Chapter 142
Elowen's POV
Casper called back the number Kade had just called from.
Casper's jaw clenched, his eyes burning amber as he asked. "What the hell is going on?"
A low chuckle crackled through the speaker—Ronan, probably. Then Kade again. "Put me on speaker. Elowen needs to hear this."
Casper hesitated, his gaze flicking to me. I nodded, wrapping my arms around myself. The tile was cold under my feet. Casper tapped the screen, and suddenly Kade's voice filled the bathroom.
"Elowen, you there?" Kade asked.
"Yeah," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
"Good. Listen—"
Before he could finish, a man's voice cut in from the background. "Is that the new Luna?"
My stomach twisted. "I have a name," I snapped.
Ronan laughed. "She's got fire. I like her."
Casper growled, low and dangerous. "Get to the point, Kade."
There was a pause. Then a woman's voice, sharp and venomous, sliced through the line. "Elowen isn't the damn Luna. She's nothing!"
My breath caught. I knew that voice.
"Mom?" I whispered.
Cassian's eyes narrowed, his body tensing like a coiled spring. Casper's hand shot out, grabbing my wrist, pulling me closer. His touch grounded me, but my chest felt tight.
"Jessica," Kade said, his tone flat. "Shut up."
But she didn't. "She's a Beta's daughter playing dress-up with two Alphas who'll get bored and—"
A sharp crack echoed through the phone. Someone had hit her. Hard.
"Jesus," I breathed.
Casper's fist clenched and released, clenched and released. Through our bond, I felt his fury—hot, suffocating, almost feral. His wolf, Leo, was prowling just beneath the surface. "That bitch," he snarled through the mind link to Cassian. "I'll rip her throat out."
"Not now," Cassian shot back, his mental voice cold and controlled. But his jaw was tight, his knuckles white where he gripped the doorframe.
I forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow. "She's right, technically. Luna Ella is still Luna."
Cassian's gaze snapped to me. "Don't."
"Don't what?" I said, lifting my chin. "She's not wrong."
"That's not funny, Elowen," Cassian said, his voice low.
Casper stepped closer, his chest brushing my back. "It's not funny at all, little freckle."
Through the phone, a scream split the air—Drake. High-pitched, raw, full of pain.
My blood ran cold.
"What the fuck was that?" Casper demanded.
Kade's voice came back, calm as ever. "Just a little... persuasion. Don't worry, we're being gentle. Mostly."
Alaric's voice drifted in, smooth and almost amused. "Define gentle."
Ronan snorted. "He's still breathing, isn't he?"
Casper's hand slid up my arm, pulling me flush against him. "We're on our way."
"Good," Kade said. "And Casper? Bring her. She needs to see this."
The line went dead.
For a moment, none of us moved. The silence pressed down like a weight. Casper looked at my pale face, and for a split second, the anger in his eyes softened into something else—concern, maybe guilt. He exhaled slowly, his grip on the phone loosening. "Here," he said quietly, extending it toward me. "Take it back."
I blinked, surprised. He'd practically torn it out of my hands earlier, and now he was just... giving it back?
"I have my reasons," Cassian said sharply, snatching the phone from Casper's hand before I could grab it. His eyes blazed. "I don't want you having a phone at all. Especially not one belonging to someone like him."
I stared at him. "You're such a possessive Alpha asshole."
"Damn right I am," he shot back.
I shoved past him, stalking toward Casper's closet. "I need clothes."
Casper followed, his footsteps quiet on the hardwood. "What do you want, baby?"
"Something that doesn't scream 'I just got fucked in the shower,'" I muttered, yanking open a drawer.
He chuckled, low and warm. "Too late for that, cutie."
I pulled out a T-shirt—his, oversized and soft—and turned to face him. Cassian was right behind me, close enough that I could feel his body heat.
"Can you two back off for like, two seconds?" I said.
"No," they said in unison.
I rolled my eyes and tugged the shirt over my head. It fell to mid-thigh, loose and comfortable. "This is fine."
Casper's gaze dragged down my body, slow and deliberate. "You need pants."
"It's long enough," I argued.
Cassian's hand landed on my hip, firm and possessive. "Pants. Or you stay here."
"You're both impossible."
Casper smirked, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a pair of sweatpants. "Arms up, little freckle."
I huffed but obeyed. Instead of handing me the pants immediately, he slid his hands under the hem of my shirt, his fingers brushing my ribs, my breasts. I sucked in a breath.
"Tease," I muttered.
He grinned, letting the shirt fall back into place. "You love it."
Cassian handed me the sweatpants, his expression unreadable. "Put them on."
"Or what?" I challenged.
His eyes darkened. "Or I tie you to the bed and we don't leave."
Heat pooled in my stomach. Damn him. I snatched the pants and stepped into them, yanking them up. They were too big, the waistband sagging low on my hips, but I didn't care.
"Happy now?" I snapped.
Casper's hand cupped my jaw, tilting my face up. "Not even close, baby." He kissed me, soft and slow, and I melted into him despite myself.
When he pulled back, Cassian was watching us, his gaze heavy. "We need to go."
"Right." I stepped back, running a hand through my damp hair. "But first, you should know how I met Kade and the others."
Cassian crossed his arms. "Talk."