Where Soft Light Shines Darkness Fades From Tired Hearts by Evan Holt Crane 415

The Heartbroken Luna’s Choice: Banish Love

Third Person’s POV

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Thomasina’s knees went weak. In that single moment, every ounce of her Luna pride shattered into a million pieces.

Edwin took a deep breath. To stop the bleeding before it got any worse, he walked over to Trista and wired the thirty million dollars on the spot, shoving the twenty thousand in cash toward her as well.

Trista took the money without a second thought and gave Xander a look.

She didn’t spare Cassian a single glance as she turned to leave–her exit felt like a clean, sharp cut through a dying bond. “You guys stay and chat,” she tossed over her shoulder. “This place is toxic. I’m out of here.”

She and Xander vanished around the corner, leaving behind nothing but the cold, crisp scent of a winner.

Fred watched the aura around Cassian fracture and decay, smelling the faint, sickly scent of internal bleeding. He lowered his voice, concerned. “Cassian, your Alpha energy is completely haywire. This is dangerous. Let me get you back to the healing center; your wolf needs to rest.”

‘Get off me!” Cassian snarled, pushing Fred away so hard his hands shook.

Why? The question roared in his mind over and over.

Why would Elias give her a thirty–million–dollar dress?

As a Silverlight descendant, Trista had the most exclusive bloodline in her veins. She’d always had ironclad boundaries and never accepted lavish gifts from any male–except her mate.

she’d told him once, back at a gala blessed by the Moon Goddess, that his gifts were the only ones she’d

:ver want.

Why was that loyalty and softness, which once belonged solely to him, now being handed over to a Manwaring?

“red watched Cassian stumble toward the exit, his footsteps heavy and uneven. He didn’t dare leave him alone and hurried after him.

The Blackthorn gala ended in a disaster.

Thomasina’s face had turned a dull, sickly grey.

She’d thought she could skin Trista like a common stray, but instead, she’d torched the pack’s reputation and lost thirty million dollars in a single night.

Sensing the dark storm of “punishment” brewing in her husband’s eyes, Thomasina clutched her stomach and curled into a ball, releasing a wave of weak, pleading pheromones. “Honey, my stomach… it hurts. The pup can feel how upset I am…”

2:07 pm W

Despite his fury, Edwin’s Alpha instinct to protect his heir won out.

He scooped her up, his face like thunder, and vanished from the ballroom.

06

Ten minutes later, on the highway back to the city, the roar of an engine tore through the night.

Cassian’s car lunged like a rabid beast, tires screaming as he forced Trista and Xander’s vehicle toward the shoulder.

Xander’s eyes narrowed, locking onto the manic figure in the car ahead.

Trista sat in the passenger seat, the moonlight highlighting her jawline.

She didn’t even look at the man who used to be etched into her soul. “Xander, I have nothing to say to this psycho. Just drive.”

Xander shook his head slowly. He could feel the suicidal desperation radiating off Cassian.

The second Cassian hopped out, he staggered from the pain in his gut.

He lunged for Trista’s door, but Xander was faster, stepping in to block him.

As a healer, Xander caught the abnormal scent of bitterness coming off him. “Alpha Cassian, a wolf’s stomach is the most sensitive emotional organ. You were in the ER this morning for a hemorrhage. For the sake of your wolf core, you need to back off.”

Cassian’s chest heaved, every breath feeling like a knife to his stomach.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was a jagged rasp. “Xander, this is between me and my mate. Drop your aura, or I’m taking this as an act of war against Ironthorn.”

Xander didn’t budge, his steady beta presence forming a wall. “She isn’t your mate anymore. She’s my friend and my partner. It’s my job to make sure aggressive males stay away from her.”

The last bit of Cassian’s sanity snapped.

He lunged, grabbing Xander’s shoulder as his claws began to manifest–a partial shift triggered by pure

rage.

Xander grabbed Cassian’s wrist, and the two of them grappled at the side of the road.

Trista shoved the door open. The night air rushed in, blowing away the scent of Elias and replacing it with the suffocating smell of Cassian’s blood and bitterness. She ran over and shoved Cassian with everything she had, standing in front of Xander like a shield.

“Cassian! When is this madness going to end?!” she screamed.

Cassian stumbled back, hitting his car.

This wasn’t the first time.

Every single time lately, she was pushing him away to protect another man.

2:07 pm W

He stared at her with glowing red pupils, his expression shattered. His voice broke into a desperate sob. “Trista… I just want to know… why did you take his gift?”

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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.