LOGINThird Person's POVThe next day, inside the Ironthorn mansion, the atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.Howard and Wilmot sat there, their faces grim.Cassian unbuttoned his suit jacket, radiating the unmistakable aura of a powerful leader.Trista's words from the night before echoed in his mind—for the sake of his loved ones, he had to stand at the peak of power to protect her from the shadows."Your grandfather has signed over the shares," Wilmot said coldly. "When are you returning to the company?""No rush. Once the paperwork is processed," Cassian replied steadily, his tone signaling a firm boundary.Alaina stood up abruptly, her elegant composure nearly crumbling. "You said you were finished with that Samantha woman! Why did she show up at the birthday party? Do you have any idea how much that hurt Trista?"A cold glint flashed in Cassian's eyes, his voice low like rolling thunder. "Mom, I'm going to investig
Third 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 POVAs soon as Trista finished speaking, she felt a heavy shackle deep in her soul finally snap wide open.She could feel her wolf curling into itself, no longer even trying to reach out through that ragged, failing bond.She had already bled out every drop of loyalty and passion she
Trista's POVIt was exactly 8:00 PM. I was running on fumes, but I managed to keep it together, gracefully hooking my arm through Cassian's as we stepped into the Shadowfang gala.The host, Alpha Forrest, practically lunged at us, his voice dripping with a mix of awe and flattery."Alpha Cassian, L
Third Person's POVHis wolf was whimpering. It could feel the bone-deep loathing radiating from its other half. This visceral rejection, coming from the very source of the bond, left the powerful Alpha feeling a frantic, unfamiliar sense of dread.Years ago, Samantha had been systematically destroy
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







