Chapter 45
Elowen's POV
"You really know how to pick them," I said.
"You don't get to judge my choices," Drake sneered, stepping closer. "Not when you're spreading your legs for those Thornwood twins."
"Fuck you," I spat, backing away until my legs hit the coffee table. "I came here for answers about the debt, not to listen to your bullshit."
He circled around, pushing me further into the living room. "Your mother finally told you, huh? About daddy's little gambling problem?"
"She told me enough. That he killed himself because of debt. That you agreed to pay it off." My voice was steadier than I felt. Juno growled inside me, sensing danger.
Drake laughed, a hollow sound that made my skin crawl. "I didn't agree to pay off anything. My family did. And do you know why?"
I swallowed hard. "Tell me."
"To own you." He reached out and touched my neck, his fingers trailing over the marks the twins had left. My skin burned with revulsion. "You were supposed to be mine. Mine alone. And those Thornwood mutts took what belonged to me."
I jerked away, backing up until I hit the window. "I'm not property. I don't belong to anyone."
"That's where you're wrong," Drake said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "The agreement was very specific. The Reid family would clear the debt in exchange for you becoming my mate." His eyes traveled down my body, making me feel naked despite my clothes. "Your father was so desperate to save his own skin, he didn't even read the fine print. Your mother only signed those papers when you were sixteen, but that was just to make it official and legally binding. The real deal had already been struck by your father when you were still a baby—he traded away your future promise in exchange for more than a decade of financial backing from my family."
"What fine print?" I asked, heart hammering in my chest.
Drake smirked, trapping me against the window. "That if the agreement was broken, there would be... consequences."
"What consequences?" Fear tightened around my throat.
"In some packs, twins who steal another wolf's intended mate are considered traitors." His voice was casual, like he was discussing the weather instead of threatening the men I loved. "And traitors can be executed. My family has enough alliances to make that happen."
My blood turned to ice. "You're bluffing."
"Am I?" Drake moved to a drawer and pulled out a small vial with clear liquid. "You know what this is?"
I shook my head, though dread was already pooling in my stomach.
He poured the contents into a glass of water, and a faint bitter smell hit my nose.
Don't drink it! DON'T DRINK IT! Juno screamed in my head, thrashing wildly.
"Wolf spirit suppressant," Drake explained, offering me the glass. "Drink it."
I pushed his hand away. "Go to hell."
His face hardened. "Drink it, or I make a call right now, and your precious twins will be facing a pack tribunal by morning." He pulled out his phone. "One call, Elowen. That's all it takes."
My hands trembled as I reached for the glass. Juno was howling now, begging me not to do it. But what choice did I have?
"Good girl," Drake murmured as I took the glass.
I lifted it to my lips, tears blurring my vision. The liquid tasted like ash and chemicals, burning all the way down. Almost immediately, Juno's voice began to fade, like a radio station losing signal. The mind link with the twins, which had been a constant hum in the background of my consciousness, vanished completely.
The silence in my head was deafening. For the first time since puberty, I was truly alone in my mind.
"What have you done to me?" I gasped, clutching my throat as the glass slipped from my fingers and shattered on the floor.
Drake smiled, watching me struggle to stay upright as dizziness swept through me. "I've leveled the playing field. No more calling for help. No more mind links to your boyfriends." He backed me up against the window again. "Now it's just you and me, like it should be."
"They'll know something's wrong," I said, my voice weak even to my own ears. "They'll feel the connection break."
"Maybe. But by then, it'll be too late." He gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. "If you want to protect them, you'll do exactly as I say."
"What do you want?" I whispered, hating how vulnerable I sounded.
Drake's eyes gleamed with triumph. "Kneel."
"What?"
"You heard me." His voice was ice. "Kneel down, and I'll tell you how to save your precious twins from my family's wrath."
My legs felt like lead, my body betraying me as the drug coursed through my system. Tears welled in my eyes, but I blinked them back. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"Go fuck yourself," I said, but even as the words left my mouth, I knew I had no choice.
Drake leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. "Wrong answer."
Slowly, painfully, I sank to my knees, hating him, hating myself, but thinking only of Casper and Cassian. As my knees hit the floor, I looked up at Drake, letting him see the fire still burning behind my tears.