Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 58

**Where Sleeping Rivers Dream We Follow Trails Toward Tomorrow by Evan Miles**
**Chapter 58**

I wrapped up my training sessions with Maximus, emerging from them with a sense of accomplishment, despite the lingering glances that followed me across the track. Each session had been a revelation, a journey of self-discovery where I felt my body growing stronger, inch by inch. It was invigorating enough that I found myself asking Max if we could make our training a regular affair.

We reached an agreement that my body would require a full day to recuperate, so we decided to reconvene on Monday morning. With that settled, I trudged back to my room, utterly exhausted, and collapsed onto my bed like a rag doll. Loren, who had been lounging in her own bed, erupted into laughter at my state. Moments later, she padded over and playfully rested her head atop mine. But her stay was short-lived; she quickly recoiled, making a face of disgust.

“You are sweaty,” she remarked, scrunching her nose.

“Training was brutal,” I mumbled into the pillow, my voice muffled.

“His man bits?” she teased, her tone laced with mischief.

In a reflexive motion, I flung a pillow over my shoulder in her direction, but by the sound of her laughter, it was clear I had missed my target by a wide margin.

“So he wore you out?” Loren asked, her voice dripping with innuendo.

I rolled onto my side, shooting her an incredulous glare. She burst into laughter again, before snatching the pillow I had thrown and tossing it back at me. I let out an “oof” as it collided with my stomach.

“He wore me out,” I clarified, “in the sense that he kicked my ass.”

“That’s a new kink,” she quipped, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Loren—”

“I’m just kidding!” she raised her hands in mock surrender. “But seriously, it was hard?”

“Very,” I confirmed, my voice low. “So much so that we’re taking a break tomorrow. Training resumes on Monday.”

“So you’re actually going back?” Loren asked, her interest piqued.

I shrugged, my mind racing. “I learned a lot. Plus, it was definitely effective. And Valentin won’t train me anymore, so what’s the harm?”

“That makes sense,” Loren nodded, her expression thoughtful. “Did you feel anything weird while you were training?”

I fidgeted under her gaze, the weight of my thoughts pressing down on me. “Kinda,” I admitted reluctantly.

Loren’s jaw dropped, her expression transforming into a gleeful grin that was impossible to ignore.

“Tell. Me. Everything,” she demanded, her eyes alight with curiosity.

So, I did. I recounted every lingering glance, every fleeting touch, and by the time I finished my tale, Loren’s jaw was practically on the floor. She stared at me in disbelief for a moment, then let out a shriek of excitement before rolling back onto her bed in a fit of laughter.

“Gods!” she gasped, her eyes wide with wonder. “Do you think he’s your fated mate!?”

I bit my lip, a wave of uncertainty washing over me. I hadn’t shared with Loren that I had felt a similar spark with Valentina just a few weeks prior. The thrill, the electric tension of it all—everything that made her giddy about Maximus sent a wave of anxiety through me. How could I possibly harbor these feelings for two different wolves?

And then there was Thorne. He was supposed to be my fated mate. How could I even consider the possibility of another?

“Maybe,” I finally replied, attempting to sound more assured than I felt, but my voice wavered.

“Maybe?” Loren echoed incredulously. “Zora, I don’t think you realize how rare fated mates are.”

I furrowed my brow, confusion swirling in my mind. “What do you mean? I had Thorne as my fated mate. There’s a whole ball dedicated to mates. How does that scream rare?”

“The Mateball celebrates all kinds of mates,” Loren corrected, her tone serious. “It’s a time for chosen mates, too. But fated mates—” she shook her head, her disbelief palpable. “They’re a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. The fact that you’re feeling this way about Max is astounding, especially since you were already fated to Thorne.”

“Is it wrong?” I asked quietly, my heart heavy with doubt.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify