Chapter 154
Cassian's POV
I rushed in, every step feeling like I was dragging weights behind me. Zero lent me what speed he could through the oppressive atmosphere that still clung to the room like fog.
The air reeked of blood—both wolf and something fouler. Raven's power was growing with the fight, I could feel it pressing against my skin like invisible hands. Each collision seemed to feed him, make him stronger instead of weaker. While we struggled against the lingering energy drain, he seemed completely unaffected.
Kade grabbed at the monster's arm, trying to lock it behind his back. "Hold him!"
Alaric aimed a vicious kick at Raven's knee, trying to break his stance. Leo's claws slashed toward the exposed chest, aiming for the heart—but the movement was just a hair too slow, hampered by whatever supernatural exhaustion still gripped us all.
I circled to the side, looking for weaknesses, any opening I could exploit. My muscles burned with exertion that shouldn't have been this severe. Every breath tasted like copper and ash.
But the monster was playing with us—I could see it in those flat gray eyes. This wasn't even close to his full power. Worse, I realized with growing dread, he wasn't using his ability to teleport. He could have vanished the moment the fight started, could have escaped through whatever dimensional door he'd used before. But he was choosing to stay, choosing to fight.
Which meant he wanted something here. Something worth fighting four powerful wolves for.
"Is this all you've got?" Raven taunted, voice dripping with mockery. "Pathetic. Even at full strength, you'd be no match for me."
Leo snarled and lunged again, jaws snapping inches from the monster's throat. So close, but not close enough. The weakness in his hindquarters made the jump fall just short.
"Cassian!" Alaric yelled, voice strained. "We need—"
"Enough!" Raven suddenly roared.
A force exploded outward from his body like a shockwave—but this time it was different. Instead of draining our energy, it felt like pure kinetic force. Kade, Alaric, and I were blown back like ragdolls, slamming into the far wall. My back hit the chair and white-hot pain shot through my spine, stealing my breath.
But Leo didn't stop. He kept pushing forward through the blast, teeth still aimed at the monster's throat with single-minded determination. Whatever bond drove him to protect Elowen, whatever instinct screamed that she was his, it was stronger than any physical weakness.
"Mine!" Leo roared, the word barely recognizable through his wolf vocal cords.
Raven laughed harder, the sound wrong in ways I couldn't articulate. "You think I want Elowen?"
I struggled to stand, every muscle screaming in protest. "What—"
"Then what do you want?"
It was Elowen's voice. Clear. Steady. Completely wrong for this situation.
My world stopped spinning.
She stood in the doorway like some kind of avenging angel. Alpha Austin, Ethan and Ronan stood behind her, their faces shocked pale. But Elowen's amber eyes were steady, fierce—the look of someone who'd made a decision and wouldn't be swayed from it.
"No," I whispered hoarsely. "Elowen, get out—"
But she didn't listen. Those amber eyes locked onto Raven with an intensity that made my blood run cold.
The monster turned to her, showing a bone-chilling smile that looked wrong on that ordinary face. The energy in the room shifted—no longer draining us, but not fully released either. Like he was maintaining just enough control to keep us weak while he focused on her.
"Only what you can give me, petal."
My blood boiled instantly. White-hot rage flooded through me, burning away some of the weakness.
"Don't call her that," I said, voice dangerously low and controlled.
Elowen looked at me then, something complicated flickering in her eyes. Fear? Determination? Resignation? I couldn't read it, and that terrified me more than the demon did.
But I knew one thing with absolute certainty—whatever this monster wanted, whatever he thought Elowen could give him, he wasn't getting it.
Absolutely not. Not while I still had breath in my body.
Leo stood between Elowen and Raven now, massive body forming a living barrier. His red brown fur bristled along his spine, making him look even larger. His chest heaved with heavy breaths. Blood dripped steadily from his claws onto the concrete floor, forming small dark pools.
The lingering weakness in all of us was palpable—we could feel it in our bones, see it in the slightly unsteady stance even Leo couldn't fully hide. But none of us would back down. Not now. Not with Elowen here.
"Elowen," I said again, fighting to keep my voice steady and calm despite the exhaustion pulling at my limbs. "Please. Leave."
She shook her head slowly, deliberately. "No."
The word hung in the air between us, heavy with meaning I couldn't fully decipher. But I saw the set of her jaw, the steel in her spine. Whatever was about to happen, she'd chosen to face it head-on.
And that terrified me more than anything else.