Chapter 34
Elowen's POV
"They were easy to buy," Sarah smirked, tossing her red hair over her shoulder. "Just like your precious mate."
A dangerous silence fell over the room. I felt the twins' rage radiating like physical heat beside me. My own anger rose—not just at the insult, but at the implication that I was something to be bought or sold.
Casper's hand shot out with lightning speed, grabbing the larger guard by the throat, lifting him slightly off the ground. The man outweighed Casper by at least fifty pounds of solid muscle, but Casper held him effortlessly, the veins in his forearm standing out as his muscles rippled beneath his shirt.
"You're fired too," he growled, voice barely human. "Both of you. Pack your shit and get out."
The second guard backed away, hands raised in submission. "Mr. Thornwood, please—we didn't know she would—"
"OUT!" Casper roared, dropping the first guard who fell to his knees, gasping and clutching his throat.
The few remaining customers scrambled to leave money on their tables, hurrying toward the exit. I should have been frightened by Casper's display of aggression, but something primal within me—Juno, definitely—purred with satisfaction seeing him defend me so fiercely.
They're protecting what's theirs, Juno whispered with fierce pride. As it should be.
Two other security guards appeared, these ones looking nervous but determined to follow orders. They grabbed Sarah by the arms. She struggled wildly, her hair coming undone as she thrashed, her face contorted with rage and humiliation.
"You fucking whore!" she screamed at me, spittle flying from her lips. "Why do you always ruin everything for me? First Casper, now both of them? They'll get tired of your frigid ass eventually and come crawling back to me!"
They're ours, and we're theirs, Juno growled in my mind. She's just jealous trash who never had what we have.
I stepped forward, placing a hand on Casper's arm. His muscles were tense beneath my fingers, coiled and ready to strike. I could feel the heat radiating from him, his chest rising and falling with each angry breath.
"Casper," I said softly. "Enough. She's not worth it."
His golden eyes met mine, the wolf still present and hungry for violence. For a moment, I wasn't sure he'd heard me. Then slowly, the gold receded like a tide pulling back, and he took a deep breath.
"Sarah," Cassian called after her as the guards dragged her toward the door, his voice ice-cold. "Be grateful we aren't officially Alphas yet. If we were, you'd be expelled from Pack territory immediately."
"You'll regret this!" Sarah shrieked, her mascara running down her cheeks. "All of you! Drake will—"
"Drake will what?" Casper cut her off, voice deadly calm now. "Join you in exile when we take over? Count on it."
Once Sarah and the fired guards had been removed, Casper turned to the remaining staff. "Anyone else have a problem with my mate?" His voice was controlled again, but the threat beneath it was unmistakable.
They all shook their heads frantically, some even avoiding eye contact in submission.
The twins then turned to my mother. Both stood straighter, shoulders back, chins lifted. They were no longer just Casper and Cassian, but future Alphas asserting their authority. The display of dominance sent an inappropriate flutter through my belly despite the tension in the room.
"Let's continue this conversation in the Pack house, Beta Jessica," Casper said formally.
My mother's reaction surprised me. The fire in her eyes dimmed as she took in the twins' commanding presence. For the first time in my life, I saw uncertainty flicker across her face. It wasn't complete submission—her jaw remained tight, her posture rigid—but there was a calculation happening behind her eyes, a reassessment of her position.
"Very well," she said stiffly, the words seeming to cost her.
As we walked to the cars, Casper added, "And Beta, please watch your words carefully from now on. Elowen is our mate now. No one gets to mistreat her—not even you."
My mother's mouth opened and closed soundlessly, a flash of the old anger returning before something else—perhaps self-preservation—took over. She slid into her car without another word, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.
In Cassian's car, I finally exhaled, the tension leaving my body all at once. "I never thought my mom would back down like that. Even a little."
Cassian's mouth curved into a satisfied smile as he started the engine. "She's smart enough to recognize a shifting power dynamic."
"I'm still processing what happened. Did she actually... yield to you two?"
"Pack hierarchy," Casper explained, his thumb brushing against my mark, sending shivers down my spine. "We might not be Alphas yet, but as marked mates of the Alpha heirs, your status has changed. And that means hers has too, in relation to you."
At the Pack house, my mother waited by her car. Her posture was still stiff, her eyes hard, but there was something different about her—a wariness that hadn't been there before. She looked at me differently too, assessing, like she was seeing me for the first time. Not with warmth or acceptance, but with a grudging acknowledgment of change.
"Ready?" Cassian asked, squeezing my hand.
I nodded, drawing strength from both of them. "With you two beside me? Always."
Casper leaned forward, his lips brushing my ear. "Remember, you're ours now," he murmured, his breath hot against my skin. "No one can change that—not even your mother."
His possessive words sent heat pooling low in my belly. No matter what happened next, I wasn't alone anymore. I belonged with them, and that knowledge was like armor.
As we walked toward my mother, I held my head high. For the first time in my life, I faced her not as a disappointment or an obligation, but as the chosen mate of future Alphas. And that knowledge gave me a power I never knew I possessed.
"Alpha Austin is waiting for us," she said, her voice clipped but lacking its usual cutting edge. She kept glancing between the twins, as if reassessing her approach.
Casper nodded. "Good. There's much to discuss."
My mother's eyes darted to me, then away. "This... situation is complicated." Her fingers twisted together—a nervous gesture I'd rarely seen from her.
"No," Cassian said coolly. "It's actually quite simple." He stepped closer to her, his voice dropping. "I'm confident my father will handle everything appropriately, and you'll cooperate fully. Won't you, Beta Jessica?"
There was no mistaking the threat in his words. My mother's face paled slightly, but her chin lifted in defiance—not completely broken, just temporarily contained.
"We'll see what Alpha Austin has to say," she replied tightly.