Chapter 87
Elowen's POV
Alpha Austin's face darkened immediately, his momentary vulnerability vanishing. "What does she want?"
"She wouldn't say, sir. Just that it's urgent. She's... not in a good state."
The Alpha stood straighter, straightening his jacket with a sharp tug. "Deal with this yourselves. I have preparations to finish for tonight."
He strode past us, pausing briefly to squeeze my shoulder—a gesture that shocked me with its familiarity. His scent wrapped around me briefly before he was gone, leaving us to face Sarah.
The guard showed her in, and my stomach dropped at the sight of her. Sarah's normally perfect red waves looked unwashed and tangled. Her makeup was smeared down her cheeks as if she'd been crying, and her eyes were red-rimmed and desperate. Her clothes—always provocative and carefully chosen to show off her curves—were wrinkled and mismatched. She looked nothing like the confident woman who'd taunted me for years.
"Please," she said immediately, her voice cracking as she stood swaying slightly in the doorway. "I need your help."
Casper crossed his arms, his face hardening. "Why would we help you after everything you've done?"
Sarah stepped further into the room, her mascara running fresh tracks down her cheeks. "Drake can still show his face at pack events," she said desperately, her hands twisting together. "But I'm being shunned by everyone. They all blame me, not him! I need you to tell people I wasn't involved in what happened."
"You tried to help him hurt Elowen," Cassian said coldly, standing to tower over her. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you drugged her drink."
"I didn't know what he was planning!" Sarah protested, her voice rising to a pitch that hurt my sensitive ears. "I thought it was just a joke!"
"A joke?" I couldn't stay silent any longer. I stood, shaking off the twins' hands. "You hated me from the moment Casper showed interest in me. You've spent years making my life miserable."
Sarah's eyes filled with fresh tears as she looked at me, mascara dripping down her chin. "Please. I've lost my friends, my reputation. I've been fired. I'll do anything."
I felt a flicker of pity seeing her this broken, this desperate. But Juno growled inside me, images of Sarah's cruelty flashing through my mind like a slideshow of pain.
"You can attend pack events just like anyone else," I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I faced her. "I haven't banned you. But I can't forgive you yet. And I haven't forgiven Drake either. He's just got thicker skin than you. You don't have to keep clinging to him—find a real job and move on with your life."
Her face contorted with sudden rage, the tears stopping as quickly as they'd started. "Easy for you to say! You've got everything handed to you. Got any suggestions for work? Want to give me a job at the bar you stole from me?"
"So you're not actually sorry," Cassian said with a harsh laugh that held no humor. "Guard, take her out."
As the guard moved toward her, Sarah lunged forward with unexpected speed and grabbed Casper's leg. Her red nails dug into his jeans as she clung to him.
"We were together once, Casper!" she wailed, looking up at him with desperate eyes. "Help me! I have no job, no money. Please! Remember what we were to each other!"
I watched in shock as my usually gentle Casper kicked free of her grip, his face cold as winter. "I can't forgive anyone who tried to hurt my mate. Leave."
"I won't forget this!" Sarah screamed as the guard dragged her back, her heels scraping on the hardwood floor. "I'll make you pay! You heartless bastards!"
The door slammed behind her, cutting off her screams and leaving us in stunned silence. The scent of her desperation and rage lingered in the air like a bad perfume.
"She's lost it," Casper murmured, running a hand through his hair. He looked at the spot where she'd grabbed him with distaste.
"Poor thing," I whispered, feeling conflicted. Despite everything, seeing someone that broken was disturbing.
Don't let her manipulate you, Juno warned in my mind. She made her choices. She would hurt us again if given the chance.
Cassian pulled me against his chest, his heartbeat strong under my ear. His arms around me felt like the safest place in the world. "Don't waste your compassion on her. Tonight is about us—about you becoming officially ours." His lips brushed my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "Nothing and no one else matters."
Casper joined our embrace, his body warm against my back as he wrapped his arms around both of us. "For once, I agree with my brother completely," he murmured, his lips finding the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder. "Tonight, you're the star, Little Freckle. The whole pack will know you belong with us."
I nodded, trying to push Sarah's desperate face from my mind. Tonight was supposed to be the happiest night of my life—my official introduction as the mate of the Thornwood twins. I wouldn't let anyone ruin that, not Drake, not my mother, and certainly not Sarah.
But as Cassian's lips found mine in a possessive kiss that made my knees weak, and Casper's hands tightened possessively on my hips, I couldn't quite shake the feeling that we hadn't seen the last of her desperation—or her rage.