Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 85

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

**Chapter 85**

The cafeteria buzzed with the chatter of students, a cacophony of laughter and clinking utensils that seemed to fade away as I stormed through the room, fury igniting within me like a raging wildfire. Mona, my wolf, shared my indignation, her spirit thrumming with anger, her energy palpable as she paced within my mind, ready to unleash her wrath.

With a forceful motion, I thrust a paper onto the table in front of Kairos, sending the remnants of his lunch scattering across the surface. He slowly raised his gaze, and I was met with the cold, unyielding gold of his eyes—eyes I had come to despise with every fiber of my being.

“What the hell is this!?” I screamed, my voice cracking under the weight of my rage. “How dare you do this to me?!”

“What is it now?” he replied, his tone dripping with indifference, as if my fury was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

“Don’t you dare ‘what is it now’ me, you arrogant jerk!” I slammed my palm down on the photo of myself, stark and humiliating, laid bare before him. “You orchestrated this, didn’t you?”

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” Kairos replied, pushing the photo away with a casual flick of his fingers, “I can’t exactly waltz into the women’s locker room.”

Petyr, seated across from him, let out a snicker, and I turned my ire toward him, my heart racing with indignation. Another laugh erupted from beside Kairos, and I shifted my glare to the source—a second-year male Alpha I recognized from around campus, but little more than that.

“Now we see why Maximus has been avoiding us, boys,” he chuckled, tapping the photo of me, his fingers lingering too close for comfort. It felt as if I could sense his filthy touch on my skin. He laughed again, a cruel sound that only fueled the fire in my chest. “Ditched us for a nice pair of tits!”

In a swift motion, I yanked the paper from his grasp, my anger boiling over as Petyr joined in the laughter. Oddly, Kairos remained silent, a calm in the storm that only deepened my conviction that he was behind this entire debacle. He had likely orchestrated this humiliation just like he had on my very first day at school.

“Fine,” I spat at Kairos, my voice low and seething. “You win this round. Now, call them off.”

“What do you mean?” Kairos hissed, confusion etched on his face. “I had nothing to do with it.”

I gestured towards the group of girls at the end of the table, their laughter ringing in my ears. “You didn’t tell them to do this?”

“No,” he scoffed, an air of disdain surrounding him. “I would never endorse something so juvenile. Petty tricks hold no value for me.”

“A prank?” I shot back incredulously. “You think this is some kind of joke?”

Kairos shrugged, his expression nonchalant. “It’s a classic prank. Older students messing with younger ones. Isn’t that how it works in the human world?” His mocking tone twisted the knife deeper, and Petyr began to snicker again, the sound grating on my nerves.

At that moment, something inside me snapped. My hand crashed down onto the table, startling everyone in the vicinity. I fixed Kairos with a glare so intense it felt as though my inner fire could scorch him where he sat.

“You have been nothing but a nightmare since I set foot on this campus,” I growled, my voice low and fierce. “I’m done. I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here. I’ve tolerated your nonsense, your ‘Hunt,’ or whatever twisted ritual you partake in. Your relentless efforts to break me down.”

I paused, letting my gaze drift towards the girls at the end of the table, their expressions a mixture of shock and fear. Then I returned my focus to Kairos, my voice steady and unwavering.

“But now, you’ve crossed a line,” I continued, my heart racing. “You’ve rallied the entire school against me. You’re trying to break me in ways that are beyond cruel. You’ve violated me in a manner I cannot overlook—”

“I didn’t tell them to take those damn pictures!” Kairos snapped, his teeth grinding together.

LIAR! Mona roared within me, her voice a thunderous echo in my mind. I felt the words escape my lips in a furious snarl, the control I had over my body slipping away as Mona surged forward, clawing to break free. Just like the moment when Valentin had rejected us, my grip on myself waned.

I fought to regain control, forcing my gaze toward the girls huddled together at the end of the table, their eyes wide with terror. Petyr looked as though he had seen a ghost, his face pale, lips trembling. I glanced down and noticed the sparks of an emerging flame flickering in my palms. My eyes widened in disbelief.

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