The Heartbroken Luna's Choice Banish Love novel Chapter 294

Third Person's POV

The second Cassian stepped past the perimeter of the healing center, Samantha emerged from the shadows to meet him.

She cautiously sniffed the air, catching the scent of his volatile Alpha fury, and noted his eyes—darkened and narrowed into lethal slits.

"Cassian," she whispered tentatively. "Your Luna… is her wolf soul still fueling her rage?"

Cassian came to a dead stop. His pine scent sharpened instantly into something jagged and dangerous as he pinned her with a cold glare. "Samantha, I can offer you protection for a time out of respect for our past, but it won't be forever. Algernon is already learning to be a bully at six years old. If he keeps this up, he'll end up as a low-life rogue. You'd better start acting like a mother and keep his claws tucked in."

Samantha instinctively bared her neck in submission, but she still tried to defend the pup. "Cassian, he's only six. His wolf hasn't even awakened yet; he doesn't know any better. Besides, the second he stepped into that school, those arrogant little purebreds isolated him. He was terrified by their scent; he only lashed out because he was scared."

Seeing Cassian's face go even colder with disgust, Samantha quickly pulled back her energy and softened her voice. "I know this hurt your reputation. I'll make sure to discipline him tonight. I promise, he won't use his fangs on his own kind again."

Cassian was spiraling. The anxiety in his chest was a flood threatening to break through the dam of his logic.

Without waiting for her to finish, he vanished toward the parking lot like a violent gust of wind.

He had to get back to the Blue Bay apartment—there was still a trace of his mate's scent there.

By evening, Trista was back at the villa, scrubbing away the last traces of her presence.

Paisley was busy in the kitchen, trying to use the aroma of food to mask the fractured atmosphere of the house.

Cassian was on the balcony on a call, his voice raspy with exhaustion.

Trista walked to the foyer with her suitcase. At the invisible boundary of his territory, Cassian blocked her path.

He stared at her, the usual Alpha authority gone, replaced by a desperate, pathetic plea. "Paisley made your favorite dinner. Just eat, and I'll drive you to the airport myself, okay?"

Trista gave him a look so cold it was as if she were looking at a complete stranger.

She wrenched her arm out of his grip, the rejection so sharp it caused their mating bond to let out a phantom cry of agony.

"If you have time to waste talking to me, spend it signing the severance papers."

She stepped out the door without looking back.

Cassian's hand, holding a cigarette, froze.

He looked up at Fred, his voice tight. "Trista told you?"

"I heard it at the bar tonight. Samantha was bragging about it to Madison," Fred replied.

Cassian exhaled a cloud of smoke, sounding exhausted. "The first day I put Algernon in that prep school, he sent a kid to the healing center. Samantha offended the parents during the negotiation, and Humphrey couldn't handle it. I had to step in and claim the kid just to settle things."

Fred sighed. "I get it. Samantha and Algernon can't survive without you. You're basically doing charity work. But take my advice: just sign the papers and go live with them already."

Cassian's expression turned grim.

"Elias Manwaring is a top-tier lawyer. He was demanding the school expel Algernon. In the hospital room, he mistook Samantha for my Luna. I just went along with it so he'd agree to a settlement out of respect for the Ironthorns."

Fred stared at him and let out a cold laugh. "The 'trouble' is just an excuse. What you really care about is that kid's pride. You're afraid the 'bastard' label will follow him at school, aren't you?"

Cassian was silent for a moment before admitting it. "It's the promise I made to Samantha when she moved back to LA."