The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Ella's ears perk and her head snaps up, her eyes immediately moving towards the door of her cozy little office because...

That's a child crying somewhere down the hall.

She tilts her head to the side, assessing, realizing that...

That she doesn't know this one. She knows the sounds of all her nieces and nephews crying. This one young older than an infant but not yet a proper kid - and the only child she knows of that age is Seraphina. But Sera - that's not her...

Ella stands quickly, heading for her door, her ears collecting more information as she goes. That the child isn't in pain, but is instead scared - freaked out, really. And that with every moment, the child is coming closer. Ella whips open the door, her eyes already wide and going wider when she sees the group of boys standing just outside.

Her boys - Rafe and Jesse, and Jackson at their center, and Mark and Ben flanking on either side -

And held in Jackson's arms, a tiny little girl, her head tilted back as she screams to the ceiling.

"Help," Jackson says, looking between the girl and Ella in panic. "Please - please I need your help -"

Ella gasps and waves all of the boys into her office, glancing down the hall with a snarled warning at anyone who might be coming close. But there's no one there, so she slams the door shut and spins back towards the room, her eyes moving immediately for the crying child.

"What..." Ella whispers, taking a few steps closer before pausing in her shock in her confusion. "What - who..."

But then she stills as she looks between Jackson and the little girl, the connection between them immediately obvious. Because even if the little girl's face is red with emotion and covered in tears...

That dark hair, and her coloring, and that strong turn to her jaw? And her scent, piney and crisp?

God, but it's obvious. Immediately it's obvious who her father is - unquestionable.

"Well,” Ella breathes, putting her hands on her hips, unable to help the little smile that comes to her mouth. "This is...this is a surprise, isn't it?"

All of the young men just stare at her, completely freaked out.

"Oh, come on," Ella says, flashing a hand out at Rafe and Jesse. "You're both big brothers who a whole hoard of children, and you're going to let that little girl cry like that?"

Both Jesse and Rafe spin their heads to stare at Marigold, shame taking its rightful place on their features.

"All right, let's get this sorted," Ella says, joy flashing through her alongside her worry and her surprise and quite a bit of panic.

But Ella tucks all of that panic away, her motherly instincts kicking in as she moves quickly towards Jackson, reaching for the little girl. Because even if his life just got complicated as hell, a child is always a isn't it?

snessing,

"Oh, my goodness, young lady," Ella says, laughing a bit and smiling at the girl.

"You are making a racket!"

Marigold pauses for a second,noveldrama

surprised, turning towards Ella's

calm and sweet voice. But when she sees Ella's hands reaching for her she shrieks, scrabbling, her hands grabbing at Jackson's shirt as she tucks her face close against him. Ella's heart absolutely swells as she moves her eyes to Jackson's face, sees his heart break in a moment to see the little girl scared and clinging to him - either because her instincts are telling her to trust him because of their genetic connection, or because he's just been the only one carrying her and she doesn't want or trust anyone new.

“All right,” Ella says, gesturing towards the floor. "Down, please. Everyone sit down. We're all far too tense."

Jackson hesitates for a second but when the rest of the boys obey and sit on the floor in a semicircle around him and Ella, he bends too, taking Marigold along with him.

"Ella, she won't stop crying," Jackson says, his voice shaking.

"Well, I don't blame her, it seems like she's had a tough night," Ella says, moving close to Jacks to stroke a warm and loving hand over the girl's head and then her back. "What's her name?"

"Marigold," Jackson whispers, sounding like his heart breaks as he says it.

"Marigold," Ella repeats, beaming at Jackson, doing her very best to keep all sadness out of her face. Because she intuits it all – remembers his stories of his time in the

Community. Remembers Hank net

theories about how very much that horrible place would have valued Jackson's physical prowess and his magic, would have wanted to see them passed on to more children.

Jackson just looks back at Ella, his face grim, a little terrified.