Chapter 43\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 43\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was confusing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t tell what she was planning, if she was even planning anything at all. Maybe everyone was right about her. Maybe she was just foolish enough to walk into humiliation with a straight face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And yet\u2026 that smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That confident, quiet curve of her lips didn\u2019t belong to someone who was about to embarrass herself. It wasn\u2019t the smile of the clingy girl who used to follow me around like a child, desperate for my attention. It was something calm, and dangerous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms as my gaze lingered on her. Truthfully, I hadn\u2019t looked away from her since she entered. She looked different. The white dress clung to her shape perfectly, the soft waves of her hair catching the faint glow of the lanterns. She didn\u2019t just walk in, she owned the space, as if it finally remembered who it belonged to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beautiful didn\u2019t even begin to cover it, and everyone knew it. I could feel the air shift, the way the crowd\u2019s awe turned into whispers. Even my father, sitting beside me, had that faint smirk that only appeared when something actually managed to surprise him. I couldn\u2019t hide my desire at the sight of her. I wanted her so badly. Even my wolf stirred at the thought of having her with us. The image of her on my bed while I took her refused to leave my mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe really has your attention, doesn\u2019t she?\u201d My father said suddenly, his voice low and amused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. \u201cWhat makes you think that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He chuckled softly, not taking his eyes off the stage. \u201cYou\u2019re my son, Adrian. I know you better than anyone. You hardly pay attention to people, let alone stare at them for this long.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t respond at first. My gaze flicked back to her standing before the harp. \u201cShe\u2019s\u2026 intriguing,\u201d I finally said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s smirk deepened. \u201cVery intriguing,\u201d he echoed. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since someone entertained me this much. I\u2019m curious to see who the Moon Goddess chooses for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He paused, just long enough for me to look at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if your mate turns out to be one of the twins,\u201d he said, his voice quiet but serious now, \u201cyou can\u2019t chase the other. Don\u2019t anger the Moonborn\u2019s choice. If you do, the goddess\u2019 anger will follow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t say anything. My jaw tightened slightly as I looked back toward the center of the courtyard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna sat there with that familiar smirk, the kind of smugness that always rubbed me the wrong way. She looked too pleased with herself, already convinced she\u2019d won.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for Selene, there was no nervousness in her posture, no desperate glance toward me like before. She didn\u2019t even see me. Her calmness was unsettling. She simply reached forward, her fingers brushing the strings of that old white harp as her eyes fluttered shut.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For some reason, I found myself leaning forward slightly, my arms still crossed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whatever this was\u2026I wanted to see it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to see her, even though I wasn\u2019t expecting much.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was ready to sit through another disaster, another one of her reckless, humiliating attempts to prove something to people who had already decided what she was worth. I thought maybe I\u2019d feel pity for her when she failed. But then, the very first note echoed through the courtyard, and everything stopped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 43\u00a0<\/p>\n
A wave of spiritual energy burst from where she sat, rippling through the air like a living thing. It hit me so hard I felt it in my chest. Everyone froze. The crowd, the guards. Even my father, the man who had faced wars without flinching, leaned\u00a0<\/p>\n
forward in his seat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene sat there, calm as ever, her fingers dancing across the faded white harp like she\u2019d been born with it in her hands. Every note carried a strange kind of grace, but beneath it, that same energy pulsed, weaving through the courtyard like a thousand invisible threads.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I had to describe it, it felt like a field of white flowers blooming inside my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
People were breathless, caught between disbelief and awe. I could hear a few gasps, the shuffle of feet as some tried to steady themselves. The air was thick with her energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even Sienna sat frozen. Her fingers that had moved so elegantly before now lay stiff in her lap. Her eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted, and she looked small. And her family couldn\u2019t move either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know what to feel. My heart pounded hard against my ribs. The sound of the harp filled the night, and her fingers brushed the strings, something inside me reacted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
every time\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked ethereal. The moonlight clung to her, her hair shining silver and black, her calm smile untouched by the shock around her. She looked like she didn\u2019t belong in this place at all. Like she was something divine, and I couldn\u2019t look away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time she finally stopped playing, I hadn\u2019t even realized I\u2019d been holding my breath. The courtyard was silent, and stunned as she leaned back in her seat and said softly, \u201cI\u2019m done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice was bored as if she hadn\u2019t just shaken the entire temple with a single performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before anyone could react, my father, Alpha Rhydian, the man who didn\u2019t rise for other alphas, who didn\u2019t even clap for visiting nobles, stood from his seat. His hands came together, a genuine smile pulling at his lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rest of the hall followed like they\u2019d just woken up from a spell. The applause roared, breaking through the silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShit, someone slap me. Am I dreaming?\u201d A man shouted from somewhere in the crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A loud smack echoed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFuck, I\u2019m not dreaming,\u201d the man gasped. \u201cThe good-for-nothing girl actually did that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene rose from her seat, the soft rustle of her white dress breaking the stunned silence that lingered after her performance. She bowed slightly,\u00a0<\/p>\n
My father chuckled, the sound warm, something I didn\u2019t hear from him often. He lowered himself back into his seat, still smiling broadly. \u201cWoah,\u201d he said, shaking his head with disbelief. \u201cThat was amazing. I\u2019ve never heard anything so beautiful in my life. Even the best musicians in the capital haven\u2019t played this well for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He leaned forward, his eyes bright with excitement. \u201cI love this child,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Alpha,\u201d She responded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My father turned his gaze toward her family, the amusement in his expression twisting into something sharper. \u201cThat was really good,\u201d he said with a small smirk. \u201cYou were saying she wasn\u2019t good, that she would embarrass you. But it seems you were wrong. Instead, she made me very pleased tonight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her stepmother looked pale, her mouth opening and closing without a sound, clearly searching for an excuse that wouldn\u2019t make her look more foolish. Her father sat there frozen, eyes wide as if he\u2019d just realized for the first time that his useless daughter wasn\u2019t so useless after all. And Sienna looked like she had swallowed something sour. Her pretty face twisted just slightly, her eyes darting between Selene and the Alpha in disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My father turned back to Selene, his voice booming with satisfaction. \u201cYou did really well, child. I always keep my word. You\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:49 Tue, Dec 23 MG.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 43\u00a0<\/p>\n
can ask for whatever you want, and I will grant it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The entire courtyard went still again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What would she ask for?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A favor from the Alpha of the Mooncrest Pack wasn\u2019t a small thing. Anyone else would be trembling with the possibilities, wealth, status, land, even protection. But when I looked at her, I didn\u2019t see greed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned forward slightly, my curiosity getting the better of me, my voice low as I murmured to myself,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want, Selene?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
AD\u00a0<\/p>\n
No Ads\u00a0<\/p>\n
oment\u00a0<\/p>\n
Send gift\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:49 Tue, Dec 23 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 43 Chapter 43\u00a0 Chapter 43\u00a0 Adrian\u00a0 She was confusing.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t tell what […]<\/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-27837","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\/27837","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=27837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27837\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}