LOGINThird Person's POVOutside the Royal Court Club.Cassian stood on the steps like a statue. The night wind whipped through his short hair, but he didn't pull his gaze away until the car's taillights had completely melted into the endless Los Angeles night.Fred rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He turned and gently coaxed his fiancée. "Go wait in the car, it's windy out here. I'm going to have a smoke with Cassian, then I'll be right there."Wynn cast a worried glance at Cassian's lonely back, but obediently got into the car.The second the car door closed, the smile vanished from Fred's face.He grabbed Cassian by the arm and dragged him into the shadows of a secluded corner of the club.Lowering his voice, he demanded, "Cassian, give it to me straight. What the hell is going on between Xander and Trista?"Cassian didn't say a word. He pulled out his lighter and lit a cigarette, his deep, dark gold eyes narrowing out of habit.The blue flame danced briefly across his c
Third Person's POVOutside the Royal Court Club.Cassian stood on the steps like a statue. The night wind whipped through his short hair, but he didn't pull his gaze away until the car's taillights had completely melted into the endless Los Angeles night.Fred rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He turned and gently coaxed his fiancée. "Go wait in the car, it's windy out here. I'm going to have a smoke with Cassian, then I'll be right there."Wynn cast a worried glance at Cassian's lonely back, but obediently got into the car.The second the car door closed, the smile vanished from Fred's face.He grabbed Cassian by the arm and dragged him into the shadows of a secluded corner of the club.Lowering his voice, he demanded, "Cassian, give it to me straight. What the hell is going on between Xander and Trista?"Cassian didn't say a word. He pulled out his lighter and lit a cigarette, his deep, dark gold eyes narrowing out of habit.The blue flame danced briefly across his c
Third Person's POVTrista shook her head helplessly, trying to break the heavy tension in the hallway. "Cassian, you've been drinking too. Just let your driver pick you up."Cassian's dark eyes locked onto her, his voice low. "The driver is already waiting in the lobby. I'll drop you off at your apartment on the way.""No need to bother Alpha Cassian."Xander cut in at the perfect moment. A lazy smile hung on his lips, but his tone carried an undeniable edge of aggression. "Alpha Cassian, you don't need to worry. I'll make sure Dr. Trista gets home safely."The two men were roughly the same size. Their powerful high-tier alpha auras clashed silently in the narrow hallway, neither willing to yield a single inch.Watching from the sidelines, Fred's eye twitched wildly. His sharp instincts told him that if these two actually threw down right here, they would tear the roof right off the club.Seeing this, Trista's temples throbbed.
Third Person's POVWynn and Victoria exchanged a look. Worried about her, they quickly followed her out.A few minutes later, Cassian stared at the empty seat beside him, the irritation in his chest growing harder and harder to suppress.He pushed off his knees and stood up.Fred walked over with a glass in hand, but Cassian just dropped a low excuse. "I'm going to the restroom."But before Cassian could even take a step, Xander stood up gracefully on his right.Cassian paused, turning his head to shoot him an icy glare.Xander adjusted the collar of his coat, a provocative, amused smirk on his face. "What a coincidence. I need to use the restroom too. Let's walk together, Alpha Cassian."At the edge of the dimly lit VIP room, the two towering men locked eyes, invisible sparks practically crackling in the air between them.Inside the restroom, Trista turned on the faucet and splashed freezing water onto her face.
Third Person's POVCassian's deep, dark gold eyes never left Trista for a single second.Watching her react like she was facing down a deadly enemy, looking incredibly guilty, a suffocating panic gripped his chest.The string of sanity in his mind tangled into an absolute mess.Fred struck while the iron was hot, pushing for more. "Not bad, Xander. You hid that pretty well. Tell us who it is—maybe we all know her?"Meeting the probing stares of everyone around him, Xander took his time pouring a glass of water. "Fred, don't make fun of me. She's incredible, and I really like her, but... right now, I'm still working hard to win her over."The room erupted into another round of good-natured laughter and teasing.Trista secretly let out a massive sigh of relief, the heavy stone in her chest finally dropping."Thank god, the guy actually has some restraint."Cassian noticed Trista's rigid shoulders slowly relax.
Third Person's POV"What fun game are you guys playing? Mind if I join?" Xander asked casually, looking completely unbothered as he stood by the door.Hearing Xander explicitly bring up Truth or Dare, Cassian gave a slight, unreadable nod. "Of course.""Since Alpha Xander is in, you know the rules! Everyone here plays, and no one gets to back out!" Fred, always down for some chaos, clapped his hands and hyped up the crowd. The awkward tension in the room was quickly swept under the rug by the forced cheers.Following the rules, everyone gathered around the large coffee table.The first person in the clockwise rotation spun the dark liquor bottle.The glass spun rapidly across the smooth marble surface, gradually slowing down until the neck pointed dead center at Fred.Amidst a chorus of hoots and whistles, the guy in charge of asking the question gave Fred a wicked nudge. "Fred, between you and Wynn, who actually made the first move?"
Third Person's POVCassian looked his father dead in the eye, his gaze so hollow it was heartbreaking. "Dad... did you ever, for even one second, stop to think about what kind of life I actually wanted?"A graveyard silence fell over the hall.After a few seconds of staring each other down, Cassian
Third Person's POVOver the weekend, Trista invited Xander and Penelope over for a small get-together.When Penelope walked in, she caught Isaiah lounging shamelessly on the Silverlight sofa.The sight sent Isaiah into a panic; he scrambled out the window and jumped back to his own place next door,
Third Person's POVMrs. Porter froze on the spot. "What? All that just for her?""Cassian is making an example out of them," Rowena said with a firm nod. "He's sending a message to all of L.A.: if you touch Trista, what happened to Blackthorn happens to you."Mrs. Porter's face went pale. she clutc
Third Person's POVOnce Edwin stormed out, Thomasina collapsed onto her hospital bed, trembling.Angela, who had been lurking in the corner, scurried over and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Look, Samantha got exactly what was coming to her. She tried to use that kid with the questi







