Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 183

**Where Sleeping Rivers Dream We Follow Trails Toward Tomorrow**
by Eva
**Chapter 183**

Maximus’s expression shifted dramatically, his eyes widening as if the very concept was too much for him to bear. The color drained from his face, leaving him looking almost ghostly. His golden eyes, usually so vibrant, were now fixed on mine with a mix of disbelief and confusion. “Four?” he repeated slowly, as though the word itself was an alien concept. I nodded in response, my heart racing as I watched him process the information. He sank back into his chair, his gaze drifting to the floor as if seeking answers in the worn carpet beneath his feet.

“Four,” he murmured again, the word rolling off his tongue as if he were trying to make sense of a riddle. Suddenly, his eyes widened further, snapping back to me with an intensity that made my stomach churn. “Thorne. Me. Lunerly and Kairos!?”

I offered him a weak smile, trying to defuse the tension that crackled in the air. “Surprise?”

“Gods be damned,” Maximus hissed, his voice low and filled with incredulity. He shot up from his seat and began to pace the small confines of his dorm room, each step echoing the turmoil brewing inside him. His hand flew to his forehead, fingers digging into his temples as if he could physically massage away the shock. After a moment, he turned back to me, his expression a blend of frustration and bewilderment.

“But you haven’t—I’m the only—” he stammered, struggling to articulate the enormity of what I had just revealed.

“Yes,” I interjected, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. “You’re the only one I’ve been… intimate with.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding slowly, though his eyes remained wide and darting as he tried to process the implications of my words. Then, abruptly, he jerked his head back at me. “Lunerly.”

I let out a heavy sigh, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. “He’s opposed to completing the bond. I think he’s worried I’ll end up like his last fated mate.”

“Zahara,” Max breathed, his voice a whisper filled with realization. “The Queen’s sister.”

I nodded once, feeling the gravity of the name hanging between us. Maximus continued to process this new information, his features twisting into a bitter scowl.

“Lunerly’s marrying Bella,” he spat, anger lacing his words. I nodded again, bracing myself for the storm of emotions that was brewing.

“Again,” I began, my voice trembling slightly. “He thinks he’ll hurt me.”

“How fucking selfish,” Maximus snapped, his frustration palpable. I blinked at him, taken aback by the intensity of his reaction.

“Wait, what?” I exclaimed, confusion swirling in my mind. “You were angry that I was leading him on, and now you’re angry that he won’t allow himself to be with me?”

“Well, I didn’t know your… situation before,” Max admitted, resuming his restless pacing. “But now that I know what I do, my ultimatum still stands.”

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