Chapter 171: Before Judgment Begins

Words : 1184 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Chapter 171: Before Judgment Begins Easter~ "Jacob," I called silently, not even sure how—but knowing he would hear me. My heart pounded like thunder beneath my ribs. "Please. I need you." I didn’t know how I did it—how I reached for him across whatever veil separated us—but I knew he was close and he would hear me. I felt him. In the way the air stilled, in the way the pressure around my heart loosened just a little. Like the earth had taken a breath for me. There was no thunder. No flash of light. Just a knock. A sharp, steady knock at the front door. Everyone stilled. Even Papa. The man who had blocked my escape—the tall, broad-shouldered stranger with the flat expression—glanced at the door. His hand twitched toward the knob as if some instinct beyond his control compelled him. He looked back at my father, waiting for instruction. But Papa only narrowed his eyes at the door, unmoving, as though the knock itself had insulted him. The man opened the door. And in walked Jacob. He didn’t storm, didn’t rage—he glided in like the winter wind itself, quiet and cold and impossible to stop. His tall frame filled the doorway with calm fury, like he was made of the storm that was about to break this house apart. The golden light from the hallway kissed his tousled black hair and caught in the warmth of his eyes—but those warm eyes weren’t gentle now. No, they burned. Every hair on my body stood. I couldn’t breathe. He was like an angel. "Who in God’s name—" Mama started. But Jacob was already moving. He didn’t say a word. He moved past the stunned stranger at the door, past my shell-shocked twin, past Papa and Mama, straight to where Mama clutched Rose by the wrist like she was a possession to guard. "Get your hands off my daughter," Jacob said. Quiet. Low. Dangerous. Mama instinctively stepped back. "Who—" Jacob didn’t wait. He reached forward and ripped Rose from her grip—not with violence, but with absolute authority. Mama gasped, stumbling slightly, like the force of his presence knocked her off balance. Rose leapt into Jacob’s arms like she had been waiting for him for days. "Jacob!" she cried, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck and burying her face against his shoulder. Her sobs trembled through her. "I was so scared." "I know," Jacob murmured, his voice a balm. "I’m here now, bunny. I’ve got you." Tears blurred my vision. My baby. My brave, wild little girl... safe. He turned then. Walked straight to me—still on my knees, still broken open. I didn’t even know I’d started crying until he knelt before me and cupped my cheek. "Easter," he said gently. "Are you hurt?" I couldn’t answer. I just shook my head, a sob catching in my throat. He looked into my eyes for a long moment—reading something deeper than I could say. Then he kissed my forehead. It wasn’t a lover’s kiss. It was a promise. A vow. And when he stood, he pulled me up with him, one hand steadying me while Rose clung to his side like she’d belonged there all her life. Silence fell across the room like a death sentence. I looked up—and I saw it. The shock on their faces. Mama’s hand still raised slightly like she expected to take Rose back. Papa’s jaw twitching with unspent rage. Melody... my twin... my other half... looking at Jacob like he had torn the stars from her sky and given them to me. And then it began. "Who the HELL do you think you are?" Papa barked, stepping forward, his voice shaking the air. "Walking into my house like this—taking my granddaughter from her grandmother’s arms! Are you mad?!" Jacob turned to face him. And he smirked. Not cruelly. Not mockingly. Just a small, knowing, dangerous tilt of the lips. "I’m Jacob." Papa blinked. "Jacob?" "That’s right." "Well, Jacob," Papa snapped, as if the name burned his tongue, "I don’t give a damn what your name is. Get out of my house before I have you arrested." Jacob cocked his head slightly. "I’m not going anywhere." Papa’s face turned crimson. "You think I won’t call the police? You think I’m joking?" "I think," Jacob said, setting Rose gently down on the carpet but keeping a protective hand on her shoulder, "that before you do anything rash, you should listen to a story." "A story?" Mama spat. "Yes," Jacob said, walking slowly toward the center of the room. "A story about a woman who was betrayed by the people she loved most. Lied to. Manipulated. Hurt. Beaten. And now, she’s being held prisoner in the name of family and religion." Melody turned her face away. "This story ends," Jacob continued, "with everyone in this room receiving judgment for what they’ve done. But first—an invitation. One last chance." He turned his eyes to Melody first. "You," he said. "Apologize to your sister. For lying. For deceiving. For watching her suffer and saying nothing. You start." I turned to Melody. My heart screamed for her to speak. Her lips parted. Her eyes filled with water. But then... she shook her head. "I have nothing to apologize for," she whispered. The room stilled. Jacob laughed. It wasn’t a joyful sound. It was the kind of laugh that cracked like thunder and made your blood turn cold. The walls seemed to shiver with it. Even the lights flickered. Everyone went silent. "You think this is a game?" Papa hissed. "You come here, wearing fancy boots and spouting nonsense? You think you can threaten us with bedtime stories and guilt trips? I don’t know who you are, but you’re clearly a madman." Mama stepped forward then, her voice like glass. "So you’re the strange man Easter has been fornicating with?" My chest burned. "Disgusting," Mama spat. "I am ashamed to be your mother." My breath caught. I wanted to scream. But Jacob didn’t flinch. He walked closer to her. Calm. Cold. Like a coming storm. "You should be ashamed," he said. "Not because she’s with me, but because you’ve chosen cruelty over compassion, control over kindness. You’ve failed her." "You dare speak to me that way?" Mama snapped. "Who are you to judge us?!" Jacob looked at me. Then back at them. "I am Mist," he said. "Wolf Spirit. Son of moonlight and rage. I have lived a thousand years and seen kings fall for less than what you’ve done in this house. You may not know my name—but the shadows know me. The winds have carried my fury." Papa scoffed. "You’re insane." Jacob raised an eyebrow. "And you are on thin ice." He turned back to Melody. "This is your last chance. All of you. Apologize. Mean it. And I will show mercy." Everyone remained silent. I looked at Melody. My sister. My mirror. She looked away. And Jacob let out another laugh. Low. Cold. Final. The room trembled with it. No one said a word. No one breathed. And I knew then—judgment was coming.

Chapter 171: Before Judgment Begins

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