The Heartbroken Luna's Choice Banish Love novel Chapter 226

Chapter 226

Third Person’s POV

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15 Pearls

Cassian stared at Trista, his voice trembling under the weight of his spiraling emotions. “Trista, what is the end game here? Do you even give a damn about this pack–about us–anymore?”

Trista gave him a small, tight smile. “Cassian, do you want a pretty lie, or do you want the truth?”

Cassian’s grip on her shoulders tightened instinctively. “I want the truth. Straight up.”

Trista tilted her head back, meeting his eyes with a terrifying level of calm. “The truth? I want a divorce. I want to sever the mating bond.”

They stood locked in a stare–down. The sheer conviction in her eyes sliced right through Cassian’s defenses.

A flush of raw red crept into the corners of his eyes–a mix of white–hot His hands finally slid off her shoulders, dropping uselessly to his sides.

rage and

pure grief.

“Trista,” he rasped, “that’s not how this was supposed to go.”

“And when I gave everything I had to make this mating work,” she shot back, “I didn’t result I wanted either. Funny how that works.”

get the

They stood on that balcony in the dead of night, two people who had known each other for over twenty years, now feeling like total strangers.

The winter wind was howling, but it couldn’t blow away the suffocating tension between them.

After a long silence, Cassian reached out and took her hand. “Follow me.”

Trista didn’t fight him. She let him lead her into the study.

Cassian opened a desk drawer and pulled out a thick stack of legal documents.

He led her over to the floor–to–ceiling window and sat her down on the sofa.

He pushed the papers toward her. “The NDA that keeps you grounded, the non–compete, all the ‘evidence‘ I gathered to keep you under my thumb… it’s all here.”

Trista glanced at the pile but didn’t reach for it.

She looked at him, her eyes questioning. “What’s the play here, Cassian?”

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14:50 Fri, Jan 16

Chapter 226

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Cassian never did anything without a motive.

He didn’t just hand over leverage for free.

He watched her face closely, hunting for a reaction.

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+5 Pearls

“Whether you believe me or not, I only went to those extremes because I was desperate. I wanted to force you to come back–to make this a home again.”

Trista let him keep holding her hand. “And now?”

Cassian hesitated, his eyes dark with a complicated mess of emotions. “I can destroy all of this right now. No more restrictions on where you go or who you see. I’m giving you total, absolute freedom.”

Trista’s expression shifted to something more guarded. She looked at him the way one looks at a dangerous predator offering a gift. “And the catch is… what, exactly?”

Cassian’s voice dropped to a gravelly, almost submissive whisper. “I know I used my Alpha status to hurt you. I know I blew it. From now on, I’ll cut back on my contact with Samantha and Algernon. I’ll respect every decision you make as my Luna. Trista, just… give me one more shred of trust. Stop trying to run away from me. Please.”

Trista sat there, her face a perfect mask, but her mind was racing.

Trust him?

Her instincts told her that was a total joke.

But if she could use this moment to wipe out the blackmail he held over her, she had to take

the shot.

“Electronic files can be backed up a thousand times,” she said, her tone testing him. “How do I know you’re actually letting go of the leash?”

Cassian didn’t blink. He played his final card. “I’ll transfer all my personal pack shares into your name. If that’s not enough, I’ll write a will tonight. My entire estate–now and in the future- goes to you and any pureblood heirs we have. Samantha and that kid? They won’t see a dime. Not ever.”

Trista’s brain was working overtime.

Even with a will, he was still the Alpha; if he wanted to screw her over later, he had a million ways to do it.

And as for the “evidence” of her leaking files, she couldn’t be 100% sure he didn’t have a backup hidden elsewhere.

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14:51 Fri, Jan 16

Chapter 226

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But getting rid of that signed restrictive agreement was a massive win.

She put on a show of hesitation before finally speaking. “Cassian, if you stop using your rank to threaten me and actually treat me with some respect… then fine. I’m willing to try and patch things up.”

Cassian stared at her, needing to be sure. “You mean it? No more talk of mating bond severance?”

“As long as you support my career and treat me like a mate,” she said firmly, “we can try again.”

The tension that had been keeping Cassian’s body rigid finally snapped.

He let out a long breath and yanked her into a crushing hug, burying his face in her neck. “Trista… remember that promise. Don’t you dare try to cut our link again.”

The smell of his Alpha pheromones was overwhelming, and she had to fight the urge to gag as she subtly pushed him back.

Cassian stood up and led her to the desk. Right in front of her, he fed the stack of documents that could have ruined her life into the shredder.

Then, he reached into the drawer, pulled out a metal flash drive, and handed it to her. “The original data is all on here. No backups. I swear.”

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