Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 87

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

**Chapter 87**

Just a week had slipped by, yet it felt like time had stretched into an eternity. I found myself facing the unsettling truth that I had to confront Kairos once more.

The clock read 2200 when Petyr approached me one morning, his demeanor unusually grave. He strode up to our table, a determined look in his eyes that pierced through my morning haze. “The second fight is scheduled for next Saturday,” he declared, his voice steady but laced with an undercurrent of apprehension.

A flicker of fear danced in his gaze, but I chose to ignore it. Mona, however, was quick to catch it, and she wouldn’t let it rest. Each day leading up to the fight, she brought it up, her concern wrapping around me like a heavy cloak. Even as I prepared for the impending showdown, she was relentless.

I knelt down to tighten the laces on my training shoes, tucking the ends in neatly as Max had instructed. “You never want to lose because you tripped,” he had said, a mantra I took to heart. As I focused on my task, Mona was delivering her daily motivational speech, this time with even more fervor.

“We’ve been training hard,” she asserted, her voice rising with enthusiasm. “We’ve identified our weaknesses and worked against them. We also know Moonraiser’s vulnerabilities. Plus, the other Alpha has revealed that he’s afraid.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, but her determination was infectious. “I know, I know,” I replied, trying to reassure her. “Strangely enough, I’m not nervous.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” she responded, her tail swishing confidently behind her. “We will win.”

I couldn’t help but think that overconfidence was a risky choice—one I was willing to embrace again. This time, I did roll my eyes at her. Standing up, I brushed off my training gear. The locker room was eerily silent, the calm before the storm. As I stepped into the hallway leading to the gym, the low hum of the crowd reached my ears, a reminder of the chaos that awaited. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the doors open, and the frenzy of the fight enveloped me.

The gym was even more packed than I remembered, the atmosphere electric with anticipation. A low murmur rose as I made my entrance, but it quickly morphed into a chorus of boos that echoed through the space. Ignoring the hostile faces twisted in anger, I held my head high and made my way to the center of the gym.

As I approached the sparring mat, I noticed the setup was different from before. Kairos was absent, and Maximus, my steadfast trainer and protector, stood across the mat from me. Thorne, as expected, remained on Kairos’s side, while Petyr stood in the middle, his eyes darting between us.

I took my position beside Petyr, who glanced at me with a mix of concern and determination before turning his attention back to the crowd. Suddenly, the doors to the men’s locker room swung open, and Kairos stepped out. The crowd erupted in cheers, their excitement drowning out my earlier reception. Yet, something was off—his usual scowl was replaced by a tense expression, his lips pressed into a thin line, shoulders hunched as if carrying a weight.

“He knows we’ve been training,” Mona whispered in my mind, and I nodded inwardly. Her earlier comments about Petyr suddenly seemed valid. Kairos approached the mat, positioning himself opposite Petyr, shooting me a sideways glance before facing front. Petyr raised his hand, and the crowd’s noise diminished to a hush.

“The rules are simple,” Petyr announced, echoing Thorne’s words from the first fight. “Best two out of three rounds. I will declare the winner. Kairos won the first fight.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify