The Heartbroken Luna's Choice Banish Love novel Chapter 40

**Where Soft Light Shines Darkness Fades From Tired Hearts by Evan Holt Crane**
**Chapter 40**

**Cassian’s POV**

The atmosphere in the study shifted abruptly, as if an invisible weight had pressed down, compressing the air around us. It was suffocating, a palpable tension that clung to my skin.

Howard occupied the far end of the long table, his presence commanding and unyielding. On either side of him stood Wilmot and Gamma Ares, their postures rigid, as if they were sentinels guarding a fortress.

The emblem of the Stone Circle loomed on the wall, its cold light casting eerie shadows that danced across the room. I stood before the table, fists clenched tightly at my sides, the knuckles turning a ghostly white as I fought to contain the storm brewing within me.

The remnants of the wolfsbane whip still burned fiercely against my back, each throb of pain a reminder of the night’s torment. A vein pulsed angrily at my temple, and my eyes felt raw from the sleepless hours that had stretched into an eternity.

I focused inward, forcing my aura deep into my bones, allowing only the faintest hint of it to escape, just enough to keep this room from erupting into chaos.

Wilmot’s expression was grim, his Alpha authority unmistakable. “You are the sole heir of Ironthorn. Every action you take ripples through the pack’s future. If she insists on pursuing her career, she will align herself with Simmons Group. If not, she must bear a pup for the pack immediately and resume her duties here. She is not just anyone; she is the Luna.”

I inhaled sharply, compressing my breath, determined to keep my aura from reaching a point of destruction. “Whether she chooses to work or to bear pups is a decision that belongs solely to us as mates. It is not for anyone else to dictate.”

My father opened his mouth once more to assert his dominance, but Howard silenced him with a raised hand, a gesture that held the weight of authority.

An omega attendant, who had stepped forward with a glass of water, was suddenly overwhelmed by the combined force of the two Alpha auras. Her face drained of color, and she sank to her knees, trembling, too terrified to even draw a breath.

Gamma Ares instinctively bowed his head, the tension in his shoulders palpable as he struggled to maintain his composure.

Howard moved from behind the desk, positioning himself directly in front of me, his gaze as unyielding as cold iron. “Six years ago, I could have made that she-wolf vanish without a trace. And now, six years later, I can ensure that both she and her child disappear from this world entirely.”

The air thickened with tension, choking me as I locked eyes with him. “Grandpa, don’t push me.”

His voice turned icy, carrying the weight of a ruler who had long held power. “You are the Alpha of our pack. I will not allow a rogue and a pup with impure lineage to tarnish your legacy or that of the pack.”

I felt a surge of defiance rise within me. “That pup is mine.”

A heavy silence enveloped the room, broken only by the reflections on the wall and the sound of our uneven breathing.

Ares lowered his head another fraction, his fingers gripping his thighs tightly as if bracing for the storm.

“What are you trying to achieve?” Wilmot stepped forward, his Alpha aura flaring with intensity. Before his words could fully escape his lips, his palm connected sharply with my face.

I turned my head, the impact numbing my cheekbone. The welts from the whip on my back flared with renewed agony.

Gradually, I returned my gaze to the center. The wolf inside me thrashed against its confines, desperate to escape.

I fought to suppress it, to hold back my scent, to quell every instinct urging me to retaliate.

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