Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 8

**Where Sleeping Rivers Dream We Follow Trails Toward Tomorrow by Evan Miles Cade**

**Chapter 8**

Loren enveloped me in her arms, squeezing tightly as if she were afraid I might vanish.

“Oh, thank the Gods, you’re okay! I was so worried! I even thought about calling the staff to intervene, but then I saw Professor Lunerly and figured maybe someone else had already contacted him. But then I felt guilty for even thinking about it—”

“Loren!” I gently extricated myself from her embrace, locking my gaze with hers. “What are you doing in my room?”

She tilted her head, a look of confusion crossing her face. “Wait—your room?”

I raised the key in my hand as if it were a trophy. Loren’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Oh wow! My first roommate!” A wave of relief washed over me.

“Thank the heavens you’re not a psycho,” I said, half-jokingly.

“Only a little bit,” Loren replied, winking playfully. Her expression softened, and she leaped back into my arms, wrapping me in another hug. “Good! I would have been so upset if I’d lost my new roommate.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her exuberance. Over Loren’s shoulder, I finally noticed Maximus standing silently beside me, his demeanor a stark contrast to Loren’s vibrant energy.

“Oh,” she said, unwinding from me. “Hi Max. Where are you coming back from?”

I turned to look at both of them, sensing an invisible tension in the air. Maximus appeared entirely out of place, discomfort etched across his features.

“That explains a lot,” Max grumbled, his voice low and almost gruff.

“Wait, what?” I interjected, glancing back and forth between them, trying to decipher the hidden meanings.

“Hello, Mini Moonbeam,” Maximus said, completely ignoring my presence. “I was just returning her to her room.”

“Oh yeah!” Loren bounced beside me, her excitement infectious. “I finally got a roommate! Aren’t you excited to be neighbors?”

“Neighbors?!” I blanched, a wave of dread washing over me.

Max pointed toward the door with a smirk. “This is my room.”

“No…” I breathed, disbelief creeping into my voice.

“Max is our neighbor,” Loren chimed in cheerfully. “But I told him if he’s not nice to you, I’ll beat him up!”

“Like you could take me, Mini Moonbeam,” Maximus snorted, amusement flickering in his eyes.

Loren placed her hands defiantly on her hips. “I totally could! I’d catch you off guard with how quick I am!”

In an instant, she shifted and barreled into Max’s calves, a comical sight. He barely budged, but Loren let out a playful whine before attempting again, which drew a deep rumble of laughter from his chest.

“Good try, pup,” he said, a hint of admiration in his tone.

With a determined huff, Loren shifted back to her human form, grumbling as she pushed past me and into our room. I stood there, momentarily dumbfounded, staring at Maximus as he unlocked his door. He caught my gaze and raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Can I help you?” he asked, his tone laced with sarcasm.

“My neighbor,” I murmured softly, a mix of disbelief and resignation. “Great.”

As the clock struck 11:07 on that chilly December night, Maximus barely acknowledged me as he stepped into his room. He threw a final glance over his shoulder. “Just don’t be too loud, too smelly, or too generally annoying, and we’ll have no problems.”

With that, he disappeared, the door slamming shut behind him. Frustration bubbled up inside me, and I stomped my foot before storming into my own room. My door slammed shut, startling Loren, who was perched on her bed, lost in thought.

She was doing that thing again, chewing on her lip nervously, fidgeting with the lace of her bedspread like it held the answers to the universe.

I nodded, trying to absorb the information. Loren continued, her excitement palpable.

“Both are at this school because if an Alpha falls, the Beta becomes the alpha. Unfortunately, people often treat us as less than the Alphas. So, like, if my sister dies in combat or gets hurt, then I become the alpha,” she paused, rubbing at her neck nervously. “Though I’m really hoping my sister doesn’t fall because I’m not exactly cut out for this job.”

I offered her a soft smile, wanting to reassure her. “I think you’d be a great Alpha,” I said sincerely.

“That’s nice,” Loren replied, returning my smile. “But wait until you see me spar. I’m downright awful.”

Somehow, I doubted that, but I kept my mouth shut. She couldn’t possibly be worse than I was. Loren waved her hand dismissively.

“But yeah, wolves. Everyone can shift pretty easily by the time they get here, so expect to see massive wolves running around,” she continued, pausing to yawn. “I’d tell you about the Alpha Princess, but I don’t think she’s coming to school this year, so you don’t have to worry.”

A shiver rippled through my body, one that Loren missed as she yawned again. I was the Alpha Princess.

“So what’s this hunt?” I asked, eager to shift the conversation.

“Oh!” Loren bounced back up, her energy returning. Then she cringed a little. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s usually exciting, but now that you’re the target, I’m not sure it is anymore.”

You could say that.

“But yeah, so,” she drew out the last word, her tone serious. “Basically, you’re hunted by everyone on campus until you submit. Everyone uses it as a time to prove their strength as a wolf.”

I gnawed on my lip, contemplating the implications. I knew the answer to my next question, but I had to ask it anyway. “What happens if I don’t submit?”

Loren’s head snapped toward me, a deep frown settling on her face. She shook her head slowly. “That’s never happened,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Until you died.”

I swallowed thickly, the weight of her words sinking in. Great.