Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 42

**Where Sleeping Rivers Dream We Follow Trails Toward Tomorrow by Evan Milesa Cade**
**Chapter 42**

Maximus

A tempest of fury surged within Maximus, a sensation he hadn’t experienced since the days preceding his enrollment at Alpha Academy. Memories of the past flickered through his mind, but they paled in comparison to the present. He was acutely aware that the girls were uniting against Zora, their collective malice palpable. Whenever Kairos had instigated trouble for her, Maximus had felt paralyzed, unable to intervene. But Mallory was not Kairos, nor was Bella.

“Maxie?” Mallory’s voice was sweet, almost syrupy. “What are you up to, darling?”

“I’m not fucking Zora,” Maximus shot back, his tone sharp and unyielding.

“But you were in her room last night,” Kate interjected, her voice dripping with accusation. “Do you think we’re stupid?”

Maximus sensed Zora shift slightly behind him, her gaze darting toward the girls. He pivoted his focus back to the trio before him. Bella and Kate wore expressions of disdain, their scowls deepening. Mallory batted her eyelashes at him, as if trying to charm him into submission. The anger roiled in his chest, bubbling over like a boiling pot.

“Only you, Kate,” he retorted, his voice laced with contempt. He directed his glare toward Bella. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”

Bella’s lips pressed together, forming an even tighter scowl. Kate’s fury was palpable, her face flushed with indignation.

“Maxie!” Mallory squeaked, her tone turning desperate.

Maximus whipped his head back, his glare fixed on Mallory. A surge of bitterness coursed through him. He could almost hear his sister Meg’s voice in his head, chastising him for addressing Mallory so harshly. But Meg wasn’t around, and the fire inside him demanded release.

“And you,” he spat, his words sharp as daggers. “Just because you beg me to sleep with you once doesn’t make me your fucking boyfriend.”

A chorus of “ooh’s” and muffled laughter erupted from the onlookers in the cafeteria, their eyes glued to the unfolding drama. Mallory’s face twisted in shock, as if he had physically struck her. With a frustrated cry, she stormed out, her heels clicking angrily against the tiled floor.

Maximus turned back to face Kate, who still wore a scowl that could curdle milk. He stepped closer, his voice low and threatening.

“I warned you once,” he said, pointing toward Zora, “if you lay a finger on her, I’ll return the favor tenfold. So I suggest you back off before I make good on that promise.”

Kate cast a furious glare at Zora, her hands clenched into fists, before she stormed off after Mallory, leaving only Bella standing there. Maximus advanced toward her, aware that she appeared unfazed, but he could sense the underlying tremor of fear within her.

“You think you’re clever, don’t you?” he said, lowering his voice to a menacing growl. “Spreading rumors to rally everyone against her. What’s your endgame?”

Their eyes locked in a battle of wills, nostrils flaring, chests heaving with barely contained emotions. At that moment, he felt Loren step beside him, a smirk playing on her lips. He admired the loyalty of the Mini Moonbeam to her friend. Bella shot Loren a glare before returning her attention to Maximus, her expression hardening.

“I wanted her to stay away from my mate,” Bella spat, her voice dripping with venom. She gestured angrily at Zora. “Just because her fated mate rejected her doesn’t mean she gets to whore herself out to mine!”

“You know just as well as I do that’s not how it is,” Maximus snapped back, his voice rising.

The tension between them thickened as they held each other’s gaze. Maximus was painfully aware that Meg had confided in Bella about his complicated feelings for Zora. He had wrestled his sister to the ground in frustration when he first learned of this, but now he was using that knowledge as leverage against Bella.

With one last scathing look aimed at him, Bella turned her attention to Zora.

“Stay away from Valentin,” she hissed, her voice low and dangerous. With that, she pivoted on her heel and followed her friends out of the cafeteria, leaving a heavy silence in her wake.

As the door slammed shut behind Bella, the cafeteria erupted into a cacophony of chatter, the tension dissipating slowly. Maximus refused to look in the direction of his friends, knowing that Kairos would undoubtedly confront him about defending Zora.

He hadn’t yet crafted a solid excuse for his actions.

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