MasukThird Person's POVThe night was heavy as two souls, both scarred by the wreckage of a past life, wept silently by the freezing lake.Deep in the suburban wilderness, Cassian held Trista in a crushing embrace from behind.Even though he had enough strength in his arms to shatter stone, he couldn't stop shivering.The agony of his rebirth was like a trapped beast, clawing at his sanity until he was on the verge of shifting into a wolf and howling at the moon in despair.With a suppressed growl, he forced himself to let go.He stood hunched over, a lonely and defeated figure in the dark. The crimson fire of obsession in his eyes finally flickered out as he met Trista's cold gaze."Don't cry, Trista... I'll respect your decision," he rasped, his voice sounding like it had been ground over gravel.Whatever she wanted, he had to give in.Even if it was a sentence that tore his soul apart.Falling back into being "child
Third Person's POVThe two stared at each other in a heavy, suffocating silence.In that heartbeat, Cassian felt the oxygen vanish from his lungs; the crushing weight of the guilt he had carried since his rebirth threatened to drown him.He gripped the front of his shirt in agony, his body swaying as he stumbled back until his spine hit the cold metal of the car."When did you find out?" He let out a self-deprecating laugh that sounded more like a broken sob."I had my suspicions from the start," Trista admitted, her voice steady. "But I didn't want to believe that you would come back with the same nightmare I did".Cassian lowered his gaze and tilted his head back, letting the bitterness of his own deception wash over him.He had been lying to himself, thinking that if he just hid the truth, he could build a heaven on top of the ruins of their past life."I'm sorry... Trista"."Don't say you're sorry." Trista walked up
Third Person's POVTrista shoved against Cassian's chest with both hands. "Cassian, what the hell is wrong with you?!"Cassian didn't say a word. He simply leaned in and expertly unbuckled her seatbelt.The more he stayed silent, the more nervous Trista became.In a panic, she grabbed his collar. "Say something! What do you think you're doing?!"Cassian braced one hand against the back of her seat and gripped her shoulder with the other.The corners of his eyes were faintly red.He stared into her eyes and threw the question back at her, "What do you think you're doing?"They stared at each other, their breathing ragged.Trista went quiet for a moment before speaking. "I was just trying to have a normal birthday. Suddenly, some woman shows up looking for you, then you drag me out here by force. What did I do?"In her past life, she and Cassian had settled their debts.In this life, she had tried her best to maintain the status quo.Now, it seemed that was no longer possible.She watch
Third Person's POVCassian's sudden mention of the sixty million caught Samantha completely off guard. She froze.As the judgmental stares of the crowd bore down on her, Samantha's survival instincts kicked in.Her eyes widened with shock, her face crumpling into a mask of pure, unadulterated heartbreak.She looked at Cassian, her voice trembling as she addressed the room through a veil of tears."Cassian... your grandfather forced me to take that money. He threatened my family. I haven't touched a single cent of it—believe me or don't, it's up to you!" She sobbed into her hands and bolted out of the ballroom.By dumping the entire blame on Howard before her grand exit, she left the crowd with just enough doubt to wonder if she truly was a victim of the Ironthorn elders.As Samantha brushed past Trista, Trista instinctively reached out to stop her.But before she could even touch Samantha's sleeve, her wrist was clamped i
Third Person's POVAs Samantha's words hung in the air, low gasps erupted from every corner of the ballroom.Trista stood at the back of the crowd, not moving an inch forward.That single "Alaina" Samantha had uttered was far too intimate.It wasn't the respectful address a junior gives a senior, nor the proper etiquette a stranger shows a high-ranking pack female—it was a calculated move to hint at a special bond. It was the sound of someone pushing a door that didn't belong to her, just so the onlookers would think she had once stood inside.Then came her reason for their "breakup." She didn't say it explicitly; to be direct would be amateur.Samantha Fernandez was never a fool—at least not in this life, before greed had completely clouded her judgment. Her instincts were sharp.She simply wove three keywords into her sentence: Ironthorn elders. Forced. Apart.Those words were all it took for everyone in the room
Third Person's POVFred lunged in from the side.His arm hooked under Wynn's raised limb, wrapping around her waist and hauling her back half a step.Wynn's palm swept through the air, only grazing a few stray strands of hair near Samantha's ear."Wynn!" Fred's voice was low, carrying a rare weight of authority. "Not here."Wynn struggled in his arms for a split second before freezing.Her chest heaved, her eyes were rimmed with red, and her lips were pressed into a trembling line.She didn't charge again, but she didn't back down either.Samantha stood her ground.Her shoulders were shaking, and tears continued to stream from her eyes.But her gaze—her gaze bypassed the fuming Wynn, bypassed the restraining Fred, and landed squarely on Cassian.He was looking at her.He stood there, hands at his sides, his expression as indifferent as if he were looking at a piece of furniture he didn't own.
Third Person's POVTrista tapped into the last drop of her fading strength, wrenching herself out of Cassian's suffocating Alpha embrace.She had convinced herself that her soul, after being crushed and picked apart so many times, was too numb to feel anything.But hearing Cassian's cold, authorita
Third Person's POVTrista didn't even flinch.She tilted her head back, meeting Cassian's eyes—gold orbs that looked like they'd frozen over. "What did you expect? Did you honestly think you could screw her over and break her heart, then expect me to go back to the way I was? Just some devoted litt
Third Person's POVThe two men stood in the dimly lit living room, locked in a silent standoff.Cassian's voice was low, laced with a misplaced certainty. "She wouldn't do that."Fred actually laughed—a sharp, mocking sound. "Then you really should've seen her tonight. While you were playing house
Third Person's POV"If I had just given in when Howard forced me away... or if I hadn't been so soft-hearted during those dark years of abuse and chose not to bring this little life into the world, he wouldn't have to suffer like this now, living in the shadows."Cassian soothed her in a low voice.







