Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 178

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

**Chapter 178**

Thorne’s fury surged within him, more potent and consuming than before. He stormed up the stairs of his house, each step echoing his frustration, and flung his bag into his room with a force that sent it crashing against the wall. The door slammed shut behind him, a resounding punctuation to his mood. He collapsed onto his bed, burying his face in his hands, the pulsating bass from the party downstairs reverberating through his skull like a relentless migraine.

From the very first day he stepped into primary school, Thorne had sensed the weight of expectation pressing down on him, the realization that he was seen as lesser, as someone who would never ascend to the ranks of the High Alpha. It was a bitter truth he had tried to bury deep within, but now it resurfaced with a vengeance, mocking him. His greatest ambition, the one that had fueled his every decision, felt forever out of reach, all because of a name that belonged to a man long gone.

The name of a dead man.

Thorne inhaled deeply, attempting to steady himself, but just as he did, a loud bang resonated from across the hall, pulling him from his spiraling thoughts. He frowned, annoyance flaring anew, and then the words of Kairos’s friends echoed in his mind.

Zora was in his room.

With a sudden rush of adrenaline, he sprang to his feet, yanking his door open with a force that sent it swinging wide. He stormed across the hall, not bothering to knock as he threw Kairos’s door open. The door slammed against the wall, the impact reverberating in the air, and Thorne had to wrestle with the wolf inside him, struggling to maintain control as he took in the chaotic scene before him.

Kairos and Zora were entwined on the bed, a tangle of bare limbs and disheveled clothing. Their shirts lay discarded on the floor, forgotten in the heat of the moment. Zora’s red lacy bra strap dangled precariously down her arm, a stark reminder of the intimacy they had just shared. Their lips were locked in a passionate kiss, a connection so intense that it thickened the air in the room, making it almost suffocating.

“What the hell?!” Thorne’s voice sliced through the tension, sharp and accusatory.

Zora gasped, her eyes widening in shock, while Kairos, startled, sprang from where he had been pinning her down. Zora tumbled off the bed, hastily pulling her hoodie from the floor, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The sweatpants she wore hung low on her hips, as if they had just been caught in the throes of a moment that had spiraled out of control. She wrapped her arms around herself, casting a furtive glance at the floor, shame and defiance warring in her expression.

“What do you want, Blythwitch?” Kairos shot back, his demeanor shifting to one of irritation, the old bravado returning to him.

“What are you doing with her?!” Thorne hissed, his voice low and dangerous. He watched as Zora scrambled to regain her composure, hurriedly pulling on her hoodie, while Kairos stood defiantly before him, bare-chested, his belt undone, a fire igniting in his eyes that mirrored the moonlight outside.

“None of your damn business,” Kairos retorted, his tone laced with contempt.

“Kairos, don’t,” Zora interjected softly, her hand gently resting on his bicep, as if trying to calm the brewing storm.

Thorne’s heart raced, a wave of panic crashing over him. “Don’t ‘don’t’ him, you fucking whore!” he roared, the words escaping his lips before he could rein them in.

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