Chapter 63

Zora

Did I have sex with Maximus again?

Yes.

Should I have?

No.

Was it quite possibly the best sex of my life?

Yes.

I couldn’t bring myself to be embarrassed as I slunk back into my room. I’d left in just as much of a fluster as I had the night before. I didn’t want to sit with Maximus for too long, wallowing in whatever weird bond was happening. I pressed the door closed the turned around.

I gasped as I saw Loren standing in the middle of the room. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she had such a strong disappointment on her face, I felt like I could taste it from across the room.

“How was ‘training’?” She said, making air quotes around the word with her tone.

“S’fine,” I mumbled. “You scared me.”

Loren hummed. “So is sex part of the exercise regime?”

“I— What —I—“ I stuttered but Loren cut me off again.

“Unless that was someone else I should congratulate,” she said as she jabbed her thumb towards the wall we shared with Maximus’s room. I felt all the heat in my body move into my face. I held my hands up defensively.

“Loren, I can explain—“

She dropped her arms to hang loosely at her sides. “When were you going to tell me?” Her voice had become small and frail.

“I — I was going to!” I stuttered again. “I promise. I just was so flustered last night and then—“

“Last night?” Loren squeaked. “So, you hid this from me all day?”

“Yes and I’m so sorry. I was so confused and—“ I took a step towards her and she shuffled back. I winced.

“Are we friends?” She said, still quiet and upset.

“Of course!” I sighed heavily. I shoved my fingers into my temples. “I really was going to tell you. I just needed time to process it and figure out what the hell even happened and what was supposed to happen and—“ I blew out another breath. “I’m sorry Loren.”

Loren nodded. She looked back up at me through her eyelashes. “Friends don’t keep secrets,”

A pang of guilt washed over me. I was keeping so many secrets from Loren. So many that she deserved to know. Instead, I bit hard on my tongue before sighing again.

“I know,” I said, softly. “I really am sorry, Loren. I promise I was going to tell you.”

Loren gave me a half smile. “Just don’t do it again,” she said. “And tell me everything.”

I ignored her first statement before launching into my story. When I got to the first kiss, her jaw fell slack and she stared into my eyes for the entire rest of the story. When I told her about our most recent romp in bed, she squealed. I finished with a weird half a grin.

Loren wrinkled her nose. “You totally have sex hair now that I’m looking at you.”

I smoothed a hand over my braid and Loren cackled as I did. She finally stopped and rested her chin in her hands. “So do you like him?”

I fidgeted. I remembered her comment about secrets and huffed a breath. “Kind of,” I said. “I don’t know how to put it in words. Like he feels like a piece of my puzzle that has yet to be completed. I like him but he doesn’t make me feel full.”

“Wow,” Loren breathed. “Maybe you really do have two fated mates.”

I fidgeted again. “About that,” I cleared my throat. “My wolf seems to think I may have more than one fated mate.”

Lorens eyes went wide. “How does she know that?”

I gnawed on my bottom lip. I couldn’t reveal the wolves secret to Loren. But I owed her some of the truth. She was the biggest support I had at school.

“She heard rumors,” I said, softly. “Tales of a queen from before the Great Enslavement. She had four fated mates.”

“Four?” Loren gasped. “Here, I can’t find one and yet someone can have four!?”

“I guess,” I shrugged. “I didn’t realize it either.”

“Wow,” Loren leaned back. “So you think both Valentin and Maximus are your fated mates?”

“And Thorne,” I nodded.

Which was odd because those three were three out of the four potential suitors my mother had picked for me. I wondered for a second if she knew they were my fated mates before I did. Then I remembered she shipped me off to the human world for eighteen years. She wouldn’t have done that if she knew I had three fated mates, right?

Would she have?

Four, my wolf corrected me. Your mother chose four potential suitors. Each from a High Wolf house.

Right, Kairos. The bane of my existence at Alpha Academy. I shuddered in the thought of his beady gold eyes focusing on me for something as intimate as sex.

“Thorne too, wow,” Loren breathed, jolting me out of my thoughts.

She looked pretty dejected at that point. I felt ridiculous, talking about my potential three — four — fated mates when Loren didn’t have one. I reached and squeezed her wrist gently.

“Hey,” I said, soft and gentle. “You’ll find them. I promise.”

Loren gave me a soft smile and put her second hand on top of mine. “You’re right,” she patted my hand. I gently pulled it back into my own lap. Loren gave me a soft smile.

“They’re just….not here yet or something,” she said.

“Exactly,” I chorused. “I bet you in second semester you’ll find them!”

She frowned. “But then I’ll have to wait until fall of my third year to have another mate ball.”

“It’ll be worth it,” I smiled at her. She smiled back. Then she sighed. “So three fated mates.”

Four, maybe, Mona chimed in from where she was cleaning her paws like a cat.

I don’t want that sociopath, I threw back. I’m okay with three.

Suit yourself, Mona mused, judging me from the bowls of my mind. She darted off and out of my forebrain.

“Three fated mates,” I breathed. “But I guess it’s only two now that Thorne severed the bond.”

“Maybe he can reinstate it,” Loren mused. “If you can have three fated mates, maybe you can also fix broken bonds.”

I shook my head, not convinced. “I don’t think so. What’s broken is broken is they always teach us in high magiks.”

Loren cocked her head. “That’s true,” she said. “But they also teach us that you only have one fated mate like … ever.”

I laughed then shrugged. “Maybe they don’t know as much as they tell us they know.”

Loren gasped then grabbed my arm. “Or, or, or,” she chanted, with a glint in her eyes. “Maybe you’re some super secret princess!”

I tried my best to school my face neutral. I couldn’t tell her yet. For as wonderful as she’d been, this secret could be detrimental to my time at Alpha Academy. I nearly gnawed my tongue off to keep myself from speaking. I swallowed thickly and gave Loren a smile that felt lukewarm.

“Maybe,” I chorused. “But probably not. There’s nothing Princess-y about me at all.”

Loren frowned. “Don’t say that!”

“It’s true,” I said before getting up. I stretched and faked a yawn. “Anyways, I’m beat. I’m going to sleep. Walk with me to Basics tomorrow?”

Loren nodded. “Of course,” She also stood and drew back the covers of her bed. She turned over her shoulder to smile at me. “Goodnight Zora. I’m glad I met you.”

I smiled back at her. “I’m glad I met you too.”

I got into bed and was met with another sleepless night as I thought about how many more times I’d have to lie to Loren. I wondered if she’d stick around after all of that, or if the first friend I’d made would leave me like everyone else did.