Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 89
89 We met at the auction hall
89 We met at the auction hall
Selene
Tristan stared at me as though he genuinely didn’t believe what he had just heard. For a brief moment, his steps slowed, his gaze sharpening as if he was trying to decide whether I had truly spoken those words to him, whether I had just treated an alpha, a warlord feared across the continent, like something meant to amuse me.
The silence between us lasted only a moment before a low chuckle slipped from his throat, and whatever disbelief he had vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Without wasting another second, he pulled me closer, his grip firming around my waist as he drew my body flush against his. He leaned down, his breath hot against my ear, his voice dropping into something intimate and dangerous when he spoke.
“Your wish is my command, Lady Selene.”
I lifted my gaze to his face, noting the sharp excitement glinting in his eyes. He looked like a man who had just found a new favorite toy, one that intrigued him enough to make him want to test every limit it had.
I could read minds if I wished, but his was not one I wanted to touch. Tristan was older than Adrian, more experienced, and more unhinged in a way that didn’t show on the surface, and prying into his thoughts would cost me more energy than I was willing to spare tonight. Besides, I already knew nothing polite lived inside a man like him.
Despite how calm I was, my condition had not improved. If anything, standing this close to him only made it worse. Alpha Tristan’s scent was overwhelming, pressing against my senses in a way that made it harder to breathe evenly, and I had to be careful so he wouldn’t notice anything off.
I placed my hands on his shoulders, steadying myself as I followed his lead and allowed him to guide me into the dance.
We moved together in the center of the hall, surrounded by countless staring eyes, though I didn’t bother acknowledging them. I could feel his intense gaze on me constantly, as though he were trying to memorize every detail of my face, my posture, my reactions, as if breaking me down piece by piece would help him understand what I was.
I kept my expression composed, my movements smooth, focusing only on keeping my scent in check and counting the seconds until the dance would end. Even though part of me enjoyed seeing Sienna’s jealousy burn, I knew better than to let myself get entangled with a mad warlord.
Nothing good ever came from getting too close to men like Tristan.
As expected, he was the first to break the silence.
“Most people try to start a conversation during a dance, Lady Selene,” he said smoothly, amusement laced through his voice.
I finally met his gaze, my expression blank, “What could someone like me possibly say to you, Alpha? We are nothing alike. I am just a delicate lady, and you are an alpha who lives for war. I doubt we would find anything interesting to talk about.”
Alpha Tristan’s hand remained firm at my waist as we continued to move in slow steps across the floor. His voice dipped lower as he spoke again.”Is that so?”
I nodded lightly, prepared to let the conversation die there, when he continued instead, his grip tightening just enough to keep my attention.
“I don’t think so,” he said calmly. “I believe we have something very interesting to talk about.”
I lifted my gaze to him then, one brow arching despite myself, a flicker of curiosity breaking through my indifference. Tristan noticed it immediately, of course he did. A predator always noticed the instant its prey took the bait.
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89 We met at the auction hall
“You see,” he went on, his tone almost conversational, “a few weeks ago, I met a rather interesting woman.”
I tilted my head slightly, trying to follow where he was leading this.
“We met at the auction hall.”
For a split second, my body reacted before my mind could catch up. My step faltered, barely noticeable to anyone else, but Tristan felt it. Instantly, his hold adjusted, his movements controlled as he guided me back into the flow of the dance, as though nothing had happened at all. My lashes fluttered as I looked up at him, caught off guard despite myself.
His lips curved higher when he noticed my pause.
I forced my expression back in composure, “Interesting. And what does that have to do with me?”
Tristan’s eyes gleamed as he continued, clearly enjoying this far too much. “She was unusual. I’ve never seen anyone like her before. The way she spoke, the way she carried herself, even the things she chose to bid on were strange. There were countless priceless items in that hall, yet she ignored them all and placed her bid on an old, rusty wooden box.”
My brow lifted again, this time more sharply. There was no doubt now. He was talking about me. And yet, I frowned inwardly, because I didn’t remember ever seeing him there. If Alpha Tristan had been present, I would
have noticed. I was certain of that.
Then, as if a door had been quietly unlocked in my mind, a memory surfaced.
“Miss? Can we sit here with you?”
The words echoed clearly, and my breath caught just slightly as I recalled that day. Two men. One dressed in white, relaxed and amused, the other darker, quieter, with sharp green eyes and an annoyed air about him. At the time, I had dismissed them as suspicious nobles with too much curiosity and too little sense.
Now, my stomach tightened.
The man in white, his demeanor, his confidence, the way he watched everything as if it belonged to him, it
matched Tristan far too well.
My gaze hardened as the realization settled. We had met before. And worse, Alpha Tristan knew it was me
behind the veil.
To make it worse, another thought struck me, harder than the first.
If Tristan had been the man in white, then the man in black, green eyes, irritated posture, familiar presence.
My grip on his shoulder tightened imperceptibly as the answer surfaced.
gods.
It had been Prince Adrian.
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