The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy novel Chapter 564

“Ariel,” Jackson breathes, turning towards me with his eyes wide. “It’s hypothetical – I don’t think – I never –“

My body’s temperature begins to increase exponentially as I just stare at my mate, my wolf whimpering and snarling in me at turns as I turn the idea over in my mind, unable to turn away from it.

Jackson – with another mate. Jackson – another girl – who he met when he was younger – someone else – me having to share him, to watch him look at another girl the way he looks at me -

“You need to calm down,” Jackson whispers, his eyes flicking to my hands pressed against my desks. He leans forward, taking my face in his hands, staring deep into my eyes. “Calm down, Ariel. Seriously.”

But his touch – something in me grabs onto his power. And quite suddenly, the table beneath my hands gets very, very hot.

“Shit, shit,” Rafe shouts, jumping to his feet and leaping for Jackson, intending to push him away from me –

But it’s too late – I gasp as the desk beneath my hands begins to superheat, smoke starting beneath my palms. I panic, but it only makes it worse, and Jackson shouts as he jumps to his feet, dropping his hands from my face. Even with him gone, I suddenly feel my power moving without my intent – flowing into the wood, following my wild emotions’ order to burn without any way for me to stop it, to pull it back.

“Ari!” Tony gasps, jumping out of his own chair and reaching for me. Jackson turns to knock him away, growling, protective – but Tony ducks under his arm, reaching for me, his hand coming to lay flat against the back of my neck.

Instantly, coolness floods me – as it did before, so many months ago, when we worked together in class.

The desk beneath me still smokes but instantly I feel coolness like snowmelt flood my body, my veins. And I welcome it – welcome Tony’s magic, whipping my head up to stare at him in shock.

“Water and fire,” he whispers, holding my gaze, giving me a little smile as he glances at my hands and sees that I can move them away now, that they’re not nearly as hot as they were. “See? We’re friends for a reason.”

I start to take deep breaths, taking my shaking hand away from the desk, not surprised at all but certainly appalled to see my handprints clearly branded into the surface there.

Wide-eyed but in control, I look around to see everyone staring at me with similar expressions on their faces.