Chapter 61
Casper's POV
"He did WHAT?"
My voice barely came out as a whisper, but it carried the force of a scream. Every muscle in my body tensed like I was about to shift. Blood rushed to my head as I stared at Elowen's face—except those weren't her warm amber eyes looking back at me. They blazed a brilliant, unnatural gold that told me her wolf had seized control.
Juno stared back at me through Elowen's face, her posture aggressive and unfamiliar. She stood taller, chin lifted in defiance, shoulders squared. This wasn't the shy, sweet girl I'd known since childhood. This was pure predator.
"You heard me," she said through Elowen's lips. "Drake forced her. That bastard cut off our connection with some suppressor and made her do things when I couldn't protect her. She was terrified and alone."
My fists clenched so tight I felt my nails break skin. The metallic scent of my own blood mixed with the pine scent of my room. The thought of Drake forcing her—my vision blurred with rage, a red haze creeping around the edges.
"That fucking piece of shit," I growled, my voice dropping an octave. My wolf paced restlessly under my skin, clawing for release. "I'll tear him apart."
A knock at the door interrupted us. "Mr. Thornwood? Before the staff retires for the night, would you or Miss Elowen like some refreshments brought up?"
"Fuck off! We need ten minutes!" Juno barked in a tone I'd never heard from Elowen's sweet mouth before. The words were harsh, aggressive, nothing like Elowen's gentle nature.
I heard the housekeeper's startled footsteps retreating down the hallway. My wolf stirred inside me, agitated and excited by Juno's presence. This was dangerous territory—wolf spirits rarely took full control unless their human was in extreme distress or danger.
"Put Elowen back in control," I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady despite the rage building inside me. "This isn't right. She should decide what to share."
Juno laughed, a cold, hard sound. "She's had plenty of chances to tell you. She's hiding so much from you. She thinks it protects you, but it's killing her inside." She moved even closer, until I could smell the vanilla and honey scent that was Elowen's, but somehow sharper, wilder. "You want to protect her? Then you need to know everything."
I backed up a step, my legs hitting the edge of my bed. "Elowen wouldn't want this."
"Some secrets destroy from within," Juno growled, baring teeth that looked sharper than normal. "And she's been destroying herself to protect everyone else. Including you, Alpha's son."
The title grated against something raw inside me, each syllable a reminder of expectations I'd never asked for and a legacy that had always felt more like a cage than an honor. Heat crawled up my neck as memories of my father's disappointment flashed through my mind.
"Don't call me that," I growled, my hands curling into fists at my sides. The rejection of that title wasn't just about words—it was about everything it represented.
"Then don't act like you know what's best for her when you don't know what she's been through," Juno snapped, those golden eyes flashing brighter. I could feel the static energy of her wolf power crackling in the air between us.
Before I could respond, Juno lunged forward, pressing her forehead against mine. A blinding gold light erupted at the point of contact. The sensation burned, like liquid fire flowing through my veins, from my head down to my toes. I tried to pull away but found myself frozen.
"No, Juno, don't!" I heard Elowen's voice cry out from somewhere deep inside, weak and distant. "Please don't show him!"
Suddenly I wasn't in my bedroom anymore. The hardwood floor beneath my feet vanished, replaced by concrete. The air smelled of chlorine and sunscreen.
I stood in what felt like a memory. A small girl with copper hair and freckles struggled in a swimming pool, her tiny arms flailing as bigger kids laughed and pointed. Her face—Elowen's face—was twisted in panic.
"Look at the freckle-face! She's so ugly she can't even swim right!" a boy taunted as the others shoved her deeper.
Little Elowen was sinking, panic in her eyes. My own lungs felt like they were burning, a cold despair—her despair—flooded me as water filled her mouth and nose. I could taste the chlorine, feel the violent hammering of her tiny heart as darkness crept at the edges of her vision. Her certainty of death became my own terror as her legs kicked desperately but couldn't keep her head above water. The cruel laughter of the other children echoed off the water's surface, distorting as her hearing began to fail.
Without thinking, a younger version of me appeared, diving in with a splash. He pulled her from the water while the other kids scattered, suddenly afraid of consequences. As he dragged her to the pool edge, I saw him strike his head on the concrete, opening a cut above his right eye—the same scar I still carried today.
"Are you okay?" young-me asked, helping her sit up, blood trickling down his face.
Little Elowen nodded, water dripping from her hair. "Thank you for saving me," she whispered, staring at me with something like worship in her eyes. Her tiny hand reached up to touch the cut above my eyebrow. "You're hurt."
Young-me shrugged. "It's nothing. Are you okay?"
I felt her emotions wash over me—the gratitude, the admiration, and something else, something warm that took root that day and never left. The first stirrings of a crush that would last years. I smelled her scent for the first time that day—vanilla and honey, even as a child.
The scene shifted. A teenage Elowen peeked around the back door of The Red Wolf, my bar. She was watching me change my shirt after a beer keg had exploded. Her cheeks flushed as her eyes traced the muscles of my back, lingering on my shoulders. I felt her heart rate spike, her breath catch.
"I shouldn't look at him like this," her thoughts echoed around me. "He has Sarah and all those beautiful girls. He'd never want someone ordinary like me. But I can't help it...his smell makes me feel safe. Pine and smoke...it's like home."
I felt her yearning, her shame at watching me, and the heat that spread through her body. The intensity of her feelings shocked me—she'd wanted me for years, silently, secretly.
"You were never ordinary, little freckle," I whispered, though I knew she couldn't hear me.