Chapter 226
Cassian's POV
I was done with this cryptic bullshit.
"Enough," I snapped, "Stop fucking around and tell us what you mean. My brother just had his entire world shattered, and you're standing here playing games?"
The Moon Goddess turned those eyes on me, and I felt Zero stir uneasily in my chest. But I didn't back down. I couldn't. Not when Casper was still reeling from the revelation that our parents had been lying to him his entire life.
Cassian, Zero warned. Careful.
Fuck careful, I shot back.
"Patience is a virtue, Cassian Thornwood," Selene said, her melodious voice carrying a hint of reproach.
"Yeah? Well, virtue doesn't mean shit when my family's falling apart." I took a step forward, ignoring Elowen's hand on my arm. "You just told my brother that his wolf was supposed to exist. That our parents betrayed him. So stop with the mysterious goddess act and tell us what the hell that means."
Beside me, I felt Casper's emotions bleeding through our twin bond—a toxic mix of rage, confusion, and a pain so deep it made my chest ache. He was trying to process everything, trying to understand how the people we trusted most had lied to us.
Through our mind link, I reached for him. I'm here, brother. Whatever she says next, I'm here.
His response was a snarl of emotion, but beneath it, I felt his gratitude.
"Your impatience serves no one," Selene began, but Casper cut her off.
"Our daughter," he said, his voice rough. "You said she'll be more powerful than you. Is that because of Leo? Because of what I am?"
Don't engage with her, Casper, I warned through our link. She's baiting you.
I don't believe a fucking word this bitch says, he replied, but I could feel his determination to get answers.
I had a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling.
"The child will possess abilities that transcend typical lupine genetics," Selene said, and I watched her carefully. There—in her eyes. A flicker of something I never thought I'd see from a goddess.
Fear.
"You're afraid," I said, the realization hitting me like a truck. I looked at Elowen, who was gripping my hand tighter. "Elowen was right. You're afraid of our daughter."
Selene's expression shifted, that perfect composure cracking just slightly. "The child will have the capacity to alter the balance of power. To create... or to destroy."
My blood ran cold. "What does that mean for my son?"
The question escaped before I could stop it. My son. The boy Elowen carried alongside his twin sister. I needed to know if he was in danger too.
Selene's gaze softened, but her words were like knives. "Your son will suffer because of his sister's gifts. He will live in her shadow, always second, always—"
"No," I interrupted, my voice shaking. "No, that's not—"
And suddenly, it clicked. That vision Raven had shown me. The future where I was working with him, where I was trying to control Casper's daughter. Our daughter. It wasn't about stopping her from being evil.
It was about protecting my son.
My daughter, I corrected myself fiercely. She's my daughter too. Both of them are mine.
"You want to bind her," Elowen said, and I heard the horror in her voice. "You want to control my child from birth. That's your solution?"
"The child's power must be tethered to my will," Selene said calmly. "From the moment of birth, she must be trained to understand her responsibility—"
"Her," I snarled, stepping between the goddess and Elowen. "Stop calling her 'it.' She's a person. Our daughter."
"Are you fucking serious right now?" Casper's voice was thick with disgust. "This bitch wants to enslave our baby girl?"
Elowen's hand found mine, and I squeezed it hard. Through our mate bond, I could feel her shock turning to rage. "You're no different from the demons," she said to Selene. "You just want power. You want to control people."
Selene didn't even have the decency to look offended. She just shrugged, as if Elowen had pointed out something obvious.
"We'll guide her ourselves," Elowen continued, her voice gaining strength. "We'll make sure she doesn't get corrupted by darkness. Casper has Leo's power, and he's still good. He's still—"
"She'll have her twin brother to balance her," I added, the words spilling out as the plan formed in my mind. "Just like Casper has me. They'll keep each other grounded."
"We cannot take that risk," Selene insisted.
"I can," Elowen said firmly. "And I will."
My heart swelled with pride and fear in equal measure. She was magnificent and terrifying, standing up to a goddess for our children. Our children.
"What happens if we refuse?" I asked, keeping my voice level even though every instinct screamed at me to grab Elowen and run. "What's the consequence of saying no to you?"
Selene's eyes flashed. "Your daughter will be destroyed. Along with her brother."
The threat hung in the air like poison.
"This offer," Elowen said carefully, and I could feel her mind working through our bond, "it only applies if I choose to keep the children and sever the mate bonds, doesn't it?"
Selene inclined her head. "Balance must be restored. I have already given you two lives—your own, and Alpha Austin's. The price must be paid."
Silence crashed over us like a wave. I looked at Casper, saw my own horror reflected in his eyes. Then I looked at Elowen, at the hand resting on her still-flat stomach where our children grew.
Two lives. Two impossible choices.
We need time, I thought desperately. We need to think.
"We need time to consider this," I said aloud, forcing my voice to stay steady. "This isn't a decision we can make lightly."
"Very well," Selene said, but there was a warning in her tone. "But time is a luxury you may not have."
And then she was gone, dissolving into moonlight and leaving us standing in Elowen's bedroom, the morning sun streaming through the windows like nothing had happened.
I immediately pulled Elowen into my arms, feeling Casper move to her other side. Through our triple bond—mate bond with her, twin bond with my brother—I could feel the tangle of emotions threatening to overwhelm us all.
"We'll find a way," I said, gripping Elowen's hand tight. "We'll find a way to protect our children. All of them. No matter what it costs."
"Together," Elowen whispered, her voice unshakeable despite the tears on her cheeks.
"Together," I agreed, and felt Casper's hand join ours.
We would fight for this. For our family. For our future.
Even if it meant going to war with a goddess.
Elowen suddenly pulled away, swaying slightly. I reached for her instantly, but she steadied herself against the bedpost.
"Five minutes," she said, her voice tight. "Get dressed. We're leaving."
"Where?" I asked, even as I was already moving toward the door to grab clothes from my room.
She turned to look at us, and my heart clenched at what I saw in her eyes. Sadness. Desperation. And underneath it all, a terrible, determined resignation.
"To see Raven," she said quietly. "We have a deal to make."