Chapter 51
# Drake's POV
I was pinned to the ground by Casper, the cold floor biting into my back, when I saw Cassian stride out of the bathroom with Elowen cradled in his arms like some damn damsel. My blood boiled, but I couldn't move—not with Casper's knee digging into my chest.
"I've got you," Cassian murmured to her, his voice so soft it made my stomach churn. He lifted her effortlessly, her small frame pressed against him like she belonged there.
She didn't say a word. Didn't even glance my way. Just buried her face in his chest, her eyes puffy and red from crying, mascara smeared like war paint down her cheeks. Casper's jacket hung loose on her, barely covering the tops of her thighs, mocking me with every inch of exposed skin.
Cassian carried her past me, his face a stone wall of rage. I wanted to scream at him, tell him this wasn't my fault, but my mouth tasted like blood and bitter shame. He shot me a look that could kill, then turned to Casper. "I can't listen to this bastard's excuses anymore. I'm getting her out of here."
Casper nodded, his amber eyes still locked on me with deadly intent. "Go. I'll handle this piece of shit." The front door slammed shut behind Cassian and Elowen. They were gone.
I struggled to get to my feet, pain shooting through my ribs like a knife. Blood coated my tongue, metallic and sharp. Casper loomed over me, his gaze burning with a fury I'd never seen before, fists clenched so tight I thought he'd break his own bones.
"Fuck you," I spat, wiping blood from my split lip. "You have no idea what you've just done."
Before I could fully stand, Casper slammed into me again, sending me crashing back to the floor. He followed me down, his full weight crushing onto my chest, pinning me harder against the cold surface. The thick smell of cum flooded my nose and mouth, making my stomach churn. Fuck, the evidence of what I'd done was everywhere.
I laughed, even though it made my ribs scream. "She came to me willingly. She knows what her father owes my family."
"What debt?" Casper's grip tightened, his nails biting into my neck. "What the hell are you talking about?"
The pressure eased just enough for me to suck in a ragged breath. Ragnar, my wolf, howled in my head: Tell them about her. Tell them about the contract. We need to survive this night.
"She's just a pawn," I rasped, forcing the words out. "Not just for me—for the entire Reid family."
Casper's eyes narrowed to slits. "What the fuck does that mean?"
I smirked, tasting fresh blood on my teeth. "You think this is about a relationship? Her dead father owed more than money."
"Say it clearly," Casper snarled, releasing my throat only to grab a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back so hard I thought my neck would snap. "What debt?"
"Why don't you ask your father?" I met his gaze, unflinching. "Austin Thornwood knows everything... about that 'accident' many years ago."
I watched his face, catching the flicker of uncertainty. He didn't know. The mighty Alpha's son was clueless about his daddy's dirty secrets.
"You're lying," Casper said, but I heard the doubt creeping into his voice.
I pushed harder. "Did she tell you why she came to me today? She knew all of this. She's been keeping secrets from you both." I forced a bitter laugh. "She never intended to be your mate. She belongs to my family by contract."
His fist slammed into my back, knocking the air from my lungs. I doubled over, gasping like a fish out of water. Then, before I could recover, he slammed his forehead into my face, and stars exploded behind my eyes.
"We would never believe you over her," Casper growled, his voice low and lethal.
I straightened up, still smirking through the pain. "At first, she refused to give me information. Later, she offered her body in exchange."
"Shut your fucking mouth," Casper warned, his irises bleeding to gold with barely contained rage.
I had one more card to play. Casper wasn't buying my lies about Elowen, and physical pain wasn't going to break me. I needed something that would force him to let me go—something that would send him running to his precious family. Ragnar's voice growled in approval: Use what we know about their weak spot.
"You're so focused on your little mate," I said, blood bubbling between my teeth as I forced a smile. "You should be worried about your sister instead."
Casper's grip tightened. "What about my sister?"
"My assignment goes beyond Elowen," I said, lowering my voice to a conspiratorial hiss. "The next step is to kill Ethan and frame your sister for it."
The color drained from Casper's face. "What did you say?"
"Your sister's new husband," I clarified, relishing his shock. "His death would trigger a war between packs. Your father would be forced to step down. And guess who would take control?" I grinned, wide and wicked.
Casper's body trembled, rage rolling off him in waves. For a second, I thought he'd tear me apart right there. Instead, he snatched me by the hair, yanked my head back, and dragged my face down toward the carpet.
"You think you can spew this garbage and walk away?" he snarled, grinding my cheek into the wet stain. The stench hit me first, hot, sour, unmistakable. Then the taste, as he shoved my mouth open and pressed my lips straight into the puddle of my own cum still cooling on the fibers.
I gagged instantly, retching at the salty, bitter slime coating my tongue, but his hand on the back of my neck was merciless, forcing me deeper.
"Lap it up," he growled, voice low and lethal. "Every fucking drop you just shot into her mouth, you're swallowing back right now."
My stomach convulsed, bile rising, but he didn't let up until I'd choked down the warm, humiliating filth, carpet fibers scraping my lips raw. Only then did he haul me up by the collar, letting me collapse gasping and shaking, the taste of my own shame choking me worse than his hands ever could.
"If you or any Reid ever comes near Elowen again," he said, a dangerous golden light illuminating his features, "I'll make you drink a hell of a lot more than this. And about that murder plot…" He leaned in until I felt his breath on my skin. "We'll find the truth. And when we do, you'd better pray it isn't you."
He stepped back, letting me slump to the floor, legs useless, the rancid aftertaste burning in my throat like acid.
"This isn't over," I croaked after him as he turned toward the door, my voice raw from the violation. "The contract is binding. Her mother signed it when she was sixteen. She belongs to us."
Casper paused at the door, shoulders tense. "She belongs to no one. But if she chooses someone, it will be us."
The door slammed behind him, the sound echoing through the trashed apartment.
I touched my swollen lip, wincing at the pain. My ribs throbbed where he'd struck me. The humiliation of what he'd forced me to do burned like acid in my gut, worse than any physical blow.
Ragnar growled in my mind. We need to call that person. Tell them what happened. They know too much now.
"I know," I muttered aloud, my voice bouncing off the empty walls.