Chapter 52\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 52\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene\u00a0<\/p>\n
The courtyard fell into a silence so heavy that even the wind sounded deafening. All eyes were on me, and Adrian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words lingered in the air. Faces around us shifted in disbelief, shock, and outrage as the murmur spread through the crowd. But the most revealing was Sienna\u2019s. She looked as though she\u2019d been poisoned, eyes wide, lips parted, all color drained from her face. The flawless composure she always clung to had finally cracked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Normally, I might have felt a flicker of satisfaction seeing her unravel like that. But right now, all I felt was boredom. I wasn\u2019t here to compete with Sienna over Adrian. She could have him if she wanted. I wasn\u2019t playing that game again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cImpossible\u2026\u201d my stepmother gasped, clutching her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna\u2019s entire body trembled. Her lips quivered before she finally broke, her voice rising with desperation. \u201cT-that\u2019s not possible!\u201d she cried, eyes shaking her head. \u201cYou can\u2019t be her mate! You\u2019re supposed to be mine, Adrian, you\u2019re mine!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The crowd looked at her in surprise. No one had ever seen the composed, and graceful Sienna lose control like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian\u2019s cold gaze flicked toward her, his arm still firm around me. \u201cAre you saying I made a mistake?\u201d His deep voice cut through the air, laced with authority that made the ground feel smaller beneath our feet. Even I could feel the weight of it. \u201cWho do you think you are to lay a claim on me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The change in Sienna was immediate. Her defiance vanished. She bowed her head so fast. \u201cI-I apologize, Prince Adrian. It was stupid of me to say that. I was just\u2026 surprised.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t even acknowledge her apology. His focus returned to me, eyes scanning my face as if he were waiting for something, joy, tears, excitement. Anything to show that I was happy with the news But I had none of that to give.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, I felt nothing. No excitement, or the fluttering warmth that should come with a mate bond. Just a dull ache buried deep in my chest. He had no idea how many lifetimes I\u2019d already lived with that same gaze on me, how many times I\u2019d believed it meant something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Alpha finally broke the silence with a booming laugh. \u201cWell, that\u2019s unexpected!\u201d he said, grinning. \u201cWho would\u2019ve thought? Selene, would be prince Adrian mate. Tell me, child, how do you feel? Are you happy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could even answer, someone in the crowd scoffed loudly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that really a question?\u201d a woman muttered. \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t she be happy? Being the Prince\u2019s mate has been her dream for years. I bet she\u2019s ecstatic inside, she is just pretending to be shy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another voice chimed in. \u201cI can\u2019t believe it\u2019s her. When they said the Prince\u2019s mate was a Moonborn, I thought it would be Sienna, not Selene. Why her of all people? Sienna would\u2019ve made a far better Luna.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t react to their whispers. I turned to Adrian instead, meeting his piercing green eyes. His arm was tight around my waist, holding me as if he owned me. I placed my hand against his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me go,\u201d I said quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t move. His arm remained firm, his\u00a0<\/p>\n
gaze unwavering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour Highness,\u201d I added, sharper this time, trying to push him away. But his chest was like a wall of solid stone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a brief moment, his grip tightened slightly, but enough for me to feel the strength in it. As if the very idea of letting me go didn\u2019t sit right with him. His gaze bored into mine, before the corner of his lips curved into something between amusement and curiosity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 52\u00a0<\/p>\n
He leaned in slowly, the heat of his breath brushing against my skin. Most people would have shied away, maybe even flushed under that intensity, but I didn\u2019t move. I met his gaze head-on, as if he didn\u2019t have the power to shake me any.nore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really are a different person, Selene,\u201d he said finally, voice low, almost thoughtful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I replied, tone flat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a compliment,\u201d he muttered, his green eyes glinting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We just stared at each other, locked in tension. His presence was overwhelming, his scent dangerous. He stepped back. Only then did I realize I\u2019d been holding my breath. I exhaled, the air rushing out of me like I\u2019d been drowning. Even though I wanted nothing to do with him, my body betrayed me, my skin still tingled where his fingers had touched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damn this mate bond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rubbed at my arms, trying to erase his touch, then forced a smile and turned to the Alpha. The smile didn\u2019t reach my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlpha,\u201d I said loud enough for everyone to hear, \u201cyou promised to grant me whatever I wanted after I won the contest with my sister, didn\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Alpha\u00a0<\/p>\n
brows furrowed. The question caught him and everyone else off guard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI did,\u201d he said, leaning forward slightly. \u201cBut wasn\u2019t your wish to be with Adrian?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A humorless laugh almost escaped my lips. \u201cNo, Alpha,\u201d I said, shaking my head slowly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The murmurs started again. Whispers rippled through the courtyard. Only Adrian remained silent, his gaze fixed on me, as if he was trying to read my soul.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Alpha tilted his head, intrigued. \u201cIs that so? Then what is your wish, Selene?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind him, my step mother hissed under her breath, her voice sharp with warning. \u201cSelene! What do you think you\u2019re doing? You will embarrass our family again. Your father haven\u2019t told you what to say yet!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t even spare her a glance. She wasn\u2019t relevant\u00a0<\/p>\n
anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wonder what she\u2019ll ask for,\u201d someone from the crowd whispered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, right?\u201d another voice answered. \u201cPrince Adrian is already her mate Maybe she\u2019ll wish for his loyalty, she probably feels insecure about Lady Sienna.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled at their words and bowed my head slightly toward the Alpha.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wish,\u201d I said clearly, \u201cis rejection.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt as if the entire courtyard stopped breathing. Even the wind\/died down. The Alpha blinked, genuinely unsure if he\u2019d heard me correctly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026What?\u201d he managed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air shifted instantly. I could feel Adrian\u2019s gaze darken, burning into me like fire. He took a slow step forward, voice low and dangerous. \u201cWhat did you just say?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lifted my head, meeting his eyes. My lips curved into a calm smile that felt almost cruel. \u201cI said,\u201d I repeated. \u201cI want to reject you, Prince Adrian of the Mooncrest Pack.\u201d.\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 52 Chapter 52\u00a0 Chapter 52\u00a0 Selene\u00a0 The courtyard fell into a silence so […]<\/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-27846","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\/27846","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=27846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27846\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}