Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 106
Chapter 106
Chapter 106
Selene
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“The woman is Yara,” Maeve continued, her voice lowering slightly, as if even speaking the name required a certain level of respect. “She is a female warrior. I don’t know what people outside the pack call her, but here, everyone knows how strong she is. She is the third strongest person in the Crimson Pack.”
I raised an eyebrow subtly, listening carefully as I scooped water over my shoulder, pretending to be casually interested.
“She leads a group of female warriors,” Maeve went on. “They are all very beautiful, and highly trained. Seduction, poison, close combat, they excel in all of it. The women call her master, and they are extremely loyal to her.” Maeve hesitated for a second, then added, almost awkwardly, “They all wish to be her wives.”
That caught my attention.
I paused for half a moment.
So those were the women staring at me when I woke up. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, Yara was lucky. Many men and women would kill to inspire that level of devotion. Power always attracted obsession, and Yara clearly wielded hers effortlessly.
Maeve glanced at me, as if gauging my reaction, perhaps expecting shock or disgust. Instead, I smiled brightly. “Wow, that’s incredible. She’s really strong.”
Maeve nodded. “Yes, my lady. She truly is. I have never seen her lose a fight.”
Yara, I repeated the name silently in my mind.
That woman was dangerous, not just because of her strength, but because of her mind. She was sharp, observant, and bold enough to test me without hesitation.
The way she had acted earlier made one thing clear, she already knew I wasn’t as harmless as I appeared to be. I didn’t mind revealing my strength when necessary, but I had no intention of becoming her source of entertainment.
Maeve continued before I could speak again. “Then there is Kaius. He is the gamma of the pack and he is also very strong. He commands thousands of warriors, and he can break almost anything with his bare fists.” She smiled. “He enjoys drinking and fighting, usually just for fun. Last year, he even made a deal, if anyone could beat him in combat, he would give them his position.”
I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself.
Men and their obsession with fighting. I understood combat, and I occasionally enjoyed it when I needed to release tension, but obsession? That was another thing entirely. Most men treated fighting like it was the meaning of life itself. My mind briefly flashed to Alpha Tristain and his relentless need to test his blade and strength every waking day.
Maeve chuckled softly. “The funny thing is, everyone who challenged him lost. Every single one. He really is that strong.”
“I see,” I murmured, uninterested in brute strength alone.
“What about your beta?” I asked instead, steering the conversation where I wanted it to go.
Maeve’s expression softened. “Beta Jason? He’s very intelligent. Calm, calculating, and skilled in combat as well. Most of the time, he’s by Alpha Damien’s side.” She spoke with clear respect. “He is extremely loyal. Whenever there’s a problem in the pack, the beta handles it. No one dares go against him, except the alpha, of course. Everyone knows how valuable he is.”
I nodded slowly, absorbing every word.
15:45 Thu, Jan 15 M
Chapter 106
(21)
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Damien truly was a capable leader. He didn’t surround himself with empty titles or blind loyalty, he chose people with strength, intelligence, and purpose, placing each of them exactly where they would thrive. That explained why the Crimson Pack had flourished for so long without internal collapse. He knew how to manage power, both within and outside his pack.
I already knew of them from my past life, but hearing their names, their exact roles, and how they were viewed within the pack painted a much clearer picture.
And information, I knew well, was power.
“And then there is the alpha.”
I lifted my gaze to her, immediately noticing the way her expression changed. Her cheeks had turned red, and her eyes shone with a kind of dreamy admiration that was impossible to miss,
I raised an eyebrow slightly. She was completely lost in her own thoughts now.
“Alpha Damien is our leader,” Maeve said with a small, shy smile. “He is…. perfect, strong, respected, feared, and admired, everything an alpha should be. So many women chase after him. They throw themselves at him because of how attractive he is.” She pressed a hand to her warm cheek and sighed. “Oh goddess, that man is a work of art. The goddess must have taken her time when she created him.”
I couldn’t help the faint amusement that flickered across my face at her obvious infatuation, and when Maeve noticed it, she immediately stiffened. Her face paled slightly as she swallowed and bowed her head.
“I-I’m sorry, my lady. I shouldn’t have spoken so freely. Especially now that you are the alpha woman. I should have watched my tongue.”
I sighed quietly. Why does everyone keep calling me that? Just because I slept with him once didn’t make me his woman. By their logic, every woman who had ever shared his bed would have been his. It was absurd.
Seeing the frustration on my face, Maeve hesitated before adding, “My lady… the alpha is not interested in women.”
I blinked, genuinely caught off guard. My mind immediately went back to the hot spring, to when I had been disguised as a man and he had kissed me without hesitation.
If he was only interested in men, that would explain it, but then why had he slept with me? Or was he interested in both?
Before I could stop myself, I leaned a little closer and lowered my voice. “Is he… gay?”
Maeve smiled, her eyes flicking over me. “I doubt that, my lady. If he were, I’m quite sure your body wouldn’t be reacting the way it is now. A man who is only interested in men wouldn’t ravish a woman the way he did to you last night.”
My fingers brushed against my neck as I listened to her words. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. The way Damien had touched me, the way he had kissed me, had been far too intense, and focused.
“I don’t know the alpha’s preferences,” Maeve continued, “but everyone in the pack thought he was uninterested in women because he never pays them any attention. No matter how beautiful they are, no matter how hard they try to seduce him, he always ignores them. You are the first woman I’ve ever heard of whom he spent the night with.”
She looked at me as if expecting me to blush or smile proudly, but I simply nodded. That only made everything more confusing. Him choosing me, out of everyone, didn’t make me feel special, it made things more complicated.
I had no time to indulge in fantasies or confusion.
I rose from the bath, water sliding down my skin as I stepped out. Maeve quickly draped a robe around me, covering me with care. Without hesitation, I walked toward the door.
Right now, there was only one thing that mattered to me.
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