Where Soft Light Shines Darkness Fades From Tired Hearts by Evan Holt Crane 462
Third Person’s POV
That evening, at the Imperial Club.
Trista had come to pick up Isaiah, only to run head–first into her worst nightmare: Vincent Danitz.
Vincent was one of the sons of the Bluestar Alpha and Madison’s half–brother.
Finished
Back in college, he had obsessively hunted Trista. When she rejected him, he’d tried to force a mating mark on her at a party using a high–potency stimulant.
Cassian had arrived just in time, slipping into a High Alpha frenzy and literally tearing Vincent’s left arm off.
After the amputation, Priscilla had exiled the bottom–feeder to the pack’s overseas territories.
Years later, the Bluestar reject had slithered back to L.A.
Trista caught the nauseating scent of his cheap, aggressive pheromones and turned to leave immediately.
Vincent let out a piercing whistle. His crew–werewolf lackeys looking to suck up to Bluestar–quickly fanned out, cutting off her exit like a pack of wolves cornering prey.
A busboy tried to step in, but the manager hauled him back into the shadows. “That’s Bluestar business. You want to get ripped apart?”
Cornered, Trista stared him down. “Vincent. I guess you haven’t learned your lesson about the cost of losing an arm.”
The sneer on Vincent’s face curdled.
He lifted his metallic prosthetic, his eyes dark with malice. “Trista, you used to have the Ironthorn pack guarding your cage. Now? You’re just a discarded she–wolf. That broken bond stripped away your protection. Let’s see who’s brave enough to stick their neck out for you today!”
Using his superior Rank strength, Vincent dragged Trista out of the club.
Rowena, who had just come downstairs, saw the struggle. Her face went pale as she turned and bolted back upstairs to find the only man who could stop it.
Out on the street, Vincent slammed Trista into the backseat of a luxury cat
A muddy red glow flickered in his eyes as he released a wave of oppressive, predatory pheromones, trying to crush her will to fight. Tin a cripple because of you Today. Fm marking you right here. Consider it
interest on the debt!”
Trista fought like hell. Vincent backhanded her twice, the force blurring her vision and drawing blood from her lip.
Just as she hit a wall of pure despair, the car window shattered.
12:10 pm
0191
Finished
A hand, sliced open by the glass, reached in to hit the locks. A second later, Vincent was hauled out of the car like a bag of trash by a force of pure, unadulterated rage.
“Trista!” Cassian lunged into the backseat, frantically wrapping his coat around her.
“I want to kill him… I want that bastard dead…” Trista huddled in Cassian’s arms, her voice shaking uncontrollably.
“Okay. We’ll kill him.” Cassian held her tight, his entire being vibrating with the terrifying realization of how close he’d come to losing her.
The moment Vincent saw Cassian, the primal bloodline suppression took hold.
His legs turned to jelly. He scrambled to his feet and tried to bolt across the street.
“Bang!”
A black G–Wagon screaming down the road sent Vincent flying.
His body spun in the air before slamming into the asphalt, his prosthetic arm skidding away across the
pavement.
The SUV ground to a halt. The door swung open and Alistair stepped out, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He looked like the Grim Reaper in a designer suit.
“Alpha Alistair!”
Trista shoved Cassian aside and ran toward him.
Cassian’s coat fell into the dirt as he stood frozen, watching her run into the arms of another man. The corners of his eyes burned a raw, angry red.
Alistair blew out a cloud of smoke and gave Cassian a cold look. “I’m taking her. You clean up the mess.”
Castian’s fists clenched so hard they bled, but he stood his ground and watched them drive away
Across the street, Rowena’s friend whispered, “Cassian looks like he’s about to have a total psychotic break Shouldn’t you go over there?”
Rowena shook her head. I gave him the tip because I wanted him to owe me one–leverage for our pack I’m not about to waste my heart on a man who’s clearly already spoken for
One hour later Silverlight Territory.
Isaiah rushed home and saw the bruise on Trista’s face. He slapped himself across the face in frustration “This is on me. I should have been faster
“Tin fine,” Trista said, trying to get her breathing under control. He just caught me off guard
Ulva knocked and stepped in “Trista Mr Manwaring is here”
Elias walked in and went straight to the bed.
12:10 pm
Finished
He leaned over, staring at her swollen cheek, his gaze terrifyingly still.
“Vincent is dead,” he said.
The glass in Trista’s hand shattered as it hit the floor.
Her mind raced back to that chaotic moment in the car.
“I want to kill him!”
“Okay. We’ll kill him.”
She had said it out of pure, broken rage, a reaction to the violation of those disgusting pheromones.
But Cassian’s response had been different–it had been calm, almost like a vow.
Trista felt her heart jump into her throat, her thoughts a tangled mess of static.
She held her breath, looking up at Elias with a trembling gaze. “How… how exactly did he die?”
Elias dropped to a crouch so he was eye–level with her. “Shortly after Vincent was admitted to the ward, Alpha Cassian and Alpha Alistair both went in to ‘visit‘ him. About thirty minutes after they left together, the medical center announced his condition had ‘deteriorated.’ He was pronounced dead shortly after.”
Trista looked down immediately, trying to hide the panic and fear in her eyes.
Even though she was done with Cassian, she never wanted him to catch a murder charge–especially not over a “curse” she’d screamed in a moment of trauma.
4.6K
B
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.