Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 56
Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Selene
I walked with my head held high. Everyone looked at me with confusion and annoyance as I passed, their gazes sharp and full of judgment, but none of them dared to meet my eyes. I didn’t bother paying them any attention.
When I reached the main courtyard, several maids were standing at the entrance, Emma, Sienna’s maid, and at the front, Hannah, my stepmother’s main servant. Hannah stood there with her arms crossed, looking smug, as if she owned the place.
The moment they saw me, they froze. Emma’s face went pale, and I could even see her swallow hard. Hannah’s expression didn’t change, though; she kept that same arrogant frown on her face as she stared at me, looking down as if I were still beneath her.
I walked forward, unbothered by any of them. When I reached the front door and was about to step inside, Hannah suddenly blocked my path.
“Where do you think you’re going, Selene?” she said, her tone sharp and mocking. “You can’t enter without per-”
Before she could finish, my hand moved on its own. The sharp crack of the slap echoed through the courtyard, her head snapping to the side. She staggered, lost her balance, and crumpled to the ground.
Gasps rippled through the maids. Emma clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief, like she couldn’t comprehend that someone as meek as me could strike without hesitation.
Poor thing. She was about to learn that a slap was mercy compared to what I was capable of.
Hannah held her cheek, staring up at me with disbelief. “Y-you… how dare you!” she stammered.
My eyes darkened, and I tilted my head slightly. “Do you want another one?” I asked, my voice low and dangerous. “Because I’m more than happy to give it.”
She went still immediately, trembling as she lowered her gaze, afraid of what I might do next. Every servant in the courtyard looked at me as if I was a crazy person but it didn’t fraze me.
“Learn your place, servant,” I said, voice cold. “Cross that line again and you’ll wish you’d never been born. Belonging to my stepmother doesn’t give you the right to act however you please. Call me by my name again, and that slap won’t be a warning. Keep disrespecting me, and next time nobody will know where your body ends up.”
Hannah visibly shook, terror stripping the color from her face. Emma’s hands twisted the fabric of her dress, fingers white with fear. Normally I’d have ignored them, but I wasn’t in the mood to play the fool today. It was better I taught them this lesson myself, if Mira got involved, the consequences would be far worse.
Hannah didn’t dare say another word. Her lips pressed tight, her gaze dropping to the floor. I could see the humiliation burning in her eyes, the way her pride cracked under pressure. She might be a servant, but she wasn’t just any servant, she oversaw everything in the household after my stepmother. She made the schedules, organized the staff, and whispered in the right ears when she wanted something done. People in the temple respected her more than they respected me.
That was why she had always felt bold enough to bully me, because no one ever stopped her. Because, in her mind, I was the weak daughter, the one without power, the one who would lower her head and take whatever she threw at me. But that Selene was long gone.
If she still thought I would allow myself to be bullied, she must be dreaming.
I turned away from her and walked down the corridor. The sight before me was as extravagant as I remembered. This was where my father and stepmother lived. Where they hosted guests and conducted important meetings like the one happening today.
Chapter 56
Today, they were discussing Sienna’s wolf.
And, most likely, what to do with me.
A small smile curved on my lips. I wanted to be part of that conversation.
When I reached the door to the meeting room, I didn’t hesitate. I pushed it open with both hands.
The heavy doors swung wide, the echo slicing through the air. Every head in the room turned to look at me.
About twenty people sat around the long table, my father, my stepmother, Sienna, and several elders from my father’s bloodline. Each of them wore the same smug, superior expression, as if this house and everything in it belonged to them.
Their faces shifted at the sight of me, especially Sienna. Her face drained of color immediately, her fingers clutching her dress. My father’s expression hardened, his brows knitting together in anger.
“Selene Bloodrose,” he said sharply, his tone cutting through the tension. “What do you think you’re doing? How dare you just barge in here?”
I smiled, unbothered. “Since the conversation involves me, Father, I decided to join.”
A murmur rippled through the room. I could feel the disapproval, irritation, shock radiating from them. I ignored it and stepped further inside, lifting my chin.
“Besides,” I said, my voice clear, “I think I deserve to be in this meeting more than anyone else here.”
Every eye in the room turned hard, faces tightening with barely contained anger.
My stepmother leaned forward, her painted lips twisting. “Have you lost your damn mind, Selene?” she snapped. “Do you not see the elders sitting here? Not only are you speaking out of turn, but you didn’t even greet them when you entered. How disrespectful can you be?”
“These elders have been here since before you were born. Show some manners and know your place.”
Oh, I knew my place. But it wasn’t beneath them anymore.
I looked at the so-called elders, their faces drawn tight with annoyance and superiority, the kind only people who believed they were untouchable wore.
One of the older men turned to my stepmother with a sigh. “Don’t mind her,” he said, waving a wrinkled hand dismissively. “She’s spoiled and behaves like a child. After so many years, I thought she would finally have the sense to behave properly, but it seems she cannot. She will forever be a fool, unlike her sister.”
Then he turned to Sienna, his entire demeanor shifting as though he was looking at some goddess descended from the heavens. His face softened, and he smiled at her warmly. “This child, the two of you raised her well. Her temperament is perfect. Such grace, and restraint. It’s a shame, truly, that the white wolf was given to someone who didn’t deserve it.”
His gaze flicked back to me, his lips curling ever so slightly.
I just looked back at him, amused.
Beside him, my stepmother smiled. “I know, right? Out of the two of them, Sienna has always been the most worthy. I don’t know why the Moon Goddess would make such a mistake and give this stupid child the white wolf.”
The old man nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry about it. Sienna has the black wolf, it’s strong, and powerful. I’m sure she’ll make us proud.”
Sienna looked down at her lap, blushing softly, as though she was shy from the attention. “T-thank you, Elder. I really appreciate it,”
12:54 Tue, Dec 23 MG.
Chapter 56
The old man smiled at her approvingly before another woman, one of the female elders, turned toward me. Her expression was filled with disgust.
“You’re still standing there?” she barked. “When are you going to get out, you damn child? You’re not welcome here. We are still discussing what to do with you. Go to your room for now. We will call for you when we have decided your fate.”
She sniffed, her chin lifting arrogantly. “Even if you have the white wolf and Alpha Adrian as your mate, that doesn’t mean you deserve anything good. Don’t offend us further, child, or we’ll make your situation harder than it already is.”
For a second, I just stared at them before the absurdity of it all hit me. And I laughed.
I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. I laughed until I had to clutch my sides and tears pricked at my eyes.
The room fell silent. Everyone just stared at me like I had lost my mind.
After a moment, I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye and sighed dramatically. “Oh Goddess… these people are so funny,” I said, shaking my head. “I honestly don’t know if I should be offended or amused. Maybe you should all get checked in the head, just to make sure everything’s still working properly.”
One of the elders slammed his hand against the table, his voice booming. “What did you just say?!”
I smiled, crossing my arms. “Besides, why should I go to my room?”
Their brows furrowed in confusion.
“Between all of us here,” I continued, voice firm, “who do you think deserves to be in this meeting?”
“What?”
“You’re all just a bunch of old people with wrinkled pride and no divine blood to show for it. You’re not directly linked to the Moonborn line. You’re only here because you’re related to my father.”
I took a step closer, my gaze unwavering.
“I am the Moonborn. I carry the white wolf, the Goddess’s own gift.”
I straightened my back, my voice ringing through the room with authority.
“So tell me, who deserves to be here more than me?”
I
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