Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 50
Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Selene
I had always wondered what I would say if I met her again.
Would I cry? Would I apologize? Would I even have the courage to look at her?
I asked so many times but no matter how many times I imagined the scene, I never came up with an answer.
Now that she was really here, standing before me, her fur glowing like moonlight and her gaze sharp, I couldn’t speak.
My heart ached as I stared at her because it was all my fault.
Everything that happened in the past, all the deaths, the betrayals, the pain, it was because of me.
I was the one who kept Mira through every cruel chapter, dragging her into my mistakes. I was the one who made decisions that led to our tragic moment.
I cared too much about people who never truly cared for me. I gave everything for a family that abandoned me, for a mate who didn’t see my worth, for a cause that destroyed me.
So yes, it was understandable I would end up with such a cruel fate. But it was never Mira’s fault.
She had always stood by me. Always warned me.
Always believed I was worth more than chains and pity.
Even when she begged me to walk away from Adrian, even when she told me to choose myself, I ignored her. And because of my foolishness, she paid the price, she was poisoned by Sienna, suffering a death that wasn’t hers to bear.
Just like me, she was reincarnated over and over again.
Just like me, she forgot everything each time.
But in this lifetime when I remembered. Mira must have remembered too.
“You’re quiet,” Mira said at last. Her glowing eyes pinned me where I stood. “Or are you ashamed to face me? Do you deem yourself unworthy because of the past?”
A soft laugh escaped me. “Still so blunt,” I muttered.
Her tail flicked. “Still so weak,” she countered. “You took a long time to pass my trial, Selene. So much for being a fearless commander.”
I scoffed. “You made it really difficult to pass. You literally wiped my memory clean, how was I supposed to know it was an illusion?”
Mira didn’t answer at first. She just looked at me for a long moment, the snow swirling between us. Then, slowly, she began to walk forward, each step graceful.
When she stopped in front of me, her fur brushed against my hand.
“I needed to see if you were still willing to open your eyes and change your future, or if you were going to throw it away like
before.”
“And what’s your conclusion?” I asked.
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Chapter 50
Mira lifted her gaze, meeting mine without hesitation. Her blue eyes glowed with certainty.
“You’re different now,” she said. “Determined to change your fate and the fate of those you care about. Even if you have to sacrifice everything in your path to do it.”
“And since you’re ready to do that, Selene, I will accept our bond and become your wolf.”
Her forehead touched mine, a surge of warmth and light flooding through me, burning away the last traces of illusion.
I couldn’t help it, the smile broke across my face before I even realized it. And without a second thought, I threw my arms around Mira, burying my face in her soft, snowy fur.
She let out a long sigh. “Ah, here we go again,” she said. “If I were to count your age by how many times we’ve died and gone back to the past, we’d be well over two thousand years old by now, and yet you still behave like a child.”
I laughed against her fur, unable to stop myself. “I really missed you, Mira,” I whispered, my voice shaking slightly.
Mira didn’t answer right away, but she didn’t need to. I could feel her happiness through our bond.
After a while, I pulled back. Mira tilted her great white head and said softly. “Since the test is over, you should go back. Go and show them who the true Moonborn is.”
I nodded, taking one last look at her before spotting a glowing door not far away. I walked toward it, then turned back. “See you later, Mira.”
“Go,” she said. “I’ll be here.”
I opened the door and stepped through.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on the big rock in the middle of the temple forest, the moonlight bathing my face. I blinked against the brightness and lifted a hand to shield my eyes.
‘Mira?’
‘I’m here, Selene. I will always be here. But this time we will not die. We will make it, and make everyone kneel before us.’
I sat up slowly, the night air brushing against my skin. The moonlight caught in my hair. From here, I could see everything.
It really was beautiful, and full of possibilities.
And this time, I was going to take every opportunity fate offered me.
I stood, stretching my arms before leaping down from the rock. My movements were effortless, and lighter than before.
When I landed, I felt the weight of a gaze. I turned around and saw the white fox.
He stood at the edge of the clearing, his fur gleaming faintly under the moon, eyes bright with interest as he watched me.
I tilted my head slightly, curious. I wanted to know what he was thinking, but I wasn’t sure if my mind-reading could work on the creature. Reading thoughts was draining, and the stronger the being, the heavier the toll.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what secrets hid behind those intelligent eyes.
I hesitated for a moment, watching the white fox’s tail sway gracefully. My fingers twitched at my side.
Should I even try?
Mira’s voice whispered faintly in the back of my mind. ‘Be careful. Reading creatures is different. They don’t think like us.
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Chapter 50
I wanted to listen to her but curiosity burned stronger than caution. So I took a small breath, focused my energy, and reached toward him with my mind.
The connection hit like cool wind.
‘You can read my mind, can’t you, child?’
His voice was clear. Deep and ancient, carrying the weight of centuries.
I froze, eyes wide. He’d caught me.
Slowly, I nodded. The fox turned his head toward me, golden eyes glowing softly.
‘This is not your first life, is it?’
Every muscle in my body went still. My mouth parted, but no sound came out. How could he possibly know that?
I opened my mouth to ask, but before I could form the words, his thoughts came into my mind again.
‘You look a lot like her,’ he said. ‘You look like the last Moonborn. At that time, she was just as reckless but far more disciplined. The most powerful Moonborn I have ever seen. Her spiritual powers were pure.
My heart stumbled painfully in my chest.
He was talking about my mother.
I had never heard anyone mention her, not since the day she died giving birth to Sienna and me. It was as though she’d been erased from existence. And Father never said a word about her again.
‘But now that I look at you,’ the fox continued, his gaze sharpening, ‘your spiritual power is even greater than hers. So powerful, in fact, that your existence can either save or destroy the world.’
His voice softened. ‘I wonder what your destiny will be?
He turned, the faint shimmer of moonlight trailing behind him as he walked away, vanishing into the forest.
I didn’t follow. I just stood there, staring at the place where he disappeared.
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Maybe one day, I would find him again. Maybe one day, I’d learn more about the woman who gave me life, the woman everyone else chose to forget. But for now, I had something else to do.
I turned toward the temple lights glowing faintly in the distance.
12:51 Tue, Dec 23
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