Mated To The Hybrid Prince - Chapter 89: Chapter 89

(Lily's POV)
The night had stretched too long, like a nightmare that refused to end... Zion’s unexpected presence, his announcement as the CEO, the way he looked at me like a stranger...
And then Aria, my best-friend was hiding her love relationship with Lucien... someone who, based on Aunt Lamia's spell, shouldn’t even remember we exist. Yet there he was, standing beside Aria like the past was never erased.
My heart felt as fragile as glass, barely holding together... one more blow and it would crumble into pieces.
I got home from the party, numb and drained.
I opened the entrance door and walked quietly down the hallway, the soft carpet muffling my steps as I made my way to my children’s room.
I needed the comfort of knowing my children were safe, the quiet reassurance that they were okay and that their world hadn’t been touched by the chaos I had just come from.
The door creaked slightly as I pushed it open.
There they were.
Lamia and Zeus, curled under their matching moon-and-star blankets. Their chests rose and fell in soft rhythm, their mouths slightly parted in peaceful sleep.
Zeus’ tiny fingers clutched the edge of his blanket, while Lamia hugged her favorite wolf toy to her chest, smiling in her sleep.
I stepped forward and knelt beside their bed, brushing soft curls away from Lamia’s forehead. I kissed her gently. Then Zeus.
“You two are my everything,” I whispered. Their calm faces reminded me that no matter how upside down my world got, this... this right here... was where my heart belonged.
They didn’t stir and I rose to my feet, backing out of the room slowly, closing the door with care.
I headed to my room, peeled off my clothes, and stepped into the warm shower, hoping the water would wash away everything I was feeling but it didn’t. It only made me more aware of how broken I was inside.
After drying off and changing into my pajamas, I crawled into bed and pulled the blanket over my shoulders.
But sleep?
Sleep didn’t come easy.
I tossed and turned, staring at the ceiling, then the wall, then my own hands. Each time I closed my eyes, my thoughts took me back to the rooftop, to Zion’s eyes - those blue eyes that once looked at me like I was his world, now blank with unfamiliarity.
Then when he said he felt a pull, it should’ve comforted me... only that it didn't.
Because the fact remains that he didn’t remember me, or his love for me.
It stung even more than Aria’s betrayal. How long had she and Lucien been together while I knew nothing? How could she keep something like that from me, especially after everything we’ve been through?
My chest tightened as the weight of everything came crashing again. I clutched the sheets, wishing I could scream into the silence, but all I did was lie there, still, swallowing every bitter thing I felt.
Eventually, my body gave in and I drifted into a restless sleep.
In my dream, I was at the palace poolside. The sky above was dusky blue, and the water shimmered like glass. A man was standing by the edge of the pool.
He was tall, regal and barefooted. His skin was golden, and his dark hair tousled by an unseen breeze.
He wore a white robe that clung to his frame like silk, and his eyes - his eyes were impossibly bright. Electric. A beauty that felt unreal.
He smiled as he stepped closer to me.
“I see your desire, Lily,” he said gently. “Your longing for love... For a man to love you and care for your children."
I said nothing.
“Forget Zion,” he spat, lifting a hand toward me. “Let me be your groom. You’ve always been betrothed to me from the womb. I am your destined one.”
"What?" I whispered in surprise.
Then the beautiful man’s body shifted, his hands darkened, his white robe turning black... Horns burst through his temples, long and curved like a crown of bone. And his eyes, those glowing eyes now bled into a deep, violent crimson that burned into my soul.
Hades.
“No!” I screamed, immediately stepping back.
I jolted up from my bed, my scream echoing through the room. My chest rose and fell with ragged breaths, my skin slick with sweat. The sheets tangled around my legs like chains.
It took a moment for me to realize I was no longer dreaming, still my heart didn’t seem to care. It pounded, shaken and afraid. Hades had encountered me.
Ravena, my wolf, was already pacing in my head, agitated. Her voice burst through like a wave.
“You’ve betrayed us!" she growled at Vaelith. "Why did you let him into our dream realm?"
Vaelith, my demon, emerged next. Her presence was quieter, but her tone was sharp. “He is my lord! Just as the Moon Goddess is yours, Ravena.”
Ravena bristled. “You allowed him to reach her!”
“I didn’t mean to!” Vaelith snapped. “He found me. I’m bound to him, I couldn’t stop it.”
Their voices clashed inside me in arguments, tearing through my thoughts.
“Stop it! Both of you!” I yelled, my voice shaking. “I’ve had enough, and I’m tired. I’ve been through so much in these past hours, don't add to it.”
They went quiet.
The silence that followed was thick. I let out a shaky breath, trying to calm the racing of my heart but before I could fully calm myself, the bedroom door creaked open.
Two tiny figures slipped inside.
Lamia and Zeus. A warm smile stretched onto my face... It was the weekend, and I noticed it in their excited faces. They wore cozy pajamas instead of their school uniforms.
They padded to my bed, Lamia holding a folded piece of paper, and Zeus bouncing beside her, both of them beaming with excitement.
“Mummy,” Zeus chirped, climbing up beside me, “See what Lamia drew.”
Lamia clambered up too, a little shy as she handed me the paper.
I took the paper gently. “Let me see.”
It was a crayon drawing, full of wobbly lines. A motherly figure was drawn with big hair, a pink triangle dress, and long arms stretched wide.
Beside the mother were two small stick-like shapes with smiling faces, one labeled “Me” and the other “Zeus,” each with little circles for hands and feet.
Then looming beside us, taller than everyone, was another figure. He had big blue dots for eyes and a square torso shaded in dark crayon. Above his head, in crooked letters, was the word “Daddy.”
Goosebumps prickled down my arms.
“I dreamt of him,” Lamia said, pointing proudly. “His eyes were blue like Zeus.”
My throat tightened in horror.