Chapter 406
Chapter 406
Third Person’s POV
In the dead of night, Cassian’s mental defenses finally crumbled.
Finished
Losing his soulmate had left his inner wolf in a state of pathological decay; deep within his consciousness, the beast let out one ragged, mournful howl after another.
It felt like a piece of his heart had been hollowed out, leaving nothing but a desperate, agonizing void.
Unable to take the spiritual torture any longer, Cassian stumbled into the living room.
He gripped the edge of the bar with one white–knuckled hand while the other reached for a bottle.
The glass clinked erratically against the rim of his tumbler, a frantic, rhythmic sound in the silence.
His hands shook so violently that the dark red liquid splashed across the counter and dripped onto the floor.
The next morning, Paisley found Cassian unconscious on the floor next to a dried, dark red puddle.
She went pale, shaking him several times to no response. Panicked, she dialed Alaina with trembling fingers.
“Something’s wrong, Alaina!” Paisley shrieked into the phone. “Alpha Cassian–he isn’t breathing! ”
On the other end, Alaina’s heart nearly stopped.
A second later, jolted awake by Paisley’s screaming, Cassian gritted his teeth against the war raging in his mind and forced himself upright.
Paisley jumped, then quickly added into the phone, “Never mind… he’s breathing again p>
Cassian shot her a weary look, his eyes bloodshot and dim with exhaustion.
He headed straight for the bathroom, trying to use cold water to suppress the haywire pheromones caused by the broken bond.
Paisley, heart breaking for him, hurried into the kitchen to whip up a high–calorie breakfast, desperate to help him maintain some kind of strength.
Cassian didn’t eat a bite. He forced his weakened body out the door and headed to the office.
After the morning briefing, Cassian sat at his desk, unable to focus on a single thing
He stared blankly at his own hands, his expression shifting between dark and hollow.
He didn’t want to look back, but his brain was like a broken projector, looping images of the way Trista used to look at him with pure devotion.
Every time the memory played, his wolf withered a little more. The guilt of being the one who pushed her
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2:31 pm PM M
Chapter 406
away was drowning him.
Humphrey watched Cassian stare at his hands with a terrifyingly grim expression. His aura was dangerously unstable, making Humphrey’s skin crawl.
He was genuinely afraid Cassian might snap and try to “punish” the hands that had made so many mistakes.
Finished
Humphrey eyed the fruit bowl on the coffee table, quietly stepped over, and swiped the paring knife, hiding it behind his back just in case.
Cassian picked up his phone and opened his chat with Trista. Still a graveyard.
He clicked on her profile, his thumb lingering over her photo. The hunger for someone he couldn’t have was driving him to the brink of insanity.
Just then, Fred strolled in.
Seeing Cassian entranced by his phone, Fred let out a loud, mocking quip. “What, you think staring at that screen is gonna sprout a pup? Get to work p>
Cassian snapped the phone off.
Fred leaned against the desk with a wicked grin. “What’s the matter? Waiting for her fan to break so you can play the Alpha handyman p>
Cassian looked up, his gaze sub–zero. “Is your pack bankrupt? Is that why you’re so bored p>
Fred ignored him, pointing at the knife in Humphrey’s hand. “Humphrey, what’s with the blade? Planning an assassination this early in the morning p>
‘I… uh… I forgot my nail clippers. Thought I’d trim ‘em with this,” Humphrey lied through his teeth before making a break for it.
Once Humphrey had escaped, Fred dropped the act. He leaned in, his voice low and serious. “The new Luna Alpha Edwin just mated with– I assume you’ve figured out who she is by now p>
Saturday was the day of the Blackthorn gala.
Trista was at the local market picking up supplies. Near the frozen aisle, she felt that familiar, repulsive Ironthorn pressure closing in.
Cassian was there in a sharp, dark suit, clearly having come straight from work.
He blocked her path, his voice a jagged rasp as he tried to speak. “Trista. I need to talk to you
“You don’t have the right to use my name, Cassian,” Trista said, her voice flat. She didn’t even look at him. “There isn’t a single thing left for us to talk about p>
She tossed a bag of salt back onto the shelf and tried to walk past him.
Because he had been deprived of his mate’s scent for so long, Cassian’s wolf had shriveled to its limit. The spiritual rot was starting to eat away at his physical body.
2:31 pm
Chapter 406
Finished
Fighting back a wave of nausea and a scaring burn in his gut, he blocked her again. “I have something urgent to tell you. Just give me five minutes. Please p>
Trista stopped. She looked him right in the bloodshot, yellowing eyes–the hallmark of a wolf in total decline–and delivered her sentence. “Cassian, I don’t want to see you, and I definitely don’t want to hear your pathetic excuses. The best thing you can do for me is stay the hell away. Do you get it now 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.