Chapter 161: Arrogant Jonathan
*~Lilith’s POV~*
"Wakey, sleeping beauty!"
A masculine voice jolted me awake. My eyes fluttered open, only to find my arms bound tightly to a chair. The chains cut into my skin, burning, electrified. I couldn’t move an inch.
Alice sat directly in front of me, tears streaming down her face.
"Please, Jonathan," she begged. "Release her."
Jonathan’s smirk was sharp as a blade. "Release her? Nope. She’ll only ruin my plans if I do that."
"She won’t," Alice whispered desperately. "I promise."
He laughed bitterly. "So many times you’ve promised me, Alice. And every single time, the both of you prove you’re nothing but trouble. No. Not this time."
"Then I’ll release her myself," Alice said, her voice trembling as she reached for the chain around me.
The instant her hand touched it, sparks flared. Electricity surged, throwing her back with a cry.
Jonathan chuckled darkly. "You can’t. Only I can release that chain."
"Release me, damn you!" I hissed, glaring up at him.
"No." His smile vanished, his voice deepening into something deadly. "And if anything happens to my daughter or her children, I promise you—"
"You promise me what?" he cut me off, his tone rising in fury. "You knew damn well that your daughter was my mate! Fine—I was frozen in time, but did you really have to pick another mate for her? Do you know what it feels like to watch my mate claimed by not one, not two, but three wolves?"
"Actually... it’s three," I muttered coldly, a small smirk tugging my lips.
His hand cracked across my face, hard enough to make blood splatter across the floor.
Alice jumped to her feet. "Jonathan, stop!"
But she didn’t dare touch him. She knew if she tried, she’d be as good as dead.
"How dare you," Jonathan growled, looming over me. "How dare you mate my mate to triplet wolves?"
"Because I can," I spat, tasting blood. "And because I did."
His jaw clenched. My plan had worked—at least for now. It would keep him away from my daughter. But for how long? Not when this man was an aggravating monster, relentless and obsessive.
"You will pay," Jonathan hissed, his green eyes blazing with rage. "I will not stand by and watch my mate mated to three worthless wolves. She already has children with them! You should have left her alone."
"She’s gone already, Jonathan," I said coldly. "Go find another mate."
"That’s not how it works!" His voice thundered through the chamber. "That’s not how fate works!"
"Well, sorry for you," I sneered.
His fist struck my face again, harder, sending more blood spilling from my mouth. My vision blurred, but I held his gaze.
"Jonathan, stop!" Alice cried again. "You’re a gentleman, aren’t you? She’s a lady. She’s Lilith—"
"She’s not my Lilith," Jonathan snarled, his voice sharp with venom. "She’s a betrayal. A liar. A bitch. She’s everything that is damnable on this earth."
Alice’s shoulders shook. "She released us, Jonathan. If not for her, we would still be frozen in time."
Jonathan’s eyes snapped to her. "And whose fault was it that we were frozen in the first place? If you and Lilith hadn’t snuck out that night—if they hadn’t traced you back home—would they have attacked us? Tell me, Alice. Tell me!"
That’s what I thought," Jonathan muttered darkly when none of us replied. He turned to his men, his tone sharp. "Ruby. Kelvin."
At once, they rushed in, heads bowed.
"Where is the information I asked for?" Jonathan demanded.
Ruby stepped forward. "You were right. She didn’t just give birth to the babies herself. Tefakali delivered them for a while. But one of the triplet brothers took her and the children—and they went missing. For a time, no one could trace them. But recently... they’ve been found."
Jonathan’s lips curved in satisfaction. "Really? That explains why I only met two brothers at the High House. So where is the third triplet now?"
Ruby lowered her gaze. "He is dead. Buried, according to the reports."
Jonathan’s eyes narrowed, then glimmered. "Hmm. So I only need to take down two. Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" his men echoed in unison.
"Yes," he said with finality. "I went to the High House today. They’re having a ceremony." His smirk widened. "And have I told you? I met my mate. And she... she is breathtakingly beautiful."
Across the room, I lifted my chin, my lips curling bitterly. "Are you calling me beautiful?"
Jonathan stepped closer, his gaze never wavering. "Yes, Lilith. I am."
I cupped my lips mockingly, shaking my head. "We look exactly alike, don’t we? If you call her beautiful, you’re calling me beautiful too."
"Yes, yes," he said impatiently, brushing the words aside. "You are beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. But there’s something about your daughter..."
He leaned down, cupping my cheeks. His touch was deceptively gentle, yet it made my stomach twist.
"Although you said you two look alike, she has something you lack. A light. And I am guessing the universe gave it to her deliberately. Because it knew—you are not deserving of me." His voice dropped, a low growl. "So the universe struck the midpoint between us. And placed it in your daughter. Someone more deserving. More powerful. Even more beautiful."
He smiled, a predator’s smile. "I can’t wait to hold her in my arms. To call her mine. And once those two pathetic mates of hers are dead, and those disgusting little babies out of the picture..."
I smirked to myself, though my lips tasted of blood. If only you knew, I thought bitterly. If you knew the power those babies carried, you wouldn’t dare call them disgusting. You would be chasing them instead. Fearful. Desperate.
But I kept it to myself. Jonathan’s arrogance blinded him—and for now, that blindness was my only weapon.
Tomorrow, Hazel’s naming ceremony would take place. Tomorrow, he would try to strike.
I clenched my fists against the chains, ignoring the searing pain of the magic that bound me. I have to protect her. I have to find a way to leave this place. To warn the brothers. To make sure Hazel and her children are shielded.