Chapter 148
# Casper's POV
I laughed. It came out wrong—hollow, sharp. "Bullshit."
But my voice shook.
Jessica's eyes held something I'd never seen before. Not manipulation. Not calculated cruelty. Just... pure, bottomless hatred. She looked like she'd finally snapped.
"You haven't heard anything yet!" Kade's grin was vicious, cruel in a way that made Leo bristle inside me.
"That's their mate!" Alaric snapped at Kade, his voice cutting through the tension. "Show some fucking respect."
She's yours, Leo whispered in my head. Protect her.
But protect her from what?
I dragged a chair across the floor. The scraping sound felt too loud. I sat directly in front of Jessica, every muscle tight. Kade's hand landed on my shoulder—heavy, steady. A silent message: Stay calm.
I couldn't. Not with the way my chest constricted.
"You raised Elowen for twenty years," I said slowly. Each word careful. Controlled. "And suddenly you're saying she's not yours?"
"She's not!" Jessica's voice cracked into a shriek.
The sound echoed. Drake made a strangled noise beside us.
"Watch your tone." Alaric's voice dropped to something deadly. "Or I'll slit your throat right here."
Jessica's mouth snapped shut. But her eyes... God, her eyes were still burning with that sick hatred.
"Why?" Cassian's thought crashed into mine through our bond. Why does she hate Elowen so much?
I don't know, I sent back. But we're about to find out.
"I hated her mother!" Jessica spat suddenly. The words exploded from her like she couldn't hold them in anymore. "Every day I looked at that girl, I saw... I saw her. The woman who humiliated me. Who took everything."
My jaw clenched. "Who's Elowen's real father?"
"Tell them," Kade leaned forward, his grin widening. "Tell them what you told us."
Jessica's whole body trembled. Blood and tears mixed on her face. I'd never seen someone look so broken and so hateful at the same time.
"I was... I was her mother's maid," Jessica whispered. "Twenty years ago. I hated her. I hated how perfect she was. How everyone loved her. So when she gave birth..."
My boot connected with her knee. Hard. "Answer the fucking question."
"Lucian Ashborne!" The name burst from her lips.
The room stopped.
"The royal Alpha?" Cassian's voice came from behind me, sharp with shock. "Fuck... isn't he Ethan's uncle?"
My mind went blank. Then it exploded.
Royal bloodline.
Elowen is royalty.
She's a princess.
"If this is true..." Cassian's voice cut through my thoughts. His tone serious now. "This changes everything."
Alaric shoved Jessica forward. She fell at my feet.
I stood. My chair toppled backward with a crash.
"Yes!" Jessica screamed up at me. "Yes, she's one of the royal heirs! But she'll never rule! Never!"
The hatred in her voice made me sick.
"So you planned to have Drake kill Ethan?" Kade stepped closer, his eyes sharp. "To keep this secret?"
"No!" Jessica laughed—actually laughed. It sounded insane. She spat at my boots. "I wanted to watch her burn! I wanted her to suffer like her mother made me suffer!"
My fists clenched. Every instinct screamed to shut her up. Permanently. But we needed answers.
Don't, Cassian sent through our bond. Don't give her what she wants.
He was right. I forced my hands to relax.
"We're running out of time." Kade's voice was flat now. Business-like. "There's more to handle."
"She has a right to know," I said. The words came out rough. "Elowen deserves the truth."
"From us," Cassian added. "Not from this bitch."
"Fine." I nodded slowly. "But there's a problem with our goddess deal."
My stomach dropped.
"What problem?" Cassian demanded.
"The trade required two heart-bonds," I said carefully. "I was originally planning to provide Jessica and Drake, since they were both very important people to El at one point. I wanted to use these two bonds as substitutes for our kids and our bonds with El. But if Jessica isn't her mother..."
"We can still offer them," Cassian cut in. "Elowen grew up thinking Jessica was her mother. That has to count for something."
I opened my mouth to respond.
"No!"
The voice came with laughter—dark, amused, unnervingly familiar. It rolled through the room like thunder.
Every ounce of energy vanished.
Just... gone.
The air itself felt hollow. Empty. Like someone had reached in and ripped out the very essence of the space. My lungs seized. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't move.
What the fuck— Cassian's panic slammed into me through our bond.
But I couldn't answer. The pressure was crushing. Suffocating.
Jessica's scream cut off mid-sound. Alaric stumbled. Even Kade—steady, unshakeable Kade—went rigid.
The voice laughed again. Closer now. Still hidden.
Then it faded.
Slowly, the energy crept back. Air rushed into my lungs. I gasped, my hand gripping the edge of the table.
"What..." Alaric's voice shook. "What the hell was that?"
Kade's face had gone white. "Something we're not prepared for."
I turned to Cassian. Our eyes met.
That voice, he sent. Did you—
Yeah, I cut him off. I recognized it too.
But from where?
Jessica started laughing. Hysterical. Wild.
"You're all doomed," she gasped. "Every single one of you."
My blood ran cold.
We need to find Elowen, Cassian sent. Urgent. Desperate.
Now, I agreed. Before whatever that was comes back.