Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 73
Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Selene
The next day, the carriage rolled to a slow stop, the wheels sinking into the snow. I stared at the towering palace gates. The sight before me squeezed something sharp and unpleasant in my chest.
My hands clenched tightly in my lap.
This place was a graveyard of every past mistake I had ever made.
Nights spent practicing until dawn, trying desperately to be perfect; days spent chasing scraps of Adrian’s attention like a starved fool; smiles plastered on my face while my heart cracked over and over again. All those years I wasted trying to fit into a palace that never felt like home. A mate bond that never felt like love. A title that never protected me.
I had no home then, not in the temple, or in this palace.
“Hey,” a lazy voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. “What happened to you, kid? You look like you want to murder
someone.”
I snapped out of it, turning my head slowly.
Lucas leaned against the carriage seat, arms folded behind his head, not even pretending to look respectful. His red hair glowed faintly in the dim carriage light, and his eyes observed me with interest.
Beside me, Evelyn stiffened before snapping. “How many times must I tell you not to speak to the lady with that tone? You’re just a bodyguard. Know your place.”
Lucas cracked one eye open at her, unimpressed, and shrugged. Then he shifted deeper into the cushions, closing his eyes again with infuriating ease.
“You-”
“Yeah, yeah, I know I’m just a bodyguard,” he said, voice dripping with mockery. “No need to remind me every time you breathe. Besides…” His lips twitched. “Shouldn’t you be thanking me? I saw your face. You wanted to ask her if she was okay but didn’t want to overstep. You should thank me for saying it for you.”
Evelyn’s face went red, her eyes widening.
I sighed heavily.
It hadn’t even been a week, and the two of them were already ready to strangle each other. If Evelyn ever found out who she was talking to like that, I was certain she would faint on the spot.
Maybe I should keep Lucas’s identity quiet a little longer for her heart’s sake.
I turned to him and said, “I didn’t want to bring you with me. But you promised you’d be on your best behavior if I allowed you to come to the palace.”
Even as I said it, I mentally cursed myself for the hundredth time.
What kind of idiot brings a phoenix into the most politically sensitive place in the entire pack? If he lost control, if anyone found out who he really was, they wouldn’t just try to kill him. They would accuse me of treason.
Honestly, I couldn’t even blame them. If I were the Alpha, I’d accuse me too.
As if sensing my thoughts, Lucas spoke without opening his eyes. “I know. Don’t worry. I won’t cause a scene. I didn’t come here to play games. I came for my own personal mission.”
12:58 Tue, Dec 23 M
Chapter 73
Evelyn blinked, confused and slightly alarmed. “W-what mission?”
Lucas opened his eyes, smirked like the devil discovering a new sin, and said one word with absolute seriousness.
“Food.”
Evelyn froze. “Food…?”
Lucas nodded. “What else? If the food at the temple is that good, then the food here should be even better.”
Evelyn’s mouth dropped open. Honestly, mine almost did too.
He came here for food?
I knew he’d eaten like a starved beast yesterday, Evelyn nearly cried at how fast the pantry emptied, but still, I’d thought, at the very least, he wanted to roam the palace for his own hidden agenda. Maybe observe the territory, plan some future revenge. But no, his grand plan was lunch.
A laugh burst out of me before I could stop it. “Hahaha-”
The moment the sound left my mouth, Lucas froze.
His lips parted slightly, and his red-gold eyes locked onto me with an intensity that made the carriage suddenly feel too small. He looked stunned to see me laugh. Then, the second he realized he was staring, he snapped his gaze away and cleared his throat sharply.
Evelyn leaned toward me, scandalized. “My lady, it’s not funny! Why did you bring him again? You should’ve brought Silas. I doubt this man even knows how to fight or protect you if something goes wrong!”
My laughter faded into a softer chuckle as I shook my head. “Silas had to practice. I gave him tasks before coming. And besides, nothing will happen. I don’t need protection.”
Evelyn muttered under her breath, “I wish we could un-bring him.”
That made me smile. “Oh, don’t be mean, Evelyn.”
I tilted my head and looked at Lucas, whose eyes were closed again. “And don’t underestimate him. He’s more powerful than
he looks.”
Evelyn followed my gaze, stared at him for a long moment, then shook her head firmly. “I doubt that.”
Before I could respond, the carriage pulled to a stop.
The door swung open to reveal the head eunuch standing outside, several maids behind him. The moment they saw me, they lowered their heads deeply.
“Good morning, Lady Selene.”
My face stayed neutral. I shifted, preparing to step out, but Lucas moved first. He rose to his feet without hurry, or care, and stepped out of the carriage before me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Evelyn gasped so loudly the palace guards glanced over. “What on earth is he doing?! How can he get out of the carriage before you, my lady!”
I didn’t react. I’d long accepted that Lucas never followed rules that weren’t his. But what happened next, even I wasn’t prepared for.
Instead of wandering off or making some obnoxious comment, Lucas turned, stood at the carriage entrance and extended his hand toward me.
Chapter 73
“Here,” he said simply.
I stared at his outstretched hand, taken aback.
The phoenix… offering me a hand?
Beside me, Evelyn gaped at him as if her brain couldn’t process what she was seeing. She raised an eyebrow at him.
Lucas rolled his eyes. “I’m now your bodyguard, aren’t I? If I want free food, I should act like one.”
Then, with complete shamelessness, he added, “Besides, I saw your kind do this the other day. The woman was blushing because of the man. I wanted to see why.”
A laugh almost slipped out of me again, but instead I smiled and placed my hand in his.
“Not every woman blushes because of a man.”
Lucas smirked. “I see.”
He helped me down from the carriage with surprising gentleness for someone who would burn the world for fun.
I reached out and helped Evelyn down. Ahead, the head eunuch and the palace maids stared at us, watching every small
motion.
The eunuch stepped forward. “Please follow me. Lady Selene. The Alpha is waiting for you.”
I nodded silently.
As we walked through the palace grounds, guards and maids stopped what they were doing, turning to watch. Their eyes followed me, some curious, some fearful, some openly hostile. I ignored all of them. My head stayed high, my steps steady. The white fur coat trailing behind me..
We reached the entrance to the main hall. The eunuch stopped and lifted his voice. “Alpha, Lady Selene is here as you ordered.”
A deep voice answered from inside. “Let her enter.”
The guards opened the towering doors, and I stepped in.
The throne room was massive, the air heavy with power. At the center, seated on the golden throne, was Alpha Rhydian. His golden robe draped around him. Despite his handsome appearance, he looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept for days. Probably because he hadn’t, thanks to the phoenix standing behind me.
Beside the Alpha sat Luna Riley, elegant as always, her posture flawless and her gaze sharp and calculating. On either side of the throne stood the ministers, their eyes locked onto me the moment I entered, and it was anything but welcoming. They were waiting for me to slip, to give them even the slightest excuse to declare me unworthy. Among them, I spotted my father, his eyes just as cold and scrutinizing as the others.
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