Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 62
Chapter 62
Chapter 62
Damien
I don’t like people.
I never have, and I never will.
So the only place I knew I could stay without seeing them or touching anyone was a cave deep in the Mooncrest Mountains. Jason told me the pack members never came here; it was too dangerous, and the creatures that lived in these mountains. were notoriously difficult to deal with.
But ever since I started coming here, none of the creatures dared approach. They either kept their distance or fled the moment they sensed me. Even then, even with all that distance between me and everyone else, it still didn’t help.
Because all I could think about was her.
That woman from the auction.
Even though our first meeting lasted a few hours, something about her dug into me and refused to let go. It was the first time in centuries I’d found my mind returning to a woman’s face. The first time I had wanted to see someone again. And I didn’t know why.
Thane had stopped speaking entirely. He was furious, pacing in the back of my mind with his fangs bared, still angry that I’d let her walk away. Unlike me, Thane didn’t reason. When he wanted something, he took it immediately, without a second thought.
When she walked away that day, he’d tried to force the shift, desperate to chase after her. I stopped him.
The first time I had ever stopped him. I understood why he was angry, but I still ignored him.
What I didn’t expect was whatever sick joke the gods thought was amusing, sending her straight into the same damn cave.
Even with a disguise, or the fact that she had hidden her scent and her face back at the auction. I still knew it was her the moment she stepped inside. That was why I dragged her into the cave, I would have killed anyone that ventured inside.
Her heartbeat quickened as the guards approached the entrance.
I should have shoved her away. I should have snapped her neck the moment she touched the edge of my hood and revealed my face. No one outside my pack sees my face and lives.
But when she looked up at me, When those wide eyes met mine, I didn’t move. And before I could reclaim control, she surged forward and crashed her lips into mine.
I froze. For the first time in my life, my thoughts simply stopped. And Thane, silent for hours, let out a low, viciously pleased growl, the sound vibrating through my veins.
‘More. He demanded.
The rational part of me hissed, Push her away, Dominic. Push her away. Don’t let anyone in. You know what happens when you let them close.
But instead, my hand tightened around her waist.
I felt her breath hitch, and I deepened the kiss before I could think better of it. She jolted slightly, surprised, it was ridiculous, considering she was the one who started it. Her fingers curled into my cloak like she needed something to hold on to. Her lips trembled against mine, and it only made me pull her closer.
12:55
Chapter 62
My other hand slid up, cupping her cheek, forcing her closer as I tilted my head and deepened the kiss.
She gasped against my mouth. I was just about to take it further when a voice cut through the air.
“Who’s there?!”
A torchlight flared in our direction.
The guard at the entrance froze mid-step, the firelight spilling over our faces. His eyes went wide in sheer horror.
From the guard’s point of view, it must’ve looked ridiculous, two men kissing in a cave. She was still disguised as a man. And he probably thought we had snuck in here for a secret rendezvous.
Which, apparently, was exactly what she wanted him to think. Because the moment her lips crashed against mine, I understood. The flash of phoenix fire in the sky a moment earlier had already told me she’d broken the seal. And now she was using me as a distraction to fool a guard.
I didn’t know if I should laugh or be furious.
This woman had guts.
The guard hesitated at the cave entrance, blinking at us like he wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or concerned. I lifted my gaze to him without stopping the kiss. His body flinched as my eyes locked onto his, dark, dangerous, and very clearly promising violence if he interrupted.
“O-oh… my apologies,” the guard stammered. “Carry on… with your, uh… special stuff. I’ll make sure no other guards come here.”
He turned away quickly, muttering to himself as he left. “Two men kissing in a cave… that’s new. Poor things, they must be hiding their love from their families.”
She was still clinging to me, breathing unevenly, and I took the opportunity to stand, gripping her waist. In a swift motion, I reversed our positions, no longer letting her lean on me on the rock. Instead, I pressed her back against the wall of the cave, deepening the kiss without breaking it.
She responded instantly, arms wrapping around my neck, her lips warm and desperate against mine.
Fuck, she tasted sweet.
My hand slid to her waist, the other bracing her thigh as I kissed her harder, until I felt her breath stutter. When I finally pulled away from her lips, she gasped, but before she could speak, I dipped my mouth to her neck.
She let out a sharp breath and tilted her head back, exposing her throat without hesitation.
It was reckless, and dangerous. The neck was sacred to wolves, the place of the mark. And she bared it to me as if she didn’t care. Or maybe she wasn’t thinking at all.
I kissed her skin, then bit lightly, nipped again, letting my fangs graze her. Her pulse fluttered beneath my mouth. Her scent flooded my senses.
‘Mate.’ Thane growled inside me, voice low and primal. ‘Mark her, Damien.’
I froze.
‘What, I breathed, voice rough, ‘did you just say?’
Thane’s growl throbbed through my skull. ‘She is our mate. I felt the bond forming earlier, faint, but real. Growing piece by piece.
12:56 Tue, Dec 23 MG
Chapter 62
‘I know it sounds reckless, but mark her. We haven’t had a mate in thousands of years. This is our only chance to caim what’s ours. If you let her slip away again, I swear I’ll tear you apart myself.
田
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