Where Soft Light Shines Darkness Fades From Tired Hearts by Evan Holt Crane 306
Third Person’s POV
Elias let out a long sigh.
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Trista gave him a weak, slightly embarrassed smile. “Mr Manwaring, that whole scene was pretty pathetic, wasn’t it?”
“As long as you’ve finally seen him for what he is, that’s all that matters,” Elias replied.
She had seen it, but Cassian was acting like a wounded, cornered beast, stubbornly refusing to let go.
To this day, she still didn’t understand what he was trying to achieve.
After lunch, Trista returned to the healing center and spotted the familiar black Bentley parked at the curb from a distance.
As Cassian stepped out of the car, Elias tactfully picked up the pup. “I’ll take Sayer inside and let you two talk.”
Once Elias was gone, Trista stopped in her tracks.
Cassian walked up to her and handed her a thermos. “This is a restorative soup. Drink it this afternoon if you get hungry.”
Trista took the cup.
She had just gone through a surgery and needed to recover; there was no reason to punish her own body.
Seeing her accept the soup, Cassian spoke in a low voice. “Meeting Samantha earlier… it was for-”
“I don’t care why,” Trista cut him off.
The words Cassian was about to say died in his throat.
They locked eyes. His dark gold pupils constricted with a complex mix of emotions as he tried to catch the scent of the outsider’s pup on her.
“I can see you’ve really taken a liking to Elias’s little wolf Cassian said, suppressing a surge of primal Alpha jealousy.
He forced his natural aggression into a stiff, formal gesture of goodwill. “If you’re determined to be that child’s Godmother and offer him protection, I can personally organize the investiture ceremony. We’ll offer a tribute in the name of the Ironthorns–something high–status and fitting.”
Trista stared at him for a long moment, her gaze as cold as if she were looking at a pathetic, exiled stray. She let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
“Cassian, that child needs a mother who can soothe his wolf soul, not a fake father. My protection is enough. In this situation, your energy is just redundant and… honestly, nauseating.”
Cassian’s pheromones exploded. His pine scent turned sharp and acrid like gunpowder. “Trista! Until the bond witnessed by the Moon Goddess is severed, I am still your Alpha! I am still alive, yet you’re going over my head to claim another pack’s child? Do you think that’s acceptable?”
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“When you went behind my back to claim that low–life’s bastard as your son, did you once remember I was your mate?”
Trista’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word carried the weight of their shared bloodline. “Or did you already consider me a dead wolf who had returned to the Wilds?”
Cassian was speechless..
His powerful Alpha aura suffered a fatal crack in that moment.
It took a long time for him to pull back his bristling energy and try to step closer, his voice small and pleading. “I know I was wrong. Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Take your anger out on me, but don’t hurt yourself”
Before he could finish, Trista’s palm struck the side of tCassian’s face like a heated blade.
The sharp crack echoed in the silence, startling the distant guards.
Trista didn’t look back. She turned and walked away with a bone–deep coldness.
Cassian stood there, frozen, holding his rapidly swelling cheek.
His Alpha pride, something that had never been challenged, lay in pieces at his feet.
Nearby, Humphrey watched his leader get slapped in public by his mate. His skin crawled with secondary embarrassment, and he quickly ducked back around the corner, holding his breath so he wouldn’t be
noticed.
That afternoon, Trista saw Priscilla from the Shadowfangs.
with
Priscilla was always full of praise for her, but Madison, who had tagged along, looked on pure contempt.
Trista ignored her and walked Priscilla back to her car.
As Madison closed the car door, she leaned in provocatively. “Miss Holmes, the one who isn’t loved is always the third wheel. Samantha already has Cassian’s child. There’s no point in clinging to the Luna title. You might as well end the bond now and walk away with a bigger settlement.”
Trista looked at the girl and frowned. “Why don’t you help me end it, then?”
Madison let out a condescending laugh. “If one side wants out, no one can stay. I know it’s hard for a fallen socialite like you to let go of a man like Cassian, but Samantha gave him an heir. You can’t win. Just give up.”
Trista didn’t waste another breath. She tapped on the tinted back window of the luxury car.
When Priscilla rolled it down, Trista said, “Priscilla, your granddaughter is quite something. She’s actually threatening me to divorce Cassian. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was trying to steal the Luna throne for herself.”
With that, Trista walked away.
“Grandma, don’t listen to that bitch!” Madison started to climb into the car, but the old lady’s hand flew out and slapped her right back out.
“I tolerate you for your father’s sake, Madison. But if you dare cause another scene like this, you’re out of
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Shadowfang. You can go back to your mother!” Priscilla mapped. The car pulled away, leaving Madison shaking with rage in the middle of the street.
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