92) What an arrogant man\u00a0<\/p>\n
92| What an arrogant man\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked down at Adrian\u2019s hand clenching around my wrist with nothing indifference, allowing hirm to drag me along as if I weighed nothing. The gravel path beneath our feet blurred past as he walked with long, furious strides, his grip firm, but I didn\u2019t struggle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was no point. His anger wasn\u2019t something I cared enough to resist, and the pain, if it could even be called that, was insignificant compared to everything I had already endured in my past lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we reached the garden, far enough from the music, and the prying eyes of the banquet hall, he finally stopped. But he didn\u2019t release me. Instead, his grip tightened, and before I could even shift my footing, he pushed me back against the stone wall. It wasn\u2019t rough, but it was forceful enough to make his intention clear. His second hand slammed against the wall beside my head, caging me in completely, his body close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed softly and lifted my gaze to meet his.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian was furious. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his breathing uneven as his green eyes flashed with barely restrained rage. He looked at me as if he was trying to tear something out of me, an emotion, a reaction, anything. But I gave him nothing. My face remained empty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it wasn\u2019t an act.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I truly didn\u2019t care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His reaction was strange, almost laughable, when I thought about it. In my past lives, this was the same man who had once considered rejecting me because I wasn\u2019t good enough to stand beside him as Luna, because I was seen as a curse, a burden to the pack. And now, here he was, furious that I was the one rejecting him first. There was no way someone like Adrian suddenly cared about me. He never had. He never would.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If anything, he was angry because he had lost control.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because for once, the choice wasn\u2019t his.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whatever his reasons were, pride, wounded ego, or sheer disbelief, they didn\u2019t matter. As long as I got what I wanted tonight, he could drown in his anger for all I cared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSelene Bloodrose,\u201d he said sharply, his voice low, \u201chow bold of you to trick my father into rejecting me. Do you have a death wish? Are you trying to mess with the royal family?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I met his gaze and smiled politely, the same soft, foolish smile I had worn so many times in my past life. The one everyone mistook for weakness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPrince Adrian,\u201d I replied gently, my voice respectful, \u201cI don\u2019t understand what you mean. Why would an eighteen-year-old girl trick an alpha? And why would I ever mess with the royal family? I think you\u2019re mistaken about something. I would never do anything like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes darkened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though my tone was submissive, he could hear it. There was nothing submissive in my words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re not trying to mess with me,\u201d he said, leaning closer, \u201cthen why do you keep trying to reject me? Do you think this is\u00a0<\/p>\n
a game? Or do you think doing this will make me more interested in you?\u201d His grip tightened slightly. \u201cAre you trying to make me chase you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at him, and a flicker of amusement crossed my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What an arrogant man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did he really believe the world revolved around him? That every woman\u2019s actions existed solely for his attention?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could feel a laugh threatening to escape, but instead, I simply tilted my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I would rather die than want your attention, Prince Adrian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to put him in his place right then and there, to strip him of that arrogance he wore so naturally, but I swallowed the words before they could leave my mouth. Causing a bigger scene wouldn\u2019t help me, and I needed him calm enough to do exactly what I wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head slowly and met his gaze again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not it, Prince Adrian, I would never go to\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Successfully unlocked!\u00a0<\/p>\n
ur attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My words were polite, it was the kind of sentence he couldn\u2019t openly rage at without looking foolish, but I could see it in the way his jaw tightened that he didn\u2019t like it at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
92) What an arrogant man\u00a0<\/p>\n
I continued before he could interrupt me. \u201cI\u2019ve already told Alpha Rhydian my reasons for wanting the rejection. The Moon Goddess wishes for me to devote myself to her. Even though I\u2026\u201d I paused, lowering my gaze slightly, playing the part perfectly. \u201cEven though you\u2019re so perfect and every woman in the pack wants to be with a man like you, I can\u2019t accept this mate bond. The Moon Goddess\u2019 will must always come first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He scoffed, the sound low and disbelieving, but I ignored it and pressed on, my voice steady.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBesides, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s such a great loss for you. As you know, I\u2019m considered a curse because of my white and black hair. I\u2019m not a perfect Moonborn. You should be with Sienna instead. She\u2019s more suitable, more perfect. I\u2019m sure the two of you would make an ideal couple. I only want what\u2019s best for you and the pack.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every word was crafted to please him, to push him toward the decision I needed, but instead of easing his temper, it ignited\u00a0<\/p>\n
His hand slammed against the wall beside my head with a sharp crack, the stone vibrating beneath the impact as he leaned in closer, his presence suddenly overwhelming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough with the bullshit, Selene,\u201d he growled. \u201cWho do you think you are to tell me what\u2019s best for me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to say something when, all of a sudden, my heart skipped violently. A shiver raced down my spine before I could\u00a0<\/p>\n
stop it. Heat rushed to my face, my skin flushing as I instinctively brought a hand to my chest, right over my pounding heart. My breathing hitched, turning uneven, and a thin sheen of sweat broke out across my forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh my goddess.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hope Is Not Optional \u2014 Manuel Flores 92 92) What an arrogant man\u00a0 92| What an arrogant man\u00a0 Selene\u00a0 I […]<\/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-27886","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\/27886","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=27886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27886\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}