Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 97

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

**Chapter 97: Kairos**

**The Day Before:**

Kairos stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on Zora as she moved away from him, her silhouette gradually fading into the distance. He exhaled a heavy sigh, the sound escaping his lips like a whisper of disappointment.

“That could’ve gone better,” he muttered under his breath, feeling the weight of his own words.

As he turned away, the space between them felt insurmountable. He had genuinely hoped that by sharing something intimate about himself, particularly his thoughts on the snow, he would find a bridge to connect with her. Instead, he felt the chasm of silence widen, leaving him in solitude. The looming challenge still marked on the calendar felt like a ticking clock, a reminder of the impending conflict.

The thought of facing her in battle again filled him with dread.

Zora was becoming an enigma he couldn’t unravel. Her voice, her movements, even the way she pronounced his name—everything about her captivated him. It was maddening, really.

Kairos Moonraiser had never been fond of his name. It was a relic of ancient Greece, a title passed down through generations like a family heirloom. His father bore the same name, and it meant “perfect moment,” a phrase he found utterly ridiculous.

Yet, when Zora spoke his name, it transformed into something ethereal, something he had never experienced before.

She had a way of making him appreciate the very parts of himself he had always loathed. His name, his simmering anger—she somehow managed to twist those feelings into something useful, something that brought him joy.

He was in deep trouble, utterly ensnared by the pull of fate. No one—neither woman nor man—had ever stirred such feelings within him, and the irony was that she hadn’t even laid a finger on him.

Rubbing his hand across his face in frustration, he caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he spun around, a low growl escaping his throat.

Not far from him stood Amara, her hood drawn low over her head, yet he recognized her immediately by her tall frame and the vivid crimson of her nails peeking from beneath her sleeve.

He watched her glide through the shadows, navigating the campus with an unsettling grace. She seemed oblivious to his presence, even as his growl reverberated in the stillness of the night. His eyes tracked her as she approached the edge of the forest, and then she vanished into the darkness of the trees.

A furrow formed on his brow, confusion washing over him.

It was nearly one in the morning. Zora’s late-night training sessions made sense, and he had seen her leave the gym earlier. But Amara? She didn’t train, nor did she have any late-night study sessions. What on earth could she possibly be doing at this hour?

The idea of following her flickered through his mind, but he dismissed it almost instantly. Knowing Amara, she was likely up to some mischief, perhaps planning to initiate a first-year into the art of shifting. The thought sent a shiver down his spine as he turned and made his way back home.

The following day, during lunch, Kairos was taken aback for the second time in just twenty-four hours when Maximus approached their table.

Maximus had all but distanced himself from his friends over the past few months, so seeing him standing there at the end of the table left Kairos momentarily speechless. He blinked, watching Maximus’s lips move, but the words seemed to float away, unheard.

“What?” he replied, his tone flat and disinterested.

Maximus scowled, the tension in his expression palpable. “Loren? Moonbeam? Have you seen her?”

“Nah, mate,” Petyr chimed in, his mouth full of food. “You want me to ask Less?”

“Yeah, please,” Maximus replied, placing his tray down next to Petyr. Kairos studied him closely, waiting for the punchline he was sure would follow. “Zora’s worried.”

There it was, the revelation that made Kairos’s heart sink.

“About what?” he asked, trying to sound casual, though curiosity gnawed at him.

A moment of silence passed before Maximus answered, his gaze flicking to Petyr. Kairos felt the urge to roll his eyes, the tension between them thickening.

“Loren wasn’t back in her room last night,” he said, his voice low. “Or this morning.”

Petyr frowned, and Kairos could sense the unease radiating from him. He knew Petyr didn’t have the best relationship with his mate’s younger sister, but family was family, and Loren’s absence weighed heavily on them all.

Kairos couldn’t shake the odd feeling that accompanied Loren’s disappearance. He had run into Zora late the previous night and had seen Amara wandering off as well.

Clearing his throat, he ventured, “You hear anything about the Princess, recently?”

“I don’t see how this is related to Loren,” Maximus snapped, irritation lacing his words.

Kairos shrugged, pushing his food around on his plate absentmindedly. “It isn’t,” he replied, though he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unease. “Just curious.”

“Why?” Max asked, his tone blunt. “I heard you broke off your father’s arrangement.”

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