Chapter 56
Casper's POV
I kissed Elowen's knuckles, feeling my chest swell with something I couldn't name. The sunlight from my bedroom window caught in her hair, turning those brown strands into liquid gold. She'd said yes to our ball invitation. It was a step forward, a tiny victory after the hell she'd been through.
"You won't regret this," I said, meaning every word. "We'll make it perfect for you, I promise."
Cassian stood up, heading for the door. "I'll let Luna know and grab that tennis outfit I bought," he said, his ice-blue eyes softening when they landed on Elowen. Even my cold-hearted brother couldn't resist her pull.
After he left, I turned toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, my gaze falling on the tennis court below. "Tennis was a good idea," I murmured, looking back at her with a smile. "Some fresh air would do you good. Ever played before?"
Elowen shook her head, still huddled in the corner of my bed, knees pulled to her chest. She looked so fucking small sitting there. The urge to wrap her in my arms nearly overwhelmed me.
"You can't stay locked in this room forever, cutie."
"I'm right here," Elowen muttered. "Stop talking about me like I'm some fragile thing."
I grinned. There she was. My feisty little freckle, still in there somewhere beneath the fear.
When we were alone, I noticed the shift in Elowen's scent. The sweet vanilla turned sour with anxiety. I walked toward her slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. She'd been jumpy as hell since Drake.
"What's wrong, baby?" I sat at the edge of the bed, giving her space.
"Nothing," she lied, her amber eyes darting away from mine.
I sighed. "Your scent doesn't lie, Elowen. Talk to me."
She twisted the bedsheet between her fingers. "When you went to see Drake... did he mention anything about my mother?" she asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"He told me about the debt," I said bluntly.
The color drained from her face. My confirmation had clearly validated her worst fears. She hadn't wanted me to know about this mess.
"Tell me what else he said," she pressed, fingers clutching the sheets tighter.
I moved closer, watching her face carefully. "He said a lot of things. Most of them bullshit." The memory of Drake's smug face as he revealed his plan to assassinate Ethan and start a pack war flashed through my mind, sending a savage heat coursing through my veins.
"But what specifically about the debt?" Her scent spiked with fear, the vanilla turning sharp and pungent.
"He said you went to him for information and offered something in return." My voice dropped lower, the anger impossible to hide. My pine and smoke scent filled the room as my emotions intensified.
Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over as her shoulders shook with silent sobs. Fuck. I hated seeing her cry. I dropped to my knees in front of her, my hands hovering but not touching.
"Hey, don't cry," I whispered, finally cupping her wet cheek. "If Cassian senses your distress, he'll come barging in here."
"I don't want him to know," she whispered back, trying to wipe away her tears.
"Some things are just between us," I promised, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Tell me what's going on, Elowen."
She took a deep breath. I could practically see her wolf, Juno, nudging her to trust me.
"Drake said my dead father owed his family money. A lot of money."
I nodded grimly. "He didn't just mention it—he fucking threw it in my face," I growled, my fingers tightening slightly against her skin. "Don't worry about that piece of shit. I'm handling it."
"I didn't want to drag you into this," she said, shaking her head. "This is my family problem. I'll handle it."
Anger flared hot in my chest. My eyes flashed gold, I felt the heat of it. "The fuck you will! You're not facing this alone."
I grabbed her hands, enveloping them in mine. My skin ran hotter than humans', a werewolf trait that usually soothed her.
"You're my mate, Elowen. Let me help you." And I needed to protect her from the storm Drake was preparing to unleash—one that would destroy everything we loved if I didn't stop it.
She stared at our joined hands. "My mother doesn't want me to be with you and Cassian."
I snorted. "Yeah, I figured that much out."
"Drake knows the rules of blackmail pretty well," she continued, a bitter smile twisting her lips. "Him and my mother..."
A low rumble started in my chest, a promise of the violence my wolf wanted to unleash. "Is this what your mother told you before you went to Drake's place?"
Elowen nodded, her eyes distant with the memory. "She told me I had to reject your mark."
"And choose Drake instead?" I guessed, my voice tight with rage. The pieces of Drake's plan were falling into place now. Use Elowen, divide our pack, then strike when we're vulnerable.
"She said the Reid family would use the debt to control my family." Her voice cracked. "If I refused Drake, she'd lose her Beta status. We'd be exiled from the pack."
"What exactly did your mother sign, Elowen?" I asked, needing to understand the full picture.
Her shoulders slumped further. "I don't know all the details. Just that there's a contract, and I'm part of it somehow."
"Look at me," I demanded softly, waiting until those amber eyes met mine. "I'm going to find out what your mother did. And I'm going to fix it."
"You can't," she whispered. "You don't understand—"
"No, YOU don't understand." My voice turned hard with determination. "I swear on my wolf, I will find out what's going on between your mother and Drake."
She looked shocked at my vehemence, but I wasn't done.
"And starting now, no one gets to be alone with you except me and Cassian."
Footsteps approached in the hall—Cassian returning with the tennis outfit. I needed to wrap this up.
I pressed a kiss to Elowen's hand, sealing my promise in the traditional wolf way. "No one else gets to hurt you. Not Drake, not your mother. No one."
My eyes had fully shifted now, and I felt the predator in me rising to the surface. The way she flinched told me she could see it too—the wild thing behind my human mask staring back at her.
The door opened, and Cassian stepped in, holding a white tennis skirt and matching top. He immediately sensed the tension, his gaze darting between us.
"Everything okay in here?" he asked, voice sharp with suspicion.
I forced my wolf down, blinking until my eyes returned to normal. I needed to keep this conversation between us for now—Cassian would only complicate things with his protective rage.
"Just clearing the air," I said smoothly. "We'll be ready for that match in a minute."
But even as I smiled, my mind was already racing with plans. Jessica's blackmail was just the surface. The real threat—the war Drake was planning by assassinating Ethan—was the monster lurking beneath. I would uncover it all and stop it before it destroyed everything: our pack, our family, and the woman I was falling for harder than I ever thought possible.