Chapter 208
Drake's POV
The darkness began to recede, and I became aware of voices again. Muffled at first, then clearer.
"—serious about this?" That was Kade, his voice tight with something that sounded almost like fear.
"Dead serious." Ronan. He sounded exhausted. "Cassian and Casper are planning to take Elowen with us. Back home."
Home? Back where?
I kept my eyes closed, my breathing shallow and steady. Let them think I was still out. Let them talk freely while I gathered information that might—might—keep me alive long enough to figure out how to fix this clusterfuck.
"You're not serious." Kade again, and yeah, that was definitely fear in his voice. "You can't be."
"Unfortunately, I am." Ronan's weight shifted off my lap—thank fuck—and I heard him pace. "They're convinced it's the only way to keep her safe."
"Safe?" Alaric's sharp laugh cut through the room. "They're insane. Taking her there will make her a target. You know that. We all know that."
"There?" I wanted to ask. "Where the hell is 'there'?"
But I kept still, kept quiet, and listened.
"No one there will welcome her," Kade said, and there was something raw in his voice now. Something almost vulnerable. "Ethan's father is a complete bastard. Taking Elowen back there—it's dangerous. It's suicide."
Who the fuck is Ethan's father? And where is 'there'?
"I know," Ronan said quietly. "Believe me, I know. But we don't have a choice. Right now, with everything that's happened, it's the safest place for her."
No. No no no. They can't take her away. I haven't finished—
Finished what? Ragnar's voice cut through my thoughts like a blade. Tormenting her? Breaking her? Making her life a living hell?
She's MINE, I snarled back at him. They can't just take what's mine!
She was never yours, Ragnar said coldly. You lost her the moment you decided to use her as a pawn instead of treasuring her as a mate.
I didn't—
You did. And now you'll pay the price.
My wolf's words echoed in my mind as Alaric spoke again. "I hope you're right, Ronan. Because if anything happens to her..."
"Nothing will happen to her." Ronan's voice was steel. "We'll protect her. All of us. Together."
"Together," Kade repeated, like a vow. "Whatever it takes."
I lay there on the cold, hard floor, pretending to be unconscious while my world crumbled around me. They were going to take Elowen away. Away from this pack. Away from Thornwood territory.
Away from me.
Good, Ragnar said. She deserves better than you. She always did.
But I couldn't accept that. Wouldn't accept that. The thought of Elowen disappearing, of never seeing her again, of losing the one thing I'd worked so hard to control—
Control? Is that what you call it? Ragnar's disgust washed over me. You're pathetic.
Fear gripped my chest like a vice. Not the fear of physical pain—Raven had taken that from me, at least temporarily. But a different kind of fear. The fear of losing her. Of her being somewhere I couldn't reach. Couldn't manipulate. Couldn't—
Own, Ragnar supplied. That's the word you're looking for. You don't love her. You want to own her.
Shut up, I thought desperately. Just shut the fuck up.
But he was right. God help me, he was right.
And that terrified me more than anything.
I stayed motionless on the floor, absorbing every word, every nuance of their conversation. They discussed logistics—travel arrangements, security measures, how to keep Elowen safe during the journey. They talked about potential threats, about enemies I'd never heard of, about a world I didn't fully understand.
And with every word, the picture became clearer.
Elowen wasn't just some Beta's daughter. She was something more. Something important enough that three powerful Alphas—brothers—would risk everything to protect her.
Sister, Ronan had said. Our sister.
Terror clawed at my throat, but I forced myself to remain still. To keep breathing evenly. To give no sign that I'd heard every damning word.
I lay there in the dark, my mind spinning. They were taking her. Taking Elowen away from me. And there was nothing—absolutely nothing—I could do to stop them.
You could let her go, Ragnar suggested quietly. You could accept that she's better off without you.
Never.
The single word echoed through my mind with fierce determination. I would find a way. Had to find a way. Because the alternative—losing her, never seeing her again, watching her disappear into whatever world these Alphas came from—
That was unacceptable.
Then you're a fool, Ragnar said.
Maybe, I admitted. But she's mine. And I'll do whatever it takes to keep her.
Even if it killed me.
The room felt colder now. Darker. The pain was starting to creep back in as Raven's gift faded, a dull throb building in my jaw, my wrists, my shoulder. But I barely noticed. All I could think about was Elowen.
Elowen, who was supposed to be beneath me. Who was supposed to need me. Who was supposed to be broken and malleable and mine.
Elowen, who turned out to be the sister of three powerful Alphas. Who was apparently important enough to warrant protection, to be taken to some mysterious "home" where she'd be safe from people like me.
People like me, I thought bitterly. When did I become the villain?
You were always the villain, Ragnar answered. You just didn't realize it until now.
I finally opened my eyes, staring up at the water-stained ceiling of the dungeon. Jessica was still slumped in her chair across from me, barely conscious, her face a mass of purple bruises and split skin. We'd both fallen so far. Both become monsters in our own ways.
And now we'd pay the price.
I need to get out of here, I thought desperately. Need to stop them before it's too late.
But even as the thought formed, I knew it was hopeless. I was tied to this chair, trapped in this dungeon, at the mercy of an Alpha who'd already proven he was willing to beat answers out of people he'd once considered family.
And Elowen?
She was slipping through my fingers like water, like smoke, like everything I'd ever tried to hold onto and failed.
Good, Ragnar said one last time. Let her go. Let her be free of you.
But I couldn't. God help me, I couldn't.
Because without Elowen, without that connection, that control, that power over someone—
What was I?
Nothing, Ragnar supplied. You're nothing.
And in the cold, dark silence of that dungeon, I was terrified he might be right.