Where Soft Light Shines Darkness Fades From Tired Hearts by Evan Holt Crane 487
Third Person’s POV
Conan LOVE
“Sure, why don’t you just bury me in the Ironthorn backwoods and call me a gravekeeper w you’re at it?” Fred said, leaning into his “do–as–you–please” routine.
Wynn tucked her blade away with a look of pure disgust. “Hard pass.”
Fred waited a beat before finally grunting, “I’m taking you home. Besides, I want to see the fallout.”
The clock was ticking on Cassian and Trista’s wedding date. Every gear in the Ironthorn machine was already turning, and then these two suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Fred had to see firsthand how Cassian planned to handle the old Alpha–the most difficult n in the pack.
One hour later. The Ironthorn Estate.
The car came to a smooth stop in front of the main house, but Cassian didn’t get out immediately.
He swiped open his tablet and sent a list to beta Humphrey. His voice was like ice. “Everyone this list. If they have an active project with Ironthorn, shut them down indefinitely. If they don’t, contact their competitors and offer them a sweetheart deal.”
Humphrey stood by the car door, bowing slightly, his expression hesitant. “Alpha Cassian do we need to provide a legal justification for the termination?”
“No justification,” Cassian replied coldly.
Silence.
Cassian gripped the steering wheel, his eyes dark. “When they start sweating and come cov to the office, give them the runaround. If they want to keep the contract, tell them the price jus went up by a 5% profit share Consider it an expensive lesson”
The only way to make people like that learn was to make them bleed
Humphrey opened the car door and asked tentatively. “Alpha Cassian joining us?”
Cassian’s movement stalled for a fraction of a second
Is Miss Hohnes that
“I sent her home to rest,” he said dismissively, slamining the door and heading to the house
C
squad.
Before Cassian could even sit down, his father, Wilmot, pounced.
“What’s the verdict?” Wilmot demanded. “In three days, are you taking Trista to the temple, Rowena?”
Cassian stood in the center of the room. He had dialed back his Alpha presence, looking wea but immovable.
After a moment of silence, he spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried the weight of a hammer hitting an anvil. “The ceremony is canceled indefinitely. And a mating with the Tundras is off the table.”
Alaina rushed forward, her face etched with worry. “Cassian, you set this date yourself. The a is ready, the announcements are out. If you’re stopping this now, you have to give us a reaso we can actually tell people.”
Wilmot, sitting in the high chair, glared at him like a hawk. “Is the Silverlight pack holding ou for more? Do they want more territory? More assets?”
Cassian’s brow furrowed into a tight knot. “Silverlight hasn’t asked for anything. I am the one who isn’t ready.”
Alaina started to speak, but seeing the absolute resolve in her son’s eyes, she swallowed her words.
Wilmot, however, went nuclear. He stood up, his finger trembling as he pointed at Cassian. “You’re the heir to Ironthorn! Do you have any sense of leadership? Any responsibility? You carry the interests of this entire pack on your shoulders. Every decision has to be for the greate good!”
Cassian let out a cold, sharp laugh. He looked his father dead in the eye. “The greater good? You mean I should sacrifice my soul and my mating bond just to expand the family map? Is that the ‘greater good“?”
The words hit Wilmot like a slap. His face turned a sickly shade of red, his chest heaving
The auras of them clashed silently in the air, neither backing downL
Finally, Howard–the old Alpha who had stayed as still as a statue–spoke. His voice held a tract of ancient, casual brutality. “The arrow has already left the bow, Casshun. There’s no turning back. The temple is decorated, and invitations have been sent to every pack in Los Angeles. You don’t get a say in this.”
ร
Finish
Howard’s clouded eyes sharpened. “If you can’t give the council a reason they’ll accept today, then on the day of the full moon, I will personally announce the merger with Tundra. I will le everyone know your mating with Rowena.”
Faced with the combined pressure of his grandfather and father, Cassian remained chillingly
calm.
He looked up at the man who held the power of life and death over the pack.“Grandfather, ev if
you
do that, I will never mark the scrolls at the temple. If I don’t recognize the bond, no one can force it on me.”
Seeing his son openly defy the patriarch, Wilmot’s last shred of sanity snapped. He turned to the head butler. “I want to see if that spine of his is really as unbreakable as he thinks it is!”
He couldn’t understand it. How could his son–the iron–fisted, perfect heir–turn into this ove a girl from a bankrupt pack?
The Gamma didn’t dare delay. Moments later, he returned with a group of attendants carryin the black–bone whip–the symbol of pack discipline.
Wilmot pointed to the center of the floor, his voice a roar. “You arrogant bastard! On your knees!”
Without a word, Cassian smoothly stripped off his suit jacket, tossed it aside, and knelt on the freezing marble floor.
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.