Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 85
Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Selene
i (3)
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I looked at Lucas, my brows knitting together in confusion as his words replayed in my head. He had dropped that statement so casually, as if it meant nothing, and yet it rang louder than everything else in the hall.
When I searched his face for an explanation, he avoided my eyes entirely, his gaze sliding away with ease, his expression closing off as though he had already said more than he intended to.
The silence between us stretched, and just as I opened my mouth to press him further, movement behind us pulled my attention away.
Sienna stepped forward, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor as she walked past us without a glance, her posture straight and confident, her smile already perfectly arranged. She headed directly toward a small group of noblewomen gathered near one of the columns, all of them dressed in elaborate gowns, clearly waiting for her. The moment they saw her, their faces lit up as if she were the highlight of the evening.
“Hello, guys,” Sienna greeted sweetly.
“Hello, Sienna,” one of the women replied warmly. “We’ve been waiting for you. It’s so nice to finally see you. How are you doing?”
Sienna laughed softly, touching the fabric of her dress as she spoke. “Oh, I’m fine. Sorry for being late, you know it takes a while to actually look this good.”
Another girl’s eyes lingered on her gown in admiration. “Woah, I saw that dress earlier at the boutique. I wanted to buy it, but the owner said it had already been sold to the royal family.” She tilted her head curiously. “Don’t tell me the alpha bought it for you.”
For just a brief second, Sienna’s eyes flicked toward me. Then she smiled again, brighter than before. “Oh, yes. The alpha bought it for me. I was so surprised when he gave it to me.”
“You’re so lucky,” one of them gushed. “And why are we even surprised? Everyone knows that your sister knows her place by rejecting Prince Adrian, you’re the rightful princess of the pack.”
The words echoed louder like she wanted everyone to hear. I could feel eyes turning toward me from all directions. I looked back at them calmly, my expression blank, and unbothered by everything around me. As expected, it hadn’t even taken a minute for them to start running their mouths.
Sienna’s lips curved by their words, but she masked it quickly, lifting her hand in a gesture in concern. “Stop, guys, don’t speak that way. You’ll hurt her with your words.”
One of the women scoffed openly. “Hurt her? What is she, a child? We’re just saying the truth.”
Normally, I wouldn’t have cared. Most days, I truly didn’t. People could gossip, mock, and whisper all they wanted, and I wouldn’t spare them a thought. But today wasn’t one of those days. My body was already on edge, my patience stretched thin, and their voices grated against my nerves. I had too much to deal with tonight to tolerate this kind of nonsense.
I was just about to speak and put them firmly in their place, when a calm. deep voice cut through the noise.
18:37 Fri, Dec 26
Chapter 85
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“Amusing,” the voice said lazily. “I didn’t know the women of Mooncrest spoke to each other this way.”
The effect the voice had was immediate. The conversations around me died instantly, people stopped laughing and whispering, and even Lucas stopped, curiosity flickering across his face. The voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried authority, the kind that made people instinctively step back before they realized they were doing it. No one could deny it. This was an alpha’s voice.
Everyone turned toward the source at once, myself included. And when I saw him, my body went rigid.
Blond hair, light golden eyes, and that familiar, amused expression that never quite reached his gaze.
Alpha Tristan.
I immediately frowned the moment my eyes landed on him.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Of all the people who could have opened their mouth at that exact moment, why did it have to be him?
My expression turned openly distasteful before I could stop myself, annoyance flashing across my face without the slightest attempt to hide it. Alpha Tristan noticed. His gaze slid toward me, and for a brief second he looked genuinely surprised. Then, slowly, a smile spread across his lips, as if my obvious displeasure was the most entertaining thing he’d seen all night.
That was the thing about this bastard. Everything amused him.
I didn’t understand what he was doing in the Mooncrest Pack, and even less why he was paying attention to anyone here, let alone me. I knew Alpha Tristan well enough. He wasn’t the type to linger in palaces or attend banquets for fun. He didn’t care about gossip, alliances formed over wine, or the polite games of nobility. His interests were simple and brutal, he loved war and fights, and chaos, when it led to bloodshed. In fact, he was infamous for deliberately stirring trouble just so he could justify starting a war.
And yet, as troublesome as he was, nobody could deny his ability as an alpha. His pack was the third strongest in the world, disciplined, ruthless, and fiercely loyal. That fact alone made him even more irritating. To me, Alpha Tristan was nothing more than a dangerously clever alpha with a pretty face and a mind always plotting its next battlefield.
In my past lives, he had been obsessed with me, not because of love, but because I was a warlord. He wanted to take me, even knowing I was Adrian’s mate. I had dealt with his fixation more times than I liked to remember, constantly pushing him away, and wary of his interest.
I let out a quiet sigh, barely moving my lips as I muttered to myself. At least I wasn’t a warlord yet. Right now, I was just a Moonborn everyone seemed to hate. So he wouldn’t focus on me.
Beside me, Sienna stared openly at Alpha Tristan, her cheeks flushing red as her eyes lingered on him without shame.
“Oh my goddess,” she whispered, her voice loud with awe. “Who is he?”
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, unimpressed. I had almost forgotten how hopeless she was when it came to attractive men. She was the same with Lucas earlier, her attention drawn instantly to anyone with a handsome face and strong presence. She loved men who were beautiful, powerful, and unattainable,
18:37 Fri, Dec 26
Chapter 85
collecting them in her mind like trophies she hadn’t earned.
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A dangerous thought drifted through my head before I could stop it. I wondered what her reaction would be if she ever met Damien, the demon of the west.
That man was breathtaking in a way that defied reason, overwhelming without even trying. Just thinking about him made my body tense, my heart skipping a beat against my will. My thoughts betrayed me further, drifting to that dream, to how real it had felt, how overwhelming the sensation had been.
If it felt that intense in a dream, how would it feel in reality?
My breath hitched, and I immediately shook my head, forcing the thought away.
No. Absolutely not.
Ah, don’t even go there, Selene.
Anyone but that man. Anyone but
Anyone but your executioner.
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