Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 123

“I only retaliated once you took your claws out,” I shot back, my voice laced with defiance. “You were aiming to kill, and I fought back to keep myself alive.”

“Oh really?” The blonde girl sneered, her tone dripping with disdain as she stood behind me. “If that’s the case, why do you look perfectly fine while Amara’s a complete mess?”

“Thorne was there,” I replied hastily, my heart racing. “Thorne Blythwitch—he’ll back me up.”

Almost as if summoned by my words, Thorne stepped through the crowd, his presence commanding attention. He fixed me with a piercing gaze. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Thorny!” Amara exclaimed, her voice a melodramatic wail. She tilted her head back, feigning distress. “You won’t believe the nonsense Zora Smith is spouting! She claims she asked for this, that I didn’t attack first, but it was all me!”

Her golden eyes, reminiscent of a serpent, narrowed as they locked onto Thorne’s. I could almost hear the silent warning in her gaze: Don’t you dare side with her.

“Isn’t that just terrible?” Amara continued, her voice rising in pitch, drawing the attention of the onlookers.

Thorne glanced back and forth between us, caught in the crossfire of our unspoken battle. Amara’s eyes demanded his loyalty, while mine pleaded for understanding—a desperate “please don’t do this to me” look. He sighed, the weight of the moment evident as he closed his eyes for a fleeting second.

“It was awful,” he finally conceded, his tone softening. The crowd gasped collectively, as if we were all actors in some over-the-top telenovela. “I’ve never witnessed a spar turn so violent.”

“See!?” Amara cried, her voice triumphant as she jabbed a long, manicured finger at me. “She’s completely insane! If anyone should be kicked out, it’s her! I’ll be telling my mother immediately.”

I raised an eyebrow, challenging her with a look that said everything. Her mother was my mother too, and we both knew Victoria wouldn’t lift a finger to help Amara. I was the scapegoat for her tarnished reputation, and there was no way she would risk mine for her petty drama.

“What’s happening here?” A voice boomed, cutting through the tension like a knife. I felt a chill run down my spine as I recognized it instantly. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, revealing Kairos as he stormed toward us, his expression a fierce scowl.

“Oh, Kairos!” Amara cried, her voice dripping with faux innocence as she flailed her arms like a damsel in distress. “You must’ve heard how she attacked me! Now she’s trying to do it again!”

Kairos narrowed his eyes, the intensity of his stare almost overwhelming. “The way to survive in this school is certainly not by attacking the one person you absolutely shouldn’t.”

“Survive in this school?” I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “Weren’t you trying to get rid of me just a few months ago?”

Kairos pressed his lips into a thin line, his expression a mixture of frustration and something else I couldn’t quite decipher. His eyes bore into mine with the intensity of a thousand suns, and I took a step forward, lifting my chin defiantly to meet his glare.

“Unless you’ve had a change of heart,” I taunted, a smirk creeping onto my face. “Don’t tell me you actually care about me now, Kairos.”

For a brief moment, his expression softened, and I understood why people found him attractive. When he wasn’t scowling, he had a certain rugged charm. But just as quickly, the sneer returned, and he brushed past me, leaving me feeling disoriented and alone in the corner of the gym.

“Just don’t make it harder for yourself,” he snapped over his shoulder, the finality of his words hanging in the air as he walked away, leaving me to grapple with the chaos of the moment.