Chapter 42
Elowen's POV
The world tilted violently. My lungs stopped working, like someone had punched me hard in the chest. Inside me, Juno howled in anguish, the sound reverberating through my mind. The room's temperature seemed to drop twenty degrees.
"What?" The word scraped my throat like broken glass. My fingers gripped the loveseat's edge so hard my knuckles turned white.
"He owed a lot of money," Jessica continued, tears flowing freely. "Gambling debts. Bad investments. He couldn't face the shame of bankruptcy, of losing his Beta status." Her voice broke. "The Reid family—Drake's family—helped cover the debt in exchange for... for you."
My stomach churned violently, and for a moment, I thought I might throw up right there on the antique carpet. The paintings on the walls seemed to blur and shift, disappearing into fog. "That's why you pushed me toward Drake at sixteen? To pay Dad's gambling debts?"
"It wasn't just that." Jessica wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing her makeup further. "Luna mentioned Drake's connection with another pack, right? Both things are true. The debt was real, but the Reid family specifically wanted you because of your bloodline. Your genes would strengthen their alliance with another powerful pack."
"So I was just... a bargaining chip?" My voice cracked, tears welling up but refusing to fall. "A fucking broodmare? You let Drake treat me like shit for years because of some deal?"
"I was trying to protect you!" Jessica's voice rose defensively. "You were marked for this union before you even understood what it meant. Before Drake even knew. His father arranged it all."
The room spun around me. The familiar vertigo of having my world upended hit me hard. Dad hadn't died of cancer like I'd been told for years. He'd killed himself and left us with his debts. Mom had sold me to Drake's family. My entire life had been built on lies.
I felt Juno stirring inside me, my anger turning my eyes gold. I could feel the change, the heat behind my vision that came when my wolf pushed forward. "Did Dad know about this arrangement? Did he know you'd use me to pay his debts?"
Jessica looked away, unable to meet my gaze. Her hands twisted in her lap. "It was his idea initially. When the debts became too much..."
"You're unbelievable," I spat, standing up so quickly the blood rushed from my head, making the room tilt. "Both of you. Using me like a poker chip. Throwing me to Drake like I was nothing."
Jessica fell to her knees, grabbing at my hands. The sudden movement startled me, and I tried to pull away, but her grip was desperate. "Please, Elowen. You need to leave those Thornwood boys. Honor the agreement—"
"Mom, please don't kneel," I pulled her up, embarrassed and horrified. The sight of my mother on her knees made my stomach turn. "I can't leave them. I love them." The words slipped out before I could catch them, but I realized they were true. "I've been marked twice—the contract is void."
"You don't understand what you've done!" Her voice rose hysterically, bordering on a scream. Her fingers dug into my arms. "How much is still owed! The Reids won't just let this go!"
"How much?" I demanded, shaking her slightly. "Tell me the exact amount and I'll find a way to pay it. Casper and Cassian will help. But I won't be traded like cattle."
Jessica's face crumpled, all pretense of composure gone. Something ugly and raw crossed her features. "Your father was a bastard," she hissed, suddenly vicious. "He killed himself and left us alone in this world! I even had to fake that it was cancer! Do you know what that did to me? Having to lie at his funeral? Having to protect his reputation while he took the easy way out?"
She covered her face and bolted from the room, nearly colliding with Casper and Cassian as they pushed through the door. They must have heard her raised voice. Seconds later, they burst in fully, their faces etched with concern.
I stood frozen in the middle of the room, tears streaming down my cheeks. My legs felt weak, like they might give out at any moment. My entire world was reshaping itself around this new, terrible truth.
"Storms never stop coming, do they?" I whispered as they wrapped me in their arms, their warmth the only solid thing in a world suddenly made of quicksand.
"We're here," Casper murmured, his lips pressed against my temple.
"We'll always be here," Cassian added, his fingers wiping away my tears.
But even their reassurance couldn't stop the spiral of my thoughts. My father's suicide. My mother's betrayal. Drake's family owning my future like I was property. And somewhere out there, another pack waiting for an alliance sealed with my body.
I closed my eyes and let their embrace anchor me, wondering if I'd ever feel truly free.