The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

I exhale slowly, my fingers twisting in my wolf's fur as I look over at Jesse,

standing next to me, his wolf at his side.

"This is weird, cousin," he says with a little grimace. "Welcome...to my soul."

"It's nice here," I say, nodding, looking around at the mostly-blank space that looks precisely like my own. "I like what you've done with the place."

He smirks and nods his head to the left, silently asking me to follow. I do, and it's not a long walk before we reach the dark space where his soul ends. Across the darkness, though, I can easily see a too-familiar sight.

"Oh, heavens,” I say, putting my hands on my knees and peering forward, my eyes fastened on the little dark wolf, sunk deep into the oil, just her eyes and nose and points of her ears truly visible above it. My wolf howls at the sight of her, desperately worried. "Jesse," I say quietly, glancing up at him, "this is...very bad. Much worse than Gabriel."

"Well, I think she's been corrupted since she was a kid," Jesse says on a sigh, crossing his arms and looking very worriedly over at his mate's wolf. "It makes sense that it would be worse. But this is...even worse than it was before. Darkness is pulling her further in, perhaps? Maybe even as revenge."

"Jess, I think...I think Midnight has to take action," I say quietly, grief and worry twisting in me as I straighten. "I don't think she's going to survive like this. At least, not for long."

He sighs, dipping his face into his hand, obviously agonized by that insight. "Okay. Yes, we'll...we'll try to persuade her that it's important."

"Where is she?" I ask, looking around for her.noveldrama

"Well, she can't come here," he snaps, his temper a bit short in his worry. "We don't have a bond." His wolf pants with worry, shifting from foot to foot, his eyes fastened on the little she-wolf in her oily bog. Midnight's wolf snarls and then chokes on the oil that floods her mouth. Jesse's wolf yips, starting forward, dancing at the edge of his soul, clearly wanting to go to her.

"All right, Jess," I say quietly, reaching out and slipping my arm around his. "Why don't you just...call for her?"

He does as instructed, cupping his hands to his mouth and shouting "Oye! Mids! Get your ass down here!"

I press my lips together, trying to hold back my smile.

She appears a moment later on her wolf's side of the soul, her hands on her hips, glaring at her mate. "What!?"

"We're trying to do something to help you here, Midnight,” Jesse says, exasperated, gesturing at her wolf. "The least you can do is show up."

She glares at him and then down at her wolf. "Yeah, but I don't like coming here. It's gross."

He just stares at her, aghast, a frustrated huff of air puffing from his lips.

"Darkness said it was important to stay clean," Midnight says, crossing her arms primly across her chest and shaking back her hair.

"Which you would think would extend to your soul," Jesse snarls.

I interrupt, pitching my voice louder. "Mids," I callout, giving her a cheerful smile. "I was going to light my Goddess fire - just here on this

side and experiment to see if you could feel it. Would that be okay?"

"Um," she says, her toes turning inward as anxiety starts to rush through her. "I.....I guess. But don't bring it over here, okay?"

"You're in charge, Mids," I say, nodding seriously and un-looping my arm from Jesse's, starting to call up the magic. “Whenever you say stop, we stop."

She glances down at her wolf, which continues to snarl at us, its livid red eyes fixed on Jesse's wolf. But then Midnight gulps and nods and I exhale, letting the blue flames form in my palms.

I let the fire grow and grow, sending it out into the air when it gets too big to hold. Jesse takes a step back as it grows as big as a person, then as big as a wolf, then larger. I glance at him. "You good?"

"Yeah,” he says, a bit mesmerized, his eyes fasted to the huge blue ball of fire. "Just...impressed. And it's very warm, isn't it?"

I grin at him and then exhale slowly, returning my@yes to the flame and pushing it just slightly - out into the darkness between Jesse's sout and Midnight's. I watch through the flames as Midnight's eyes go wide, as she cringes away from it, clearly afraid of what will happen if it comes too close.

But her wolf goes still.

And then the wolf blinks, the manic light fading from her eyes.

And then she moans, reaching her snout out as far as she can, her ears pinning back to her head. The little wolf reaches, pushing hard through the muck, trying to get closer.

Midnight cries out and Jesse stumbles forward. "Are you okay!?" he calls, worried.

Midnight's wolf gives a little howl, surging forward as best she can, reaching reaching so hard towards the blue light and the

warmth it provides. A pitiful little net

moan Breaks from my own mouth as push the fire further, wanting to give it to her, wanting her to have as much as she wants and needs.