Their Hidden Princess Novel

---- Chapter 74 Zora It was two months into my first semester at Alpha Academy that | finally was invited to my first party. Though, | wasn't really invited. Loren was and she told me she'd rather sit at home with me than go to the party without me. So, Saturday night, after training with Maximus all morning, | agreed to let Loren do my make up and attempt (key word) to straighten my hair. She pulled seven our eight dresses from her closet out and laid them on my bed as she sat me on her desk chair and wheeled over his massive make up cart.

She sat cross legged on a stool in front of me and colored my face like a painting. "So," she teased. "How's Max?" "Fine," | said quickly. "He's fine." Loren giggled as she swept some powder onto my cheeks. "He is quite fine but | don't know if I'd use that word for him." "He's hot," | deadpanned. "You can say it." "Oh he's so hot," Loren sighed dreamily. "And really so sweet, Zora. Our sisters are friends. | don't think sissy's ever said a bad word about him." ---- | gnawed my lip anxiously. That was not the Maximus | knew. He was harsh and sometimes bitter and rough around the edges.

Was Loren seeing something | wasn't? Was she not blinded by the grudge | had towards Maximus for being so awful to me while | was wolfless? "| bet he'd be really nice as a boyfriend," Loren continued, low and soft. Or a husband, my inner wolf said. | startled and jerked back from Loren. This was the first time my wolf had made her prescience known since the outburst at Valentin. Loren knitted her eyebrows at me, make up brush still held in the same place it was applying shadow to my eyes. "What?" she pressed. "My wolf, she's ~ she's back," | fumbled over my words. Loren dropped her hand.

"What do you mean 'back'? She left?" I'd forgotten that | didn't tell Loren about my wolf's outburst at Valentin. How could | when every bit of the outburst was because | was a fucking princess? | blinked at her before settling back into my seat. "Yeah, sorry," | mumbled. "I guess | forgot to tell you. She went quiet for a bit. Maybe she was embarrassed about turning ---- sporadically." Her tail swished in my mind. | almost smiled, missing the sensation. | don't get embarrassed, she said. And if | was, | certainly wouldn't run away. Noted, | replied, letting the smirk hit my lips.

She was back. | hadn't realized how empty my head had felt without her. The swishing of her tail now felt like a warm embrace rather than a cool annoyance. She scoffed. Give it a day and you'll be annoyed again, she mused. | couldn't help but agree with her. My wolf was a feisty one. "Is she talking to you?" Loren asked before resuming her work on my face. | nodded. "Does yours?" "Sometimes," Loren cocked her head. "She's very energetic. Usually she babbles and | can't quite understand it." Loren dropped the brush she was holding for another and brought it to my lips.

"My sister says it's because our wolves are our strongest personality points, amplified. | know I'm chatty but, wow, is she chatty." | chuckled and gave Loren a pat on the arm. "You are chatty," | said. "But it's why | like you. You bring out the best in everyone." ---- Loren smiled back sincerely then huffed as she dropped her brush in her case. She bracketed her hand on her hips. "I think I'm done," she said as she spun me around to face the mirror. | gasped as | saw myself. Loren smiled as bright as the sun. "Ta-da," she said. My face was caked in the best way possible.

My cheeks were pink and contoured to make my bones look high and elegant. My lips were shiny and pink, plumped and sparkling even in the low light of our dorm room. She'd lined my eyes with brown kohl to make the green-yellow of them pop. Then, she'd smoked out the comers with some shadow. | felt like | was glowing Loren stood behind me with her hands back on her hips. "What do you wanna do with your hair?" "Oh, | don't know," | pulled at a stray curl. "It's such a pain to deal with I'll probably just braid it back off my face." Loren scoffed with a hand to her chest.

"That would not, compliment my work! How about | straighten it for you? Maja and Pietha left some products for us."