Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 95

Eve

The flicker of pain in his eyes was undeniable this time, but it was fleeting. He masked it quickly, his grip on my chin tightening ever so slightly. His breath was warm and ragged against my skin, the air between us thick with unspoken words and unresolved tension.

"So you that’s why?" he said, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. "You think I don’t know what you’re capable of?" He leaned closer, his face mere inches from mine. "I see it, Ellen. I see it every time you stand against me, every time you defy me. But don’t mistake my need to protect you for a lack of respect. The world is cruel, and if you get hurt—" His voice broke for a fraction of a second before he recovered. "Da--- Red, don’t you see? I can’t lose you."

His words sent a jolt through me, anger and confusion mixing with something I didn’t want to name. "You’re not protecting me, Hades. You’re suffocating me," I said, my voice trembling but resolute. "What’s the point of being strong if I can’t use it? If you keep holding me back, what are you saving me for?"

His jaw clenched, the muscles ticking as he fought for control. "You don’t understand—"

"Then make me understand!" I snapped, cutting him off. "Stop hiding behind your power and your pride. Stop treating me like a child who can’t handle the truth. Tell me why you’re so afraid to let me fight my own battles."

For a long moment, he didn’t speak. The weight of his silence pressed against my chest, threatening to crush me. But then, he released my chin and took a step back, his hands curling into fists at his sides. His wolf was still there, barely contained, but something else had taken its place—a vulnerability I’d never seen before.

"Because if I let you fight," he said finally, his voice low and rough, "and something happens to you... I wouldn’t survive it." He looked me and a lump formed in my throat. In a grey swirls of his eyes, I saw the glint of grief. He was not seeing me. He was seeing Danielle. The realization hit me like an anvil. My heart shriveled and ached. It was no wonder. If he truly saw me, and not as surrogate of Danielle, he would not care in the slightest. But it was deserved, my father had taken his love and their child, who was I to raise my hackles?

"Hades..." I began, my tone softening despite myself.

But he shook his head, the vulnerability slipping away as quickly as it had come. "This isn’t up for debate, Ellen. I won’t let you risk your life for some misguided sense of independence."

My temper flared again, the brief moment of understanding overshadowed by his stubbornness. "It’s not misguided," I said, stepping closer to him. "It’s my life, Hades. My choice. And if you can’t see that, then maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do."

He stared at me, his crimson eyes burning with an intensity that made my pulse race. But this time, I didn’t back down. I met his gaze head-on, refusing to be intimidated.

"You’re infuriating," he muttered finally, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Stubborn. Reckless."

"And you’re controlling," I shot back. "Arrogant. Overbearing."

His lips twitched, the ghost of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?"

I snorted despite myself, the tension between us easing just enough to let a sliver of levity through. "A disaster, more like."

He exhaled slowly, the anger in his posture softening just a fraction. "I guess you’re not wrong," he admitted. "But don’t think this means I’m letting you off the hook. We’re not finished here."

I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow. "I never said we were."

For the first time since he’d stormed into the training ring, his lips curved into a real smile—a small, rare thing that caught me off guard. His hidden dimple made an appearance and my treatherous heart stuttered "You never make anything easy, do you?"

"Would you be so possessive if I did?" The words were out before I could stop them, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

His smile faded, replaced by a look I couldn’t quite decipher. "You’d be surprised," he said quietly, the weight of his gaze making my heart skip a beat. "Red," his was voice husky.

His eyes was locked onto mine with renewed intensity. There was something different now, something almost predatory in his gaze. His shoulders relaxed slightly, but the tension in the room only thickened.

He easily swallowed up the distance between us and though every instinct screamed at me to step back, I held my ground. His expression softened, just barely, but the power of his presence still dominated the room.