Chapter 128
Elowen's POV
If I was pregnant, we had more than just ourselves to think about now.
"We're not making any decisions tonight," Cassian continued. His voice had taken on that commanding tone that always made my wolf want to submit. "All of us are exhausted. Traumatized. We need rest. Food. Time to process."
"But Dad—" Casper started.
"Is already gone," Cassian finished quietly. "And nothing we decide in the next few hours is going to change that. We need clear heads. Rational thoughts. Not grief and panic."
He was right. We all knew he was right.
But it still felt wrong to walk away. To leave Austin in whatever cold room they'd moved his body to. To let his death sit unanswered.
"Come on." I tugged gently on both their hands. "Let's go back to my room. We can talk more there."
We made our way through the empty hallways. Past the medical wing where people were still being treated for injuries. Past the offices where I knew Drake and my mother were probably still being interrogated by the visiting Alphas.
Every step felt too heavy. Too final.
When we reached my room, I locked the door behind us and leaned against it. My whole body was shaking now. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving me hollow and exhausted.
Casper sat on the edge of my bed, his head in his hands. Cassian stood by the window, staring out at the dark forest beyond.
"I can't believe he's really gone," Casper said quietly. "This morning he was alive. Healthy. Making plans for the pack. And now..."
"I know." I moved to sit beside him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"Isn't it?" The words came out before I could stop them. "If I hadn't come here. If I hadn't gotten involved with you two. If Drake hadn't been obsessed with getting me back. Maybe none of this would've happened."
Cassian turned from the window. "Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't blame yourself for the actions of evil people." He crossed the room and knelt in front of me. "Drake poisoned the champagne. Your mother conspired with him. Raven killed our father. You had nothing to do with any of that."
"But I'm the reason they all came together. I'm the catalyst."
"No." Casper lifted his head, amber eyes fierce. "You're the reason we survived. You're the reason we didn't all tear each other apart tonight. You kept your head. You found solutions. You protected everyone you could."
Tears burned behind my eyes. "I should've done more."
"You did everything possible." Cassian cupped my face gently. "And you're going to keep doing it. Because you're our mate. Our Luna. And you're stronger than you know."
The tears spilled over. I couldn't hold them back anymore.
"I don't feel strong," I whispered. "I feel terrified."
"We all are," Casper said. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his side. "But we're terrified together. And that makes us unbreakable."
Cassian stood and moved to my other side. Both brothers surrounded me with their warmth, their scent, their presence.
We sat like that for a long time. Not talking. Just breathing. Just existing in the same space.
Eventually, Casper spoke again.
"What are we going to tell Selene?"
The question I'd been dreading.
I thought about everything we had to lose. Our bond. Our pack. Our future. The tiny life possibly growing inside me.
And I thought about what we'd gain. Austin alive. Luna Ella whole. Cindy with her father.
But at what cost?
"I think..." I took a shaky breath. "I think we need to know what the sacrifice is before we decide. We can't agree to something blind."
"Selene said the price would be revealed when we made our choice," Cassian pointed out. "That's not exactly reassuring."
"No," I agreed. "But I don't think we can say no without at least considering it."
Casper stiffened. "Are you saying you want to bring Dad back?"
"I'm saying we should discuss it. All three of us. Calmly. Without letting emotion cloud our judgment."
"How can we not be emotional?" Casper demanded. "He's our father. Your Alpha. The leader of this pack."
"And he's gone." Cassian's voice was gentle but firm. "Bringing him back might seem like the right thing to do. But we don't know what it would cost us. What if the price is our mate bond? What if it's the pup? What if Selene demands something we can't afford to give?"
"But what if we can afford it?" Casper shot back. "What if whatever she asks for is worth it to have him back?"
The brothers stared at each other. The twin bond between them crackled with tension.
I placed one hand on each of their chests, feeling their hearts beating fast and hard.
"Stop," I said quietly. "This is exactly what we can't do. We can't fight each other. Not now."
Both of them took a deep breath, their eyes closing briefly.
"You're right," Casper muttered. "Sorry."
"Me too," Cassian added.
I pulled them both closer, resting my forehead against Casper's shoulder.
"Here's what I think," I said slowly. "We sleep on it tonight. Get some rest. Let our minds clear. And tomorrow, we'll talk to Selene again. We'll ask her directly what the sacrifice would be. And then we'll decide together."
I know what Cassian said, but we have to try. We can't make a choice this big completely in the dark.
"And if she won't tell us?" Casper asked.
"Then we say no." I looked up at him. "We don't make deals with gods we don't understand. Not even for something as important as this."
Cassian nodded slowly. "Agreed."
Casper hesitated for a long moment. Then he sighed and nodded too.
"Okay. We do this together. No matter what."
"No matter what," I echoed.
We stayed wrapped around each other as the night deepened outside. Somewhere in the pack house, people were mourning. Healing. Trying to make sense of the chaos.
But in this room, with my mates on either side of me, I felt something close to peace.
Whatever came next, we'd face it together.
And that was the only thing that mattered.