*~Young Lilith’s POV~*
Jonathan’s voice sliced through the clearing, harsh and venomous.
"What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you never to show your damn face here again?"
The fury in his tone made my knees wobble. I instinctively stepped back, but Alice’s hand gripped mine tightly, refusing to let retreat.
"What is going on?" Alice demanded, her voice trembling.
Jonathan’s glare hardened. "Ask her. She knows. And now—" his eyes dropped to my stomach, his face contorting with disgust, "—pregnant? How cheap can you be?" His voice cracked, laced with fury. "Don’t tell ... don’t tell that bastard Beta Wolf is the father of that thing you’re carrying."
Alice froze, her fingers tightening painfully around mine. Her gaze darted between Jonathan and , her green eyes wide with confusion. "Lilith," she whispered, "what is he talking about? Tell it isn’t true."
My throat burned. My chest heaved, every breath like shards of glass. I tried to speak, but Jonathan’s rage drowned out.
"Get out of my sight!" he roared, his fists clenching at his sides. "You’re no longer a Crescent. You are nothing to us now."
His words struck like whips, each syllable tearing at .
I swallowed hard and gently pried Alice’s fingers from mine. "It’s fine, Alice," I whispered, voice breaking. "Let go."
But she refused. She clung to tighter, shaking her head violently. "No. You’re not going anywhere. Nowhere." She turned, her gaze pleading with Jonathan. "What is going on? Jonathan, talk to !"
His nostrils flared, chest rising with every labored breath. "Haven’t I told you enough?" His voice shook with restrained violence. "She betrayed us, Alice. She betrayed the Crescent."
Alice’s eyes flicked back to , searching for denial, for any sign this wasn’t true.
Jonathan continued, venom spilling from every word. "The Beta of the Blue Moon pack—she had an affair with him. With him! And when I was about to take his damn life for what he did to us, she helped him escape. She—protected him." His voice cracked with rage, with pain. His jaw trembled as he spat out the words. "And now she carries his child."
Alice’s grip loosened slightly. Her lips parted, but no sound ca. Shock painted her features pale, her entire body shaking as the truth crushed her.
I mouthed the words, barely audible: I’m sorry.
Her hand trembled in mine, torn between holding on and letting go.
"That should not change anything," she whispered finally, her voice breaking, her heart speaking louder than reason. She looked at —broken, frightened, desperate—but she didn’t release .
Jonathan’s face hardened. His fury didn’t waver, but for the first ti, I thought I saw sothing else beneath it. Maybe even the faintest trace of love buried deep, rotting with anger.
But his voice was ice when he spoke again.
"She is no longer one of us."
Alice’s grip on only tightened, her fingers digging into my arm as if she was anchoring to her very soul. Tears streaked down her cheeks, her voice breaking, but still firm.
"Jonathan, look at her!" she cried, stepping in front of as though shielding from his wrath. "She’s pregnant. Can’t you see? She’s still our girl—still Lilith. You loved her once, Jonathan. Do you really want to throw her away like this?"
Jonathan’s jaw clenched. His fists trembled at his sides, and though his eyes burned with fury, I caught the flicker of hesitation. He turned his face away from as if the sight of my swollen belly was a blade pressed against his pride.
"She’s carrying his child," he snarled, spitting out the words like poison. "The child of the wolf who tried to destroy us. And you expect to forget that? To forgive it?"
Alice’s voice rose, fierce and desperate. "I expect you to rember who she is! She is Lilith...the girl who laughed with us, fought with us, grew up with us. She is family, Jonathan, and you know it. You can’t erase that, no matter how much you try." She shoved his chest with both hands, her tears wet and furious. "And don’t you dare lie to yourself...you still love her. I see it in your eyes even now."
Jonathan’s eyes snapped to then, blazing with a fire that was equal parts rage and anguish. His lips parted as if he wanted to deny it, but no words ca.
I stood silently behind Alice, my hand resting on the curve of my stomach. Inside, my child stirred, almost as if it knew the storm raging outside. My chest rose and fell, and though tears lined my eyes, I said nothing. I didn’t need to. Alice was doing exactly what I had hoped—pulling on every string of Jonathan’s heart until it frayed.
And I let her....Because pity is a powerful weapon, and my swollen belly gave more of it than any spell could conjure.
Jonathan’s voice cracked, louder than thunder. "Love doesn’t erase betrayal, Alice! She chose him—over us. Over ." His gaze pierced , a wound all its own. "She chose to protect him while I was ready to end him for what he did. Do you understand what that ans?"
I lowered my eyes, biting my lip hard enough to taste iron. I wanted to scream, to defend myself, but no... no, silence was better. Silence made look broken, fragile, helpless.
And fragile things were harder to hate.
Alice stepped closer to him, her voice softening, pleading. "Then hate too, because I will never abandon her. She’s carrying a child, Jonathan. A child who never asked to be born into this. If you still have a shred of the man I know, then you won’t abandon her either."
For a mont, his breath faltered. His eyes flicked back to , and I saw the storm inside him...
And just like that... he broke. Not completely, but enough. His fists unclenched, his shoulders sagged, and though his glare lingered, it was dimr now.
"I can’t forgive her," he said, voice low, tortured. "Not yet. Maybe not ever. But... she can stay. For now."
Alice gasped and turned to , her face lighting with relief. She squeezed my hand, whispering, "See? It’s going to be okay."
I nodded, lowering my gaze to hide the faint smile tugging at my lips. Because inside, I knew. It was working.
My pregnancy, my fake silence, Alice’s desperate pleas—they were chipping away at Jonathan’s resolve. And though guilt pressed at the edges of my heart, I pushed it aside.
Survival ant using every advantage.
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