The Heartbroken Luna's Choice Banish Love novel Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

**Trista’s POV**

The study felt as though it had been sealed shut, a heavy iron box that contained not just the air but the very essence of tension.

The musty scent of aged paper permeated the room, mingling with the cold, metallic glint of Ironthorn’s coat of arms that loomed above us, a constant reminder of the weight of our lineage.

Howard’s gaze bore down on me, sharp and unyielding, a dominant Alpha’s stare that felt like a nail pressing against my throat, pinning me in place.

“Is it your genuine will to terminate the mating contract with Cassian?” he asked, his voice low and commanding.

My hand trembled ever so slightly, but I steeled myself, raising my right hand with determination. My knuckles were white, and I could feel a chill creeping through my bones, as if the wind itself was whispering doubts into my soul.

“I swear it. After the termination, I will not speak negatively about Ironthorn to anyone. If an external statement is required, I will go before The Elder Council and declare that I was unfit to be the Luna of Ironthorn, that I betrayed the Moon Goddess’s oath, and that I insisted on ending the mateship.”

I paused, my throat dry as the desert, the weight of my words settling heavily in the air.

“Also, I will not claim any of his assets. I will not take a single cent.”

“Trista!” Cassian’s hand suddenly clamped onto my arm, his grip firm and unyielding.

His eyes were rimmed with red, a storm of emotion swirling within them. His fingers dug into my shoulder blade, grounding me in a moment that felt like an eternity.

“Do you even know what you’re saying?” he demanded, his voice trembling with a mix of frustration and desperation.

I nodded, though my jaw quivered. My heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a thin wire, constricting my very breath.

“Please, come with me to plead with Howard. After the termination… you and your family can be together honorably.”

The words tumbled from my lips, and my chest sank under the weight of my own plea.

My wolf whined, a soft echo of my own despair, deep within my bones.

I ruthlessly suppressed my pheromones, tightening my defenses like a fortress wall rising around me.

“I will go far away. I won’t bother you.”

He didn’t argue; he simply held me tighter. His voice was low and hoarse, laced with an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher. “Don’t do this.”

I pulled away, feeling as though I had escaped an invisible grip only to find myself blocked by an even higher wall of despair.

Howard shifted his gaze to Wilmot, who spoke first, his tone steady. “Dad, I agree to the termination.”

Cassian’s expression darkened, his voice heavy with indignation. “This is my mating. What right do you have to decide for me?”

“Even if it’s your mating, I can still make the decisions,” Wilmot replied flatly, his words cutting through the tension. “I can order your separation.”

The study was so quiet that it felt as though even the air itself held its breath, the scent of sealing wax lingering like an unspoken promise.

The mating bond pulsed erratically against my wrist, a flickering flame that refused to extinguish.

Cassian wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly as if trying to shield me from the impending storm. “I will not terminate the contract,” he stated resolutely, his words a solid wall against my pleas.

I slipped from his embrace, a sense of desperation clawing at my insides.

My throat burned like sandpaper, “I’m begging you, Cassian. If this doesn’t end, I won’t survive.”

His chest heaved, the Alpha aura around him flaring briefly before retreating into the depths of his turmoil.

He inhaled deeply, attempting to steady his voice, “Talk rationally. Stop saying things that will hurt you.”

The rough carpet fibers pressed into my knees as I remained seated, my fingers clenched tightly, turning pale with the effort.

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