Their Hidden Princess Chapter 116

Valentin

Valentin watched Zora storm into the locker room. As soon as she was out of sight, he let his shoulders drop and his back hunch. He palmed his face with a sigh then tipped his head back to look at the ceiling.

What have I done to deserve this? He asked the Gods.

You know what you’ve done, they replied back in his mind. He tipped his head back to his chest. He shouldn’t have even asked the question. He knew the answer.

He left the gym and started towards his own office. As he pushed out of the gym, the sun was slowly starting to crest over the horizon. Valentin starred at it for a moment, hoping the sun might burn his eyes and cause him to be blind. Maybe then, he wouldn’t be cursed by the image of Zora Luna.

She reminded him so much of Zahara. Her hair was the same color. Her smile was the same. Fuck, even the way she said his name was the same way Zahara did. Valentin’s eyes fluttered closed as he remembered his fated mate. Her smell, her laugh, her everything. His mind began to wander. Did Zora smell like Zahara? Did she taste like Zahara?

Valentin’s cock stirred in his trousers at the thought. He cursed and adjusted himself discretely before walking a bit faster to his office. Curse the Gods for allowing him to get lost in his own thoughts.

He made his way back to his office and slunk into his chair. Before he could stop himself, his hands were wrenching his trousers open. He pushed all the fabric away and fisted his cock. He moaned as his hand wrapped around himself. His tossed his head back on his chair and worked his wrist over himself.

Fuck the Gods.

Fuck the way they made him.

Fuck them for making him want her so bad.

He worked his hand up and down his shaft, eyes still fluttered closed and head still leaning back. He imagined taking Zora by the hand and leading her to where he was straining his trousers. He imagined teaching her how to make him moan and break and writhe. Then, he imagined spinning her around and shoving himself so deep within her soaking cunt that she cried out.

He would keep pounding her as she screamed so that everyone could hear here. The entire campus would hear her coming on his cock. Especially those fucking smug assholes she was also fated to. Valentin would show them. He’d show them how a true High Alpha fucked his mate.

At that thought, he came all over himself. His seed coated his hand as he grunted out his own released. When his heart finally stopped racing, he looked down at the mess he’d made of himself and sighed. He flicked his wrist and the mess dissipated. He sat up and tucked himself back in his pants before slamming his head on his desk.

He had resigned to wallow in his disgust for the next hour but was pulled from his thoughts when there was a soft rapt on his door. He sat back in his chair and attempted to smooth his hair off his face before calling the visitor in.

To make matters worse, his fiancé had decided it was the perfect time to visit him. And she looked pissed.

“What are you doing?” she snapped.

“My job, Bella,” he deadpanned. “You know. That thing you told me you’d get when you graduated.”

She waved her hand. “I’m busy planning our wedding, Valentin,” she snapped. “Something you clearly don’t give a fuck about.”

“Again,” Valentin motioned towards his desk. “I have a job.”

“Well I blocked your calendar so no you don’t,” Bella hissed. She grabbed his hand and yanked him out of his seat. “So let’s go.”

“Go where?” Valentin protested as she dragged him towards the door.

Bella paused and looked back at him with fire in her eyes. “My wedding dress fitting. Tell me you didn’t forget?”

An hour later, Valentin Lunerly found himself sitting between two of Bella’s friends. Miles upon miles of taffeta and tuille surrounded the three of them as dresses of all shapes and colors took up the tiny room they were put in. Bella had insisted they go to the best dress maker of all the wolves. She was marrying a High Alpha, after all, and needed to look the part.

She’d tried on a dozen dresses and tried to get Valentin’s opinion on each of them. Her friends had “ooh”ed and “aah”ed at every single one of them. But, as she turned to Valentin, her face would immediately fall when she saw his. She’d rush back into the changing room and then they’d do it all over again. By the fifth one, Valentin realized he needed to feign interest or they’d be there all day.

“Vally,” Bella’s snotty friend, Everly, said. She placed a hand on his bicep. “Will the Queen be joining us for your ceremony?”

“If she can,” Valentin answered honestly. He tried his darndest not to cringe at the nickname she’d made for him. “She’s quite busy.”

“But the other High Alphas will be joining right?” Bella’s other friend, Paige, said. She batted her eyelashes at him. “Surely the single ones at least. Perhaps you could convince them?”

Valentin stared at her for a moment, trying to come up with the words to politely tell her that the Alphas were all mated and none of them wanted her whore-ass anyways. Luckily for him, Bella chose that moment to come out in the next gown. Both Everly and Paige gasped.

The gown she was wearing was a deep emerald green. It was adorned with gold appliques and beads that made the shape of flowers gently cupping Bella’s chest. The skirt was long and pleated and fanned out into a short train behind her. The lady who was helping them had fixed a gold tiara on Bella’s head. It was made of swirling, beautifully placed flowers that rested gingerly on her head.

She looked stunning.

But Valentin’s mind started to wander. He saw the same beautiful dress but the woman underneath was different. She was less curvy than Bella and didn’t have her long black hair or tanned skin. This woman’s skin was creamy white and darted with freckles that made her collar bones jut out. This woman’s hair was a shocking red. He looked up and was met with the green-gold eyes of his dead mate.

Valentin blinked twice to get the image out of his head, to make the woman look like Bella once again. Instead, it shifted and became Zahara’s younger counter part. He was met with the same green-gold gaze but the person behind it was Zora.

“Well?” she said. “Is this one it?”

Valentin shook his head again and Zora disappeared. He was met with the hopeful glance of Bella. His heart strained in his chest and he bolted from his seat.

“Excuse me,” he murmured as he pushed out of the tiny room. He barreled his way out of the shop and into the street. He only made it a foot from the door before he keeled over and emptied the contents of his stomach on to the street.

He was still sputtering as he stood up. He ran the back of his hand over his mouth and pressed his spine to the wall of the building. Was he really going to go through with the wedding to Bella?

He’d already missed one opportunity to be with the love of his life after the untimely death of Zahara. Was he really going to pass up on happiness with Zora as well? His heart pounded wildly in his chest as he considered the options.

Then, the door to the shop slammed open and Bella stuck her head out. Her lips were pursed in their permanent scowl. “The fuck are you doing?” she hissed.

“Sorry,” Valentin mumbled. “Bad breakfast.”

Bella rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she snapped. “Just get back inside I have four more dresses to try on.”

Valentin nodded curtly. He followed Bella back into the shop and tried to keep his mind from wandering back to the red-haired woman in the emerald-green dress.