Chapter 112\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
56 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
I dipped the brush into the bowl of water beside me, watching the bristles darken before pressing it gently into the red paint, then brought it down onto the wide sheet of white paper laid out in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The brush glided smoothly as I stroked the line with ease, my wrist steady, my movements controlled and familiar, as if my body remembered what to do even when my mind wandered elsewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I added a few more lines, shaping the form little by little, before rinsing the brush again and letting the excess water drip away. This time, I dipped it into black, layering the darker color over the red, creating contrast and depth as my eyes stayed fixed on the image taking form beneath my hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was so focused that I barely noticed the room around me, my thoughts drifting instead to a pair of familiar crimson eyes that refused to leave my memory no matter how hard I tried.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The recollection made my fingers slow for just a moment before I added more detail, my brush moving almost instinctively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the corner of my vision, I noticed one of Yara\u2019s women pause in her own work. She raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, before setting her brush aside and standing up. Her footsteps were quiet as she approached, stopping just behind me, and when she finally leaned forward enough to see the painting clearly, she gasped. \u201cOh my goddess.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The others looked up at her reaction, confused at first.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d one of them asked, already rising to her feet. The woman only pointed at the paper, her mouth still open in disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was enough to draw the rest of them over. One by one, they gathered around me, their beautiful bodies pressing close as they tried to get a better look, and soon the quiet room filled with soft gasps and murmurs of awe. Even Maeve, who had been standing at a respectful distance the entire time, couldn\u2019t help herself when she finally saw the artwork, her hand lifting to her mouth as she inhaled sharply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is incredible, Lady Selene,\u201d one of them said, her voice full of admiration. \u201cHow are you able to draw this well? This is even better than the pack artist.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t look up. I simply dipped my brush back into the water, then into white paint, letting the lighter color soften parts of the image as I continued to work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another voice chimed in, still astonished. \u201cIt\u2019s like you\u2019ve been painting for your entire life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If only they knew that I had been painting for many years, many lifetimes, to be exact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In my past lives, I was a Luna, and it was expected of a Luna to excel in many things. Painting, embroidery, music, and cooking, these skills had been drilled into me until they became second nature. This was nothing new to me, even if it was new to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the women leaned closer, squinting slightly at the unfinished painting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:07 Wed, Jan 21 d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 112\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWait,\u201d she said slowly, \u201cis it just me, or does the person in this painting look familiar?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0<\/p>\n
191\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another woman lightly bumped her shoulder, rolling her eyes. \u201cIsn\u2019t it obvious?\u201d she replied with a grin. \u201cLook at the eyes. That alone gives it away. It\u2019s Alpha Damien.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to me then, smiling knowingly. \u201cLady Selene must be very much in love with the alpha to paint him like this. Right, Lady Selene?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A different woman laughed softly, clasping her hands together. \u201cAww, Lady Selene. That\u2019s so cute. You\u2019re painting your beloved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t say anything to them, but I couldn\u2019t help thinking about how completely wrong they were. Their judgment couldn\u2019t have been farther from my true intentions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yes, I was painting Alpha Damien, and yes, the resemblance was there, but it had nothing to do with love or affection or him being some beloved figure in my heart. I wasn\u2019t that foolish, and I certainly wasn\u2019t naive enough to draw the Demon of the West for something as shallow as romance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was painting him because it was the only thing stopping me from snapping.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I could capture him perfectly, every sharp line, every cold expression, every infuriating detail, then I could tear the paper apart afterward, rip it to shreds as if I were tearing into him instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t harm him physically, but at least it would drain some of the anger burning in my chest, because I was angry, far angrier than I had been in a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That man was testing my patience in ways very few ever had. He had kept me in this place for days, refused to meet me even once, and ignored every single message I sent requesting an audience, as if I didn\u2019t exist at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt deliberate, like he was doing it on purpose, and that only made it worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I had been confined to this room for an entire week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though Yara\u2019s women visited often and tried to keep me company, even though they talked and laughed and filled the space with noise, it wasn\u2019t enough. I wasn\u2019t someone meant to be caged, dressed up, and tucked away out of sight. I had things to do, people to deal with, lives to ruin, and being forced to sit still while others made decisions around me was driving me insane.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened slowly around the brush, my grip firm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was not a princess to be locked in a tower. I was getting out of here, no matter the cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I set the brush down at last and leaned back slightly, studying the painting before me as if seeing it for the first time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d I asked calmly, my tone casual. \u201cIt\u2019s not complete yet, but does it look a lot like your Alpha?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The women, completely unaware of the storm brewing behind my composed expression, nodded eagerly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d one of them said without hesitation. \u201cIt really does. It looks just like him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:07 Wed, Jan 21 ..\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 112\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another smiled brightly. \u201cAlpha Damien would be very happy if you gave this to him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
%em)\u00a0<\/p>\n
E55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t respond. Instead, my lips curved into a faint, mischievous smile as my mind began to race, already planning how quickly I could finish the painting, and how satisfying it would feel to destroy it afterward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, one of the women reached forward as if to touch the artwork, but something clattered softly to the floor before she could. A dagger had slipped from her side, landing near my feet. I glanced down and noticed immediately that it was damaged, the blade fractured as if it had been snapped in half.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised an eyebrow, curious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d she said quickly, following my gaze. \u201cI broke it during training. I should throw it away, but I\u2019ve already gotten used to it. I just can\u2019t part with it.\u201d She laughed a little, almost embarrassed. \u201cI know it sounds strange.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I bent down and picked the dagger up, carefully running my fingers along the worn edge. It didn\u2019t take much to see that the weapon had been through countless battles, repaired and reused far beyond what most people would consider reasonable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said quietly, almost absentmindedly, \u201cit doesn\u2019t sound strange at all. A warrior\u2019s heart is their weapon, and it\u2019s never easy to part with one\u2019s heart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room fell silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I looked up, all of them were staring at me, their expressions caught somewhere between surprise and disbelief, as if they hadn\u2019t expected words like that to come from me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the women finally spoke. \u201cYou sound\u2026 like a warrior yourself, lady Selene.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I met her gaze for a moment, then shrugged lightly, as if it meant nothing. \u201cWho knows,\u201d I replied, handing the dagger back to its owner. \u201cAre you getting another one?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded, gripping the weapon firmly. \u201cYes. I plan to win a new dagger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWin one?\u201d I echoed. \u201cAnd how exactly do you plan to do that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes\u00a0<\/p>\n
lit up. \u201cToday is the Crimson Warrior Rite\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned slightly. \u201cCrimson Warrior Rite?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded eagerly. \u201cYes. It\u2019s when warriors from all over the pack gather to fight. The winner earns weaponry of their choosing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that, interest sparked instantly, my earlier irritation momentarily forgotten as a far more dangerous curiosity took its place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:07 Wed, Jan 21 d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hope Is Not Optional \u2014 Manuel Flores 112 Chapter 112\u00a0 Selene\u00a0 \u2026\u00a0 56 vouchers\u00a0 I dipped the brush into the […]<\/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-27906","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\/27906","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=27906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27906\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}