Chapter 493

The run is as grueling as I knew it would be, with Rafe, Jesse, and Jackson each taking turns to backtrack and run at my heels, forcing me to pick up speed or get trampled down by their gigantic feet.

By the end of it, I'm bending over with my hands on my knees, my head hanging, trying to catch my breath while the three of them chat casually about their plans for the day.

“Come on, little man," Rafe says, clapping me on the back and making me stumble a few steps forward. "You smell terrible. Let's get you showered before breakfast." He just grins when I straighten up and glare at him.

I scowl, following along with them, but glance anxiously up at Jackson when he drapes a casual arm around my shoulder. "Do I really smell?"

"It's a nice musk," he says, giving me a sad smile that breaks into a laughing grin as I tilt my head back and groan with embarrassment. Together, the four of us hurry back to the rooms to clean up before breakfast.

Breakfast passes quickly as we fall easily back into the rhythms of the school. Ben and I sit on either side of Luca, giving him some tips about how to pay attention in lessons when things get particularly boring - something he's apparently never tried before - but before I know it, we're slugging down the rest of our coffee as we stand, Ben and I still planning to head for the library for our free study period.

"Remember," Rafe says, stepping close to Ben and pointing a finger in his face. "You're on bodyguard duty now and when you walk him to class. If Ari even -"

"Oh, enough,” Ben says, rolling his eyes at Rafe and ducking under the finger as he heads for the door. "We've survived this long, I'm sure we can make it out of the library alive." I laugh and hurry to keep up with Ben, waving over my shoulder at my brother, my cousin, and my mates, who all wave back.

"Finally," Ben murmurs, tossing me a grin as we start for the elevators that will take up to the library on the top floor. "An Alpha-free moment."

"Oh, you're an Alpha too, Benny," I say with a happy sigh. "Plus, they're not so bad." We step into the elevator and begin to move swiftly upwards. "Because you're inured to the presence of two of them, and making out with the others," Ben says, dry, shooting me a glance out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't be so jealous, Benny," I counter, flicking him lightly on the shoulder with my finger as the elevator doors pop open again. He laughs, shrugging as he admits it, and the two of us make our way into the library together.

My breath is stolen, again, by the sight of the place - the towering stacks of books that reach high towards the glass ceiling, the round velvet and leather chairs gathered together in little study groups. "This place is amazing," I murmur, shaking my head as I look around jealously at all the books I haven't yet read, following Ben to a set of green velvet chairs in the corner. "We should come here more often. We don't make enough use of the resources here."

"If you did study here you wouldn't get much work done,” Ben says, flopping into a chair settled neatly next to the fireplace as I take the one across from it. "Not with people coming over all the time to fan over Luca, to try to buddy up with Rafe and Jesse as royals."

"Well, that's we have Jackson to scare them away," I say cheerfully, folding my legs beneath me and opening one of my books in my lap. Ben laughs, grinning at me. "Don't think he doesn't have his own fans too."

"As he constantly reminds me," I murmur, rolling my eyes and thinking of all the girls sliding into Jackson's nonexistent social media inbox.

"What does that mean?" Ben asks, leaning forward towards me with his chin in his palm, eager for the details. I just wrinkle my nose at him and shake my head, letting him know that it's not important, the two of us get started, sorting through our assignments and deciding individually where to get started.

Unfortunately, we don't get far before a shadow falls across my book.

I frown, wondering if it's a particularly dark passing cloud, but then my mouth pops open when I look up and see.....

Well, see my mortal enemy - quite literally - standing there, glaring at me, his arms crossed, his guard standing stoic behind him. I just gape at Alan Wright looming above me, fear rushing through me, instantly flashing back to the memory of the last time he stood over me like this - when he shot a quarrel right into my stomach - when he -

"Do you fucking mind?" Ben snaps, intervening when he sees me gaping, fear locking my limbs as well as my tongue. "We're trying to study. You're blocking our light."

"Just wanted to see it for myself," Wright snaps, turning his glare on Ben now. "Because I didn't believe the Royals would let their two little pets off their leashes to roam free. Do the Duke and the Prince know that you're out alone? Without your guard dogs, where almost anything could happen?"noveldrama