Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 120
Chapter 120
Selene
I looked at him, and he looked at me.
:
98
55 vouchers
For a moment, the world around us seemed to dull, as if everything else had faded into the background. We studied each other in silence, neither of us speaking, neither of us looking away. His gaze was calm and unreadable, while mine was sharp and calculating, like a fox circling unfamiliar ground, testing the waters before deciding whether to bite or retreat.
He stood tall and broad, his posture relaxed yet imposing. His face was hidden, but even without seeing his features, I knew that he was attractive in that dangerous manner that made people instinctively pay attention. He looked casual, almost indifferent, as if everything happening around him was beneath his notice, and yet his eyes were locked onto me with unsettling focus.
Out of everyone there, he was the one who caught my interest the most.
Maybe it was because no matter how I looked at him, no matter how much I tried to rationalize it, he reminded me of that demon, Alpha Damien. The thought alone made me frown.
I met his gaze fully, refusing to back down. Unlike Damien’s crimson eyes, this man’s were blue, piercing, and sharp enough that it felt like he was looking straight through my skin and into my soul.
I tilted my head slightly, suspicion stirring. Damien had crimson eyes, and as far as I knew, there was no method to change a person’s eye color so completely. At least, I didn’t know of one. Anyone capable of such a thing would have to be a doctor. A very talented one.
As I continued studying him, another man suddenly stepped forward, deliberately cutting off my line of
sight.
This one didn’t bother hiding his face.
He smiled the moment he looked at me, his eyes roaming over me openly, as if I were some fascinating object he’d just discovered. He placed a finger against his chin, tapping it thoughtfully while humming to
himself.
“Hmm, I see,” he murmured, his gaze still moving over me. Then, without any shame, he circled behind me, eyes never leaving my body, before stepping back into my line of vision again.
I raised an eyebrow, irritation flickering across my face.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked flatly. “Is he okay in the head?”
The bulky man who had brought me here let out a tired sigh and shook his head. “Well… I wouldn’t say he’s perfectly okay in the head.”
I sighed quietly to myself.
Was it really a good idea to get involved with people like this? Back in the Mooncrest Pack, I’d crossed paths with strange individuals too, and they’d turned out to be the most feared warriors in the Crimson Pack, along
9:46 Wed, Jan 28
Chapter 120
with their terrifying alpha. Somehow, I doubted these people were going to be any better.
98
55 vouchers
The man who had been openly inspecting me seemed to notice the look on my face. He smiled playfully, and he raised his hands slightly in mock surrender.
“Oh, don’t worry,” he said lightly. “I’m not a strange person.”
Yeah, right.
He extended his hand toward me. “I’m Remi. The pack doctor.”
I blinked.
The pack doctor?
I stared at him again, this time with a different kind of scrutiny.
Remi, the Crimson Pack’s doctor. I had heard of him, everyone outside the Crimson Pack had. Rumors said he was the best doctor in the world, a man capable of pulling someone back from death.
In my mind, I’d always imagined an elderly man with a long white beard and tired eyes. Instead, standing in front of me, was this beautiful, strange, sharp-eyed man who looked far too young and far too odd to match the legends.
It seemed I’d been wrong.
I looked at him, nodded, and said calmly, “I see.”
My gaze drifted past Remi and landed on the other men standing with him, most of them with their faces covered. I lingered especially on the one who had reminded me so strongly of the alpha, my eyes narrowing slightly as I studied his silent presence.
“And who are they?” I asked, my tone neutral.
The man I hadn’t paid much attention to earlier seemed ready to speak, but Remi beat them to it. He smirked lazily and said, “They’re my bodyguards.”
He stiffened instantly, his eyes widening beneath his hood. “You-! How dare you call the-”
Remi cut him off without even looking at him. “The what?”
The man froze mid-sentence. His mouth snapped shut as he glanced toward the man with blue eyes, and then he lowered his head slightly, saying nothing more.
Remi’s smile widened, clearly amused. “Don’t mind him,” he said. “Bodyguards these days are far too proud for my liking. They really don’t know their places.”
The two men beside him, everyone except the blue-eyed one, looked visibly offended by his words, their shoulders stiffening, but none of them dared to respond. They simply stayed silent.
I glanced between them, unimpressed.
9:46 Wed, Jan 28
Chapter 120
Yeah… these people were definitely strange.
98
55 vouchers
Remi turned his attention back to me. “What about you?” he asked smoothly. “What’s your name?”
I looked at him for a second longer than necessary. His smile looked harmless enough, but I knew better. There was nothing harmless about that expression. Still, I returned the smile.
“Noah,” I said. “Call me Noah.”
Remi nodded in amusement.
“What a nice name. Well then, Noah,” he continued, “since you’re heading to the Crimson Warrior Rite, you might as well follow us. It’ll be an easy journey.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, Remi suddenly swung an arm around my neck, pulling me closer to his side as if we were old friends. I let out a small huff and shot him a glare, but he didn’t even acknowledge it. He acted as though this kind of familiarity was completely normal.
I scoffed and shook my head, debating whether I should shove him away when the air shifted.
It turned cold in an instant, and a deadly aura pressed down on us like an invisible weight.
I turned around immediately, my eyes snapping to the man with blue eyes.
Everyone else did the same.
He was staring straight at Remi, more specifically at the arm still draped around my neck. His gaze was still calm, but there was something terrifying beneath it, something restrained yet furious. The aura rolling off him was far too powerful to belong to an ordinary guard.
My heart skipped.
Why was he looking at Remi like that? And what kind of bodyguard possessed an aura like this? It wasn’t just strong, it felt like the presence of an alpha. A very powerful one.
Remi, on the other hand, looked amused rather than threatened, a lazy grin still on his face. But for some reason, I wasn’t amused at all. Instead, an odd, uncomfortable feeling settled in my chest, like I’d done something wrong without knowing why.
Why did it suddenly feel like I shouldn’t be close to any man?
I licked my lips and almost wanted to slap myself for that thought. I had every right to be close to whoever I wanted. I was very much single.
Still… I pulled away from Remi.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and said, “L-let’s just go.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned and started walking, giving none of them the chance to say anything
else.
9:46 Wed, Jan 28
Chapter 120
God. What was wrong with me? Why was I still thinking of that annoying demon of the west?
E55 vouchers
AD
Comment
Send gift
No Ads
9:46 Wed, Jan 28
Join Our WhatsApp Channel For Fast Update Or More Novels: 
Join Our WhatsApp Channel For Fast Update Or More Novels: