Chapter 233
Elowen's POV
The purple flash exploded behind my eyelids like a supernova.
My body jerked, every muscle locking as fragmented images crashed through my mind—too fast, too chaotic to grasp. A woman's face I almost recognized. Hands reaching. Blood on stone. A crown made of moonlight.
What the hell—
I tried to scream, but the sound died in my throat. Cut off. Silenced.
My lungs seized. Panic flooded every nerve as I fought for air that wouldn't come, drowning in nothing while my chest burned and my vision blurred purple-black-purple—
Then warmth. A presence that felt like mine but wasn't.
Juno?
My wolf was there, wrapped around my consciousness like a protective shield. I felt her—no, felt us—being pushed and pulled by something else. Something dark and ancient that tasted like sulfur and burnt magic.
Raven.
His power threaded through me like poison-laced honey, sweet and deadly, making my skin crawl even as it settled into my bones.
And then—voices. Cutting through the chaos like lifelines thrown into a storm.
"I love you, babe! Only you."
Casper. His voice raw and desperate and so full of emotion it made my heart clench.
"I love you, Elowen. Never forget that."
Cassian. Colder, but no less intense. A promise wrapped in ice and fury.
The words echoed in my skull as the purple light faded. The panic receded like a wave pulling back from shore, leaving me hollow and exhausted.
And then... nothing.
Just blessed, terrifying darkness.
---
I woke to silence.
The kind of silence that feels wrong. Too heavy. Too complete.
My eyes snapped open, immediately scanning the unfamiliar ceiling above me. Ornate molding. A crystal chandelier catching moonlight. The Luna suite. Ella's private rooms.
I sat up fast enough to make my head spin, one hand flying to the mattress to steady myself.
The room was empty. Dark except for silver moonlight streaming through the windows and the digital clock on the nightstand casting a sickly green glow.
9:00 PM.
Nine fucking o'clock at night, and I had no idea how I'd gotten here or how long I'd been out.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I looked around, half-expecting to see something lurking in the shadows. Some remnant of whatever the hell had happened before I passed out.
"Nothing," I whispered to the darkness, my voice hoarse. "There's nothing here."
I flopped back onto the pillows, staring at the ceiling while my pulse gradually slowed.
My hands moved automatically, reaching to either side. Left pillow. Right pillow.
Both empty. Both cold.
No Casper. No Cassian.
The absence hit me like a physical blow. After everything—after the intensity of this afternoon, after what we'd done, after they'd promised to never leave me—
Heat flooded my face as the memories rushed back. Casper's mouth on me. Cassian's hands. The way they'd moved together, touching me, claiming me, loving me until I couldn't think straight.
My thighs pressed together involuntarily as warmth pooled low in my belly.
God. Even now, even scared and confused and alone in this too-big room, my body responded to the memory of them.
Where the hell are they?
I threw off the covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The silk nightgown I was wearing—definitely not mine—whispered against my skin as I stood.
Someone had changed me. Put me in this expensive thing while I was unconscious.
The thought should have bothered me more than it did.
I grabbed the matching robe from the foot of the bed and wrapped it around myself, tying it tight. My bare feet were silent on the plush carpet as I moved toward the door.
I needed to find them. Needed to know they were okay. Needed to understand what the hell had happened after Raven—
My hand was on the doorknob when I yanked the door open.
And walked straight into Ronan.
"Shit!" I stumbled back, my heart leaping into my throat.
He caught my elbow, steadying me with a gentle grip. "Easy there, Queenie."
I looked up at him, really looked, and felt my stomach drop.
Something was wrong.
Ronan's deep brown hair was messier than usual, like he'd been running his hands through it. His emerald green eyes—normally bright with mischief—looked dull. Worried.
And that smile on his face? The one that was supposed to be charming and reassuring?
It didn't reach his eyes.
"Hey," he said, his voice too casual. Too careful. "You hungry? I was just about to grab some food."
I narrowed my eyes, studying his face. "Where are Casper and Cassian?"
"They're—" He paused, and I watched his throat work as he swallowed. "They're busy. Handling some pack business."
"At nine o'clock at night?" I moved to step around him. "I need to see them."
His hand tightened on my arm—not painfully, but enough to stop me. "Elowen, they really are fine. They just asked me to make sure you ate something when you woke up."
My wolf stirred inside me, hackles rising.
He's lying.
Juno's voice was sharp in my mind. Clear. No longer muffled like before.
I looked at Ronan's hand on my arm, then back at his face. "You're hiding something."
Something flickered in his eyes. Guilt? Fear?
"I'm not—" He stopped, his shoulders sagging slightly. He let go of my arm and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I really can't get into it right now. Can we just... go downstairs? Please?"
The please did it.
Ronan didn't beg. Didn't ask for things. He demanded, he teased, he charmed his way into getting what he wanted.
This? This was different.
Every instinct I had screamed at me to push past him. To run through the packhouse until I found Casper and Cassian and made sure they were okay.
But the genuine worry in Ronan's eyes made me hesitate.
He's your brother, I reminded myself. He wouldn't hurt you. He wouldn't let them hurt either.
"Fine," I said finally, my voice tight. "But you're going to tell me what's going on."
Relief washed over his face. "Deal. Come on."
He turned and headed down the hallway toward the main staircase. I followed, wrapping my arms around myself as we walked.
The packhouse felt wrong. Too quiet. Like everyone was holding their breath.
Or like something bad had already happened.
We descended the grand staircase in silence. My hand gripped the banister tight enough to hurt, my mind racing through possibilities.
Were they hurt? Did something happen with Raven? With the Moon Goddess?
The bond between us felt... distant. Muffled, like someone had thrown a blanket over it.
That shouldn't be possible.
"Ronan—" I started.
"Kitchen's this way," he interrupted, steering me left at the bottom of the stairs.
The bright lights of the kitchen hit me like a slap after the dim hallways. I blinked against the glare, watching as Ronan moved around the island with practiced ease.
He pulled ingredients from the fridge—eggs, bacon, cheese. Started pulling out pans.
All while very carefully not looking at me.
I leaned against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. And waited.
Thirty seconds passed. A minute.
Ronan cracked eggs into a bowl, whisked them with more focus than necessary.
Two minutes.
He started heating the pan, the sizzle of butter filling the silence between us.
Three minutes.
"Ronan." My voice was soft. Gentle. The tone I'd use on a scared animal. "Tell me what's going on."
He stopped. Just stood there, spatula in hand, staring at the stove.
When he finally looked at me, his face was a mess of guilt and worry and something else I couldn't quite name.
Fear?
"They're fine," he said again. "I swear to you, Queenie. They're okay. They just... they needed to handle something important. Something they didn't want to wake you up for."
"Important." I let the word hang there. "What could possibly be so important that they'd leave me alone after—" I cut myself off, heat flooding my cheeks. "After this afternoon?"
Understanding flashed in his eyes. Understanding and sympathy and god, that just made it worse.
"I can't tell you," he said quietly. "They made me promise to keep you here until they got back. To make sure you were okay."
My heart started racing again, but this time it wasn't from arousal or confusion.
It was fear.
Because Casper and Cassian didn't keep secrets from me. Not anymore. Not after everything we'd been through.
So if they were hiding something now...
"I need to know, Ronan." My voice cracked on the last word. "I can't just sit here and wait. Not knowing if they're safe. Not knowing what's happening."
He opened his mouth to respond—
And the front door slammed open.
Both of our heads whipped toward the sound. My heart leaped into my throat.