Chapter 169
Casper's POV
"You think I want your daughter for my own use? No." Raven's voice echoed through the cathedral. "She's destined to be my mate. Just as I am destined to be hers."
My chest tightened. No. No fucking way.
Through the mate bond, I felt Elowen's surge of emotion. Sadness. Anger. Defeat.
I hated seeing her like this. I hated that I couldn't move. Couldn't protect her.
"That's not how it works!" Elowen's voice cracked. She stood near Ronan, one hand pressed to her belly. "Why would a demon be the right match for my daughter?"
"This isn't up for debate, sweetheart." Raven tilted his head. Those red eyes glowed brighter. "It's simply a fact."
I pulled against whatever held me to the wall. The invisible force didn't budge.
Cassian. I reached through our twin bond. Any ideas?
Working on it. His mental voice was tight with strain. Can't shift. Can't break free.
Raven moved toward Elowen. She dropped to her knees beside Ronan, touching his face gently.
"We never asked for any of this!" Her hand trembled as she stroked Ronan's cheek.
Something twisted in my gut. Not jealousy. Worry. She cared too much. Left herself too vulnerable.
"Didn't you?" Raven's smile was cruel. "Ronan followed me into the domain of a Hell Duke. He made that choice. He knew the risks."
I tried to speak. Tried to say it wasn't fair. My jaw barely moved. The words stuck in my throat.
Raven looked right at me. His eyes gleamed with amusement.
He knew exactly what I wanted to say.
I shook my head. Curled my lip in a snarl.
"Alpha Austin never asked to be attacked and killed," Elowen said. Her voice was stronger now. She stood up, positioning herself between Raven and Ronan.
"Didn't he?" Raven laughed. "Really?"
"No!" Cassian's shout came out garbled. Blood dripped from his mouth.
Through our bond, I felt his rage. His pain.
Easy, brother. I pushed comfort through the link. Try not to talk. You need to save your strength.
I wanted that moment to be private. Just us. But Raven's laugh made it clear he heard everything.
"Poor Cassian." Raven's gaze swept to my brother. "He doesn't have your hidden strength, does he, Casper?"
What the hell did that mean?
Raven turned back to Elowen. His attention on her made my skin crawl.
She put her hand over her stomach. Protective. Maternal.
"What a good wolf mother!" Raven's voice dripped with mockery. "Though you're as soft as a rabbit!"
Elowen's cheeks puffed with anger. Her eyes flashed gold for a second.
"Didn't Austin suspect?" Raven paced around her. "His Beta plotting against him? He pushed you toward a man who would hurt you. He and Luna must have questioned it."
He stopped in front of Elowen. Bent down slightly to meet her eyes.
"Luna raised you like her own daughter, didn't she? Wanted to give you the best?"
"But—" Elowen's voice wavered. Tears gathered in her eyes.
"But that doesn't mean he deserved to die?" Raven finished for her. "No. He did."
A groan came from Cassian. I glanced over. His face twisted in pain, but his eyes were on Raven. Was that... regret?
My mind raced. Dad knew. He knew Elowen was being used. Abused. And he did nothing?
Do you believe this shit? I asked Cassian through our bond.
His silence told me everything.
He must have had a plan. Even to myself, my mental voice sounded weak. He had to.
"He didn't." Raven's response made my blood run cold. He'd been listening to our private conversation. "He knew he couldn't trust the Beta. Knew she'd been disloyal recently. He suspected betrayal for a long time. And did nothing."
Raven looked at me. Then at Cassian.
"Your father was weak. In denial. When you have a pack that needs you, making that kind of mistake has consequences."
"Consequences? Yes!" The words burst out of me. My throat burned from the effort. "Murder? No!"
I fought against the magic holding me. I needed to get to my mate. Even without the mate bond fully active right now, I could see what Raven's words were doing to her.
"I visited Austin before last night." Raven clasped his hands behind his back. "Not in this face, of course. I told him I'd seen Jessica in the woods. Talking to shadows. Plotting."
He paused for effect.
"Do you know what the Alpha said?"
"Don't lie!" I roared. Fury tore through me. For the first time, I felt Leo stir in response.
Raven sensed it too. His smile widened. Then his magic clamped down harder. It felt like hands gripping my bones. Locking me in place.
Leo. Help. I reached for my wolf. I can't fight this bastard alone.
I knew Leo was there. Just beneath the surface. But something stopped him.
Fear. Leo was afraid.
"I'm not lying." Raven's voice was soft. Almost gentle. "Austin said I was imagining things."
His lips curled as he felt me trying to communicate with my reluctant wolf.
"What does this have to do with anything?" Cassian's question came out in a pained spray of words.
A wave of agony rippled through our twin bond. My heart clenched.
I'd never wanted to be in two places at once more than I did right now.
"Everything happens for a reason." Raven rolled up his sleeves. "Before I agreed to Jessica's plan, I gave your father a chance to redeem himself. It's not my fault he failed my test. What happened next? His own doing."
He walked toward Elowen. Each step deliberate.
"Just like your decision to save Casper and that weak Alpha you worship was your own, sweetheart!"
Elowen flinched.
"You knew the cost," Raven continued. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you knew about the children then, didn't you?"
His smile turned vicious.
"Did you consider for even a second that they might be the price you'd have to pay? Whose fault is that, Elowen?"
Elowen's lips pressed into a thin line. She looked down. I could see tears shimmer in her eyes.
"Exactly. My. Point." Raven spread his arms wide. "We all make choices!"
His smugness broke something in Leo.
I felt my wolf surge forward. The magic holding me to the wall shattered.
"Enough!" I roared.
My feet hit the stone floor hard. Pain shot through my knees. I didn't care. I pushed forward.
One step toward Elowen. My hand reached for her. Millimeters away from her shoulder.
She didn't look up.
Didn't even seem to notice me.
Nobody did.