Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 34

**Where Sleeping Rivers Dream We Follow Trails Toward Tomorrow by Evan Milesa Cade**
**Chapter 34**

“This is the girls’ locker room, Maximus,” I retorted sharply, irritation threading through my voice.

“Oh, I was completely unaware,” Maximus replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. He rolled his eyes in a dramatic fashion, as if my words were the most absurd thing he had ever heard. “It’s Saturday, after all. Shouldn’t you be outside with Loren or doing something more… enjoyable?”

“Shouldn’t you be minding your own business?” I shot back, my frustration bubbling to the surface.

He gestured toward the cleaning cart positioned awkwardly beside him. “Clearly, not,” he snapped with a hint of bitterness. “Thanks to your antics, I’m stuck here on Saturday cleaning duty for my so-called ‘poor behavior.’”

I blinked, momentarily taken aback. Had my actions truly landed him in this predicament? I shook my head, dismissing the thought. It was irrelevant. The reality was that I was standing there, completely exposed except for a flimsy towel wrapped around me, facing a man with whom I shared a complicated tension—a man I both wanted to punch and… well, something else entirely.

Tightening my grip on the towel, I noticed Maximus’s eyes widen, his pupils dilating with something that felt dangerously close to desire. I gestured toward the door, trying to regain some semblance of control.

“You can clean once I’m finished,” I stated firmly. “I’m hardly in a position to make a hasty exit, am I?”

Maximus’s gaze remained locked on me, an intensity radiating from him that made my heart race. He took a step closer, inching toward the threshold of the shower area where I stood. The water dripped from my hair, trailing down my back, and I could feel the heat rising between us. He closed the distance, and soon we were just a breath away from each other. I felt paralyzed as he reached out, his finger curling around one of my loose red curls, twisting it playfully.

“You know,” he said, his voice dropping to a low, sultry tone that sent shivers down my spine, “I think I prefer your hair this way. The straight look at Mateball was nice, but there’s something about this—” He let go of the curl, and it sprang back into its natural form, bouncing with a life of its own. His eyes bore into mine, and the word that escaped his lips was charged with meaning.

“Tempting.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” I retorted, though I struggled to mask the tremor in my voice. The tension crackled in the air between us, thick and palpable, like electricity waiting to spark.

Maximus’s gaze remained unwavering, his hand lingering in the space where he had let go of my hair, slowly inching toward my face. I searched his eyes, trying to decipher his intentions. I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed, and an overwhelming urge to press my lips against it washed over me, causing me to shudder involuntarily. I closed my eyes, biting my bottom lip to suppress the whirlwind of emotions swirling within me.

When his hand finally made contact with my cheek, a jolt of electricity surged through me, igniting every nerve ending. I opened my mouth slightly, my breath hitching in my throat. My eyes flew open, and the golden hue of his irises captivated me.

“I’ve never seen eyes like yours,” Maximus murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “No other Alphas possess your kind of beauty. The way you look… it’s as if you were crafted just for me.”

A soft whimper escaped my lips, betraying my inner turmoil. Maximus’s tongue flicked out to moisten his lips, and I squeezed my eyes shut once more, surrendering to the moment. His thumb glided over my cheekbone, igniting a fire within me that I couldn’t ignore.

“At Mateball,” he continued, his voice low and intimate, “I felt my mate. I felt you.”

I shook my head gently, my eyes still closed. “You couldn’t have,” I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper. “Thorne was my mate.”

“Was,” Maximus echoed, his breath ghosting over my lips. I parted them slightly, tilting my face toward his, feeling an undeniable pull. “You’re still unmated, Zora.”

Hearing my name on his lips was like honey, sweet and intoxicating. I tilted my chin higher, our noses brushing against each other, and a deep, rumbling sound erupted from his chest. The rhythmic beating of my heart returned, pounding in my ears.

Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub…

Could it be possible that Maximus was my fated mate as well?

Oh Gods, my inner wolf urged, Do it. Kiss him. Show him how you truly feel.

I could no longer argue with her. The instinct to wrap my arms around Maximus’s neck and pull him into me was primal, a need as vital as breathing. I nudged my nose against his once more, our breaths mingling in the minuscule space between us. His hand remained on my cheek, and all I had to do was close that tiny gap…

“Mr. Wolfham!” a voice boomed, cutting through the charged atmosphere.

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