Chapter 22\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 22\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna\u00a0<\/p>\n
I unwrapped the small plastic paper carefully, the faint smell of honey and mint escaping as I plucked one sweet from the pile in my palm. Smiling. I leaned forward and offered it to Cross.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBrother, here you go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked at my hand, one brow lifting. His eyes were sharp as always, but I didn\u2019t flinch. I kept my smile in place. \u201cI had Emma make these,\u201d I explained softly. \u201cI know you hate carriage rides and get sick easily during long trips. These will make you feel a lot better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cross\u2019s expression softened almost immediately. He reached out, taking the sweet from my hand, and patted my head affectionately. \u201cYou\u2019re sweet,\u201d he said, smiling in that calm way he always did. \u201cThank you so much for caring about me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heat bloomed in my cheeks, and I looked down quickly. \u201cIt\u2019s nothing, Brother. I just want to make sure you\u2019re well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
From beside him, Kane groaned dramatically. \u201cSometimes I wish I had a weak body too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cross and I both turned to him at once. Kane sighed, resting his chin on his palm, and muttered, \u201cI\u2019m jealous. You always seem to care about him. What about me? I\u2019m also your brother, and I don\u2019t like carriage rides either.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cross rolled his eyes. \u201cThen stop talking and take a nap.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kane narrowed his eyes at him. \u201cYou scoundrel, I just saw your expression, you think I\u2019m immature, don\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cross didn\u2019t even open his eyes, leaning back against the carriage seat. \u201cIf you know, why ask?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t help but laugh. \u201cPlease don\u2019t fight,\u201d I said, reaching into my lap for another sweet. \u201cBrother Kane, I was about to offer you one too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His irritation vanished instantly as I held it out to him. He took the sweet with a grin and said, \u201cYou\u2019re so kind, especially to your brothers. I\u2019m lucky to have you as my little sister.\u201d He added. \u201cSince you\u2019ll have your wolf soon, you\u2019ll finally be able to live with your mate. I\u2019ll make sure Adrian treats you right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My face went red in an instant. \u201cS-stop teasing me, Brother! We\u2019re not even sure if Prince Adrian is my mate to begin with.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kane smirked knowingly. \u201cI\u2019m not teasing. Everyone knows Prince Adrian is your mate. There are signs that this time around, the Moonborn will become Luna. So everyone knows it\u2019s you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled shyly at his confidence, but I still shook my head, my fingers tightening slightly around my skirt. \u201cB-but\u2026 there\u2019s also Selene. She\u2019s a Moonborn too. She could become the Luna.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kane scoffed, waving a hand as if brushing off a fly. \u201cThat girl? Don\u2019t worry about her, Sienna. She\u2019s the fake Moonborn, while you are the real one. Everyone knows that. There\u2019s no way a fake like her could compare to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kane leaned back, his voice firm and confident. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t stand a chance against you. You\u2019re obviously Adrian\u2019s mate. Everyone will know when you transform into the white wolf tonight. And when you see Adrian afterwards, you\u2019ll feel the mate bond.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart fluttered at the sound of Adrian\u2019s name, my cheeks warming. I bit my lower lip shyly and nodded. \u201c1-1 hope so. 1 just\u2026 I don\u2019t want to disappoint anyone, especially Father and the Alpha. They have so many expectations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With his eyes still closed, Cross spoke. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about that. You could never be a disappointment, Sienna. You\u2019re perfect as you are.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, brothers,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:41 Tue, Dec 23 MG\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 22\u00a0<\/p>\n
The carriage rumbled quietly for a moment before I added, \u201cWhat about Selene, though? I feel bad\u2026 today is also her birthday. Maybe we should\u2019ve brought her with us to the auction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kane immediately shook his head. \u201cThat\u2019s out of the question. She\u2019s bad luck, and we can\u2019t afford bad luck, especially at the auction. Things can get tricky there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith you, everything is perfect. Your spiritual powers will guide us to the right artifact. And besides, that girl would only embarrass us if she came. It\u2019s better she stays home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright\u2026 then we can get something for her instead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kane smiled. \u201cAlways so kind. After what happened, she doesn\u2019t deserve your kindness. She pushed you into the river, and yet, you still think about her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked down at my lap and sighed. \u201cYes. Even if she hates me, she\u2019s still my twin sister. I can\u2019t help but care about her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good, Sienna. But don\u2019t let that girl bully you anymore, alright? You have us. We won\u2019t ever let anything happen to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, I\u2019m lucky to have both of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned my gaze toward the window, the soft rays of sunlight dancing across the glass. My reflection stared back at me, I was composed, gentle, and perfect. But the moment no one was watching, the corners of my lips curled into a wicked smirk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s right. No matter what that bitch does, I will always be everyone\u2019s favorite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rhythmic clatter of the carriage wheels against the cobblestones faded into the background as another memory surfaced, that day by the river.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could still see her face, she is so trusting, and gullible. I told her I lost my pendant, the one Father gave me, and she, being the foolishly soft sister she always was, immediately offered to help me find it. She searched along the riverbank, leaning over just far enough. It was so easy to act desperate, to pretend I was slipping, and when she reached out, how convenient that we both fell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her panicked scream still echoed in my ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And, as expected, when Emma shouted for help, it wasn\u2019t her name they called. It was mine. My brothers came running, their faces full of fear for me. They didn\u2019t even look at her as she struggled in the water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The only reason Kane jumped in after Selene was because they couldn\u2019t let her die, it would ruin the family\u2019s reputation if the fake Moonborn drowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to frame her that day, to let everyone see her as the monster who pushed me into the river. But then something happened, something I didn\u2019t expect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She swam out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene, who couldn\u2019t swim to save her life, swam out of that river herself. And when she looked at me, her eyes were different. They were cold, detached, and disgusted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had never looked at me like that before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not long after, I heard what had happened to her guard, how she\u2019d stood by while that beast of hers nearly beat the man to death. That wasn\u2019t the Selene I knew. The Selene I remembered would\u2019ve cried, pleaded for forgiveness, done anything to avoid trouble.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to make a scene, to use what happened to Arthur to drag her name through the mud, but I couldn\u2019t. Everyone said\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:42 Tue, Dec 23\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 22\u00a0<\/p>\n
it was Arthur\u2019s fault for insulting her in front of the temple. Even my brothers wouldn\u2019t defend him in that case. So I kept quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But today would be different. Today was our birthday. The day everything would finally be clear. When I get my wolf, my beautiful, pure white wolf, the whole pack will see who the real Moonborn is. Selene can keep her fake title, her fake power. and her fake pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because at the end of the day, everyone loves me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My brothers, my parents, the Alpha, Prince Adrian, they all look at me as if I\u2019m their moonlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pressed my fingers to my lips, hiding my smirk as I gazed out the window again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene was probably sitting alone in that cold temple, sulking, pathetic and forgotten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Good. Let her watch from the shadows. Because from today onward, I\u2019ll make sure she never steps into the light again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
E\u00a0<\/p>\n
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12:42 Tue, Dec 230 MG.\u00a0<\/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 22 Chapter 22\u00a0 Chapter 22\u00a0 Sienna\u00a0 I unwrapped the small plastic paper carefully, […]<\/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-27816","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\/27816","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=27816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27816\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}