Chapter 29
Elowen's POV
Each whisper felt like a physical blow. The room seemed to close in around me, the lights too bright, the music too loud. I'd gone from feeling beautiful and accepted to completely exposed and humiliated in minutes.
What made it worse was seeing Sarah's triumphant expression as she watched my public destruction from Drake's side. How could she ally herself with him just to hurt me? What had I ever done to her except exist?
Juno snarled inside me, demanding release, demanding blood. Her rage pushed against my skin, making my fingernails elongate slightly into claws. I fought to keep control as I stumbled forward, shoving through the crowd toward Drake, who stood watching the chaos with a satisfied smile.
"You fucking bastard!" I screamed, my voice cutting through the music. The crowd parted, sensing the confrontation brewing. "How could you?"
Drake's eyes gleamed with triumph. "Just showing everyone who you really are, sweetheart. Before your new boyfriends find out the hard way." His gaze traveled deliberately down my body. "Though I doubt I revealed anything they haven't already seen."
"I'll fucking kill you," Casper snarled, suddenly beside me, his eyes burning gold. A low rumble emanated from his chest, causing several humans nearby to back away instinctively.
Drake held up his hands in mock surrender. "Easy there, Thornwood. Just having some fun." He wrapped his arm around Sarah, who pressed against him like a snake. "Besides, I've moved on to someone who actually knows how to satisfy a real man." Sarah preened under his attention, her heavily made-up eyes narrowed with satisfaction.
"This is just the beginning," Sarah added, her eyes narrowed with hate. "Everyone's going to know what kind of trash you really are. The Alpha's precious sons slumming with Beta garbage."
My mind reeled, struggling to comprehend how quickly my world was collapsing. The whispers grew louder, seeming to come from every direction. People I'd thought were friendly were now looking at me with disgust or amusement. The beautiful dress that had made me feel special now felt like a costume I had no right to wear.
Drake pulled Sarah into a deep, theatrical kiss, clearly enjoying having all eyes on them. When they broke apart, he called out loudly: "Everyone, meet my new girlfriend, Sarah. And just so we're clear—" he stared directly at me "—anyone who disrespects her answers to me and my boys. We protect what's ours."
His emphasis on the last word was unmistakable—a direct challenge to Casper and Cassian. Behind him, Blaze and two other men from his pack crossed their arms, trying to look intimidating.
The room had gone completely silent, the music suddenly seeming too loud in the tension. Everyone was watching, waiting to see what would happen next.
My chest constricted painfully as I realized my reputation was being shredded before my eyes. I'd never belong in this pack now—everyone would see me as exactly what Sarah had called me: beta trash. The life I'd started to build, the connections I'd made, all of it was crumbling away. I felt naked, exposed, completely vulnerable.
"Get her upstairs," Cassian told Casper, his voice tight with controlled fury. "I'll handle this."
"Both of you," I pleaded, clutching at Cassian's jacket. My voice broke as tears threatened to overwhelm me. "Please, just get me out of here."
The twins exchanged a look before Casper nodded curtly. Together, they guided me toward the private staircase at the back of the bar, shielding me from the stares and whispers that followed us. I could hear Drake's mocking laughter behind us, the sound cutting through me like glass.
Once the door to Casper's office closed behind us, cutting off the noise from below, I collapsed completely, sobbing so hard I couldn't breathe. My chest heaved as I gasped for air between sobs, mascara running down my cheeks in black rivers.
"He's going to destroy me," I gasped, wrapping my arms around myself as if I could hold the broken pieces together. "Everyone thinks—they all believe—"
"Shh," Cassian pulled me against his chest while Casper paced like a caged animal, his eyes flashing between normal and wolf-gold. The raw fury emanating from both of them was palpable, filling the room with dangerous energy.
"I'll fucking kill him," Casper growled, punching the wall hard enough to dent the plaster. Dust showered down from the impact. "Those pictures—he had no right—"
"We need to be smart about this," Cassian said, his voice deadly calm. "We'll destroy him, but we need to protect Elowen first."
I pulled away, looking up at them with tear-stained cheeks. The utter devastation I felt was consuming me from the inside out. I'd lost everything in one night—my dignity, my place in the pack, any chance at acceptance. Drake had taken it all with a few photographs.
"He'll never stop," I whispered, my whole body trembling with the aftershocks of humiliation. "He'll keep coming after me because he thinks I belong to him. He'll never let me go."
Juno pushed against my consciousness, her influence stronger than I'd ever felt it. Her presence swelled within me, bringing unexpected clarity through my emotional chaos. There is a way, she urged. Show them who you belong to. Claim them as they've claimed you in their hearts.
I looked between the twins, these two men who'd defended me without hesitation, who'd stood beside me while everyone else stared and whispered. They were my only safe harbor in a storm that threatened to drown me.
"Make it so he can't touch me anymore," I said, my voice stronger as I drew on Juno's confidence. "Mark me. Both of you."
Something electric passed between the twins—a silent communication charged with meaning. Their expressions shifted simultaneously from surprise to intense consideration.
"Elowen," Casper said carefully, kneeling before me where I sat on the leather couch. "You're upset. This isn't a decision to make in the heat of emotion."