Chapter 132
Elowen's POV
Selene's golden eyes locked onto mine. The garden around us felt too still. Too quiet. Like the whole world was holding its breath.
"The price for bringing back Alpha Austin," she said softly, "is two bonds of the heart."
My gaze snapped to Casper and Cassian. They stood frozen like ice sculptures. Beautiful. Terrifying. My hand flew to my chest. I felt my heartbeat pounding against my palm.
"What... what does that mean?" My voice cracked.
The bonds. She meant the mate bonds. The sacred connections between me and them.
"No." I shook my head. "No, there has to be another way. Please. Tell me there's another option."
"There isn't." Selene's voice was gentle but firm. "I froze your mates so you could hear the full truth first. So you could understand before they tried to—"
"Before they what?" I cut her off. My hands were shaking.
"Before they tried to take this burden from you." She glanced at the frozen twins. "They would sacrifice themselves in a heartbeat. But this choice... it must be yours to make."
I looked at Casper. His amber eyes were wide. Desperate. Tears gathered at the corners but didn't fall. Cassian's ice-blue gaze burned into me. His jaw was clenched so hard I could see the muscle jumping.
They could hear everything. See everything. But they couldn't move. Couldn't speak.
Couldn't protect me.
"You're hiding something." I took a step toward Selene. "I can see it in your eyes. What aren't you telling me?"
The goddess hesitated. For the first time since I'd met her, she looked... uncertain. Her silver hair shimmered in the moonlight. Her expression tightened.
"Speak," I demanded. My wolf Juno stirred inside me. "Tell me everything."
Selene's golden eyes softened. "Elowen... you carry life within you. Not one, but two precious lives. Twins."
The world tilted.
I stumbled backward. My hands pressed against my stomach. "You're lying. You're—"
"She's not lying," Juno whispered in my mind. "I can feel them. Two heartbeats. Two little souls."
"Twins?" I couldn't breathe. "But I thought... I only felt one..."
My heart raced. Two babies. Two. I'd been so focused on the one tiny flutter I'd sensed that I'd missed the second.
But wait.
Fear crashed over me like ice water. "Whose... whose babies are they?"
What if one of them was Drake's? What if—
"They're yours," Selene said firmly. "Yours, Casper's, and Cassian's."
Relief hit me so hard my knees buckled. "Thank god. Thank god."
Tears spilled down my cheeks. I pressed my hands harder against my stomach. Safe. They were safe. They were ours.
"Each child carries the essence of one father," Selene continued. "Two eggs. Two fathers. It's exceptionally rare. Each twin will have a unique bond with their biological father, but both children are equally yours and theirs."
I looked at my frozen mates. Casper's amber eyes were shining with unshed tears. Cassian's ice-blue gaze had softened. If they could move, they'd be holding me right now. Protecting me. Loving me.
And that made what came next so much worse.
"You must choose," Selene said. Her voice was heavy. "Between your mate bonds and your unborn children."
"What?" I whirled to face her. "You're insane."
"The universe requires balance." She stepped closer. "To bring back a life as powerful as Alpha Austin's, something of equal value must be sacrificed. Your mate bonds with Casper and Cassian—or the lives of your twins."
"Fuck your balance!" I screamed. Gold flickered in my vision as Juno surged forward. "This isn't fair!"
"Fairness is not—"
"Don't." My hands curled into fists. "Don't you dare tell me about fairness. You're asking me to choose between my mates and my babies. How is that fair?"
My hands flew to my stomach. Protective. Desperate. I couldn't lose them. I couldn't lose any of them.
"I'm not asking you to lose everything," Selene said quietly. "Only to choose one. Your mates or your children."
"Oh, I'm sorry." My laugh was bitter. "I didn't realize it was that simple. Just give up my soul. No big deal."
Tears poured down my face. My body shook. I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside.
I turned to look at Casper and Cassian. Their faces were frozen in silent agony. Tears streaked down Casper's cheeks. Cassian's hands were clenched so tight his knuckles were white.
They could hear me breaking. See me falling apart.
And they couldn't do anything.
"They have to watch this," I whispered. "They have to watch me face this alone. That's so fucking cruel."
"They need to understand," Selene said. "They need to see your strength. Your courage. So that when I release them, they can help you carry what comes next."
I shook my head. "I can't... I can't do this."
"You must."
"No." I looked at Selene. "Unfreeze them. Now."
"Elowen—"
"I said NOW!" My voice echoed through the garden. "I need them. We promised we'd face everything together. Everything."
I stumbled toward Casper and Cassian. My trembling hands touched their cold cheeks. I could feel them trying to respond. Trying to wrap their arms around me. Trying to hold me.
But they couldn't move.
"Please," I begged Selene. "Please let them go. I can't do this alone."
"You're not alone," Selene said softly. "Look at them. They're here. They're witnessing. They'll know everything. And when I release them, you three will decide together."
I pressed my forehead against Casper's frozen chest. Then Cassian's. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I'm so sorry you have to see this."
I took a shaky breath. Then another. My hands rested on my stomach. On the two tiny lives growing inside me.
I thought about Austin. About Luna Ella's screams. About Cindy losing her father. About the twins losing theirs.
And I thought about my babies. About the future we were supposed to have.
"I can't choose," I said. My voice was clear now. Strong. "I won't choose between them and you." I looked at my frozen mates. "I won't."