Chapter 63
# Cassian's POV
I strode back into Casper's room, my blood still boiling after dealing with that pathetic excuse for a journalist. Fucking Randall. Sore loser couldn't accept being second best, so he paid some hack to spread rumors I used stimulants to win. Didn't take much to make the little shit confess - just a few questions, my coldest stare, and a whispered threat about what happens to people who cross the Thornwoods. He cracked faster than cheap glass.
The scene that greeted me stopped me cold. Elowen stood there, but those weren't her eyes - gold instead of amber, Juno in control. Casper looked shell-shocked, sweat beading on his forehead, his scent spiking with rage.
"What the fuck is going on?" I demanded, rushing forward. Through our twin bond, I felt Casper's fury like a physical blow.
Before I could say another word, Juno-in-Elowen's-body grabbed my wrist. Her grip was unnaturally strong, fingers digging into my skin.
"You need to know the truth too," she growled, her voice deeper than Elowen's, wilder. "She wants to protect you both, but who's protecting her?"
"Let go of me," I snarled, but it was already too late.
Juno pulled me into their circle, pressing her forehead against mine and Casper's. Golden light seared my eyes as the world around us dissolved. From somewhere far away, I heard Elowen's desperate cry:
"No! Please stop! That's my darkest memory!"
I was violently yanked into a memory that wasn't mine. Drake's apartment, harsh lighting. He loomed over Elowen, finger jabbing at her chest.
"You'll do as I say," he hissed, his face twisted with contempt. "No more pack activities without my permission."
"But the full moon run is tradition," Elowen protested, her voice so small it barely carried over the evening breeze on his balcony.
She wore a pale blue dress that I recognized from the spring gathering last year, the one that hugged her curves and turned her skin silver in the moonlight. Drake moved away, positioning himself two steps behind her, looking through her like she was invisible. How could this asshole not see how beautiful she was? How could he not see her at all?
"Let them wonder," Drake sneered. "Or maybe I'll let the Thornwood twins know how eagerly you spread your legs for me."
My stomach turned. Even in this memory, I could smell the lie. She'd never been with him like that.
The scene shifted. Elowen cornered against a wall, trembling. Her fear scent filled the room, burning my nostrils.
"Tonight you either come over and give me a bath," he threatened, gripping her wrist so hard I could see bruises forming, "or the Alpha twins might have an unfortunate accident."
"You wouldn't," Elowen whispered, but her scent reeked of terror. She believed him.
"Try me," Drake smiled, teeth looking unnaturally sharp in the harsh light. "Car brakes fail all the time, especially when someone tampers with them."
I felt her absolute certainty that he meant every word. She was trapped, cornered like prey.
Another shift. Drake backed Elowen into a corner of what looked like his bedroom. Her arms trapped above her head, his body pressed against hers, a mockery of intimacy.
"Tonight you either fuck me or suck me off," he hissed, breath hot on her face. "Otherwise, those Thornwood brothers might get seriously hurt. How would you feel knowing you could have prevented it?"
"We're not even together anymore," Elowen pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "Please, Drake. Don't do this."
"You belong to me," Drake said, voice dropping to a whisper. "Forever. It's in the contract."
Drake pulled out a syringe. I tried to move, to stop him, but I was just watching, powerless.
"No!" Elowen cried, struggling harder.
"This suppressor is for your own good," he said, jabbing the needle into her neck. Her body went limp, sliding down the wall. "Your wolf is too wild. She needs to be controlled. Just like you."
I felt Elowen's connection to Juno snap, felt the horrible emptiness as her wolf went silent. Her world turned gray, sounds muffled, smells dulled. Alone in her head for the first time since puberty, cut off from half her soul.
Rage exploded inside me. My wolf howled, nearly materializing in the memory space. The sound echoed through the vision, rippling like stones thrown in water.
I would kill him. I would fucking end him for this.
Another shift. Pack house sitting room. Elowen's mother on her knees, clutching at her daughter's hands.
"Please reject the twins," Jessica begged, mascara streaking her cheeks. "Drake is the only suitable match for you."
"Don't kneel, Mom," Elowen pleaded, pulling at her arm, looking around fearfully. "Get up, please."
Jessica's face contorted with desperation. "You don't understand! Your father didn't die of cancer! I faked his death certificate! He had gambling debts. Before you could even walk, he traded you to the Reid family!"
Elowen staggered back, face draining of color. "What are you saying?"
"He sold you!" Jessica sobbed, her entire body shaking. "To settle his debts. Your marriage to Drake was arranged before you could even speak. You were his collateral!"
The revelation hit me like a physical blow. Elowen hadn't just been manipulated—she'd been sold like property before she could even walk.
"Fuck," I breathed. "You've been carrying this alone all this time."
The connection broke suddenly. I stumbled back, gasping for air as reality snapped back into focus. Sweat dripped down my face, heart hammering in my chest.
Elowen stood before us, eyes still blazing gold. Juno's expression was triumphant but grim.
"Now do you understand?" she asked. "Why she can't tell you everything? She's ashamed. Thinks you'll see her differently. That you'll think she's damaged goods."
"I'd never—" I started, my voice breaking.
I felt my eyes shift to dangerous deep blue, my cold rose scent taking on a metallic edge. Looking at Casper, I saw his amber eyes burning with fury.
"The Reid family planned to use her as a tool to infiltrate Pack leadership," Juno explained coldly. "She was groomed to be a pawn."
At that moment, Elowen's eyes shifted from gold back to amber. Her body trembled, then crumpled as she regained control. She retreated to the corner of the room, arms wrapped tightly around herself.
"Now you know..." she whispered, voice barely audible, "how dirty I am... what he did to me..." Her vanilla-honey scent turned bitter. "I understand... if you don't want me anymore..."
Casper approached her slowly, carefully, like she was a wounded animal. "You're not dirty, El," he said softly. "That was forced on you."
I stayed where I was, fury boiling in my veins, but kept my voice controlled: "Drake will pay for this, I promise you."
Elowen looked up, trembling, tears blurring her eyes. "Even knowing... I was touched by him?"
Casper knelt before her, gently pulling her into his arms. "You're ours, El. Always. No matter what."
I moved toward them both, kneeling beside Elowen. "I swear to you, El," I said firmly, looking into her eyes, "I will never leave you. No matter what happens, you are ours. That's my vow."
As the words left my lips, I felt something shift within me - not just emotion, but a primal awakening. My vow wasn't just words; it was a soul-deep commitment that resonated through every fiber of my being. This absolute certainty, this fierce determination to protect what was mine, stirred something dormant inside me.
In that moment, I felt something warm stir deep inside me. A familiar presence, absent for too long.
"Zero?" I called in my mind, surprise and hope mingling.
"Always here," a calm voice responded. "Your conviction called me back. When you truly decided to protect her at all costs, the barriers fell."
My wolf spirit, silent for so long, finally returned, awakened by my unwavering resolve to guard what belonged to us.
I saw Casper's head jerk up in shock. "Leo?" he whispered, eyes wide.
"Hey man!" a cheerful voice answered him. I could feel Casper's joy through our twin bond.
Juno's voice echoed in my mind, distinct and clear though Elowen's eyes remained amber: "They were hiding, sensing the danger in the Pack and the Reid family's schemes. Your wolves retreated to gather strength and protect you both from afar. Only absolute commitment could bring them back."