Estelle's POV
Then—the pain vanished, as if a storm had been abruptly extinguished at its peak.
I froze, chest heaving, yet no pull remained. No warmth. No response. No him.
My wolf was still, not in death, but in a lightness I had never known.
I straightened slowly, lungs filling with air I hadn't realized I'd been holding. The shackle around my soul shattered completely.
For a fleeting moment, I was dazed. So this is freedom without him—light, unbound, tinged with an unfamiliar emptiness.
I lifted my gaze to Cassius and watched him collapse.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up, as if struck by a crushing blow.
He stumbled, pupils contracting, breath ragged. His hand shot to his chest, fingers white from the grip. His Alpha pheromones erupted like a wild beast, sweepin
