Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 150

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

**Valentin**

**Two Years Into the Great War**

As the sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the landscape, the wolves were poised for battle. They gathered at the castle gates, a formidable formation that exuded both anticipation and ferocity. The wolves who had mastered their transformations stood proudly at the forefront, their wolf forms snarling and bristling with raw energy, saliva dripping from their jaws as they pawed anxiously at the ground. Behind them, the remaining pack members donned gleaming gold armor, the sunlight reflecting off the metal and scattering vibrant rainbows into the dusky sky.

In the very center of this gathering stood Victoria, a striking figure clad from head to toe in shimmering gold. Her wild red curls were expertly braided back, tucked securely beneath a protective helm. The armor adorning her shoulders was not merely decorative; it was equipped with viciously sharp daggers, glinting with lethal potential as they caught the last rays of sunlight, designed to pierce the hearts of their vampiric foes.

Beside her, Valentin stood, enveloped in his own armor, his hair swept back from his face except for a single ash-brown strand that danced in the evening breeze. In his grip was a sunlight blade, a weapon forged by the most skilled wolves who possessed a deep connection to the ancient magics. It felt heavy and powerful in his hand, a reminder of the responsibility he bore. Yet, despite his focus, his gaze kept drifting back toward the castle, half-expecting Zahara to burst forth and join the fray.

“Look ahead!” Moonraiser’s voice rang out from atop a distant tower, cutting through the tension. “A dark cloud approaches from the north!”

Valentin’s heart raced as he followed Moonraiser’s gaze. Indeed, a dark mass was hurtling toward them, its form shifting and twisting ominously as it swept over the hill, gaining speed with each passing moment.

“Incoming!” Moonraiser shouted, his voice booming with urgency. “Brace yourselves!”

In an instant, the dark cloud dissipated, revealing a horde of pale, red-eyed humanoids charging toward the castle gates with terrifying speed. Valentin tightened his grip on his weapon, instinctively dropping into the defensive stance that Moonraiser had taught him, his heart pounding like a war drum.

The vampires reached the gates and, with a single, coordinated effort, tore them down in a swift and brutal motion. The wolves surged forward, a chaotic clash of silver and gold as bodies collided in a whirlwind of fur and blood. Valentin’s blade found its mark, slicing cleanly through one vampire’s neck, sending its head spinning away into the chaos.

But as the next vampire lunged toward him, it miscalculated its approach, stepping too close to the sunlight streaming in from the west. In a flash, the brilliant rays enveloped it, and it shriveled into dust at Valentin’s feet, leaving him momentarily without an opponent.

He quickly glanced around, searching for allies in the fray. To his relief, it appeared that the remaining vampires had also misjudged the light, each one meeting a similar fate as they stumbled into the sun’s embrace, dissolving into piles of ash at the wolves’ feet. One by one, they fell, retreating into the shadows until none remained.

Valentin spun around, scanning the battlefield. His eyes locked onto Blythwitch across the field, and he could see the uncertainty etched on the other wolf’s face.

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