Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Trista’s POV
Attwater still hadn’t started calling Cassian “Alpha Cassian p>
It was like me–I couldn’t just cleanly rip Cassian out of my system.
The mating bond wasn’t a thread you simply snip.
It was woven into my bones, into my memory.
Finished
I shook my head at my brother. “Attwater, I’m going abroad for myself, for the Silverlight Pack. It has absolutely nothing to do with Cassian p>
I said it with certainty.
But the truth was, one major reason I was running this far was him.
I couldn’t stand seeing him anymore.
I couldn’t stand hearing any news about him and Samantha.
I didn’t even want to breathe the same city air that carried a trace of their scent.
After settling things with my family, I met with Alaina and Wynn the next afternoon.
This trip was long–term–I wouldn’t be back until the end of the year, maybe longer.
Alaina had always treated me like her own daughter. Wynn, even more so, was the kind of friend who would take on Howard just to defend me.
A farewell meal was the least I could do.
The restaurant was quiet. The soft clink of forks on china was clearly audible.
Alaina held her knife and fork elegantly, but her eyes were fixed on my face. She barely touched her food.
“Trista,” she finally said. “Tell me. Did Cassian do something to you again p>
I lowered my eyes, looking at the pattern on the plate’s rim.
I chose my words carefully. “Cassian is on a business trip. He hasn’t done anything to me p>
Telling her the truth would only hurt her more.
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Chapter 71
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Finished
Wynn had no appetite.
She stared at the gift I’d given her, her expression anxious.
She looked up at me, probing softly, “Luna Trista, are you really planning to terminate the mating bond with Cassian at the Stone Circle p>
Her voice dropped low when she said “terminate,” as if she was afraid the word would shatter the reality we lived in.
I just smiled at her, offering no answer.
Leaving the restaurant, I drove back to the house Cassian and I had shared.
The house with the garden was once called the “Alpha and Luna’s New Den” by our pack members.
Now, it was just territory I needed to clear before I left.
I called a moving company.
It took the entire afternoon to strip the house down to its bare walls–the bed, the sofa, the cabinets, the artwork, the dishes we chose together, the books I bought–everything was carried
out.
The removed items piled up, taking over half the garden, a small mountain built from our past life.
But I didn’t let anyone haul the “junk” away. I wanted it to sit there, a silent exhibition awaiting final judgment.
In the evening, Samantha arrived with Algernon.
She walked in and saw the living room almost entirely empty.
Where photos once hung, only nail holes remained. The faint marks of furniture were imprinted on the wood floor.
She looked at the emptiness, then at me. Her eyes held instinctive caution. “Luna Trista, why did you ask us to come here p>
She knew what she’d done to provoke me in front of Cassian.
She wasn’t naive enough to think this was a social call.
I stood by the glass door, my gaze sweeping over the mountain of “things” in the garden. My
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Chapter 71
voice was calm. “Ms. Fernandez, I came here to fulfill your wish with Cassian p>
ଚ ୦୬
Finished
“Luna Trista,” she forced a small laugh. “If you really wanted to do that, you would have done it already. You wouldn’t have waited this long p>
For a moment, she seemed unsure whether to look pleased or guarded.
I turned, looking around the emptied house.
This was once the place I thought I’d live forever, the home of us. Now, only echoes remained.
“Cassian and I grew up together,” I said. “I admit, I loved him deeply p>
I looked up at her, my voice dropping slowly. “But sadly, the person he loves is you p>
I could see Samantha struggling to suppress her barely contained excitement.
She cautiously probed, “Trista, are you really willing to let us be together p>
I nodded firmly.
“I’ve known Cassian for over twenty years,” I said. “He is an honest man. But for your sake, he lied to me and didn’t come home for a month without explanation p>
Samantha looked away, trying to hide her emotions. “I’m sorry. I did tell Cassian to go home sooner. But he hadn’t seen me in so long, so p>
She left the sentence hanging, deliberately making it hurt more.
I swallowed the discomfort, offering a self–deprecating smile. “Ms. Fernandez, there’s no need to pretend. Cassian’s love for you was never truly a secret from me p>
I met her gaze. “He told me himself that you were the one he truly wanted to mate with. After you left, he never felt truly happy again p>
Samantha covered her heart with her hands, a look of pure, satisfied joy spreading across her face.
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Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.