Where Soft Light Shines Darkness Fades From Tired Hearts by Evan Holt Crane 492

apter 492

Third Person’s POV

Cassian caught the subtle distance in how she addressed him, but right now, his focus was locked on something far more explosive.

“You sold the Obsidian cane? Your mother’s family heirloom?!” Every word sounded like it was being ground between his teeth. He looked like he was about to lose it.

Trista didn’t flinch. She just gave a calm, slow nod.

Cassian’s fists slammed shut, his knuckles turning white. “That was your mother’s legacy. How could you just… cash it out like that?!”

The most terrifying theory he’d been harboring flashed through his mind again. He looked at Trista with a mix of pure disbelief and raw panic.

Faced with his spiraling emotions, Trista remained eerily composed.

“Jewelry, wealth–at the end of the day, it’s all just stuff,” she said, cutting him off with clinical precision.

There’s an old saying: ‘To be out of debt is to be out of danger.‘ I’d rather have a clean slate than spend my

fe under the thumb of the Ironthorns.”

Trista, I’m not some stranger!” Cassian growled.

They stared at each other across the table in a silent standoff.

Trista let out a mental scoff. If she hadn’t lived through the total annihilation of her family in her past life, she never would have believed that when Cassian turned on her, he’d treat her worse than a stray dog on the street.

Suppressing the memories, she continued, “This was a family decision. We’ve already cleared out of your apartment, too-”

Before she could finish, Cassian lunged to his feet. The move was so violent his high–back chair tipped over, the crash echoing through the quiet restaurant.

He snatched the bank card off the table, strode around to her side, and grabbed her bag. He shoved the sard back inside with a rough, frantic energy.

Then, his hand clamped around her slender wrist like a steel shackle, and he hauled her out of the restaurant without another word.

The cold night air hit them on the L.A. street.

On the sidewalk, Trista violently jerked her arm free..

Cassian’s chest was heaving; he was fighting to keep his Alpha pheromones from turning into a full–blown

riot

4715

Finished.

He pointed toward his armored sedan parked nearby, his voice raspy. “Get in the car. We’re talking inside.”

Trista snatched her bag and phone back, stepping two paces away to maintain a safe distance.

They locked eyes under the yellow streetlights.

Cassian’s bloodshot gaze was fixed on her, his voice carrying a trace of desperate lethality. “Trista… jilting me at the temple, forcing me back to being ‘siblings, rushing out to get a job… those were all just excuses, weren’t they? What you really want is to cut me out of your life completely!”

As he barked the question, the scent of cold cedar in the air turned aggressive.

Trista didn’t blink. She met his stare with perfect, logical defiance. “Since when is paying back a debt a bad

that turn into ‘cutting you out‘ in your head?”

hat she wanted, of

but she knew better than to provoke a beast on the verge of a

nonestly deny that yo

challenged.

The question hit Cassian

“I’m doing this becaus of my own family w crime?”

The “self–impa

er and father think my pack is too pathetic for yours?” Trista

low. His momentum vanished instantly.

our family looking down on me,” she continued. “I want to take care ds. I want to be financially independent before the bond. Is that a

Looking

He

worked like a bucket of ice water, dousing Cassian’s extreme rage.

tional girl in front of him, the violence in his eyes faded.

Card, leaning down slightly to bring his eyes level with hers.

touching her cheek, before his hand hesitated in mid–air. He spoke in a soft, nearly ra, I swear I don’t care about any of that. I’m your Cassian. You can lean on me

lutely nothing. If anything, it sounded like a bad joke.

Cassian said, a hint of suppressed urgency in his voice. “The monthly allowance I sent your the out of my private accounts. The elders don’t know a thing. And the money I used to clear ‘s books? I covered it with my own assets. As long as I don’t talk, no one in L.A. will ever know. t need to carry this weight.”

let out a silent, bitter laugh.

Ce carried the weight of a whole other lifetime.

In her past life, when Cassian decided to settle the score, the ruthlessness he showed nearly drove her and Silverlight into the ground.

4:49 pm P ppp

She wasn’t doing that again.

Finished

She reached into her bag and slapped the black–gold card along with a printed list of every gift he’d ever given her against his chest. Her eyes were like blades.

“Cassian, I made my feelings clear at the temple. Just because no one knows what you did for Silverlight now doesn’t mean it won’t come out later. And even if the whole world stays in the dark, my pride won’t accept charity.”

“I gave it to you because I wanted to!” Cassian blurted out, his pheromones starting to leak uncontrollably from the sheer stress of it.

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.