Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 31

**Where Sleeping Rivers Dream We Follow Trails Toward Tomorrow by Evan Milesa Cade – Chapter 31**

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The number hung in the air, heavy with implications. “Oh,” I exhaled, a rush of anxiety flooding my senses. Did he truly know me? Did he know the secrets I had buried deep within? The thought of my identity, my mother’s legacy, being exposed sent a chill down my spine. Was this the moment everything unraveled?

“No,” he said, shaking his head vehemently, his eyes darting away from mine as if avoiding the truth. “No, no, this isn’t how it was supposed to be.”

“Thorne—” I reached out instinctively, desperation clawing at my throat. But he recoiled, stepping back just out of my grasp. Panic radiated from him, and I could feel it seep into my very bones. There was an undeniable urge to bridge the distance between us, a need that eclipsed all rational thought. I craved his touch more than I craved air itself, but he continued to distance himself, and the weight on my chest grew unbearable.

“No,” he repeated, his voice trembling with disbelief. “I—I can’t.”

“What?” I whispered, my voice barely audible as the crushing reality of the moment pinned me to the ground.

“I’m supposed to be available for the Princess,” he stated, his eyes flitting nervously across the floor, avoiding my gaze. “It’s my duty.”

“Duty?” I echoed, incredulity lacing my words. “Thorne, please, I—”

I felt utterly pathetic, begging him like this, but an insatiable fire burned within me, consuming my every thought. My body trembled with the need to reach out, to connect with him, to feel his warmth against my skin. This was a sensation I had never experienced before, and it frightened me. Thorne shook his head once more, resolute.

“No,” he insisted firmly. “I am a Knight of Queen Luna. I must fulfill my duty. I refuse the bond.”

His words struck me like an arrow to the heart, and I felt myself crumple to the ground, engulfed in a wave of pain. The heat that had once surged through my veins was replaced by an icy grip, a chilling agony that consumed me. I cried out, my nails digging into my chest as if I could claw away the hurt.

“You have to reject it too,” a voice said, cutting through my despair. It was Valentin. How had he arrived here at this moment? I cried out again, the cold creeping down to my fingertips, causing them to tremble in my lap. The pain was so overwhelming that my vision began to blur, darkness edging at the corners of my consciousness. Another scream bubbled up, desperate and raw.

“I can’t!” I gasped, struggling to breathe.

“You must,” Valentin urged, his tone urgent. “If you don’t, it will consume you whole.”

My body felt like it was on the brink of explosion, every nerve ending alight with agony.

“You must try, Zora!” Valentin’s voice rose in pitch, almost frantic.

He shook me gently, and I felt my mind beginning to freeze, a fog settling over my thoughts. I swayed, my body leaning into the darkness that beckoned me. The sensation of surrender washed over me, and I felt a strange peace as I began to let go.

Then, suddenly, there was fire.

All the ice within me melted away, replaced by flames that surged through my veins. My blood ignited, a scorching heat that enveloped every part of me. I lifted my head from Valentin’s lap, a primal scream escaping my lips as if the fire was about to erupt from my very being.

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Chapter 31

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from my lungs. A warmth cascaded down my arms and legs, and then I felt a crack, followed by a shudder as my bones began to shift and reshape.

My palms pressed against the dance floor, fingers contorting into a new form. My toes popped free from the constraining heels, stretching and reshaping themselves in a wild dance of transformation. Flames licked at my skin, enveloping me completely. A bark erupted from my chest, echoing in my ears, and then I trembled, feeling the fur sprout across my skin, the fiery sensation subsiding as I awakened my wolf.

I turned my gaze toward Valentin. His eyes, a mesmerizing white-gold, widened in awe. “Zora,” he breathed, urgency in his tone. “Sever the bond.”

Confusion knitted my brows together, but then I felt it: a shimmering gold thread that tethered me to Thorne. He had retreated across the floor, a shadow of the turmoil that surrounded us. I focused, visualizing a pair of scissors poised to sever the thread.

Snip!

In an instant, the ice that had gripped me vanished. The fire within returned to a gentle hum, and exhaustion washed over me like a wave. I felt my elbows hit the floor, my wolf’s underbelly collapsing with me. A low, mournful whine escaped my lips as I sensed my fur retracting back into my skin. My paws transformed back into hands and feet, and as I blinked, my vision shifted back to the familiar. The cold floor sent shivers across my human skin, raising goosebumps.

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