The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy novel Chapter 728

“I’ll get the kitchen to send the strawberry ice cream she likes,” Ben murmurs, feeling utterly useless but thinking that it’s better than nothing. He strides for the dumbwaiter.

Rafe doesn’t follow. Instead, he just collects the gauze that Jesse dropped and continues dabbing at the wound on Ariel’s neck, doing his best to clean it for her.

“You just hang in there, baby trouble,” he whispers, leaning close. “We’ll take care of you. We’ve got you now.”

Ariel just lays perfectly still. Deep down, Rafe is glad that she’s not awake. Because when she does come around? God, but the reality of Luca’s rejection is just…

…going to destroy her.

Jackson snarls as Luca’s scent gets thicker in the air. He’s been running for an hour, chasing him. God, fuck but Grant’s fast. If he wasn’t, Jackson would have caught him long before now.

But Grant’s endurance has nothing on Jackson’s.

Jackson snarls and picks up speed, almost tasting that bastard’s blood on his tongue.

When Jackson breaks out of the woods he sees Grant, finally, across a field. Grant walks on two feet now, his steps dragging, his shoulders slumped, his head down. Jackson growls and sprints, closing the distance, his teeth bared.

Grant hears him coming – of course he does, Jackson is making no attempt at stealth. Luca spins, snarling, his hands already balled into fists, ready to take on the world. When Jackson is close enough to leap Grant screams his fury aloud into the air, a torrent of sound and misery and abjection. But doesn’t move, doesn’t even raise his hands to defend himself.

Almost like he thinks he deserves the fate flying towards him through the air. Welcomes it. Has been waiting for it.

At the last minute Jackson shifts in the air, his hand already clenched as he returns to his human body, his fist flying through the air and connecting solidly against Luca’s jaw the moment before his feet again meet the ground.