Chapter 244

Neumann laughs at my inappropriate remark, shaking his head. “I was hard on you to push you, Clark. You work harder when you’re terrified. Someone has to herd you along towards your potential, after all,” he looks around the room now, glaring a bit at my friends and my family, who all beam at me. “These ones, I suspect, pet you a little too much.”

“Thank you, sir,” Rafe says formally, coming forward, but Neumann just waves a hand at him, turning his attention back to me. I grin, a little pleased to have a professor pay more attention to me than Rafe, who is usually the golden boy.

“Don’t listen to what those other Cadets said at the final test, either,” Neumann says, stern. “Do you hear me on that? Half of them failed anyway, so they don’t know what they’re talking about. You’re very promising, and we’re incredibly excited about your future in the department. Not every successful cadet needs to be a bastion of physical force in order to be useful to the nation’s military. Understood?”

I nod eagerly, tucking my hands behind my back and straightening my shoulders, bolstered by the fact that he believes in me. And, quite frankly, the fact that half my classmates failed out.

Jerks.

“And,” Neumann says, leaning forward to speak softly to me now, conspiratorial, “if any King has any particular ions on the matter, you can tell him that I said that. And that if he has any questions about your aptitude and potential, that he can ask me directly. I want you here in the Spring, Cadet…Clark.”

My mouth drops open a little as I realize that Neumann… knows. He has perhaps always known.

“Don’t disappoint me,” my professor finishes, giving a sharp nod and then turning away and striding down the hall. “I wish you all a happy winter break!” he calls to us, “get it out of your systems,

children! When you return in the spring, I will expect you to work!”

I stare after him, shock and thrill pulsing through me.

And then, slowly, I turn to stare around at the group of Alphas standing in the room, all quietly beaming at me, waiting for me to process my surprise.

“I passed!” I shout, punching my fists up into the air, my eyes squeezing shut in my joy.

A roar goes up in the room and suddenly I’m swept off my feet. I laugh, hugging my brother back as he spins me around, and then I’m passed from arms to arms as everyone hugs me, and kisses my cheeks, and tells me how wonderful I am and how they’re not at all surprised. I laugh the whole time, barely able to process it, almost knocked out in my wonder and surprise and joy.

I’m still laughing, dazed by the joy of it, when someone clears their throat at the door.

I turn, a huge smile on my face, to see Jackson standing there, frowning around at us. “What’s going on here?” noveldrama

“Just got the news,” Jesse calls over to him, and I can hear in his voice that he’s pleased and proud. “Ariel passed! Top marks in Chemistry – top student in the Espionage unit.”

A wide smile spreads over Jackson’s face. “What,” he says, slowly, looking around at everyone. “And you guys are like, surprised?”

I burst into a smile, pleased as hell that Jackson’s completely unperturbed by the news – that he never, ever thought for a single second that I wouldn’t pass.

Finally, his eyes land back on me. “Get your ass over her, Clark,” he growls, beckoning me with a wave of his hand. I laugh and suddenly my feet are flying across the room. I throw myself into

Jackson’s arms, where he wraps me up and lifts me off the floor, turning me once in a circle as he holds me tight.

“So proud of you,” he murmurs into my ear, which makes me squeal a very tiny happy noise. “My clever little spy.”

I laugh, grinning down at him, running my fingers through his hair and losing myself a little in his blue eyes.

My smile fades, though, when I hear Luca’s rough snarl across the room.

“For the second time in as many days,” Luca snaps, “get your fucking hands off my girlfriend.” I turn my head, knocked out of my mental bubble where only Jackson exists, to see Luca taking a menacing step towards us.