Chapter 192
Casper's POV
The question hung in the air like a blade. What else are you hiding from me?
Fuck, she was magnificent. Standing there between Cassian and me, shoulders squared, amber eyes blazing with that golden fire that meant Juno was right there at the surface. Every protective instinct in me screamed to pull her close, to get her away from whatever truth was about to shatter her world even further.
But I also couldn't look away.
She's so fucking strong, Leo rumbled in my mind, his tone mixing pride with something darker, more possessive. Our mate. Look at her.
Through our bond, I felt Cassian's matching surge of attraction and concern. My brother's ice-blue eyes were fixed on our father, calculating, waiting. We'd learned to read each other's signals years ago, and right now, we were both thinking the same thing: whatever was coming next was going to be bad.
Real bad.
"Elowen, sweetheart—" Ella started, but my little freckle cut her off with a sharp gesture that made my wolf preen with satisfaction.
"Don't." Elowen's voice was steady, cold. "Don't 'sweetheart' me. Not after everything I've just learned. Answer the question, Austin."
I watched my father's face cycle through emotions—guilt, discomfort, something that looked almost like shame. Good. He should be ashamed.
Tell her, I sent through the pack link, my mental voice hard as steel. Tell her everything, or I will.
Austin's jaw tightened. He shot me a look that once would have made me stand down. Not anymore. Not when Elowen needed answers. Not when I could feel her trembling slightly against my side, feel the hurt and betrayal radiating through our mate bond even as she projected strength.
"Elowen," my father finally said, his voice heavy. "You have to understand, we thought we were protecting—"
"Protecting?" Elowen's laugh was bitter, harsh. It cut through me like broken glass. "Is that what you call it? Austin, do you remember the times I came to you? The times I told you how unhappy I was? How unsafe Drake made me feel?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Through our bond, I felt Cassian's attention sharpen like a blade. What times? he sent to me. When did she—
I don't know, I shot back, my gut churning. But I'm going to find out.
"I..." Austin's face went pale. "Elowen, you were always so dramatic. You were always seeking attention, maybe even jealous of Cindy's wedding—"
The words were barely out of his mouth before Leo surged forward, my vision tinting red at the edges.
"Dramatic?" The word came out as a snarl, and I realized distantly that my voice had dropped an octave, Leo bleeding through. "You think she was being dramatic when she told you she was being abused?"
"Casper—" Ella tried to intervene, but fuck that.
"No." I stepped forward, placing myself slightly in front of Elowen. Protective. Possessive. Mine. "He's going to explain why he ignored our mate when she needed help."
Our mate, Cassian echoed through our twin bond, his agreement fierce and absolute. She came to them for help and they did nothing.
I felt his hand find Elowen's other side, both of us flanking her now. A united front. Where we should have been all along.
"It wasn't like that," Ella said, and for the first time, she actually turned to look at Austin with something like accusation in her eyes. "Was it, Austin? When did Elowen come to you?"
Beautiful. Even Luna Ella was starting to see through the bullshit.
Through our bond, I felt Elowen's complex emotions—surprise that Ella was taking her side, but also something harder, colder. Too little, too late, she sent to both Cassian and me. Where was she when I needed her?
I know, cutie, I responded, squeezing her hand gently. I know.
Austin shifted uncomfortably, and that's when I knew. He'd known. He'd fucking known what Drake was doing to her, and he'd done nothing.
"Ella," Elowen's voice cut through the tension, softer now but no less deadly. "You practically raised me. You held me when I cried. You taught me to braid my hair. You..."
Her voice cracked, and the sound of it nearly broke me.
"You watched him refuse to let me eat at pack gatherings," Elowen continued, her words gaining strength. "You heard him tell me I was 'fat enough already' in front of your entire family."
The growl that erupted from my chest was simultaneous with Cassian's, our wolves rising in perfect synchronization. The windows rattled.
The fact that she had to ask—that she had to calm us down when she was the one who'd been hurt—made me want to punch something. Preferably Drake's face. Repeatedly.
"See?" Elowen gestured to us. "They didn't even know, and they're ready to kill him for it. But you two? You saw it happen and did nothing."
Ella's face crumbled. "Elowen, I didn't realize—"
"Bullshit." The word came from Ronan, who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His fierce green eyes were locked on Austin with open contempt. "There's always more with secrets like these."
I'd never been more grateful for Ronan's presence. My newfound brother-in-law might be a pain in the ass, but right now, he was backing up our mate, and that earned him points in my book.
"Elowen," Austin tried again, his voice strained. "You have to understand, Drake was young. He needed to mature. He needed a good woman to guide him—"
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Ronan's voice dropped to a dangerous level, his eyes flashing that eerie green that meant his wolf was close to the surface.
But I was already moving.
My fist slammed into the table hard enough to crack it, the sound echoing through the room like a gunshot. "She shouldn't have had to do that!" The words ripped from my throat, Leo and I speaking as one. "Drake's problems were never her responsibility!"
Should've cut off that bastard's dick and shoved it up his ass, I added through our mate bond, letting both Elowen and Cassian feel the full force of my rage. Let him know what pain really feels like.
Through our connection, I felt Elowen's sharp spike of surprise, followed by something that felt almost like... satisfaction? Pride?
I tried to go after him once, I admitted to her privately. You stopped me, cutie. I wish I'd ignored you.
Her emotions rippled through our bond—shock, anger, but also a strange sort of warmth. She squeezed my hand.
"Why?" Elowen's voice was soft now, deadly soft. "Why did you let me stay with Drake when you knew? When you saw what he was doing?"
I watched my mother's face, saw the moment the excuses died on her lips. Saw the guilt, the shame, the realization that there was no good answer.
"We thought..." Ella started, then stopped. "We were wrong, El."
El. The nickname hit Elowen like a physical blow—I felt it through our bond. That name, spoken with such casual affection, after years of letting her suffer.
"You were more than wrong," Cassian's voice was ice-cold, Zero's influence making it even more cutting. "You knew she was being abused, and you let it happen. You let school members bully her. You let Jessica—"
"Jessica." Elowen's voice cut through like a blade. "Let's talk about Jessica."
Oh fuck. Here it comes.