《The Heartbroken Luna’s Choice: Banish Love》全部章節：第 471 章 - 第 480 章

Third Person's POV1:00 AM.The massive bronze gates of the Ironthorn estate stood wide open, radiating a sense of end-of-the-line desolation.Isaiah's car rolled slowly up the drive, the sound of tires crunching over fallen leaves loud and jarring in the dead silence.The moment Trista pushed open the car door, Fred was there to meet her.Only twenty-four hours had passed since she'd seen him, but he looked like he'd aged years. His eyes were bloodshot, and his usual clean, forest-scent was buried under the bitter smell of tobacco and raw stress."The core members of the Ironthorns and the Icepeaks are all inside. The rest of the clans will be here by morning," Fred whispered, his voice heavy with exhaustion."Wilmot and Alaina are in bad shape. Their wolves are on the brink of collapse. Wynn is at her breaking point, too. That's the only reason I bothered you."Trista nodded, following him inside without a word.The early winter sky was as black as ink, and the clouds gathering over

Third Person's POVKeeping busy is the best anesthetic for pain.From the second she learned of Cassian's death, Trista felt a deep, hollow ache, yet she couldn't shed a single tear.She became a high-precision machine, burying herself in a never-ending mountain of work.Some might call her cold-blooded, but after twenty-seven years, her conscience was clear. She owed no one.As her shift neared its end, Fred called.Trista walked out to the parking lot and saw him leaning against his car from a distance. A cigarette glowed between his fingers, and his pheromones were heavy with a dark, lingering depression."Fred," she called out, walking over.Fred opened the passenger door, his voice raspy. "Get in. Let's talk."The moment the door shut, Fred handed her a bank card and a real estate deed.Trista glanced at them but didn't reach out."Cassian sent me an email a few hours before he died. I was so buried in the funeral arrangements that I didn't see it until this morning." Fred looked

Third Person's POV"I don't care. I realized that my feelings for him are just... dependency. Like a brother. My wolf doesn't recognize him as our mate."Trista played her trump card, leaning into a stubborn fit. "If we rush into this bond now and the rejection kicks in after we're married, we'll both be destroyed. Do you really want to watch me spend the rest of my life in misery?"Faced with their daughter's "irrational" persistence, the two finally caved.They loved her too much to risk a bond that went against her soul, fearing it would lead to a genuine catastrophe."Since you're set on this..." Trista struck while the iron was hot. "Dad, Mom, if we want to keep even a shred of Silverlight's dignity, we have to pay Cassian back. That allowance card and this house? They go back to him. Now."Randolph let out a heavy, tired sigh. "We only agreed to move into this place because we didn't want to look pathetic in front of Ironthorn. We didn't want to embarrass Cassian. Since there's

Third Person's POV"I'm the daughter of an Alpha, for God's sake. Don't I deserve a real, formal proposal?" she muttered, tossing out the first excuse she could think of.Cassian's expression shifted, turning more serious than she had ever seen.He locked eyes with her, his voice bordering on humble. "I was impatient. I'm sorry. Besides the ceremony... tell me what else I've done wrong. I'll fix it. Just tell me."Trista was stunned. The Cassian standing before her tonight was acting completely out of character. The Cassian of her past life was cold, proud, and distant; he would never have lowered himself like this.She bit her lip. Did he travel back, too?No, it was impossible. Knowing his personality, if he had come back with his memories, he'd either be on his knees begging for forgiveness or doing something far more obsessive and unhinged. He wouldn't be playing it this safe, trying so carefully to maintain the status quo."I've given this a lot of thought," Trista said, taking a

Third Person's POV"You Ironthorn men have 'scumbag' written into your DNA," Trista said, ticking points off on her fingers."Your grandfather is an old fossil who only cares about the family crest. Your dad is even worse—he's so stuck-up he actually thinks my family isn't good enough for you."Cassian was speechless."I've spent my whole life chasing you like a lost puppy. And you? Every time you showed up, you looked like you were being marched to an execution. Your face was longer than a block in Beverly Hills," Trista ranted, getting more fired up by the second."You've never said one sincere thing to me. No real proposal, nothing. Honestly, I don't think you even wanted this bond."Cassian's Adam's apple bobbed. His voice was a low rasp. "Trista, I—""Save it. I've made up my mind. I'm not gonna make your life hard, so stop torturing me," Trista interrupted, cutting him off clean."Let's just call it quits. If you're that desperate for a mate, take your pick of any pure-blood in