Chapter 336
Third Person’s POV
Trista let out a sharp, self-deprecating laugh. “I’ve known Isaiah for less than a year, but he only has to glance at me to know when I’m exhausted. No matter how much he hates you, he stayed here watching your IV drip just so I could get some sleep. When I say I’m fine, he’s the only one who can smell that I’m faking it. He offered to take me racing because he saw that the air in this room was literally suffocating me p>
“He sat on that sofa playing games, but he checked on me a hundred times because he could feel my energy shifting. That was his way of looking out for me p>
She looked directly into his dark gold eyes, her voice steady and lethal. “Cassian, we’ve known each other for over twenty years. Have you ever actually known me p>
Cassian reached out, trying to grab her hand, but she pulled away before he could touch her.
“I let Elias’s son call me ‘Mommy’ because I lost my own child, and I’m grieving. I can feel the pure kindness in that boy,” Trista’s voice wavered for a split second. “But in the three years since we mated, what have you given me besides the weight of your Alpha status p>
Cassian looked like he’d been physically drained of blood. He stumbled back, his spine hitting the doorframe of the kitchenette before he could steady himself.
“Elias was a stranger to me, but he’s helping me with this mating severance as a thank-you for saving his son. Alistair is my patient, but when your pack tried to corner me, he led a hunting party into Ironthorn territory to bring me home. They respect me. Why shouldn’t I be good to them p>
Trista took a deep breath. The air between them was thick with clashing pheromones. “Cassian, I protected you with everything I had for twenty years, and you repaid me by giving every bit of your favoritism to Samantha. How can you possibly expect me to be the woman I used to be p>
She set down the dishes and walked out of the room without looking back.
Shortly after she left, Fred pushed the door open, carrying some late-night takeout.
He took one look at the hollowed-out expression on Cassian’s face and spat out word, “Karma p>
Cassian collapsed back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Fred pulled up a chair and kicked his feet onto the edge of the mattress. “You really have no clue how much you trashed that bond, do you p>
Cassian closed his eyes, trying to hide the shattered look in them.
“The damage you did isn’t just going to go away,” Fred continued, twisting the knife. “As long as she has her memory, those shitty things you did are etched into her soul. You’ve got a hell of a nerve asking for anything after how you acted. Honestly, you’re lucky she didn’t finish the job during that car wreck. What makes you think you still own her p>
Cassian snapped his eyes open and shot Fred a lethal glare.
After Fred left, the room fell into a deathly silence. Trista didn’t come back that night.
For the first time, Cassian tasted the absolute, crushing weight of loneliness.
The next day was the weekend.
From 8:00 AM on, the VIP suite was a revolving door of visitors.
His parents and Humphrey were busy handling the crowds.
Gift baskets and flowers piled up in the corners, but Trista was nowhere to be found.
It wasn’t until sunset, when the room finally went quiet, that she showed up.
The second Wilmot saw her, his
Alpha temper flared. “Cassian is lying here recovering, and you, his mate are MLA all day? Where the hell have you been p>
Trista gave him a bored look. “He had plenty of people watching him. He wasn’t lonely p>
“Dad, Mom,” Cassian cut in before his father could roar. “You’ve been here all day. Go home and get some rest p>
Alaina caught Trista’s eye and gave a small nod, practically dragging a grumbling Wilmot out of the room.
Once they were gone, the silence was deafening.
Cassian looked terrible-gaunt, with deep shadows under his eyes.
Trista spoke first. “Don’t blame
me
for not being here. You were the one who drove me away with that interrogation yesterday. Thats on you p>
Cassian leaned back against the pillows, just watching her.
He reached into the nightstand and pulled out an elegant dessert box. “Your godson left this for you p>
Trista took the box.
She realized Elias must have brought Sayer by; the attorney was always perfect when it came to those social details.
As she turned to leave, Cassian grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto the edge of the bed.
He held her hand tight, his voice low and desperate. “I know you don’t want to be here i’m checking myself out tomorrow morning so you can go back to your work at
Shadowfang p>
Trista looked at him with pure suspicion.
Over the last few days, he’d dealt with legal threats, corporate sabotage, and a car wreck-and she’d vanished for an entire night.
Usually, he’d be in a blind, possessive rage by now. Instead, he was compromising.
“What’s the catch?” she asked. “What are you up to p>
Cassian let go of her wrist and leaned back, looking genuinely weak. “Trista… I haven’t eaten all day. I’m starving p>
Trista sighed, realizing she was stuck. She stood up to go find him something to eat.