The Heartbroken Luna's Choice Banish Love novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157 

Trista’s POV 

I bit my lower lip, refusing to let a single sound escape, but my wolf was thrashing inside my chest. She let out a low, raspy whimper, only to be ruthlessly pinned down by the mark he’d left on me last night. Even struggling felt futile. 

When Cassian hung up and turned around, he saw right through me. 

He walked back, sat on the edge of the bed, and reached for my hand. When he felt the tremor in my arm, he paused for a noticeable beat. 

His dark eyes lingered on me for a few seconds, as if he were weighing his next move, before he finally spoke. 

“Trista, Algernon is my son,” he said, his voice deep and calm. “That is a fact that no one can change.” 

I lifted my eyes, the corners of my mouth twitching as I struggled to speak. “I’m not stopping you from seeing each other. But you don’t have to flaunt your intimacy right in front of my face.” 

We locked eyes. The air felt compressed, heavy enough to make breathing a struggle. 

The mating bond pulled tight across my chest–refusing to snap, yet refusing to give me any 

slack. 

Cassian hesitated, his tone shifting into something matter–of–fact. “Samantha and I were just having a normal conversation. There’s no need for you to react this strongly.” 

He kept going, every word feeling like he was drawing a map for a future I didn’t want. “I am Algernon’s father. Samantha and I are going to raise this child together. We will talk often, we will meet, we will eat together, and we will be there for him. If you’re going to be this sensitive, how are we supposed to live together?” 

I lowered my head. I felt like I was being herded into a corner with no exit. 

He watched me, then leaned down to pull me into his arms, patting my back rhythmically as if soothing a child who’d lost control. 

“Just focus on doing what you’re supposed to do,” he murmured against my ear, his voice so gentle it was cruel. “Don’t overthink the rest. With the way your brain gets tied in knots the second you start overanalyzing, you’ll only make yourself more miserable.” 

I didn’t struggle. 

Not because I accepted it, but because I was hollowed out. 

My body was still radiating the soreness and heat from last night, and the mating bond was being forced into alignment within his embrace, pressing me back into the position he had designed for me. 

After he left, I curled myself into a ball under the covers. 

He had chatted with Samantha about their son right in front of me, without a hint of hesitation. 

He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was going to live a parallel life with the woman he loved–acting as the father he was meant to be. 

He was pressing reality into my heart, one cut at a time. He wanted to slowly lower my bar, forcing me to accept, forcing me to get used to it. He wanted me to occupy the seat of “Luna” while teaching me never to expect to be the one he actually cherished. 

I didn’t get out of bed. 

I stayed in that daze until noon, only forcing myself up when Attwater called. 

On the way to the hospital, I ran into Xander. 

I didn’t ask for details. 

Asking would only tear another layer away from the Silverlight pack’s crumbling dignity. 

Then, Ulva mentioned Zelda in a low voice. 

Cassian had pulled some strings. He’d found a matching bone marrow donor for Zelda at a private hospital. 

The surgery was scheduled for after the holidays, and he was covering all the costs. 

As my parents spoke, their voices held a complex mix of gratitude and helplessness. They were being forced to accept the hand Ironthorn was reaching out, yet they didn’t want that hand to grip them too tightly. 

Hearing this, my heart felt heavy, but I wasn’t angry. 

After my uncle passed away, Emlen was all that family had left. 

He was nearly forty and had some disabilities, and Zelda was his only daughter. 

Zelda was only nine, and she was so weak her pheromones were as faint as mist. 

If it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to turn down the only chance to save my pup just to stay on the side of “absolute righteousness” either. 

Pack politics are one thing, but a pup’s life shouldn’t be a bargaining chip.