Chapter 277
Elowen's POV
The shift tore through me like lightning—brutal and beautiful and right in ways I'd forgotten during six months of denial. My bones cracked and reformed, muscles stretching and compacting as golden fur erupted across my skin. The twins' power surged with mine, amplifying everything until the air itself seemed to shimmer with heat.
Beside me, Casper shifted too. His wolf was magnificent even injured—massive and dark with those amber eyes that had haunted my dreams. But I could feel his pain through the bond, the way every breath sent agony lancing through his broken ribs. Leo was running on pure adrenaline and stubbornness.
Stay back, I sent through our link. You're hurt.
Like hell. His response was pure defiance. We fight together.
Grimm's attention snapped to us, those burning coal eyes locking onto my golden form. The hellhound's lips peeled back in a snarl that shook the remaining bottles behind the bar.
I didn't wait for it to attack. Launched myself forward with Juno's speed, claws extended, aiming for the beast's exposed throat. Grimm twisted impossibly fast for something its size, catching me across the shoulder with one massive paw. The impact sent me skidding across the floor, but I was already rolling, already coming back up.
Now! I sent to Casper.
He moved while Grimm was focused on me, circling behind with Leo's predatory grace despite the injuries. I saw his intent through the bond—go for the legs, bring the beast down, give the others an opening.
It almost worked.
Casper's jaws closed around Grimm's back leg, tearing through muscle and sinew. The hellhound howled, and the sound was like nails on a chalkboard amplified a thousand times. Then Grimm's head whipped around faster than should be possible, catching Casper by the scruff and throwing him.
Casper hit the wall with a sickening crunch. I felt the moment his ribs gave way completely, felt Leo's presence flicker as consciousness threatened to abandon him. Watched in horror as his wolf form dissolved, leaving him slumped against the cracked plaster in human form, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Casper!" The scream tore from my throat, half-human, half-wolf.
Kade was there instantly, catching Casper before he could slide to the floor. Alaric materialized on his other side, both of them shifted back to human form, their wolves too exhausted to maintain the transformation. They held him upright between them, Kade's amber eyes wide with concern.
"Still breathing," Kade said, but I could hear the fear underneath. "Barely."
Ronan was still fighting, his wolf dancing around Grimm's attacks with desperate speed. But he was slowing. We were all slowing. And Grimm looked like we'd barely scratched it.
"Pathetic." Raven's voice cut through the chaos, dripping with amusement. "You're all so beautifully pathetic. Fighting for each other even when you know you can't win." His crimson gaze fixed on Ronan. "I broke three of your ribs earlier and you're still going. That's either impressive or incredibly stupid."
"Fuck you," Ronan snarled, the words distorted by his wolf's muzzle.
Raven laughed. "Grimm, finish this. Quickly now. I don't want the girl twin damaged in the crossfire." His eyes found me, and the possessiveness in them made my skin crawl. "Do not attack Elowen. Everything else is fair game."
The hellhound lunged for Ronan with renewed violence. I moved without thinking, putting myself between them. Juno's instincts screamed that this was suicide, but I didn't care. Ronan was pack. My brother. And I was done watching people I loved get hurt.
Grimm's momentum was unstoppable. Those massive jaws opened wide enough to swallow me whole, burning eyes fixed on where I stood my ground. At the last possible second, I shifted my weight and punched.
My fist connected with Grimm's snout with every ounce of strength I possessed. The impact sent shockwaves up my arm, and I felt something in my knuckles crack. But the hellhound stopped. Actually stopped mid-lunge, its head snapping to the side from the force of the blow.
For a heartbeat, the Moonrise Den was silent.
Then Grimm did something I never expected—it sat. Just... sat down on its haunches like an oversized puppy, those coal-fire eyes fixed on me with something that looked almost like... respect?
What the hell?
The hellhound's massive head tilted, and I felt something brush against my mind. Not words exactly, but impressions. Power. Recognition. The twins' presence flaring bright and fierce inside me, and Grimm responding to it like iron to a magnet.
"No." Raven's voice cracked through the air. "No, that's not—Grimm, attack!"
The hellhound didn't move. Just kept staring at me with those burning eyes, its tail doing this weird little twitch that might have been... a wag?
"Oh shit," Kade breathed. "I think she just adopted a hellhound."
"Grimm!" Raven's composure was cracking, his gray eyes flashing crimson with barely contained fury. "I command you—"
"I already called Cassian," Kade interrupted conversationally, still supporting Casper's unconscious weight. "Before Ronan and I came in. He should be here any minute now."
The color drained from Raven's face. "You wouldn't."
"Already did. Figured you'd show up eventually, and Cassian's been dying to meet you properly. Something about you hurting his brother and his mate?" Kade's expression turned sharp. "Pretty sure he mentioned creative uses for hellfire."
I felt it then—the familiar cold burn of Cassian's presence approaching fast. Felt Zero's arctic fury through the pack bonds, getting closer with every second. And I wasn't the only one. Raven's eyes widened, his carefully maintained composure shattering completely.
"This isn't over," he snarled. "That girl is mine, Elowen. You can't protect her forever."
"Watch me."
The words came out layered with Juno's growl, with the twins' power, with six months of fear and rage and desperate love crystallizing into absolute certainty. Grimm's presence pressed against my mind again, and this time I felt it clearly—agreement. Protection. Pack.