Chapter 205
Cassian's POV
The words echoed in the tense silence. Through our bond, I felt Casper's wolf Leo raging, fighting against Casper's human mind. It was taking everything he had not to shift right here, right now.
"If you two wake her," Raven interrupted, waving his hand, "you'll ruin everything. Fortunately, magic has its privileges."
I felt it immediately—a subtle shift in the air, like someone had thrown a dampening blanket over reality. Elowen's breathing deepened, her body going completely limp in Casper's arms.
"What did you do?" I demanded.
"Ensured she sleeps through this delightful conversation." Raven examined his nails. "She'll wake when I leave. No permanent damage. You're welcome."
"How considerate," I said flatly.
"Ronan?" I turned to my potential ally, hoping he'd see the logic. "You understand why this is necessary, don't you?"
"I understand you're asking me to lie to my sister," Ronan said coldly. "To let her believe the two people she loves most in the world have abandoned her."
"To keep her alive," I insisted. "To keep the babies alive. Can you promise me you'll never let anything happen to her? That Kade and Alaric feel the same?"
Ronan's emerald eyes studied me for a long moment. "We'd die before we let harm come to her."
"Good." I nodded, trying to ignore the way my chest was constricting. "Then—"
"You're both pissed at each other," Raven interrupted suddenly, his gray eyes glowing with amusement. "How delicious. Casper, you're actually considering hitting your brother in his perfectly symmetrical face. And Cassian, you're thinking about how to physically restrain Casper if he tries to stop this plan."
"Stay out of our heads," I growled.
"Where's the fun in that?" Raven grinned. "Besides, you should know—Ronan's angry too, but he's also thinking about how nice it will be to have Elowen all to himself for a few months. Naughty, naughty."
Ronan's face flushed. "That's not—I would never—"
"Oh, you would," Raven assured him. "You're already planning how to comfort her, how to show her what real brothers do. It's actually quite sweet, in a mildly disturbing way."
"Fuck you," Ronan spat.
Casper finally spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper. "If he's thinking what I think he's thinking... she'll never forgive us."
I met my brother's eyes. "When she knows it was fake—when she knows we were protecting her—she'll understand."
"Will she?" Casper's amber eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "We're not trusting her, Cassian. We're making this choice for her. She'll be hurt that we didn't believe in her strength."
"I believe in her strength," I said softly. "That's why I think she can survive this. That's why I think she can come back from it."
"You're wrong." Casper's voice broke. "You're wrong, and when this blows up in our faces, don't say I didn't warn you."
Through our bond, I felt his anguish like a physical blow. Casper had always worn his heart on his sleeve, always loved with everything he had. Asking him to hide that, to pretend indifference to the woman he loved—it was like asking the sun not to shine.
But I didn't see another way.
"It's time for me to make my sacrifice for Elowen," I said, straightening my shoulders. "And so do you, Casper. We've taken from her—her safety, her peace, her choices. This is how we give back."
"This is bullshit," Casper said, and now the tears were falling freely. "This is absolute bullshit, and I'm not doing it. I'm not pretending I don't love her. I can't, Cassian. It's impossible. It's like asking me not to breathe. It's like asking the sun not to shine."
The desperation in his voice nearly broke me. Through our bond, I felt his Leo howling, felt the wolf's primal rejection of this plan. And beneath it all, I felt my brother's terror—not of Raven, not of the Goddess, but of losing Elowen for real.
"Then we're fucked," Raven said cheerfully. "Because without both of you committed to this, it won't work. The bond between twins is too strong. If one of you is radiating 'I love my mate' energy while the other is pretending not to care, Selene will know immediately."
"Maybe that's for the best," Casper muttered.
"Your father stays dead then," Raven said with a shrug. "Elowen loses one or both babies. Possibly dies herself when the rejection ritual goes wrong. But sure, at least you'll have your integrity."
"You manipulative son of a—"
"I prefer 'creative problem solver,'" Raven interrupted. "And my time here is up. I'll be back in a few hours to see if you've grown a spine, Cassian. Or if you've grown a brain, Casper." He paused, his gray eyes sweeping over both of us. "For what it's worth, I hope you choose to fight. It would be disappointing to lose such entertaining specimens."
Red smoke began to swirl around him.
"Wait," I said. "If we agree—what's the first step?"
Raven's smile was sharp. "Elowen rejects you publicly. In front of the entire pack. And then she leaves with her brothers, and you two..." He paused dramatically. "Well, you'll have to figure out how to look like your hearts are breaking without actually letting them break. Should be simple for you, right Cassian? You're so good at controlling your emotions."
The smoke thickened, obscuring him completely.
"Oh, and Casper?" His voice drifted out of the red haze. "Try not to kill anyone in the meantime. It would ruin the aesthetic."
Then he was gone, leaving only the faint scent of sulfur and the crushing weight of the decision ahead.
I looked at my brother. Casper was staring down at Elowen's sleeping face, his expression shattered. Through our bond, I felt his resolve crumbling, felt the last of his respect for my judgment dying.
We'd always been a team, Casper and me. Two halves of one whole. But in that moment, I felt the first real crack in our foundation.
And I knew, with terrible certainty, that whatever we decided—whether we went through with Raven's plan or not—nothing would ever be the same between us.
The silence stretched on, broken only by Elowen's soft breathing. Neither of us moved. Neither of us spoke.
We just stood there, brothers on opposite sides of an impossible choice, both of us desperately wishing we could wake up and find this was all a nightmare.
But nightmares, I was learning, had a way of becoming reality.