Alpha Damien's Trouble Maker (by Ruby Anne) novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Selene

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I looked at the boy standing in front of me, and for the first time since I had met him, the usual playful expression that he wore so effortlessly was completely gone, replaced instead by something raw and unguarded as his eyes stayed wide in

shock.

His breathing uneven and labored as if every breath was a struggle, while his pale face and slightly trembling hands made it obvious just how shaken he truly was, even if he himself did not seem to realize how much his body was exposing him in that moment.

He looked like a mess, but more than that, he looked real. Like someone who had been pretending for far too long and had finally reached a point where he could not keep it together anymore.

The first time I met Miles, I had already noticed it, that small detail that most people would miss because they did not bother looking deep enough. But I had lived too many lives and seen too many kinds of people to overlook something like that. So it had been obvious to me from the very beginning that Miles was wearing a mask.

It was not the kind of mask Sienna wore, the kind that hid something ugly and rotten beneath a carefully crafted appearance meant to deceive others. His mask was not meant to fool people. It was meant to protect himself.

He did not want anyone to see how vulnerable he really was. He wanted to act like an adult so badly that he forced himself into a role he was not ready for, because more than anything, he did not want to be seen as worthless.

I did not know what had shaped him into that kind of person, and I had no interest in finding out, because dwelling on someone’s pain, even your own, was useless and achieved nothing in the end.

I had gone through more than enough myself, yet I never sat around thinking about my suffering, because if anything, I was far too petty for that. Instead of drowning in the past, I preferred making those who wronged me regret every single thing they had done. Watching them suffer brought far more satisfaction than clinging to pain ever could.

And maybe one day, Miles would understand that as well. He did not need validation from anyone, and that in the end, the only person he truly needed was himself.

With one hand casually holding the massive foot of the beast that was trying to crush us, as if its overwhelming weight meant absolutely nothing to me, I lifted my other hand and ruffled his hair in a relaxed manner, my lips curling slightly as I looked at him.

“What am I?” I said lazily. “Do I need to knock your head to remind you who I am?”

No one said anything. Not a single person moved. They all just stared at me as if what they were seeing did not make sense. Especially the prince, whose usual composure had completely shattered as his eyes remained wide and his mouth slightly open, clearly unable to process what was happening in front of him.

I did not pay him any attention.

My focus stayed on Miles,

“N-Noah…” he said, his voice shaking.

A small smile formed on my lips as I looked at him.

“You did well,” I said calmly. “You did what a true warrior should do. You protected yourself, but when the people you care about are in danger, you protected them as well, and that is something not everyone can do.”

His eyes began to water at my words, his emotions finally slipping through the cracks of the mask he had been holding onto for so long.

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