Third Person's POV
Samantha trailed behind him, refusing to let the subject drop. "Cassian, do you think Trista came all the way to Europe just to hook up with him?"
Cassian turned his head. The look he gave her was so cold and heavy with Alpha pressure that it shut her up instantly.
Back at the hotel, they were both lost in their own thoughts.
Samantha paced her room, buzzing with excitement.
Earlier that night, Cassian had taken her to a high-end auction and dropped a staggering $120 million on a flawless emerald pendant.
She was convinced he'd bought it for Algernon's upcoming birthday—a massive statement of his devotion.
Late that night, Cassian gripped the jewelry box and went to knock on Trista's door, only to find the room empty.
A waiter told him that Trista had already checked out and left for the airport.
A flash of anxiety hit him. He immediately called his assistant. "Humphrey, get us on a flight. We're going back to L.A. tonight."
The holiday wasn't even over yet, but a cold, steady rain was already falling over Los Angeles.
The first thing Trista did when she landed was head to the healing center for a full physical.
Every time she thought about that random call boy she'd hired in a drunken haze, she panicked. She was terrified she'd picked up something nasty.
After work, she spent some time talking with Xander at the center.
By the time she walked out, the sun had already set. She stopped when she saw Cassian walking toward her, holding an umbrella.
She'd only been back on the ground for a day. How was he tracking her this closely?
"It's pouring. Let me drive you," Cassian said, his voice low.
Trista hesitated but eventually nodded.
She'd just gone through a procedure, and her body couldn't handle the freezing dampness.
They drove in silence.
Cassian held the umbrella over her the whole way to the car, leaving his own shoulder completely soaked by the icy rain.
When they reached the door, he handed her a jewelry box. "Since you took that kid on as a godson, you should probably give him a gift to make it official. I picked this up in Europe. It's perfect."
When she didn't reach for it, he opened the lid himself.
"Top-tier emerald."
Trista glanced at it. The stone was stunning—clear, deep, and glowing with an expensive light. It was worth a fortune. But she didn't take it.
"I'm the godmother. I'll pick out my own gifts."
Cassian's brow furrowed, his voice tight with suppressed frustration. "Trista, the bond isn't even severed yet. Do you really have to draw such a hard line between us?"
Trista looked him in the eye, her gaze chillingly calm. "Absolutely. I don't want you coming after me for 'reimbursements' when this finally blows up. I couldn't afford you."
Samantha gritted her teeth and slipped away into the shadows.
Around 8:00 PM, Trista was relaxing with her parents when a frantic buzzing at the door killed the mood.
She opened it to find Samantha, looking absolutely livid. Trista's face went stone cold. "Samantha, you have a lot of nerve stepping onto Silverlight territory."
Samantha was past the point of reason, blinded by envy.
Even if the Silverlights had lost its former glory, this villa was still protected by territory laws.
She ignored the warning and shoved past Trista into the living room.
That move was a mistake.
Attwater went rigid. His eyes flashed a violent, glowing gold, and his claws extended instinctively. A wave of Alpha aura exploded through the room like a physical shockwave.
"Interlopers die!" he growled, a low, bestial sound. The sheer lethality of his presence turned Samantha's legs to jelly.
Samantha shrieked, the raw killing intent sent her bolting back out the door.
"I'll be waiting for you downstairs!" she screamed at Trista as the elevator doors closed.
Trista put a hand on her brother's arm, using her own pheromones to force his hunting instincts back down.
"She's lucky I didn't rip her throat out," Attwater spat, his nostrils flaring with rage. "People like her are supposed to be executed for trespassing on private territory."

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