Chapter 278
Elowen's POV
The cold burn of Cassian's presence hit me like a physical force before I even saw him. Zero's arctic fury rolled through our bond, sharp and lethal, making the air in the Moonrise Den drop several degrees. Then he was there—bursting through the damaged doorway with his wolf's supernatural speed, ice-blue eyes blazing as they swept the scene.
His gaze locked onto Casper first, slumped unconscious between Kade and Alaric, blood still trickling from his mouth. The temperature plummeted further as Cassian's rage crystallized into something cold and deadly. "What the fuck happened to him?"
"Raven happened," I said, my voice still carrying Juno's growl. "He's been playing us all along, Cassian. The whole thing about protecting our daughter—it was bullshit. He just wanted to separate us, weaken us. He tried to kill Casper."
Cassian's eyes snapped to Raven, who stood near the bar with that infuriating smirk still playing at his lips despite the situation spiraling out of his control. But then Cassian noticed Grimm—the massive hellhound sitting calmly at my feet like an oversized guard dog, those burning coal eyes watching him with interest.
"Is that..." Cassian's voice trailed off, disbelief cutting through his fury. "Did you just tame a fucking hellhound?"
"Long story," I said quickly, feeling Grimm's presence press against my mind again in what felt like approval. "Right now we need to deal with Raven. Everything he told us was a lie, Cassian. He doesn't want to protect our daughter—I think he wants to turn her into something like him. A demon. And I will never let that happen."
Something shifted in Cassian's expression, the cold rage giving way to something more complex. Hope, maybe. Desperation. "Does this mean... baby, can we finally stop this? Can we be us again?"
My heart clenched at the raw vulnerability in his voice, at six months of pain and longing crystallizing in those few words. But I couldn't—wouldn't—back down now. "After you kill Raven," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the emotions churning through me. "And after you reject Sarah. Properly. In front of witnesses."
For a moment I thought he might argue. Then Cassian's hands went to his shirt, ripping it off in one smooth motion that revealed the results of six months spent training instead of sleeping. His muscles were more defined than I remembered, his body honed into a weapon. "I've been preparing for this," he said, his voice dropping into that deadly quiet tone that meant Zero was close to the surface. "I'll give everything I have, Elowen. Everything."
"How touching." Raven's voice cut through the moment like a blade, dripping with mockery. "She's using you, you know. Both of you. Playing on your guilt, your desperate need to prove yourselves. And you're too blinded by love to see it."
"The only one who's been playing games from the start is you," Cassian snarled, ice beginning to form on his fingertips as Zero's power surged. "Everything you've done—every lie, every manipulation—it ends tonight."
Raven's smile widened, but there was something off about it now. Something desperate underneath the confidence. He snapped his fingers, and the sound echoed through the Moonrise Den like a gunshot.
The shadows near the back entrance rippled and Drake stepped through them. My ex-boyfriend looked worse than when I'd last seen him in the Thornwood Pack cells—gaunt, pale, with dark circles under his eyes. But it was the heavy iron manacles on his wrists that made my blood run cold, the way they glowed with some kind of dark energy that made my skin crawl even from across the room.
"Drake?" I breathed, confusion and dread warring in my chest.
Raven snapped his fingers again, and the manacles shattered. Drake rubbed his wrists slowly, his green eyes unreadable as they swept the room. When they landed on me, something flickered in their depths—regret, maybe. Or resignation.
"Here's the thing about demons, Elowen," Raven said conversationally, like he was discussing the weather instead of orchestrating murder. "We're very good at collecting debts. Drake here owes me quite a lot. Don't you, Drake?"
Drake's jaw clenched, but he nodded once. Sharp. Definitive.
"So here's the deal," Raven continued, his crimson eyes gleaming. "Drake kills both Thornwood brothers for me, and I'll make sure he gets to be with you forever. Isn't that what you wanted, Drake? Your precious Elowen back in your arms?"
The tension in the room ratcheted up instantly. Kade and Alaric shifted their grips on Casper's unconscious form, ready to defend him if needed. Ronan's wolf circled closer to me, a low growl rumbling from his chest. Cassian's ice spread further, frost creeping across the floor toward Drake's feet.
Drake looked at me for a long moment, and I saw something break in his expression. Then he nodded again and started walking toward me with slow, measured steps that made my heart hammer against my ribs.
Juno, what do we do?
Trust your instincts, my wolf said, surprisingly calm. Something's off.
Drake was three feet away when he suddenly pivoted, moving with Ragnar's speed as he launched himself at Raven instead of me. "I'm done being your puppet, you son of a bitch!" Drake's voice was raw with fury and something that sounded like freedom. "I'm done doing terrible things for terrible reasons. I'm done being controlled. I want to be myself again!"
Raven's eyes widened in genuine shock as Drake's fist connected with his jaw, sending the demon stumbling backward. For a heartbeat, I thought Drake might actually land another hit.
Then Raven's hand shot out, fingers curling into claws as they punched straight through Drake's chest.
"No!" The scream tore from my throat, anguished and disbelieving.
Drake gasped, blood bubbling up from his lips as Raven's hand closed around his heart. But even dying, even with his life draining away, Drake wasn't done fighting. His hand—the one I hadn't noticed clutching a knife—came up in one final, desperate arc.
The blade caught Raven across his right eye, slicing deep. The demon's scream was inhuman, echoing off the walls as he stumbled backward, his hand ripping free from Drake's chest. Blood poured from Raven's ruined eye socket, mixing with the darker ichor that seemed to flow through demonic veins.
Drake collapsed, and I was moving before I could think, catching him before he hit the ground. His green eyes found mine, already glazing over but still conscious. Still Drake, in a way he hadn't been in months.
"See?" he whispered, blood staining his teeth. "Still... useful. Elowen, I'm sorry. For everything. There's... there's someone. A woman. Be careful of—"
"Drake, no, stay with me," I begged, pressing my hands against the gaping wound in his chest even though I knew it was useless. "Please, I can't—you can't—"
"Loved you," Drake breathed, his eyes locked on mine with devastating clarity. "Always... loved you."
Then Raven's hand plunged back into his chest, and Drake's eyes went empty.
Raven stood over us, his right eye a ruined mess of blood and torn flesh, his gray left eye now burning pure crimson with rage. "You fucking insects!" he screamed, his composure completely shattered. "I'll kill every last one of you! I'll burn this whole place down and everyone in it!"
I looked down at Drake's body, at the man who'd hurt me and betrayed me but had chosen redemption in his final moments. At the blood pooling beneath him, at his hand still clutching that knife.
Then I looked up at Raven, and I let every ounce of my fury show.
"You just made a fatal mistake," I said quietly, feeling Juno surge forward, feeling the twins' power crystallize into cold, lethal purpose. "You should have run when you had the chance."