Chapter 221
Elowen's POV
"Protect me?" I barked out a laugh that had nothing to do with humor. "By lying to me? By planning to—what, exactly? Make me watch you two pretend to want someone else? Make me think you've chosen Sarah over me?"
Casper made a choked sound, and his face went white.
"That's it, isn't it?" I pressed, even though every word felt like swallowing glass. "You were going to make me believe you'd rather be with that bitch than with me. Your pregnant mate. The mother of your children."
"We would never—" Casper started, but I cut him off.
"Never what? Never lie to me? Because that's exactly what you were planning to do!" My hands were shaking, and I could feel my claws starting to extend. "How stupid do you think I am? How easy to manipulate?"
"That's not—" Cassian tried, but I whirled on him.
"Do you have any idea—" My voice cracked again, and I hated it. Hated the tears burning behind my eyes. "Do you have any idea what it's like to hear the two people you love most in the world planning to betray you?"
The word hung in the air between us like a curse.
Betray.
"It's not betrayal if we're trying to save you," Cassian said quietly, and something in his voice made my anger falter for just a second.
"Save me?" I echoed. "From what?"
"From losing our children," he said, and the raw pain in his voice made my breath catch. "From Selene's ultimatum. From—"
"Stop." I held up my hand again. "Just... stop."
I needed to think. Needed to breathe. Needed to figure out what the hell was going on without my emotions clouding everything.
They're hiding something big, Juno said, her anger giving way to something more calculated. Something that scared them enough to plan this without us.
"Elowen, please," Casper said, and when I looked at him, I saw tears tracking down his face. "Please let us explain."
"Why should I?" I demanded, but even as I said it, I could feel my resolve wavering. "You didn't trust me enough to include me in this plan. You were going to let me think—" I couldn't finish the sentence.
"Because we knew you'd try to stop us," Cassian said bluntly. "And we can't afford that. Not with what's at stake."
"What's at stake?" I asked, my voice rising again. "What could possibly be worth—"
"Our children's lives," Cassian said flatly. "Selene made it clear. Either you reject us—publicly, convincingly—or the twins disappear. Not die. Disappear. Like they never existed."
The room tilted again, and I had to grab the doorframe to stay upright.
"What?" The word came out barely above a whisper.
"That's why we need to fool her," Casper said, his voice thick with emotion. "We need her to believe you've chosen to leave us. That you hate us. That the bond is broken."
"And you thought—" I couldn't breathe. "You thought making me believe you were cheating was the way to do that?"
"We thought it was the only way to make it convincing enough," Cassian admitted, and he looked like every word was being ripped out of him. "The only way to make you angry enough, hurt enough, that everyone—including Selene—would believe you'd never come back."
Oh, Juno said softly. Oh shit.
"You were going to break my heart," I said slowly, understanding dawning with horrifying clarity, "to save our babies."
"Yes," Casper whispered.
"Without telling me. Without giving me a choice. Without—" My voice broke completely, and the tears finally spilled over. "How could you think that was okay?"
"It's not okay," Cassian said, and for the first time, his icy facade cracked completely. "Nothing about this is okay. But we're out of options, Elowen. We're out of time. And we—"
"We love you too much to lose you," Casper finished. "Or our children. Even if it means you hate us forever."
I stood there, tears streaming down my face, looking at the two men I loved more than life itself, and I realized they'd been planning to sacrifice themselves. Their happiness. Our future. All to keep me and the babies safe.
And they hadn't trusted me enough to tell me.
That's the part that hurts most, Juno said quietly. Not the plan. The exclusion.
"I need to know everything," I said finally, my voice hoarse. "Right now. No more secrets, no more lies, no more 'protecting' me by keeping me in the dark. If we're going to face this, we face it together."
My eyes flashed gold again, and I let Juno's strength show through.
"And if you try to hide anything from me, if you try to leave me out again—" I bared my teeth slightly, letting them see the wolf beneath the surface. "I'll make you regret it. Both of you."