Chapter 60
Elowen's POV
I nestled against Cassian's chest in the warm bath water, feeling safer than I had in months. The intimacy we'd just shared went beyond the physical—it had touched something deeper in me, something I'd been afraid to acknowledge.
"As much as I hate to end this," Cassian murmured against my hair, his voice regretful, "I just got a message from my friend. He says he found the person spreading those doping rumors about me before the last race."
I tensed slightly, remembering how those allegations had nearly gotten Cassian banned from professional racing. "Right now? It's late."
"This guy works nights at the track. It's our only chance to confront him before the qualifying race tomorrow." He pressed a kiss to my temple. "Will you be okay? I shouldn't be long."
The warmth I'd been feeling began to cool slightly, but I nodded. "Of course. Go."
Cassian helped me out of the bath, wrapping me in a fluffy robe. As I dried off, he quickly dressed. "Why don't you go to Casper's room while I'm gone? I don't like leaving you alone right now."
The concern in his eyes made my chest tighten. "Cassian, I'm fine. Really."
He cupped my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. "Humor me? Please? After everything we shared tonight..." His eyes searched mine. "I just want to know you're safe."
I leaned into his touch, understanding what he wasn't saying. After baring ourselves to each other—not just our bodies but pieces of our souls—he needed this reassurance as much as I did.
"Okay," I agreed softly.
His relief was palpable as he kissed my forehead. "I'll see you soon. I promise."
I said goodnight to Cassian with a lingering kiss, feeling strangely lighter as I wrapped myself in the fluffy robe and padded down the hallway toward Casper's bedroom. The warmth from the water still clung to my skin, and Cassian's scent—cold ore and roses—lingered in my nostrils, providing an unexpected comfort.
But as I settled on the edge of Casper's bed, twisting the tie of my robe between my fingers, that brief peace began to dissolve. A familiar heaviness settled in my chest, the weight of secrets pressing down on me.
"You need to tell them everything," Juno's voice echoed in my mind, impatient and direct as always. "The full extent of Drake's plan."
I sighed, pulling my knees to my chest. "If I tell them that Drake and his father are planning to start a war between packs, you know exactly what they'll do. They'll confront Drake directly, and that could be walking right into a trap."
"And continuing to hide it makes it safer how?" Juno growled. "Your heart is still aching from what that bastard did to you, and you're protecting him?"
"I'm not protecting him," I hissed out loud. "I'm protecting them."
My hand drifted to my chest, feeling the dull ache there—not physical, but a soul-deep hurt that hadn't faded since Drake had forced me to... I shook my head, unable to complete the thought.
Cassian had made me feel loved tonight, but Casper was the first one who sensed I was hiding something deeper. Something beyond my mother's manipulation and Drake's cruelty. He deserved to know the truth—they both did. But Casper had always been the more strategic of the twins, the one who might hear me out before acting rashly.
A knock on the door. "Elowen?" Casper's voice was low with concern.
When I didn't answer, too lost in my thoughts, the door creaked open a moment later, his expression filled with worry. He held a steaming mug of tea in one hand and what looked like a Thornwood Pack sweatshirt in the other.
"Thought you might need this," he said, his voice low and warm. "You look cold."
I hadn't realized I was shivering until he mentioned it.
His amber eyes narrowed slightly as he approached, setting the tea on the nightstand. "What's wrong, baby? Your scent changed the second I walked in."
I accepted the tea gratefully, wrapping my hands around the warm mug. "Thanks," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "I'm just thinking."
"About?" He sat beside me, keeping a careful distance—close enough to feel his body heat, far enough to not make me uncomfortable.
I took a deep breath, staring into the steaming tea.
Casper's expression turned serious. "Last time we talked, you told me about your mother pressuring you because of your father's debts. But I can tell there's something more you're not saying. What else happened with Drake, Elowen?"
I looked up, startled by his directness. Of course he'd sensed I wasn't telling the whole truth.
"I..." I swallowed hard. Juno's presence urged me forward. "You're right. There's more. A lot more."
His body tensed beside me, but his voice remained steady. "I'm listening."
"When I went to Drake that day, I was trying to get information. Not just about the debt, but..." I gripped the mug tighter. "Drake's father and some others within the pack structure are planning something terrible, Casper. They're conspiring to create chaos, using manufactured events to trigger conflicts between packs."
Casper's entire body went rigid. "What?" His voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "They're planning to start a war?"
I nodded, my scent turning bitter with fear. "They want to destabilize the current power structure."
"How do you know this?" Casper demanded, standing suddenly. His eyes flashed with golden light, his wolf surging close to the surface. "What exactly did he tell you?"
"Enough to know it's real," I said, my voice trembling.
Casper paced the room, his pine and smoke scent sharpening with each step. "This isn't just about you and Drake anymore. This is about the safety of everyone." He turned to me, eyes blazing. "Why didn't you tell me this immediately?"
"Because I was afraid!" I stood up, setting the tea aside. "Afraid you and Cassian would storm over there without a plan and get yourselves killed! Drake isn't acting alone!"
Casper's jaw clenched. "That's not your decision to make. We needed to know this."
"I know that now," I admitted. "But there's something else you should understand. Drake didn't just tell me about their plans. He..."
The words caught in my throat. I couldn't say it.
"He what?" Casper stepped closer, his expression darkening further. "What did he do to you, Elowen?"
"I didn't offer anything," I whispered, tears welling in my eyes. "You should know that. Whatever you heard about me proposing some kind of... trade... it wasn't like that."
Casper's expression softened slightly. "I had to know you were safe. And when I heard what happened—"
Just as I opened my mouth to explain further, something strange happened. I felt a shift inside me, a familiar tugging sensation as if my consciousness was being gently moved aside. My body straightened, my posture becoming more confident, more assertive.
"She didn't offer anything," my voice said, but it wasn't quite me speaking. It was lower, more commanding—Juno had taken control. My eyes, I knew, had changed from their usual amber to pure gold.
"She didn't offer anything," Juno repeated through my lips. "Drake forced her. That bastard cut off our connection with some kind of suppressor and made her do things when I couldn't protect her. She was terrified and alone."
My golden eyes—Juno's eyes—stared directly at Casper without flinching. "She isn't worried about herself. She's worried that you and your brother will get yourselves killed trying to avenge her. She'd rather suffer humiliation than see either of you hurt. She was forced to give him oral."
The room fell into complete silence. Casper stared at me—at us—with an expression of shock that slowly morphed into something darker, more dangerous. Outside, the wind rustled through the trees, the only sound in the otherwise deathly quiet room.
"He did WHAT?" Casper's voice was barely a whisper, but it carried the force of a scream, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides.
Juno didn't flinch. "You heard me. She was protecting you both. And she still is."