Chapter 159
# Casper's POV
I stood there. My hands shook. My chest felt tight.
Cassian's ice-blue eyes burned into me. His jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth grind.
"Casper?" His voice came out low. Dangerous. "What the hell did you just say?"
My throat closed up. The words stuck there. I wanted to tell him. I needed to tell him. But fear wrapped around my lungs like silver chains.
"I..." My voice cracked. "I think I might have given him permission."
The room went dead silent. Father stood near the wall. Kade and Alaric stopped moving. Ethan's eyes went wide.
Cassian stepped closer. His fists clenched at his sides. "You gave that demon permission? To take our mate?"
I couldn't look at him. My eyes dropped to the floor. Blood stained the carpet from the battle. My fault.
"It wasn't like that," I said. My voice came out weak. Pathetic. "I didn't know what I was doing."
"Then explain it to me." Cassian grabbed my shoulders. Hard. His fingers dug into my skin. "Make me understand why our mate is gone because of you."
The pain in his voice cut deeper than any claw. I forced myself to meet his eyes.
"When we fought Raven..." I swallowed hard. "When Leo attacked him... his thoughts invaded my head."
Cassian's grip tightened. "What?"
"He got inside my mind." My hands started shaking worse. "Showed me things. Made me remember."
"Remember what?" Cassian's voice dropped to a whisper. The kind of whisper that meant he was seconds away from losing it completely.
I closed my eyes. The memory hit me like a punch to the gut.
---
"You don't have to suffer, Casper." His voice got lower. Softer. Like he actually gave a damn. "I can make it all go away. The pain. The memories. The guilt eating you alive."
"What do you want?" My voice came out flat. Dead.
"Something small." He smiled. That fucking smile. "You'll barely notice it's gone."
"What kind of something?" I asked.
"Just a little piece of your future."
I should have said no. Should have walked away. But the pain in my chest wouldn't stop. Every breath hurt. Every thought hurt.
"Will it stop? The pain? The memories? Will it all just... stop?"
"Like turning off a light." His smile got wider. "All you have to do is agree."
"Fine." The word fell out of my mouth. "Do it."
"Excellent choice." Raven's eyes flashed red. Just for a second. "This won't hurt a bit."
He reached out. His fingers touched my forehead. Cold spread through my skull. Then warmth. Then nothing.
The pain disappeared. Just like he promised. The memories faded. The guilt lifted.
I felt... empty. But it was better than hurting.
---
I opened my eyes. Cassian stared at me. His face had gone pale.
"You thought making a deal with the creature that's been trying to take our mate was a good idea?" Cassian's voice got louder. Sharper. "Are you fucking insane?"
Father moved closer. His hand landed on my shoulder. Heavy but gentle.
"Easy, Cassian," Father said. "Let him explain."
"Explain what?" Cassian spun toward Father. "How he handed Elowen over to a demon? How he destroyed everything?"
"I didn't know!" My voice cracked again. Tears burned my eyes. "He said it was something small. Something I wouldn't miss."
"What did he take?" Kade spoke up from the corner. His amber eyes studied me. "What exactly did you give him?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. He was vague. Just said... just said a piece of my future."
"Jesus Christ." Cassian grabbed the nearest chair. Threw it across the room. It smashed against the wall. Wood splintered everywhere. "A piece of your future? Like Elowen? Our mate?"
"Or..." Kade's voice got quiet. Too quiet. "Or the pups she's carrying."
The room exploded.
"Pups?" Ethan stepped forward. His eyes darted between us. "Elowen's pregnant?"
"Yes, pups!" I turned on him. My anger finally finding a target. "Yes, Ethan. Elowen's pregnant. Keep up!"
Ethan's jaw tightened. He looked at Kade. Something passed between them. Something I didn't understand.
"Casper." Cassian's voice cut through everything. Cold as ice. Hard as steel. "Look at me."
I forced myself to turn around. To face him.
His eyes had gone darker. Colder. The brother I knew had disappeared. This stranger stood in his place.
"What exactly did the demon say?" Cassian asked. "Word for word."
My mind raced. Tried to remember. The memory felt fuzzy. Wrong.
"He said..." I pressed my fingers to my temples. "He said I wouldn't notice it was gone. That it was small."
"Small." Cassian laughed. But it wasn't a real laugh. It sounded broken. Hollow. "Small like our mate? Small like our unborn pups?"
He crossed the space between us in two steps. Grabbed my shirt. Pulled me close. His face inches from mine.
"You gave him permission to take everything from us." His voice shook. "Everything, Casper."
"I didn't know!" The words tore out of my throat. "I swear to God, I didn't know what he meant!"
Leo whimpered in my head, his own wave of pain and regret crashing into me through our bond. Shame flooded through us both.
We failed her, Leo whispered. We failed our mate.
"I know," I whispered back. Out loud. Not caring who heard. "I know we failed her."
Cassian's grip loosened. He let me go. Stepped back.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" His voice dropped. Got quiet. More dangerous than when he was yelling. "Any idea at all?"
I nodded. Tears ran down my face now. I didn't try to stop them.
"I know," I said. "I know it's all my fault. I know Elowen's gone because of me. I know I fucked up everything."
"You're goddamn right you did." Cassian's hands curled into fists. "She trusted us. She chose us. And you..."
He couldn't finish. Just stood there. Shaking. His ice-blue eyes filled with something I'd never seen before.
Disappointment.
Not anger. Not rage. Just pure fucking disappointment.
It hurt worse than anything.
"Cassian..." I reached for him. He jerked away.
"Don't." One word. Flat. Final. "Just don't."
Father's hand tightened on my shoulder. I looked up at him. Expected to see the same disappointment. The same disgust.
Instead, his amber eyes held something softer. Sadder.
"It's okay, son," he said quietly. "We'll figure this out."
"No." Cassian shook his head. "It's not okay. Nothing about this is okay."
He moved toward me again, shoving me hard with both hands against my chest. I stumbled back.
"She's gone!" He pushed me again, harder this time. "Our mate is gone!"
His hands slammed into me once more. My back hit the wall.
"And our pups?" His voice cracked. "Our fucking pups, Casper? Did you give him those too?"
"I don't know!" I shouted back. "I don't know what the deal was! He kept it vague!"
"You're good at vague, aren't you?" Cassian's face twisted. "Real fucking good at being vague when it matters."
"Stop it." Father stepped between us. "Both of you. This isn't helping."
"Helping?" Cassian laughed again. That broken sound. "Nothing's going to help. She's gone. The demon has her. And it's all because my brother is an idiot who makes deals with monsters!"
The words hit like punches. Each one landed harder than the last.
"I was desperate," I said. My voice came out small. Weak. "I thought I had no choice."
"There's always a choice, Casper." Cassian's eyes met mine. Hard. Cold. Unforgiving. "And you chose wrong."