Chapter 137
# Casper's POV
I stood outside Dad's room, watching Elowen through the doorway. Her hand pressed against her stomach—protective, instinctive. The gesture made my chest tight.
She didn't even realize she was doing it. That's what killed me. How natural it looked. How right.
That's our girl, Leo rumbled in my head, pride bleeding through every word. Our mate. Our future.
I forced myself to breathe. To not march in there and pull her into my arms right fucking now.
"Go check on her," Cassian said quietly. "I don't want her alone too long."
I raised an eyebrow. "Worried I'll exhaust her?"
His ice-blue eyes narrowed. "Just go."
Don't fuck this up. My twin always did have a way with words. Or lack thereof.
Mom's voice cut through. "Casper, sweetheart. Family breakfast tomorrow. Seven sharp."
"Yes, Mom." I kissed her cheek, then Dad's forehead. "Rest up, old man."
Dad's laugh followed me into the hallway. I didn't waste time. My feet moved faster with each step, pulled by an invisible thread straight to Elowen.
The bond thrummed between us—warm, alive, hers.
Every step closer made Leo more restless. More demanding. He wanted to see her. Touch her. Make sure she was okay after using so much energy healing Dad.
She gave everything for him, Leo said. For our family.
Yeah. She did. And that meant everything.
I pushed through my bedroom door. Her scent hit me first. Vanilla and honey. Sweet enough to make my wolf Leo purr inside my head.
Mine.
The word resonated through every cell in my body. Not possessive in the toxic way Drake had been. This was different. This was belonging. To each other. With each other.
Through the bond, I felt her exhaustion. Not physical tiredness. Something deeper. Like she'd given everything she had and was running on fumes.
I needed to take care of her. Hold her. Make sure she knew she wasn't alone anymore.
Water ran in the bathroom. Steam seeped under the door.
I followed the sound, my pulse quickening with each step.
---
The bathroom was thick with warmth. Fog clung to the mirror and walls. And there—behind the frosted shower door—was Elowen.
Water cascaded over her bare shoulders. Her silhouette moved beneath the spray, graceful and unaware.
My breath caught.
She was beautiful. Not in the polished, perfect way some girls tried to be. Real. Raw. Mine.
Every curve, every movement, every goddamn freckle on her skin—I wanted to memorize it all. Worship it all.
Ours, Leo corrected. She's ours.
I'd never let her go. Not to Drake. Not to anyone. She belonged here. With me. With Cassian.
With us.
My hands moved to my shirt, pulling it off without thinking. The decision was already made. I wasn't going to stand here like some creep. I was going to get in that shower and—
I started stripping off my shirt.
---
"Either join me or get out!"
Her voice rang out before I even touched the shower door. Sharp. Confident.
I froze mid-motion, my shirt halfway over my head.
She hadn't even turned around.
How the fuck—
"How'd you know it was me?" I asked, grinning despite myself.
"Your smell." She finally looked over her shoulder. Water dripped from her hair, sliding down her neck in rivulets that I wanted to trace with my tongue. "Pine and smoke. You're not exactly subtle, Casper."
Her amber eyes locked onto mine. All that exhaustion I'd felt through the bond? Gone. Replaced by something hotter. Hungrier.
The way she looked at me—like I was something she wanted to devour—made my cock twitch.
Fuck.
Leo stirred, restless and pleased.
Get in there, he urged. Now.
I kicked off my pants and stepped under the spray with her.
---
"You know," I said, reaching for her waist, "last time you saw me naked, you fainted."
Her cheeks flushed pink. "I did not faint."
"You absolutely did." I pulled her closer, my hands settling on her hips. The water made her skin slippery beneath my fingers, warm and perfect. "Dropped like a rock. I had to catch you before you cracked your skull open."
"That was different." She looped her arms around my neck, her body pressing against mine. The contact sent electricity down my spine. "I wasn't expecting—"
I kissed her before she could finish. Slow at first. Teasing. Her lips parted under mine, soft and eager.
She tasted like water and something sweeter. Something uniquely her.
When I pulled back, she chased after me with a small whine.
"Not so fast, cutie." I grabbed the body wash off the shelf, fighting the urge to just pin her against the wall and take what I wanted. "You're filthy."
Her brow furrowed. "I'm literally in the shower."
"Still filthy." I squeezed some soap into my palm, working up a lather. "Can't have you all dirty when I—"
"When you what?" She tilted her head, eyes narrowing.
I lifted her leg, resting her foot on the built-in shelf. My hand slid up her calf. Slow. Deliberate. Savoring every inch of smooth skin.
"When I take care of you."
Her breath hitched.
---
"You're such an ass," she muttered.
"And yet here you are." I knelt in front of her, my hands still moving over her skin. Soaping. Rinsing. Taking my sweet time with every stroke, every touch. "Begging for more."
"I am not—"
"If I tell you to eat my pussy, Casper Thornwood, you best fall to your knees and thank me!"
I stopped mid-scrub.
Stared up at her.
And then I laughed. A real, deep belly laugh that echoed off the tile walls.
Holy shit, she's perfect.
"Damn, little freckle." I stood, caging her against the shower wall. Water poured over us both, hot and relentless. "You're perfect."
Her eyes softened for half a second before her hands tangled in my wet hair, yanking me down into another kiss.
This one wasn't soft. It was all teeth and tongue and desperation. Like she needed to prove something—to me, to herself, I didn't know.
I didn't care.
My hands slid down her sides, gripping her thighs as I lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around my waist without hesitation, her nails digging into my shoulders.
The slight sting only made me want her more.
"Casper—"
"Yeah, baby?"
"Shut up and kiss me."
So I did.