The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"Wait till you meet an infant one,” I say, raising my eyebrows as Midnight offers me the packet of cookies and I take a few, popping one into my mouth. "They're really loud."

"Pippa has promised me that I can meet her pup when she is born," Midnight says, nodding to me eagerly. "I'm excited to see if she will be as loud as everyone says."

"Babies are also super cute," I say, laughing and shaking my head at her. "It's not all bad."

"Don't try to talk me into bearing Jesse's pups, Ariel," Midnight says, holding up a hand flat towards me. "The other Rat already gave me a book describing how they are made and I am not interested in any of that."

I smile at Midnight in a bit of wonder, shifting my eyes to Jesse, having no idea what she's talking about. But he just grins at me and leans forward. "So, what was up with Rafe?" he asks, eager and gossipy.

"Yes!" I gasp, dropping the cookies onto the floor as I whip my hand out to smack him on the knee. "What was up with him!? Why was he all silent and tense and weird!?"

"I don't know," Jesse says, equally baffled and eager to talk to me about it.

"What happened?" Midnight asks, curious, likewise leaning forward. I grin to see that even if she's new and bizarrely out of touch with the world, she's already caught the Sinclair flair for drama.

Jesse and I take a quick moment to fill Mids in on how weirdly quiet Rafe was tonight, and how much he was drinking, and how he would go all tense and turning towards Maryam whenever she would talk. And then how when she'd finish speaking he'd slump back into the pillows like he was at turns relieved or devastated or one of a thousand other emotions.

"I mean is he sick?" Jesse asks, peering at me. "Did he like...eat a bunch of psychedelic mushrooms in anticipation of the party?"

"Maybe food poisoning," I say slowly, agreeing.

"Sounds like he just met his mate," Midnight says, taking a casual sip of her orange soda.

We both go still and stare at her.

"What?" I ask, leaning forward towards her.

"All the things you're saying," Midnight says, reaching for one of the cookies dropped. "It just sounds like the way people feel when they meet their mate. Fascinated, acting all strange. mean, I followed Jesse around all googoo-eyed for days in the

vel

shadows, listening to his every word, watching him sleep, thinking he was the most fantastic thing ever."

"You did?" Jesse asks, his eyes flying wide.

"Rafe just sounds like his wolf is

adjusting," Midnight says, putting her soda down as she ignores Jesse

and keeps her eyes on me, stretching her arms above her head with a yawn. "And maybe he's

ashamed of her so he hasn't told his

whole family that she's his mate

yet." noveldrama

"But Mids,” I say, leaning forward and shaking my head at her. "She can't be his

mate - Maryam is a human."

"I know," Midnight says, rolling her eyes at me. "I met her. She is very weak and ineffectual, as most humans are, so if she is Rafe's mate then I will feel sorry for him. But Darkness always used to grumble on about that - about how it was the Goddess's first born grandchild's destiny to unite the human and the wolf worlds, and what he could do to stop it -"

Jesse and I both freeze.

"I mean, I didn't think the prophecy would be fulfilled so literally as having Rafe be mated to a human but," Mids shrugs and takes a sip of her drink. "Who knows. Maybe the Goddess is dull and unimaginative."

She looks between the pair of us, still staring at her shocked and frozen.

"What?" Midnight asks with a frown. "What's wrong? What did I say?"

As one Jesse and I whip our heads to each other and then scamper to our feet. "Did you know about this?" I gasp out.

"No, I fucking didn't!" He snarls, storming for the tent door. "Rafe!" he shouts out into the night, even though there's no chance that Rafe is going to hear him.

"Okay, bye!" Midnight calls after us, completely unperturbed by our abrupt departure, perhaps not fully understanding how rude we're being. "Don't let the children up! And bring me cake when you can!"

I wave to Midnight over my shoulder as I begin to sprint after Jesse down the stairs.