Chapter 11\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 11\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s voice rang beside me, loud with desperation. \u201cMiss Selene, you can\u2019t go in there!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her hand trembled as if she wanted to grab me but didn\u2019t dare. I kept walking, step after step, ignoring her pleas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hurried after me, still speaking, her words tumbling out. \u201cI\u2019m serious, Miss Selene. This place is not safe, it\u2019s the least safe part of the temple. This is where the temple warriors train. No women, especially women of your status, should come to this dirty place. These men\u2026 they are deranged, you have no idea what they might do! If your father hears about this, he will be disappointed-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I almost laughed at that. Women of my status? She was talking as if I were fragile porcelain, as if I hadn\u2019t lived and bled on battlefields far worse than this. I was a Luna and a warrior once. I had fought in pits and wars that would make these arrogant temple warriors crumble in fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I finally stopped and looked at Evelyn. \u201cEvelyn.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She straightened instantly, voice tight. \u201cYes, Lady Selene?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want to help Silas?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened, her lips parting. She froze for a moment before whispering. \u201cI do. Some part of me feels like it\u2019s my fault he is being punished.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head. \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault. Don\u2019t panic. Let me handle this. I am a moonborn, Evelyn. I won\u2019t let anyone bully the people who serve me and get away with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, she just stared at me, her face caught between shock and awe. The determined words must have struck her because slowly, she lowered her head and bowed. \u201cYes, moonborn.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned without another word and walked forward. My footsteps echoed as I entered the arena, where the temple warriors trained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn and I had already gone to the prison in search of Silas. The guard at the gate told us he wasn\u2019t there, that the temple guards had taken him to the arena for his punishment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment I heard it, my stomach tightened. This was trouble.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the past, I never paid much attention to Silas. He had always been there, always lingering quietly in the shadows, so quiet that I barely noticed him. It wasn\u2019t until the day he died for me that I truly understood, he had been by my side all along. protecting me in ways I never saw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guilt I carried from that past was suffocating. This time, I swore, I wouldn\u2019t repeat that mistake. I wouldn\u2019t let Evelyn, Silas, or anyone truly loyal to me, suffer because of my ignorance or my blind trust in the wrong people.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes narrowed as I stepped into the arena. Whatever awaited me here, I was ready. This time, no one was going to touch what was mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first thing I heard was laughter echoing against the stone walls.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can do this! Hit him harder! Make him suffer, hahaha!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shouts rang in my ears. I froze at the entrance of the arena, the air thick with sweat and the stench of blood. Shirtless men sat around the edge, drinking, throwing coins into the sand as they jeered and cheered. They were so focused on the blood sport below, none of them noticed me and Evelyn slip in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:39\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tue, Dec 23\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 11\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn whispered beside me, her voice trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh\u2026 what is going on? Why are they so excited?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer her. I wasn\u2019t a fool. My gut already told me what was happening, and who was at the center of it. My steps carried me closer to the edge, my eyes narrowing as I peered into the fighting pit below.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
05\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked worse than I could have imagined. His body was a wreck, covered in blood and bruises from repeated blows. A deep gash split across his stomach, and each breath came out in harsh, ragged pants. His long hair hung loose and tangled, matted with sweat and dirt. He wore nothing but torn pants, his body trembling as he fought to stay upright. He looked thinner, hollowed out by a week of torment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn gasped beside me, stumbling forward until her hands gripped the stone edge. \u201cSilas\u2026\u201d Her voice cracked, breaking into sobs. \u201cWhat is happening? Why-why does he look like this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t react. My gaze remained locked on him. It was a wonder he was still alive. No ordinary man could have taken this much and still stand. That was Silas. He had always been stronger than he looked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across from him stood his opponent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arthur.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His hair was tied back neatly, his body strong, muscles gleaming under the torchlight. He was grinning like a wolf who had already tasted blood. He, too, wore only pants, but unlike Silas, he was nearly untouched, only a few scratches marring his skin. He circled the broken figure before him, feeding off the crowd\u2019s cheers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arthur was Sienna\u2019s personal bodyguard. He was proud, arrogant, and cruel. In every life I had lived, he had always carried the same stench of violence, and rotten heart. He was an animal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had killed Silas before, and worse, he had once dared to lay his filthy hands on me. I cut him down for that. I remembered the satisfaction of spilling his blood, but also the grief that it came too late, because by then, Silas was already\u00a0<\/p>\n
gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now, standing here in this filthy arena, I realized nothing had changed. History was winding itself into the same circle, threatening to claim Silas\u2019s life all over again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arthur wanted him dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arthur smirked and lunged, sword flashing. Silas moved back, yet the blade still slashed across his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silas\u2019s expression didn\u2019t change. He simply clutched at the wound and forced himself to stay on his feet. That only made the crowd roar louder, their laughter and cheers rising as they fed on the sight of him struggling to stand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKill the bastard! Cut that face! Injure those pretty eyes!\u201d someone shouted. Others joined in, the shouts looping and growing until the whole arena thrummed with cruelty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s hand closed over mine so tight I could feel the tremor in her fingers. \u201cM-Miss, we have to do something,\u201d she whispered, panicking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crossed my arms and tilted my head, watching Silas steady himself. \u201cHold on, Evelyn,\u201d I said quietly. My voice was calm, almost cold. \u201cYou want to save him? First w have to bring out that dark side he is desperately trying to hide. Only then can Silas really survive his fate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:39 Tue, Dec 23<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Hope Is Not Optional \u2014 Manuel Flores 11 Chapter 11\u00a0 Chapter 11\u00a0 Selene\u00a0 Evelyn\u2019s voice rang beside me, loud with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-ruthless-tycoons-obsession-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27805\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}