Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 63
Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Selene
I was breathing too hard. My lips trembled from the kiss, my pulse racing like it wanted to break through my ribs. My whole damn body tingled, heat curling low in my stomach, spreading like fire. And that was exactly why I slapped myself hard.
The sting burned across my check, but it yanked me back to my senses.
Goddess, what the hell are you doing, Selene?!
This was Alpha Damien. The wolf every pack in the world feared. The man who could wipe out an entire pack in a single night and sleep soundly afterward.
Why in all the hell was I kissing him like I missed him? Like I wanted more?
My mind screamed at me, furious, and panicking.
Yes, I had to kiss him because of the guard. Fine.
But why did I continue after he left? I could’ve stopped. I should’ve stopped. But the moment he kissed me again, my body reacted like it belonged to him, like it had been waiting for that warmth.
And worse, I was enjoying it.
When his mouth touched my neck, a shiver so sharp ran through me that I was sure Mira woke up from her slumber. For a moment, I thought I heard her say, ‘Let him mark you, Selene’
I froze inside. That wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. Mira would never say something so ridiculous about a man like him.
Mark me? Yeah, right. That would be impossible. Why don’t I just spend my life with him and have his pup then. I thought sarcastically. He is dangerous. I must avoid him in this lifetime. Stay away from him at all cost. He is the most important man in the world.
I repeated the warning to myself like a damn prayer.
I pressed my hand against his chest and pushed.
My strength was laughable against someone like him, but he still stepped back, giving me space. Or maybe he allowed it.
I swallowed hard.
Even with distance between us, my skin still tingled where he had touched me.
Honestly? I didn’t hate him, not even after he had taken my life nine times. I barely knew him. I only knew him on the battlefield, cold, emotionless, cutting down every one of my men without a second thought. And the stories, the terrifying stories I’d heard about him. I knew the man I had faced in countless lives, the monster everyone whispered about, the nightmare children feared.
But the man standing in front of me now, he wasn’t that cruel. Even at the auction, walking behind me, he wasn’t the ruthless monster I had imagined. He was patient. He even let me cheat him.
Was he planning something? Was this all calculated? What was he even doing in the Mooncrest pack? He never went to other packs like this. I had so many questions, but I would rather die than ask them out loud.
If he realized I knew exactly who he was, who knows what would happen.
I forced a smile and deepened my voice, praying he still saw me as nothing but some random man he’d accidentally
12:56 Tue, Dec 23
Chapter 63
stumbled into and kissed.
“Uh… thanks, dude,” I said, forcing out the words awkwardly. “I owe you one.”
Damien raised an eyebrow at me, and the moment his eyes met mine, I panicked and looked away like a guilty idiot.
Even his gaze did something to me. That was the worst part.
“Hmm, about the kiss, you know… that’s just a greeting. That’s how the Mooncrest pack greets each other.”
There was a moment of silence. Yeah, a moment of silence right before I expected to be killed.
His voice echoed through the cave. “By kissing people on the lips?”
I nodded stiffly. “Yeah…”
He just stared. After a painfully long silence, he asked, “So you greet everyone that way? By kissing them on the lips?”
“No!” I snapped instinctively, then I froze, realizing I’d just blown my own lie. I scrambled to fix it. “I-I mean, yes. Yes! Of course. I kiss everyone. On the lips. All the time. Constantly. It’s very normal around here. I was just glad to see another person in the mountains so I kissed you. I hope you don’t mind. We’re both men so… yeah. Nothing big.”
I wanted to vomit or hit myself. Or knock myself unconscious with a rock.
What the hell was I even saying? Did I have a death wish? Did I want the Demon of the West to kill me?
I finally forced myself to meet his gaze, expecting anger, disgust, maybe even murderous intent. But he didn’t look angry.
He was staring at me. No, at my lips. I licked them without thinking, and his eyes followed the movement like it was instinct.
My face burst into flames.
Damn it.
I never reacted like this with anyone else. Why him? Why was he the only one who made me forget how to be a functioning human being? He said nothing for a moment. Then he ran a hand through his hair and asked. “What are you doing here?”
Before I could answer, he grabbed the hem of his shirt, and pulled it off.
I froze.
Oh gods.
His body, broad shoulders, sharp lines, lean muscle carved like he’d been sculpted by some very thirsty goddess, made my brain shut down. My heart slammed against my ribs, and I quickly jerked my gaze away.
“I came to meditate,” I stammered.
“I see,” he said simply.
I swallowed, fidgeting with my fingers as my gaze flicked toward the cave entrance. The guards were still out there, I could sense them. Besides, I couldn’t leave, not unless he dismissed me.
When I dared to peek at him again, he was in a hot spring built into the cave floor, steam curling around him. I hadn’t even noticed it before. His arms were crossed over the edge, water trailing down his toned skin, and his eyes caught me before I could look away.
I snapped my gaze away so fast my neck almost broke.
Chapter 63
Where was I supposed to look? He was half-naked, maybe fully naked under the water, and my stupid heart was pounding as if I’d run here from the capital.
Control yourself, woman.
Don’t look at him. Don’t look at the hot spring. Definitely don’t imagine what’s underwater.
Too late.
My face burned hotter than the steam.
I stepped back. “Let me give you some privacy, I’ll wait out here.”
“No need,” Damien said calmly. “Since we’re both men, I don’t mind the company.”
I blinked at him. “What?”
He gave me a blank, unreadable look. “Join me.”
I opened my mouth again, disbelief spilling out. “What?!”
Damien tilted his head slightly, his tone dangerous. “Strip off your clothes and join me.”
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12:56 Tue, Dec 23
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