Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 169

Hades

Her words slammed against my chest, stealing the breath from my lungs. The suffocating silence stretched between us, and for the first time, I was stripped of control—vulnerable and exposed. My carefully crafted facade must have shifted because her eyes widened, as if the realization that she was onto something sank in.

"You received a message?" My words came out slowly, dragged down by something foreign—hesitation. I never hesitated; it was against everything I was taught.

"Strike sure and true." My father’s voice slithered into my head so vivid that I could almost feel his shadow looming behind me.

But today, I was left unguarded by a single sentence.

"Tell me the truth, Hades."

"Hades?" She pulled me back from the depths of my shock. "It is true?" But it was not a question; it was a statement. The clarity in her cadence made the anvil in my gut heavier.

"You have not answered my question," I countered, my voice harsher than I had intended, and by the way her face fell, the knife in my gut twisted painfully.

I was so close to everything I needed from her. It was all coming together. Barely a day ago, I discovered that I was the key to unlocking her power and all the resources we would win in the apocalypse to come. And now this? The Flux within me roared, a silent tempest that threatened to consume rational thought. It clawed at the edges of my restraint, urging me to take control, to twist the situation in my favor—to protect her.

We both knew the truth, but we wanted different things.

I couldn’t afford to falter now. Not when I was so close.

It was simply an unfortunate coincidence, a miracle, that I was the bastard the Moon Goddess chose to be her mate. She was meant to be sacrificed for my pack; this had been the plan from the beginning. This was the reason I changed my tactics in dealing with her—so I wouldn’t need to force her into submission. I wouldn’t break her until it was truly time, when she needed breaking.

Nothing has changed.

Nothing had changed.

Nothing has changed.

I recited the words like a mantra, yet Kael’s words earlier today wrapped around my throat like a noose.

"I thought you had fallen in love with her."

Love.

I felt the Flux pulse in my chest, inciting an ache that I had to control—my expression remained neutral, though I had to resist the grimace of agony. Two emotions waged war within me: protectiveness and purpose.

Protectiveness, an instinct buried deep within me—primal, unyielding—fought against the cold, calculated purpose that had driven every decision I made regarding her. One was an unwelcome intruder, the other an old companion, and yet, in this moment, they blurred into something dangerous. Something I couldn’t afford to feel.

My teeth clenched, the pressure grounding me as I forced my thoughts back to the plan. To the necessity of all of this.

A slow breath filled my lungs, heavy and measured. I tilted my head, letting the shadows in the dimly lit room swallow the tension tightening my jaw. "Who sent you that message, Red?" My voice was smooth, calculated—but she wasn’t fooled. Of course, she wasn’t.

Her gaze, usually wary but malleable, now held a sharpness that scraped against my defenses like a silver dagger. "You didn’t answer mine," she countered, her words laced with something that was no longer uncertainty but quiet accusation.

Damn it.

I studied her, forcing myself to hold the silence between us, to let the weight of it press against her shoulders like a carefully applied vice. If I let her think I was unaffected, she might doubt herself just enough to let me regain control. But the way she stared back at me—unrelenting, raw, and so painfully stubborn—made it clear that wouldn’t be happening tonight.

She was digging, deeper than I had anticipated. And worse—she was starting to find the cracks.

My grip on the back of the chair tightened, the wood groaning softly under my fingers. "And what if I told you the truth?" I finally said, my tone dangerously soft. "Would it change anything?"

Her lips parted, her breath hitching ever so slightly, but she didn’t retreat. "It would," she whispered, and for a fleeting second, I almost believed the lie hidden beneath the trembling hope in her voice. "It would change everything, Hades."

I felt something bitter curl inside me. She thought she wanted the truth, but the truth wouldn’t set her free—it would destroy her. It would break her in ways I couldn’t put back together, and that... that was something I couldn’t allow. Not yet. Not until I had what I wanted.

A muscle ticked in my jaw. "The truth is rarely kind, Red," I murmured, leaning closer, allowing the shadows to frame my face, my voice turning into something almost... tender. "And you aren’t ready for it."

Her shoulders stiffened, her fingers curling into the fabric of her ruined clothes. "Stop deciding what I’m ready for," she snapped, fire flashing through her voice despite the exhaustion weighing her down. "I deserve—"

"I was never meant to..." I trailed off, fingers brushing against her cheek, lingering for a fraction too long before I forced myself to pull away. "Care." _{freёweɓnovel.com}