Chapter 196
Elowen's POV
"Lovers' quarrel?"
Sarah's voice cut through the moment like nails on a chalkboard. I turned my head sharply, finding her leaning against the opposite wall, her red waves cascading over her shoulders in that carefully styled way she always maintained. Her green eyes flicked between the three of us with an calculating gleam that made my skin crawl.
Cassian's body went rigid against mine, his hand tightening fractionally on my waist. Through the bond, I felt his irritation spike—sharp and immediate. He pushed away from the wall with deliberate slowness, but his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me flush against his side. His other hand dropped to my hip, fingers splaying possessively over the curve of my ass, giving it a firm squeeze that sent heat flooding through me.
Mine, his touch seemed to say. All mine.
"We're fine, Sarah," Cassian said coolly, his voice carrying that dangerous edge I'd come to recognize as Zero's influence bleeding through. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
Through our triple bond, I felt Casper's presence surge forward—jealousy mixed with his own possessive need. His amber eyes had darkened to molten gold as he watched Sarah, his jaw clenched tight.
This isn't over, babe, Cassian's voice whispered through our mental link, his tone a dark promise that made my core clench. Not even close.
I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. Don't threaten me with a good time, I shot back, earning a low growl from him that vibrated against my side.
Sarah's lips curved into something that might have been a smile if it didn't look so sharp. "I was just passing by. Couldn't help but notice the... intimate display." Her eyes raked over us with undisguised disdain. "How touching."
"Sarah." Casper said with a sneer, "Still lurking in hallways? Some habits die hard, I guess."
The scent hit me then—that mixture of stale perfume and something else, something... used. My nose wrinkled involuntarily.
Oh god, Juno groaned in my head. That's not shit. That's the stench of dried cum. At least four or five dirty fucks worth.
I choked on my own spit, earning concerned looks from both Cassian and Casper through our bond.
Sarah's cheeks flushed red. "Jealous?" she purred, trying to salvage some dignity.
Casper's laugh was cruel, echoing off the hallway walls. "Of what, exactly? That you smell like you've been run through by half the pack?" He stepped closer, his amber eyes gleaming with malicious amusement. "That's not a perfume I'd want my mate wearing, sweetheart. The only thing you're arousing is the need for a hazmat team."
Savage, Juno cackled. That's my boy! Fuck her up, Casper!
"Maybe," Casper continued, his voice dropping to a mocking purr as he invaded Sarah's personal space, "what you're actually desperate for is a deep vaginal power wash and a serious STD screening. Because right now? You reek of regret and cheap decisions."
Through our bond, I felt Cassian's dark satisfaction, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my hip as he watched his brother work.
Sarah's face went from red to white, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "How dare you—"
"No," Casper cut her off, his smile turning vicious. "How dare you show up here, smelling like a walking biohazard, and have the audacity to judge my mate?" He leaned in close enough that Sarah flinched. "The only thing jealous here is your delusion that you ever meant anything more than a convenient fuck."
God, he's on fire, I thought, unable to suppress a laugh that bubbled up from my chest.
Casper shot me a wink, that cocky grin I loved spreading across his face. He was enjoying this—the chance to be the asshole, to protect what was his with words as sharp as claws.
It's his natural gift! Juno cheered.
Sarah's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her breathing rapid and shallow. "You—you're disgusting."
"Really?" Casper straightened, his expression morphing into exaggerated shock. "Because I'm not the one who spent the last hour getting railed in The Moonbleed Taproom's back room." He paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Wait, was it five guys? Six? I lost count after the third round of 'oh, harder!'"
The color drained completely from Sarah's face.
Holy fuck, I thought, my eyes widening. How does he even know that?
Through our bond, Casper's satisfaction rolled through me like warm brandy. I have my ways, cutie.
"You're lying," Sarah whispered, but there was no conviction in her voice.
"Am I?" Casper's smile turned predatory. "Pretty sure half the bar heard you. Something about how Elowen 'stole' your life?" He made air quotes with his fingers, mockery dripping from every word. "Newsflash, sweetheart—you can't steal what was never yours to begin with."
Cassian's grip on my waist tightened, and through our bond, I felt his wolf Zero stirring, drawn by the confrontation. His voice came low and deadly when he spoke. "I suggest you choose your next words very carefully, Sarah."
The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop ten degrees. Sarah's eyes darted between the three of us, and I saw the moment she realized just how badly she'd miscalculated. This wasn't Casper alone—this was Casper and Cassian, united in their protection of me. And from the stories I'd heard, that was a force nobody wanted to face.
"I—" Sarah started, her voice shaking.
"Save it." Cassian's interruption was sharp as a blade. "You'd better be prepared to lose your tongue. And trust me—I'm very good with sharp objects."
Through our bond, I felt the truth in his words. He wasn't bluffing. Neither was Leo, who I could feel prowling just beneath Casper's skin, eager for violence.
They would actually do it, I realized, something hot and primitive coiling in my belly. They would hurt her. For me.
Part of me—the old Elowen who'd spent her life trying to smooth things over, to keep the peace—wanted to step in. To tell them to back off, that this wasn't necessary.
But Juno's snarl stopped me cold.
Don't you dare, she growled. This bitch spent months making your life hell. Let them handle it.
Sarah took a step back, her shoulder hitting the wall. Her green eyes were wide, genuine fear flickering in their depths. "You're insane. Both of you."
"Maybe," Casper agreed easily, his smile never wavering. "But at least I'm not desperate enough to spread my legs for Drake in a public bathroom stall."
Jesus Christ, I thought faintly. Is there anything he doesn't know?
"I—you—that's not—" Sarah sputtered, her face cycling through emotions so fast I couldn't track them all.
"Jealous about the fact you just let five men run a train on you in the last hour?" Casper continued mercilessly. "Nah. I'd rather fuck a donkey. At least the donkey's cleaner." He leaned in conspiratorially. "And honestly? Probably less lazy in bed."
Oh my god, I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying desperately not to laugh. Through our bond, I felt Cassian's amusement mixing with his darker satisfaction, and Casper's pure, vicious glee.
Casper winked at me, that troublemaker grin firmly in place. Gotta say what needs saying, Little Freckle.
You're an asshole, I sent back, unable to keep the fondness from the thought.
Your asshole, he corrected smugly.
"You—you can't—" Sarah's voice rose shrilly.
"Though I guess," Casper mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "you are kind of like a donkey." He snapped his fingers. "The stubbornness! The braying! The tendency to kick people who try to help you!" His grin widened. "Yeah, definitely seeing the resemblance now."
That's definitely his gift, Juno cackled gleefully in my mind.
Sarah's face contorted with rage and humiliation. She opened her mouth—probably to say something she'd regret—but Cassian's growl stopped her cold.
"Next time you want a donkey instead of your cheating—" Sarah began, her voice venomous.
"I suggest," Cassian cut in, his voice ringing through the hallway like a death knell, "you think very carefully about your next words."
The air crackled with power—not just his Alpha blood, but something darker, more dangerous. Zero's presence pressed against my consciousness through our bond, and I could feel the barely leashed violence coiling in Cassian's muscles.
"I've already warned you once," he continued, each word dropping like stones into still water. "I won't 'warn' you again."
Through our bond, I felt the truth of his words. The absolute certainty that he would follow through. That he wanted to follow through.
They really would hurt her, I thought again, my heart hammering. For me.
Sarah's bravado crumbled like wet paper. She pressed herself harder against the wall, her breathing rapid and shallow. "You can't—you wouldn't—"
"Try me," Cassian suggested softly, and the quiet menace in his tone was somehow more terrifying than if he'd shouted. "Please. Give me a reason."