Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 90
901 Take your hands off my mate, Alpha Tristan
Selene
I looked up at Alpha Tristan and smiled, as if nothing he had said had shaken me in the slightest.
“I see,” I said calmly. “But why are you telling me all this? I believe it has nothing to do with me.”
He studied my face as though I were something amusing, something that refused to behave the way he expected. I didn’t flinch under his gaze. I didn’t care. If shamelessness was what it took to survive men like him, then I would wear it proudly. Even if he knew that the woman from the auction was me, there was nothing he could do about it. As long as I remained clueless, as long as I never admitted anything, he had no proof. And even if he tried to tell others, who would believe him? Why would someone like me sneak into an auction in disguise just to buy a worthless wooden box?
Besides, I hadn’t broken any laws. Let them suspect all they wanted.
Tristan suddenly spun me, the movement smooth, before pulling me back against him. His hand settled firmly at my waist again while my fingers caught in the fabric of his shirt to steady myself. The music continued, the world kept turning, but his eyes gleamed with something sharp.
“I don’t understand why I’m telling you this either,” He leaned in close, so close that I could feel his breath near my lips. I stilled, already calculating how much force it would take to drive my knee upward if he crossed that line. But instead of kissing me, he shifted at the last second and spoke against my ear.
“But if I ever meet her,” he murmured, “there are two things I want to know.”
I pulled back just enough to look at him, one brow lifting.
“And what would that be?”
“What exactly was inside that box,” he said first.
My frown was instant, and I almost glanced toward the annoying phoenix nearby, but I stopped myself in time. Before I could respond, he leaned back just enough to properly meet my gaze, and then, without warning or permission, his fingers lifted to catch my chin, tilting my face toward his.
Gasps rippled through the crowd around us, but Tristan didn’t care in the slightest.
His gaze bored into mine.
“And secondly,” he said, “lady, Selene, what exactly are you?”
My breath hitched, not in fear, but in irritation.
What am I? What kind of question was that? I didn’t look away. I refused to. We stared at each other, locked in a moment that felt far too intimate, as everything else beside us ceased to matter.
I opened my mouth to answer when a deep voice echoed through the hall.
“Get your hands off my mate, Alpha Tristan.”
I froze.
I knew that voice. Even if I were unconscious, even if I were dying, I would recognize it anywhere. Once, it had been medicine. Once, it had been a drug I couldn’t live without.
But now it was a poison that burned through my veins.
Around us, the hall erupted in shock.
“Oh my gods, it’s Prince Adrian.”
“The royal family has arrived. Quick, pay your respects.”
As if waking from a spell, people dropped to their knees or bowed their heads, voices overlapping as they spoke in unison. “We pay our respects to Alpha Rhydian and the royal family.”
I remained still and finally turned my head to the side.
The royal family was standing there.
Alpha Rhydian stood at the front, tall and imposing, the Luna beside him with her hand pressed lightly against her chest. Princes Avery were just behind them, both of them staring at me in disbelief.
Princess Avery’s mouth hung open for a full second before her shock melted into delight. She let out a soft, drawn-out” Oooo,” her eyes sparkling as she looked between me and Alpha Tristan as if she were witnessing the most entertaining thing she’d seen all night.
1/2
90 Take your hands off my mate, Alpha Tristan
Prince Adrian stood there, his attention fixed entirely on me, and on Alpha Tristan’s hands still resting on my waist. His expression was dark, stormy, the kind I knew far too well. I had once memorized every shift in his face, every change in his aura. When Adrian was furious, the air around him always grew heavy and oppressive, as though the world itself was bracing for impact.
His eyes dropped to Tristan’s hands, and when Tristan made no move to remove them, Adrian’s jaw ticked sharply.
“I said,” Adrian spoke again, his voice low and dangerous, “take your hands off my mate, Alpha Tristan.”
I glanced at Tristan from the corner of my eye. As expected, there was no fear in him at all. If anything, he looked genuinely entertained. Adrian’s anger seemed to amuse him, as if this were nothing more than a pleasant distraction. To make matters worse, he tightened his grip around my waist, pulling me just a fraction closer.
Adrian took a step forward, fury flashing across his face. “You piece of—”
Before he could finish, Alpha Rhydian moved. He stepped between them and placed a firm hand on Adrian’s shoulder.
“That’s enough, Adrian,” his father said calmly.
Adrian turned to him, his anger still burning, but Alpha Rhydian didn’t back down.
“Don’t start a fight that could lead to war,” he continued. “An alpha must always keep a clear head.”
Adrian’s fists clenched at his sides. The anger didn’t disappear, but he swallowed it back, forcing himself to stand down. There had always been one person he listened to, no matter what, and that person was his father, the alpha of the pack.
Once Adrian finally stopped moving, Alpha Rhydian shifted his attention to Tristan. He nodded politely, as though there hadn’t just been a near explosion moments ago.
“Alpha Tristan,” he said, “I’ve been looking for you. I didn’t realize you were already at the party… and dancing with my daughter-in-law.”
I almost scoffed.
Daughter-in-law?
Mate?
The unpleasant words rang in my ears. It seemed they were already forgetting one crucial fact, that I would never again be part of their family.
Before Tristan could respond, I reached up and removed his hand from my waist. The simple action drew everyone’s attention instantly. Even Tristan paused, surprise flickering briefly across his face as he stepped back and gave me space.
I turned fully toward Alpha Rhydian and offered him a polite smile before bowing my head slightly.
“Thank you for inviting me, Alpha Rhydian,” I said, before looking at Adrian.
“I see Prince Adrian has already returned. Thank you for the opportunity to bring him back. Now we can finally reject each other, with your permission.”
The color drained from Adrian’s face.
He stared at me, disbelief written clearly across his features.
“What?” he said. “Reject each other?”
Join Our WhatsApp Channel For Fast Update Or More Novels: 
Join Our WhatsApp Channel For Fast Update Or More Novels: