Chapter 95
Elowen's POV
"Juno?" I called mentally to my wolf.
"I'm here," she answered immediately. "We need to act, Elowen. This is getting out of control!"
I scanned the wreckage and my heart nearly stopped. Cassian lay sprawled on the floor, deep gashes crossing his chest and side, blood soaking through his shredded suit. His ice-blue eyes were half-closed but still fixed on me, silently warning me to keep my distance.
Nearby stood Leo - massive and terrifying, his red-brown fur bristling along his neck. His golden eyes blazed with primal rage as he surveyed the destruction. This wasn't Casper - not really. This was pure wolf instinct in control.
Luna Ella was kneeling beside Alpha Austin's motionless form near the shattered stage, desperately trying to wake him. He remained unconscious from Leo's devastating attack, blood pooling beneath his head. Cindy and Ethan were organizing the guests, guiding people toward the exits. The ballroom had descended into complete chaos.
"I need to stop this," I whispered, more to myself than to Juno.
My wolf's concern flooded our link. "Be careful. Leo isn't himself right now."
From the corner of my eye, I noticed a figure in dark robes lingering near a side entrance. Something about their stillness amid the chaos seemed wrong - calculating, predatory - as if they were waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But with Cassian bleeding out, I had more pressing concerns.
I rushed toward Cassian, kneeling beside him to assess his injuries. His breathing was shallow, blood pooling beneath his side. "Cassian, please hang on! We need you... I need you!" My hands pressed against his wounds, trying to stop the bleeding.
Leo noticed my movement and growled deeply, stalking toward me. His enormous form towered over me as he circled, rubbing his head and body against me, marking me with his scent.
"Mine!" Leo snarled through Casper's body, his voice a disturbing blend of human and wolf.
The possessive declaration sent a shiver down my spine - part primal response, part indignation.
"Careful," Juno warned. "He's all wolf right now. He doesn't recognize anyone."
"No!" I said firmly, sliding away from under Leo's massive form, ignoring his threatening growl. I heard Luna Ella weakly calling for me to run, but I refused to leave.
I returned to Cassian, desperately kissing his forehead, reaching through our mental link: "Stay with me!"
Leo lunged in front of me again, claws scraping sparks from the marble floor as he growled. His fangs fully exposed, eyes burning with possession and fury. "She belongs to me!" The words rumbled from deep in his chest, primitive and absolute.
I looked directly into Leo's eyes, unconcerned about his size or danger. "And what will you do next, Leo? Drag me away to your den?" My voice shook with emotion. "I am not anyone's property! I'm a person with choices, and I chose both of you! Not just you, Leo... him too... your brother!"
Leo's eyes flickered, confusion and struggle apparent as Casper's consciousness seemed to fight against the wild instinct.
It was in this moment of distraction that the black-robed figure seized their opportunity. As Leo's rampage had drawn everyone's attention, the mysterious attacker used the chaos as perfect cover, darting from the shadows toward where Cindy and Ethan stood near the wounded.
"Cindy, behind you!" I screamed, spotting the gleaming curve of a ceremonial blade in the attacker's hand.
Ethan turned just as the hooded figure lunged. He shoved Cindy aside, but wasn't quick enough to dodge himself. The blade slashed across his shoulder, sending him stumbling backward with a cry of pain.
Cindy's face contorted with fury as she grabbed a broken piece of wood from the wreckage. She positioned herself protectively in front of her mate, her voice barely human with rage. "You'll die for that," she snarled, brandishing the makeshift weapon.
The attacker hesitated, then changed direction, moving with unnatural speed toward where Luna Ella knelt beside the unconscious Alpha Austin. With everyone focused on Ethan's injury and Leo's rage, no one but me noticed this deadly pivot.
"Luna, look out!" I screamed, but it was too late.
Luna Ella looked up just as the attacker reached them. She tried to shield her husband's body, but the hooded figure shoved her aside with supernatural strength. Luna Ella tried to summon her wolf's strength to protect her mate, but the poison in her veins left her powerless. Before anyone could react, the blade plunged down, striking directly into the chest of the unconscious Alpha Austin.
"NO!" Luna Ella's agonized scream cut through the chaos as she threw herself at the attacker, her eyes blazing with pure, helpless rage and grief.
The ballroom's emergency sprinklers suddenly activated, drenching everyone in water. The black-robed figure took advantage of the confusion, throwing something to the ground that burst with a flash and thick smoke, then bolted through the side door. By the time anyone could pursue, they had disappeared into the darkness beyond.
I turned back in horror. Alpha Austin lay motionless, blood no longer pumping from the fatal wound in his chest, mixing with water on the marble floor. The blade had struck true, piercing his heart while he lay defenseless.
"No... no... Austin, darling, look at me!" Luna Ella cradled her husband's body, her voice breaking. She pressed her hands over the wound, but there was no response. She looked up, face streaked with tears and blood. "There's no life sign... he's... he's gone."
Terrible silence fell over the ballroom, broken only by Luna Ella's sobs.
Leo—or Casper—stood frozen, golden eyes wide as if awakening from a rage. He made a whimpering sound, took a step toward Alpha Austin, then stopped, the realization of what had happened during his frenzy beginning to dawn on him.
Grief and anger unlike anything I'd ever felt surged through me. All this chaos, pain and death—for what? Possession? Control? Not understanding what love really meant? If Leo hadn't created this chaos, the assassin might never have found their opportunity.
"Look what happened!" My voice echoed through the silent ballroom as tears streamed down my face. "Is this what you all wanted? Hurt, death, and grief?"
I didn't know who the hooded attacker was or why they targeted Alpha Austin, but I knew one thing: if Casper and Cassian could control their possessiveness and anger, if they truly respected my choices, perhaps none of this would have happened.
I stood up, my body shaking with grief and rage. I turned toward Leo, my voice cutting through the silence.
"Cassian is my mate too! Do you understand? Not just you!" I shouted, pointing at Cassian's bleeding form. "Look what your rage has caused! Your brother is hurt! Alpha Austin is..." My voice broke. "Stop this madness now! If you hurt anyone else, if you don't stop this right now, I WILL REJECT YOU!"