His proposition

With a flick of his hand, Jonathan gestured to the man to stop whipping Nessa. He walked closer to Eleanor. “It’s all up to you now. You can make all this stop.” He cast a glance back at Nessa. “She doesn’t look like she can take anymore. Disappointing, because I’ve barely started. You can save her by giving me what I want. It’s as simple as that.” “I thought what you wanted was Thomas’s territory,” Eleanor told him. “What makes you think I can give you that?” He smiled. “Who said I only want half of it? I don’t care how you divided everything up, but I want all of it.” Eleanor looked straight at him, her expression blank. “And what makes you think I’m going to do what you want by doing this?” She scoffed and gestured towards Nessa. “She is just my ex-husband’s sister. She is a part of my history and has nothing to do with me now. You should have dragged Thomas here instead if you hoped to use her to get anything.” Jonathan’s eyes narrowed. “Is that so? Do you think I can believe that? You divorced him, but here you are, working as a team to ambush me and my warriors. Is that the history that has nothing to do with you?” “He came here for his sister, while I came here for Mia. You are right. We planned to ambush you. Otherwise, do you think he would have managed to bring me to you against my will? That woman killed my Beta’s younger brother and I must make her pay. She’s the only reason I showed up here in the first place.” “No,” Nessa cried, tears flowing down her cheeks. “Please help me, Eleanor. Don’t leave me here.” Eleanor did not dare look at her. The pain and despair in her voice was enough to break through her facade. Her plan was to pretend that she did not care because she knew if she showed any concern for Nessa, Jonathan would only use her as leverage. As long as he thought his torture of Nessa moved her, Nessa would be subjected to more torture as long as Eleanor did not give in to his demands. But if she showed him that she couldn’t care less, he would not have a reason to keep torturing her. He wouldn’t kill her either–she might not be leverage against her, but he still had to deal with Thomas. As long as she was alive, Eleanor would not leave without her. Jonathan joined his hands behind his back and walked towards Nessa. “So you are saying you don’t care what happens to her?” Eleanor looked at him and said nothing. “Please help me,” Nessa cried. “I’ll ask my brother to give you whatever you want. Please, Eleanor.” “Go on,” Jonathan ordered the man. Nessa’s screams rent through the air again as the whipping resumed. Jonathan observed Eleanor, waiting for her to break, for her to ask him to stop. But all she did was sit there as if she couldn’t be any less bothered. Nessa went silent as she passed out from the beating. “Stop!” he ordered the man and walked to his chair. She was more use to him alive than dead, and torturing her did not seem to be working on Eleanor. As long as he did not have his hands on Blackstorm, she would be the perfect leverage against Thomas. “Take her back to her cell,” he ordered the two guards. “Keep an eye on her at all times.” The two men untied Nessa from the pole and carried her out of the room. Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. There was no guarantee that Jonathan would not torture her, but it was clear he knew he needed her alive. “You keep surprising me,” Jonathan said from his seat on the huge chair on the platform. “You are quite something, aren’t you? Nobody has killed as many of my men as you have. And a she-wolf, at that.” He laughed. “It appears that all the rumours were true. You are even better than some wimps I’ve come across calling themselves Alphas.” “If you are going to keep complementing me,” Eleanor told him, “shouldn’t you at least untie me first? Or is this how you treat your guests?” He chuckled. “Funny, too. You are perfect.” He stood up from his seat and walked down the steps leading from the raised platform. He approached her chair and squatted beside her, reaching out to touch her hand. He looked up at her. “You and me, we could do such great things together,” he said, stroking the back of her hand. “Nobody would be able to stand against us. We would be untouchable.” He got to his feet and stood in front of her. “Become my Luna.” Eleanor looked up at him and blinked. He had to be joking. Was this what he had in mind all along? Was this why he had not attacked her that day he got away from prison and went to her room, and why he had ordered Mia’s hybrids that day to not kill her? “When I rule the world, I want to do it with you beside me,” he told her. “You are the only female worthy of standing by my side when I take everything. I’ll have the entire world kneeling at your feet. You’ll be my queen, and I’ll give you everything you have ever desired.” “What makes you think I would like to be your Luna?” she asked. He couldn’t actually think that, could he? “Come on,” he said. “I know you are ambitious. I heard all about what you did to take away half the pack from your husband. You don’t want to be in someone’s shadow, and you should not be. You should shine from the very top, and that’s what I’m offering you. If you become my Luna, I’ll make everyone kneel at your feet, whether werewolves or vampires or hybrids.” Eleanor gave him a flat smile. “No thanks, I’m good on my own. As you have noted, I can get whatever I want for myself." He laughed. “Think about it. You are not exactly in a good place right now. You used to be the Luna of one of the most powerful packs around. Now, you are the Alpha of just half of that. Half the size, half the power, half the strength. Do you really think you have the same influence you had at Blackstorm?” “If you don’t think so, why are you so obsessed with me?” she asked him. “I’m not interested in your pack,” he claimed. “I’m interested in you. Really, you should be glad I’m offering you this chance. I’m not so generous to just anyone. A female like you deserves so much more than the dredges of a broken pack.” Eleanor arched her brow. “Dredges? The same ones who wiped out your warriors twice? I wonder what that says about your pack.” Jonathan chuckled as if he was more amused than offended by her words. “I’ll give you time to think about it. Just stop thinking of me as your rival and imagine all the things we can achieve together.” “I’ll pass.” He leaned forward and placed his hands on the arms of the chair. Their eyes were level as he looked at her. “Take your time. Think. I can wait. If you don’t accept, I can promise you that one day, you’ll be begging to stay by my side.”