The Heartbroken Luna's Choice Banish Love novel Chapter 49

**TITLE: Where Soft Light Shines Darkness Fades From Tired Hearts by Evan Holt Crane**

**Chapter 49**

**Cassian’s POV**

**Finished**

Trista lifted her gaze to meet mine, her voice unwavering, laced with an almost painful politeness that cut through the air like a knife. “I’ll be staying at my parents’ house for a while,” she stated calmly. “I will repay the money as soon as possible, and then I’ll apply for the termination of the mating contract at the Stone Circle. If you have any concerns, please write them down beforehand. We can discuss everything then. I promise to cooperate as much as I can.”

Her eyes, once warm and inviting, now felt like a door locked tight from the inside, leaving no room for hope. The weight of her finality pressed against me, a force that made my heart feel as if it were being crushed. I could feel my grip on the moment loosening, slipping through my fingers like sand.

Deep within me, my wolf let out a mournful whine, a primal urge to pull her back into our shared scent circle, to reclaim what felt so painfully lost. Yet, her gaze had already severed that bond, pushing me firmly outside the boundaries of her heart.

Wynn, standing nearby, was visibly startled by the tension. She instinctively moved away from me, her concern for Trista evident. “Cassian is the one who messed up,” she said, her tone a mix of reproach and encouragement. “You’re not going to ignore me too, are you?”

Trista nodded earnestly, her resolve shining through the cracks of her hurt. “Wynn, even if Cassian and I break the contract, we’ll be friends for life.”

With that, she took Attwater’s hand, helping her parents as they prepared to leave, and didn’t forget to acknowledge Fred with a nod. “Fred, we’re leaving.”

Wynn and I escorted them to the door, our hearts heavy with the weight of unspoken words.

As the door clicked shut behind them, the absence of her scent flooded the room, an emptiness that felt like the very foundation of my being had been yanked away.

Wynn, in a fit of frustration, grabbed her bag and slammed the door behind her as she exited, leaving only Fred and me in the silence that followed.

Fred, unable to contain his thoughts any longer, broke the stillness. “She sounded so sure just now. Did she already raise the money?”

I flopped back onto the sofa, pouring myself a drink, the liquid burning its way down my throat before I managed to respond. “Her mother has an obsidian staff blessed by the Moon Goddess. It’s worth over a million.”

Trista had been raised in a cocoon of love and support, cherished by her parents.

It was clear she must have confided in them—her mother and brother, distressed by her suffering, had likely given her the staff as leverage to break free from the contract. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said, “I’ll repay the money as soon as possible, and then leave.”

Fred leaned against the bar, his voice tinged with skepticism. “She’s already reached the point of leaving you. Are you still not going to explain?”

I pressed the rim of my glass against my lower lip, feeling the coolness against my skin. “Howard secretly forced Samantha to leave the country back then, ensuring I would completely give up on her. She kept the truth hidden for six long years, all for the sake of my inheritance of Ironthorn and the Simmons Group. Those years were hell for her. She wouldn’t have returned unless she was utterly desperate.”

I continued, the weight of my words heavy in the air. “If I clarify my relationship with her and her son now, with Howard’s temperament, he would never allow them to remain in my life. He would obliterate any threats to Ironthorn’s reputation and order. Only a bloodline test could compel them to turn a blind eye and temporarily let them go.”

This wasn’t the path I desired, but it was the only way to create a buffer between pack law and The Elder Council.

Fred frowned, his expression a mix of concern and frustration. “Couldn’t you settle them in another city?”

I rubbed my brow, feeling the tension building. “I tried. She refused. Her mother and brother won’t leave either. I even offered her money, but she wouldn’t take it.”

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