Chapter 38
# Elowen's POV
Casper's lips brushed my temple. "You know what I remember about that day? You wore a green dress that matched your eyes perfectly. I couldn't stop staring at you."
"Bullshit," I laughed. "You were surrounded by those skinny cheerleaders the entire night."
"Mmm, is my baby jealous?" Casper teased, turning me around to face him. He pressed his forehead against mine. "If you'd looked more closely, you'd have seen I was watching you the whole time. But I thought you were too good for me."
"Too good? For an Alpha heir?" I scoffed.
"Too pure," he clarified, his thumbs stroking my cheeks. "Too special."
Cassian moved behind me again, his chest pressed against my back. "Why was it always him, little one? Why not me?" His voice held a hint of genuine curiosity beneath the possessiveness.
I leaned back against him, considering. "You used to pull my pigtails when we were kids."
He chuckled, the sound vibrating through my back. "I was an idiot who didn't know how to get your attention."
"You terrified me," I admitted. "Remember when I was twelve and you pushed me into the lake?"
"I jumped in to save you immediately," he countered, nipping at my earlobe.
"After I started drowning," I pointed out.
Casper laughed. "He came home soaking wet and refused to tell anyone what happened."
"And you," I said, poking Casper's chest, "you were always my protector. When those girls from the neighboring pack made fun of my secondhand clothes—"
"I told them you looked better in your worst outfit than they did in their best," Casper finished, a proud gleam in his eye.
The memory warmed me. "You always stood up for me."
Your panties are getting wet, Juno observed dryly. These boys always could turn you on with just a few sweet words.
I shifted uncomfortably, knowing she was right.
"What's Juno saying?" Cassian asked, recognizing the look on my face.
"Nothing important," I mumbled.
Casper's grin turned wicked. "Liar. Your cheeks only get that red when she's being crude."
I buried my face in my hands. "God, she's the worst."
"Tell us," Cassian insisted, his hand sliding possessively around my hip.
"She... she pointed out that I'm getting turned on," I admitted reluctantly.
Casper's pupils dilated instantly, his amber eyes darkening as his breath caught audibly. Meanwhile, Cassian's jaw tightened, a predatory stillness overtaking him as his ice-blue eyes sharpened with focus – two completely different reactions betraying the same primal hunger.
"Is that so?" Casper's voice dropped to a seductive rumble.
I felt warmth spreading through me but also a wave of vulnerability. Looking at their intense expressions, I found myself retreating slightly into safer territory. "It feels almost unreal being here with you both," I murmured, playing with the hem of my shirt. "After everything... especially considering how close I came to a completely different life." My voice softened. "Sometimes I wake up afraid I'll find myself back in that apartment with Drake, still trapped in that contract my mother manipulated me into."
Cassian's grip tightened. "He would never have touched you. I would have killed him first."
"Same," Casper agreed, his usual smile gone. "The thought of anyone else marking you..."
"If you both hadn't helped me see what was happening, if I'd stayed in the dark about what my mother and Drake were planning..." I shuddered. "I might never have escaped that situation."
"But you did," Casper said firmly. "You were always smarter than everyone gave you credit for."
I looked between them, these gorgeous, powerful men who somehow both wanted me. "I never imagined I'd have this. That I'd have both of you."
"You deserve everything," Cassian said with surprising tenderness.
"And we plan to give it to you," Casper added.
I reached up to touch both their faces, one hand on each perfect jawline. "I still feel like I'm living something too good to be true."
Casper leaned down, pressing his lips to my forehead. "Not a dream, baby. And now that you're wearing our marks, everyone will know you're ours."
"No more longing glances from across the room," Cassian murmured, his lips brushing against my marked neck.
"No more pretending we're just childhood friends," Casper added.
"No more watching other girls flirt with you two," I said, a hint of lingering jealousy in my voice.
Casper laughed softly. "Baby, I only have eyes for you now. Only you. Forever."
"What about those bartenders at The Red Wolf?" I asked, remembering how they always fawned over him.
"Employees," he dismissed. "Nothing more."
Cassian spun me around to face him fully. "And you thought I was interested in those racing groupies?"
"They're always hanging all over you," I muttered.
His ice-blue eyes locked with mine. "They meant nothing. It was always you, little one. Even when I was too stupid to admit it."
These Alpha boys are about to devour you, Juno commented gleefully. And you're going to let them.
She wasn't wrong. The heat in their eyes made my knees weak.
"I still feel like I've brought nothing but trouble since I came here," I said softly.
Casper cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. "You're worth it, Elowen. Every bit of it."
Cassian leaned in, pressing his lips to my temple. "I want to celebrate tonight," he whispered. "Just the three of us."
"Celebrate what?" I asked, anxiety crawling back into my chest at the thought of doing anything that might anger Alpha Austin further.
"Us," Casper said, his voice gentle but determined. "Our bond. Not publicly, not now with everything that's happened, but we shouldn't let my father's anger rob us of this moment."
I bit my lip, torn between fear and longing. The memory of Alpha Austin's thunderous expression was still fresh, and the fear of his impending punishment pressed against my chest like a physical burden. My mother's rejection still stung, another painful reminder of how our bond had disrupted the pack's order.
"We could use the private apartment above The Red Wolf," Cassian suggested, his fingers tracing soothing patterns on my arm. "The bar's technically still ours, even if things are... tense right now."
I searched their faces, seeing the mix of desire and concern. A part of me wanted to hide away, to shrink until Alpha Austin's anger passed. But another part—the part that had fought back against Drake, the part that had finally claimed what she wanted—refused to cower completely.
"A private celebration," I said softly, the words half-question, half-statement.
"Just us," Casper confirmed, his amber eyes warm with promise. "No one needs to know. We've been through so much already, Elowen. Let's not let anyone take this moment from us too."
The tender determination in his voice created a flutter deep in my stomach that radiated outward until my skin tingled with anticipation. Not the simple toe-curling sensation of desire, but something deeper—a profound ache of belonging that threatened to overwhelm me.
"Okay," I finally agreed, my voice barely above a whisper. The smile I managed was fragile but genuine, shadowed by anxiety yet brightened by resolve. "A secret celebration."
Casper's expression softened with such raw emotion that my breath caught. When he leaned in to kiss me, I felt the careful restraint in his touch—as if I were something precious he feared might break. The gentleness nearly undid me after all we'd been through.
When Cassian took his turn, his hand slid to my throat, thumb brushing reverently over his mark as his mouth claimed mine with a possessiveness that made my body respond instantly. In that moment, surrounded by their warmth, I allowed myself to believe that somehow, we would weather this storm together.