The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy novel Chapter 185

“I’m not leaving you behind, Ari,” Jackson spits out, glaring at me like I’ve said something horrible and ridiculous, like we should both throw ourselves off the cliff.

“I’m just slowing you down!” I say, throwing out my hands for emphasis. “Seriously, if you hadn’t back-tracked for me, you’d be like, finished now –“

“I didn’t backtrack for you,” he mutters, still staring at me, “I backtracked for –“

“Your mate, whatever,” I sigh, rolling my eyes. “Either way, it’s not fair. I’ll find my own way up the mountain, it will be fine.”

“It will not be fine,” he says, reaching out to grab my arm. “Do you think I want to do this without you!?”

“What?” I ask, suddenly baffled.

“Not…not this, Ari,” Jackson says, waving the map around at the darkening forest. “Not the Examination. I mean, the Academy. Do you think I’m not aware that you’re the only person who has been nice to me? That you’re – you’re the only human connection I have at all?”

“But,” I frown at him, “Rafe and Jesse –“

“Are only friends with me because you make them be –“

“That’s not true, Jackson,” I whisper, turning to face him, desperate for him to believe me. “They like you for who you are – sure, I was the start of it, but they really do –“

“Ari,” Jackson sighs, his shoulders slumping, “this isn’t the time for a pep talk. Just – I’m not leaving you behind, okay? I found you in the woods, for some reason – because you’re always weirdly around when I smell her scent – but…I’m not leaving you behind now, all right? There’re ways to do this, even if I have to drag you up the mountain myself.” He mutters the final words, looking back at the map, and a slow, terribly pleased smile creeps over my face.

Jackson scowls, looking down at the map. “Well, let’s get to the bridge then,” he says, folding it neatly and sliding it into his back pocket. “See what the situation is there. Then…we can make our next move.”

Nodding, I fall in slightly behind him, letting him take the lead.

We walk for another hour then, with me placing my feet where Jackson placed his, trusting his steady steps and his apparently innate knowledge of the wilderness to know the best way through the dark. He silently, almost passively watches out for me, pointing to tricky spots or turning to offer a hand when the terrain is particularly steep. I stop noticing the pulse that rushes through the air every time we touch, because it’s become natural to me now, just part of being near him.

Both of us become intent, though, when we see fire ahead. I focus my eyesight, seeing the edge of the ravine and the start to the bridge next to it. Clearly, a group of cadets truly has set up something of a toll at the crossing, and they’re not being shy about announcing it.

“Bold,” Jackson murmurs, peering through the trees. Then he looks around, interested. “Let’s get to higher ground,” he says, nodding upwards to a cliff above us. “I want to see what we’re up against there.”