Chapter 55
Elowen's POV
"What eye thing?" Casper asked too innocently.
"That thing where you have entire conversations without saying a word," I said, looking between them. "What aren't you telling me?"
The twins exchanged another look—exactly what I was talking about.
"Seriously, stop it! Just tell me what's going on." My voice rose with frustration, but also with a need to reclaim some control over my life.
Cassian leaned forward, a mischievous glint in his ice-blue eyes. "You want to know so badly? Let's make it interesting."
"What do you mean?" I asked, immediately suspicious.
Casper grinned, catching onto his brother's idea. "A game. You win, we tell you everything. We win, you have to wait until we decide the time is right."
My competitive nature sparked despite myself. After days of feeling helpless, even this small challenge felt like a lifeline. "What kind of game?"
Cassian rose from his seat with fluid grace, crossing to a cabinet in the corner. The way he moved always reminded me of a predator—effortless power contained in every step. He returned with a deck of cards, shuffling them with practiced ease.
"Poker," he announced, his deep voice sending an unexpected shiver down my spine. "Five-card draw. One hand decides it all."
"I don't know how to play poker," I admitted, watching his fingers manipulate the cards.
His lips curved into that rare half-smile that transformed his stern features. "Then I'll teach you. Quickly."
Casper cleared the coffee table while Cassian explained the basics. I found myself leaning closer as he spoke, drawn to the intensity in his eyes when he focused on something. His hands, strong and scarred from fights I knew nothing about, dealt the cards with surprising delicacy.
"Ready?" he asked when he finished explaining.
I nodded, trying to recall all the rules he'd just explained. "What if I lose?"
"Then you'll have to trust us," Casper said, his amber eyes warm. "Something tells me that's harder for you than any card game."
That stung because it was true. Trust had never come easily to me, even before Drake's betrayal.
Cassian dealt the cards, his gaze never leaving my face. "Watch her, Cas. She has a terrible poker face."
"I do not!" I protested, immediately trying to school my expression into neutrality.
"Your eyes give everything away," Cassian murmured. "They darken when you're excited. Like now."
Heat rushed to my cheeks. The way he studied me made me feel simultaneously exposed and exhilarated. I looked down at my cards, desperately trying to remember what beat what.
"Focus, Elowen," Casper teased, bumping his knee against mine under the table. "My brother's just trying to distract you."
"Is it working?" Cassian asked, his voice dropping lower.
I refused to meet his gaze. "No."
Juno stirred within me, enjoying this playfulness more than I'd felt her move in days. They're good for us, she whispered. Look how alive we feel right now.
And she was right. For the first time since the attack, I wasn't thinking about Drake or what had happened. I was just... present.
"I'll discard three," I said, pushing my unwanted cards forward.
Cassian's fingers brushed mine as he took them, the brief contact sending warmth up my arm. He handed me three new cards, his expression unreadable.
I struggled not to react as I looked at my new hand. Two pairs—queens and tens. Not great, but not terrible either.
"Well?" Casper prompted after we'd all exchanged cards.
"Ladies first," Cassian said, gesturing to my hand.
I laid down my cards. "Two pair."
Casper groaned, revealing his hand. "Just a pair of jacks."
We both looked to Cassian, who was watching me with that intense gaze that seemed to see right through me. Slowly, deliberately, he placed his cards face up.
"Pair of threes," he announced.
I blinked in surprise. "You lost?"
A smile tugged at his lips. "So it seems."
"Wait," I said, suspicion rising. "Did you throw the game?"
"Would I do that?" Cassian asked, the picture of innocence that didn't suit him at all.
Casper laughed. "He absolutely would. My brother likes letting you win more than he likes winning himself."
Cassian shot him an irritated look, but didn't deny it. Something about that gesture—the strongest, most intimidating wolf I knew deliberately losing so I could feel a small victory—melted something frozen inside me.
"Fine," Cassian sighed and stood up, walking to a drawer. He pulled out a fancy envelope and returned, holding it out to me. "You won fair and square. Or fair enough."
"We were trying to find the right moment," Casper explained, suddenly looking nervous. "With everything that happened..."
I took the envelope. It was heavy, made of thick cream paper with a wax seal bearing the Thornwood crest. "What is this?"
"Open it," Cassian urged, his voice softer than usual.
I broke the seal and pulled out an elegant invitation card. Gold lettering on dark green paper announced: "The Annual Thornwood Pack Ball."
"A party?" I looked up, confused by the formality and their intensity.
"Not just any party," Casper said, taking my hand after a moment's hesitation. His touch was warm, anchoring. "It's the biggest event of the year. Every important Pack member attends."
"We want you there," Cassian added, "as our official mate."
My heart skipped. "Official?"
Casper nodded eagerly. "We want to announce our mating to the entire Pack. Make it formal."
"It's strategically important," Cassian explained. "Once you're publicly acknowledged as our mate, you'll have the full protection of Pack law."
"It's not just strategy," Casper frowned at his brother before turning back to me, his expression softening. "We want everyone to know you belong with us, Elowen. If... if that's what you want too."
The hesitation, the space he left for my choice, meant more than he could know. After being violated so completely, having control over this decision felt crucial.
I stared at the invitation, emotions swirling. Part of me was touched they wanted to announce our relationship so publicly. Another part was terrified of the attention, of standing before the entire Pack as the twins' mate. And deeper still lurked the fear—would I ever feel normal again? Would I ever be able to give them what mates should have?
"When is it?" I asked, my throat tight with conflicting emotions.
"Next weekend," Casper replied. "We'll have the best dress made for you. You'll look stunning."
"Luna's already involved in the planning," Cassian added. "She's quite excited about it."
I nodded slowly, still processing. "That's why she mentioned a ball earlier."
"So, what do you say?" Casper asked, his amber eyes hopeful but patient. "Will you let us present you as our mate? There's no rush if you're not ready."
The fact that he offered a way out made it easier to consider saying yes. I looked between them—Casper with his open warmth, Cassian with his steady strength—both waiting for my answer without pressure.
What do you think? I asked Juno.
They respect our boundaries. They're giving us choice when choice was taken from us, she answered thoughtfully. Perhaps this is a step toward reclaiming ourselves.
I thought about the game we'd just played, how for those few minutes I'd felt normal again—laughing, competitive, aware of the twins not as protectors but as the men who made my pulse race. Maybe public events like this ball were exactly what I needed.
"Yes," I whispered, then cleared my throat and said more firmly, "Yes, I'll go to the ball with you."
Casper's face lit up with a smile that reached his eyes. He raised my hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to my knuckles—a touch that asked nothing more than I was ready to give.
"You won't regret this," he murmured. "We'll make it perfect for you, I promise."