Chapter 5

• Trista's POV
• Randolph handed me a dessert his friend had sent.
• His tone was gentle but firm. "Cassian has done a lot for us these three years. If you two have issues, talk it out. Stop throwing tantrums. You know the state of the Silverlight Pack."
• Ulva looked at me, her eyes a mix of pity and expectation. "Yes. You're a mature she-wolf now. Stop being childish. You're the Alpha and Luna of Ironthorn. Get pregnant soon. A pack heir will stabilize your mating bond."
• I was silent. It wasn't that I didn't want a child. He didn't want one.
• Once, when he was out patrolling the border, driving out rogues, I dumped all the silver-threaded herbal contraceptives from my nightstand.
• He came back a week later. It was a Full Moon. The heat made him intense.
• He sniffed my neck and chest. He clearly smelled that the herbs were gone. But he didn't stop the mating.
• I thought he was giving his silent consent.
• The next morning, however, he held a vial of Moon-shadow Blocker to my lips. He patiently, but firmly, made me swallow it.
• After that, I stopped trying. I buried the word "child" somewhere much deeper.
• Only now did I realize: He didn't refuse fatherhood. He just refused me as his kid's mother.
• Footsteps outside interrupted my thoughts. The door opened just as I turned.
• It wasn't Cassian. It was my younger brother, Attwater.
• "What are you doing here?" I quickly rearranged my expression. I asked him.
• He was training at the Shifter Academy, preparing for his Gamma exam.
• "I got permission from my Shifting instructor." He smelled of the night wind. He gave me a huge hug.
• He grinned brightly. "Trista, I just passed the Evening Primrose Ward and saw Alpha Cassian!"
• My smile froze for a moment.
• Ulva turned to me. "Did he come with you?"
• "No." I kept my voice steady. "He's visiting a friend. I just stopped by."
• I quickly put Attwater in my chair. Ignoring his questions, I rushed out of the healing room.
• The Evening Primrose Ward at the Healing Center was eerily quiet. Evening primroses lined the hallway. The air smelled faintly of herbs.
• I didn't dare ask where Cassian was. I just had to check door by door.
• My fingertips traced the railing. The cold metal felt like a thin line tightening my throat. The further I went, the tighter my chest got.
• Yet, I wasn't the one who made the mistake.
• Soon, I stopped outside a partially closed door.
• I smelled Cassian's scent there. My wolf fangs instinctively elongated. The sharp tips pricked my lips.
• Because besides Cassian's scent, there was hers—sweet and warm, with a touch of mist, like melting ice.
• The instant that scent met mine, our mating bond gave a slight flicker. It was like someone idly plucked an extremely thin string with their finger.
• My wolf snapped its head up. Claws dug into my ribs. Fury burned back, starting from the tips of my fur.
• The urge to shift flared up, lighting every joint. I could almost hear the low click of bones. The heat under my skin threatened to rip me open.
• I pressed my palm flat against the hallway wall. The cold metal pulled the heat from my hand.
• The barrier wards here were sensitive. Any scent leak would alert the patrolling shifter healers and enforcers.
• This was a sacred place. I couldn't let my loss of control be recorded here.
• I moved closer. Through the thin crack in the door, I saw a frozen image.
• Cassian stood by the bed. His shoulders held the whole room together. The woman buried her face in his chest. Her long hair cascaded down his arm like a soft waterfall.
• Even seeing only her back, I knew she was Samantha Fernandez. She was stunning.
• That name had haunted our story for years. Now, it finally had a physical warmth.
• She stood up. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Her voice was soft, but choked with tears. "Cassian, can you stay with me tonight?"
• So they were already this close.
• I distinctly felt the mating bond flicker a second time. That vibration passed right through the thinnest part of my heart. It was thin like a needle, yet dull enough to make me hurt soundlessly.
• My aura started to push back.
• My wolf thrashed inside me. It wanted to project its scent, to drive the foreign scent out of my territory.
• I closed my eyes. I counted to ten. I squeezed that explosive force tight, inch by inch, forcing it back into my bones.
• Not here. I told myself.
• I opened my eyes. I saw Cassian gently brush her hands away.
• Then I noticed the light on her wrist—a circle of diamonds flashing a cold fire under the lamp.
• My heart seized up. I instinctively raised my own left hand.
• The two bracelets were identical.
• The "It's beautiful" he complimented earlier wasn't about her hand. It was about the bracelet. It was about the woman he loved.
• I felt the mating bond shiver a third time. Like wind rushing through a tiny tunnel.
• Inside the room, Cassian's shoulders stiffened suddenly. He seemed to sense it.
• I could almost see the invisible thread straightening between us. His senses were reaching out along that line.
• He suddenly lifted his head and looked right toward my direction.
• My heart rate jumped.