Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Third Person’s POV
Finished
Samantha realized she couldn’t keep lying. “Cassian, please don’t be angry. Trista told us to move in. She’s not here right now p>
Cassian cut her off, his voice flat, correcting her. “You will call her–Luna Trista p>
The title felt foreign, almost lodging in his own throat.
Samantha swallowed her irritation and lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry, Cassian, Luna Trista herself told me to address her that way p>
She quickly delivered the rest of her rehearsed speech. “She contacted me a few days ago and asked me to bring the baby and move in p>
“She said she’s terminating the mating bond and releasing you to me p>
Samantha glanced at his face. “She even personally hired the crew to remodel this Alpha villa for us–for our family of three p>
The living room light was warm, but Cassian felt a wave of cold darkness wash over him.
He swayed, rooted to the spot.
So, the renovation wasn’t her finally giving in and coming home. It was her way of seating Samantha and Algernon here, forcing him to choose between them in his own territory.
Samantha saw the terrifying darkness on his face. She subtly signaled her son.
Algernon, catching the hint, cautiously approached Cassian.
He looked up, reaching out his small hands, attempting to defuse the tension with a pup’s natural affection. “Daddy, Trista is so nice! She even got me a nursery with a sailboat and Transformers p>
Daddy?
Trista?
The moment those two names were linked in the child’s small voice, Cassian’s mind went blank. The control he fought for snapped.
His face was grim. His pheromones were suppressed, making his stillness seem terrifyingly cold.
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Chapter 78
Finished
He pushed Algernon away again. “Algernon, I am not your daddy p>
Algernon stumbled back, tears instantly clouding his eyes. “Alpha Cassian, but Mommy said-
Samantha quickly clapped her hand over the boy’s mouth and pulled him back.
Cassian’s gaze landed on her, sharp with scrutiny and warning. “Samantha, I already told you: I will never be Algernon’s father p>
Samantha looked down guiltily, tightening her grip on the child’s sleeve. “I’m sorry, Cassian. Algernon just misses having a father so much p>
She whispered, “Don’t be upset with the child. I’ll make sure he never calls you that again p>
“Good thing I let the kid test the waters,” she thought.
If she had tried to force the words “Daddy” and “home” herself, Cassian’s reaction would have been far worse.
Cassian didn’t reply. He turned and walked upstairs.
Following the memory of the house’s layout, he pushed open the door to what used to be the music room.
The space was completely remodeled into a nursery.
The walls were papered with stars and sailing ships. A soft rug covered the floor. Toys and models were piled in the corner.
The air was heavy with the scent of fresh wood and paint, almost completely masking the fainter scents of pine and resin that used to fill the room.
Cassian leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He radiated an exhausting, absolute sense of suppressed weariness.
The soft friction of fabric near the doorway alerted him.
He didn’t turn. “Where are the two violins that were in this room p>
Samantha stood at the entrance, unwilling to step inside.
She could sense that this room used to hold the strongest scent of the other she–wolf. Now, it had been aggressively scrubbed, leaving only a burned shadow.
“Luna Trista burned them,” she said.
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Chapter 78
Cassian’s eyes snapped open. “Burned them p>
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Samantha nodded. “Not just the violins. Luna Trista burned a lot of things that day, in the backyard p>
Before she could finish, he strode past her, heading toward the back garden.
The night wind carried the faint scent of ash.
Samantha, holding her child, followed slowly.
Trista had set a fire that day, incinerating a whole past life in the garden–furniture scraps, photo frames, dolls, sheet music, all the small items from her Silverlight past. They were all now charred wreckage.
She had deliberately left the mess, clearly intending for Cassian to see it.
old
To let him know that everything that belonged to their two wolves had been cut and burned by her own hand.
Cassian stood next to the messy pile of ruin. His pheromones surged in his chest, then were brutally suppressed.
He looked down and saw a charred violin lying in the ashes, almost unrecognizable. The body was cracked, the strings broken.
He stared at the instrument, barely breathing.
He had personally chosen that violin and given it to Trista on her eighteenth birthday.
He remembered her in a small white gown, wearing a delicate diamond tiara for the first time. She walked gracefully down the stairs, holding her father’s arm, stunning everyone present.
When she looked at him, her smile was dazzling.
She let go of her father, ran to Cassian, and tugged his arm playfully. “Cassian, where’s my present p>
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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.