Chapter 172: Right choice.
*~Hazel’s POV~*
Right in the middle of nowhere, I was trapped between two forces—two voices pulling me apart.
One who claimed to be my mother, a woman with a striking resemblance to me, one said to be the Topu Ganga.
And one who claimed to be my mate. Jonathan. Dark, dangerous, unyielding. He swore that we were created for each other, that he alone carried the truth I had been craving my entire life.
The battle between them was deafening, their words clashing inside my skull until the world itself seemed to tilt. But slowly, I felt it—the pressure holding me down releasing. My wolf was no longer fighting. She was stepping back, handing me the reins, leaving me to make the final judgment.
This was my choice. My decision. My fate.
I shifted, forcing myself back into my human form. My voice tore through the chaos, raw and powerful:
"Enough!"
The echo silenced them both. The lies, the whispers, the manipulations—I cut through them all with that single word. My chest heaved as I turned, my eyes locking onto the woman who claimed to be my mother.
"You." My voice trembled with both fury and heartbreak. "Where have you been all my life? I’ve never met you. Never! And now you waltz back into my world, demanding my belief, spewing stories about conversations we supposedly had? When? When have we ever spoken?"
Her face twisted in desperation. "Hazel... what are you talking about? You have met me. Have you forgotten? We met when you turned off your emotions. I was brought here so you could turn them back on!"
"Turn off my emotions?" I snapped. "Why would I ever do that? Because I’m a Crescent? That’s a ridiculous lie. More lies!"
She stepped closer, her voice trembling. "No! It’s the truth. Didn’t Caspian tell you? Didn’t Cayden? Even Cyrius? They know—we met countless times, Hazel. Even before you gave birth. I was there. I helped you find your babies, though I failed. I brought them back to you dead... but I still played the role of your mother, even if I came too late."
My stomach turned. Her words made no sense. Dead babies? Moments I had no memory of? How could she expect me to believe this?
And then Jonathan’s voice cut through, strong, commanding.
"You see?" He pointed at her, venom dripping from every syllable. "Lies. That’s all she’s ever given you. They’ve twisted your life, Hazel. But me?" He stepped closer, hand outstretched, eyes glowing like emerald fire. "I am the only one who won’t lie to you. Because I am the one meant for you. The one destined to love you. To give you the happiness you deserve. Come to me, Hazel. Leave these liars behind. Come."
His hand reached toward me, steady and sure.
"No!" My so-called mother screamed, tears running down her face. "Don’t you dare, Hazel. Please, listen to me—I am your mother! Remember the memory I showed you. Remember the vision of your birth! Don’t shut me out now. Don’t deny me. Hazel, please! He is nothing but a monster!"
"Lies!" Jonathan roared, his voice shaking the ground. "She is trying to steal you from me! Hazel, I am your truth. Don’t let her poison you."
Both of them spoke at once—her cries, his demands. Their voices tangled, thunderous, until pain split my skull in two. My head throbbed, my vision blurred. I clutched my temples, my knees buckling.
"Enough!" I screamed again. "Enough, both of you!"
My chest heaved. I didn’t know who to believe. Who to trust. But deep in my gut, my heart leaned toward someone. My lips moved before my mind could stop them.
"You are lying to me..."
Both of them froze. Wide eyes. Anticipation carved on their faces, desperate to hear my judgment.
I turned—slowly, deliberately—toward Jonathan.
His lips parted. A smile stretched across his face, dark and triumphant.
"Finally," he breathed, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "I knew you’d make the right choice."
Jonathan stretched his hand out to me.
For a heartbeat, I hesitated. Then I reached forward and placed mine in his.
Behind me, my mother screamed.
"No! Hazel, no! He’s a monster! Everything I’ve done—everything—was to protect you! I even pretended to be you today, so I could take whatever he planned for you. Every step, every sacrifice, since you were a baby, has been to shield you from him!"
Her voice cracked, pain splintering through it. She tried to push herself up, but her body crumpled back to the ground, a hand clutching her chest. She couldn’t move.
I looked at her, my throat tight.
"I’m sorry, Mother," I whispered. "But I only make the right decisions."
I turned sharply to Jonathan. His smile widened in victory—only to vanish as I snapped his neck with one swift motion. His body hit the ground, limp and unconscious.
Shock still surged through me. My hands trembled. I chose him... but only to destroy him. I don’t believe him. He is not my mate. He can never be. I am already bound to the triplet brothers. My bond is true, and nothing will sever it.
I rushed to my mother, pulling her upright. "We need to leave. Now."
Her eyes met mine, confusion swimming in their depths. Perhaps even disbelief at what I’d just done. I barely had time to explain.
But before she could answer, her gaze shifted behind me. Her eyes went wide. "Hazel—"
I turned.
My heart dropped.
Jonathan was standing again.
Neck whole. Body steady. But his aura—darker, heavier than anything I had ever felt. His green eyes burned with rage, his lips curling into something not human. His form flickered between wolf and man, neither one holding, both twisting into something monstrous.
It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen in my existence.
And in that moment, I knew—this was true danger.
"Run!" I shouted, gripping my mother’s hand.
Before we could move an inch, a massive tree came hurling through the air, slamming into the ground before us with a deafening crack. The earth shook beneath my feet, splinters flying like daggers.
My mother yanked me back just in time, her arm locking around me before the trunk could crush me. My heart thundered, my breath ragged.
Jonathan’s voice rang out, chilling and triumphant. "I see now. Not only do you look exactly alike... you are the same person, split in two different points. Both of you are mine. And if I can’t have both of you..." His grin widened, twisted. "...then no one will."
"We are not yours!" my mother screamed, fury lacing her voice. "We are not property to be claimed, Jonathan!"
His green eyes glowed, filled with madness. "When will you see the truth? You were made for me, Lilith. But when you broke the mate bond, when you got pregnant with another man’s child, you stripped yourself from me. So nature gave me another version of you—through you." His gaze cut to me, burning. "And then it tried to take her away too. Do you think that is coincidence? No. One of you belongs to me. One of you is my mate. That is destiny."
His words sliced through me, venomous, unbearable.
My throat tightened, but I managed to speak, my voice breaking. "I’m sorry, Jonathan... but neither of us wants you. You can’t undo rejection. You can’t force fate."
His smile fell away, replaced with rage so sharp it stole the air from my lungs. "Then I will end you both before anyone can stop me."
And then—he shifted.
Bones snapped. Muscles swelled. Fur erupted blacker than midnight. But this time, it wasn’t the same wolf I had seen before. This was something larger, darker, more monstrous. His form rippled with power, his size doubling, his growl so deep it rattled my very soul.
My mother’s eyes widened. Her voice broke. "Oh goddess... he’s pulling on the Alpha of the Crescents. He’s summoning the strength of every Crescent wolf in existence. I don’t know if we can stop him."
I shook my head, trembling. "No... this can’t be—"
Her hands caught my face, her tears hot against my skin. She pressed her forehead to mine, desperation in every breath. "I’m sorry, Hazel. I’m so sorry. This... this is the end."
"No!" My voice cracked, but she only pulled me tighter.
"It was nice having a daughter," she whispered. And then she kissed my cheek, her lips trembling. Her palm slid over my eyes, shielding me from the sight of the beast before us.
"I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you from him."