Chapter 30
Elowen's POV
"I've never been more certain of anything," I insisted, wiping tears from my face with trembling hands. "I want to belong to you. Make it so he can never claim me again. No one can spread rumors if I'm marked as yours."
Cassian sat beside me, his weight making the couch dip. "A marking is permanent. It can't be undone. Ever." His fingers gently brushed my hair away from my neck, the touch sending shivers down my spine. "It's a lifelong bond."
"And a double marking," Casper added, his voice rough with restraint, "is practically unheard of. It would change everything. For all of us." His eyes searched mine, looking for any sign of doubt.
I thought about everything that had happened since I'd met the twins—how they'd protected me, challenged me, made me feel worthy when my own mother had always treated me like an inconvenience. Tonight, Drake had tried to take my dignity, to brand me as his conquest. But he couldn't touch what I freely gave to Casper and Cassian.
"I don't care," I said, tilting my head to expose my neck. The gesture was instinctive, driven by Juno's understanding of wolf rituals. "I want to be yours. No more Drake, no more uncertainty."
Cassian moved first, pulling me against his chest. "Are you sure?" he asked one final time. His breath was hot against my skin, his body trembling with the effort of restraint.
"Yes," I breathed, my heart racing. In this moment of utter vulnerability, I needed to belong to someone who would never use me the way Drake had.
He lowered his mouth to the left side of my neck, his lips brushing my skin before I felt the sharp pressure of teeth.
"This will hurt," he warned, his voice husky with desire and something deeper—reverence.
"I don't care," I repeated, threading my fingers through his dark hair, holding him against me.
When his teeth broke my skin, white-hot pain seared through me, quickly followed by waves of pleasure so intense my knees buckled. Cassian's arms tightened, holding me upright as something impossible happened—I could feel him inside my mind. Flashes of his thoughts, fragments of his emotions poured into me as our bond formed. His fierce protection, his burning desire, his hidden tenderness—all suddenly accessible to me in a rush of connection that left me gasping.
When he pulled away, I was dizzy with our new connection. Blood trickled down my neck, which Cassian gently wiped away with his thumb before bringing it to his lips. The gesture was primal, sealing our bond.
Casper stood watching, his eyes now completely gold. There was a moment—just one—where uncertainty crossed his face. A flash of vulnerability that I might have missed if not for the heightened awareness the marking had given me.
But then I turned to him, offering the unmarked side of my neck. "Please," I whispered. "I need both of you."
He gathered me into his arms, one hand cradling the back of my head. "You're mine," he growled against my skin. "You've always been mine."
His bite was different from Cassian's—more possessive, deeper. I cried out as a second connection burst into life, overwhelming me with the sensation of being bonded to both of them simultaneously. Where Cassian's presence in my mind felt like a controlled flame, Casper's was a wild current, powerful and unpredictable. Their thoughts, their emotions washed through me like waves, distinct yet harmonious.
When it was over, I collapsed against Casper, completely drained. He carried me to the leather couch, covering me with his jacket. The leather still held his warmth and scent, comforting me as my body adjusted to the dual bond.
Through heavy-lidded eyes, I watched the twins sit across from me, their expressions shifting from satisfaction to concern as the reality of what we'd done settled over us all.
"What did we just do?" Casper finally whispered, running his hands through his hair.
"Claimed what's ours," Cassian replied simply, his eyes never leaving my face.
"Dad is going to lose his shit." Casper's voice held a mix of defiance and worry. "A double marking... it hasn't happened in our pack for generations."
"That's the least of our problems. Those photos... Drake's not going to stop." Cassian's jaw clenched. "This just raised the stakes."
"We'll handle it," Casper said with finality. "She's ours now. No one can change that." He reached out to gently stroke my cheek. "No one."
As I drifted off, exhausted by emotional trauma and the intensity of the bonding, their voices grew distant, but I felt their newly formed presence in my mind—two distinct energies, one fiery, the other steady, both wrapped protectively around me. Juno curled contentedly within me, satisfied with our choice, humming with approval at the dual marking.
For the first time since I could remember, I felt completely safe. Completely claimed. Completely home.