, me and Jacks," I say, my eyes catching on a little blue cottage that I desperately want to be for me. "And one for Midnight, and you, and..." Confused,

I look up at my father. "Wait, who's the fourth one for?"

"Cora got jealous," mom says, rolling her eyes. "She said she wanted one too."

I burst out laughing, shaking my head and hugging my dad again. "Thank you all. So, so much."

"We love you, baby," mom says, coming close and pressing a kiss to my hair. Dad wraps his arm around her instead of me, smushing me between them in a very loving sandwich. "Although your kids had better be cute, because this was expensive."

I laugh, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. "Of course they're going to be cute," I sigh, happiness ringing through me like the peal of a bell.

We all spend the next few hours ironing out the details of what my continued education will look like, watching as the houses are carefully placed in a little line next to each other, engineers moving expertly around them to ensure that they're all perfectly level and safe. Jesse and Rafe voyage into the Castle and return with breakfast supplies and a surprisingly lovely and calm morning passes with most of us seated on blankets, watching our little village come together.

"They might not have septic and plumbing until tomorrow," mom says, grimacing over at me as I lean against Jackson's side with Marigold in my lap, all of us watching with interest. "Will you survive?"

"We'll make it Jackson says,

it

nodding to mom even as he keeps

his eyes on the work. "I just got

plumbing eight months ago. Marigold still probably thinks it's magic. We'll make do for as long as we need to."

I turn my head and privately stick my tongue out at mom, letting her silently know that...I'm going to need that septic tank and water system installed as fast as possible. Ske wrinkles her nose at me and nods, letting me know she's on it.

"Which one is mine?" Midnight asks, walking over with Jesse, her hands on her hips. She looks quite happily at the houses, well pleased with them.

“Oh, we're just setting you up in a tent outside,” Jesse says, slinging a casual arm around her shoulders.

She gasps, appalled, but then snarls when she looks up at his face and sees that he's kidding.

"We thought the little cabin would suit you, Midnight," mom says, nodding to the tiny rustic cabin that's situated next to the blue house that I've mentally claimed as my own.

"Good," Midnight says, nodding once. "I like that one best. Very defensible."

I grin at her even as the head engineer, standing at dad's side outside the blue house, turns to us with a wave and a nod.

"You ready?" mom says, turning to me, Jackson, and Marigold with a smile.

"Yes!" I say, getting eagerly to my feet. "Are you?" I ask, watching Jackson get up, a big smile on my face.

"Sure," Jackson says with a shrug,

looking over at the house as he

hoists Marigold up on his hip and runs a hand through his hair. "I mean, I've never been in a house before. Kind of crazy that the first one I'll go into will be...my house."

My mouth falls open as I stare at my mate, shocked.