CHAPTER 005
1165 Words
CHAPTER 005
CASSIAN'S POINT OF VIEW
I stood in the hallway, feeling a pounding sensation in my chest. The sound of Sienna's words echoed in my mind, and her declaration cut me deeply, more profoundly than any blade I had ever experienced. She wanted to break the bond. She wanted to end it all. I couldn’t believe it. The audacity. The nerve. I’d given her a home when she had nothing, when she was lost and broken. How did she repay me for this?
I shook my head, trying to shake off the anger that was surging through me. No. I refused to absolve her. I didn’t care if she was hurt or if she felt lost. She had no business saying those things. I was trying my best. She was throwing it all away.
I stormed off to find Laura. I made my way to her quarters; the air was thick, suffocating in the packhouse. I couldn’t get my mind to stop racing—Sienna’s betrayal, her defiance. And I thought of Laura then: the softness of her eyes, her touch on my face... the feeling she brought out in me that I hadn’t felt in so many years. Comfort. Safety. She wasn’t like Sienna. Laura didn’t question everything; she didn’t challenge me.
I opened the door and saw her sitting by the window, looking out at the moon. Entering, I could see her face of concern, and she turned to me.
She said softly, so gently it calmed my roiling rage into bubbling lava. “Cassian, are you okay?”
I walked over to her and exhaled sharply. “Sienna… She’s lost it. She said she wants to break the bond. The words tasted bitter on my tongue.
Laura’s eyes widened a little, but she didn’t panic. “Perhaps she’s just hurting,” she said quietly, a small frown above her slightly downturned lips. ‘When people are in pain, they say things.’
I clenched my jaw. “Pain? This isn’t just pain. She’s being ungrateful. I’ve done everything for her. Everything. This is how she repays me,” he said. My hands were clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms.
I stood up, and Laura walked over to me. It doesn’t all have to be borne alone, Cassian. You’ve tried so hard for her. But she’s the Luna. ‘You don’t have to let her treat you like this.’”
I looked down at her, my chest warring between frustration and confusion. “You don’t understand, Laura. She’s been... so difficult. She’s always playing games, using her title to get what she wants. She doesn’t even care about me, or this pack, or what we’ve built.”
Laura’s voice softened. “She’s probably just scared. Just like you, she doesn’t know what she wants. You can’t keep letting her have all the power. Not when it hurts you.”
She had a point. I knew she was right, but I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear anything that could make me question the decisions I was making. I’d tried to love Sienna; I’d tried to make this bond work; I’d tried to be patient with her. It was like she was just moving further and further away from me, no matter how hard I held her.
I felt the weight of it all and said, “She’s always been relentless on the others too.” I hear how she treats the pack members. She doesn’t even care about them. She’s the Luna; they look to her, but she uses that power against them, and it makes me sick.”
Her hand gently brushed against my arm, and Laura reached out. “Cassian… I know you love her. Sometimes love isn’t enough. You sometimes have to choose yourself. Pick what’s best for you and for the pack.”
The words settled deep in my chest. I wasn’t sure I could do that, but I did. Not yet.
I muttered, “Maybe that’s true.” “But she’s my mate. “It’s not something you can just throw away; the bond...”
She gave me a soft look, with a dash of something else. You deserve someone that could love you, Cassian... Who respects you. A person who doesn’t just see you as a tool to get what they want.”
My pulse quickened. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to admit it. The truth was, I hadn’t felt loved by Sienna in so long. Maybe I never had. Perhaps this whole thing had been a lie from the beginning.
I ran my fingers through my hair and turned away from Laura. “I don’t know anymore. I don’t know what to believe. I can’t keep doing this, all I know. She’s not acting like this when she’s not. I can’t keep fighting for someone who doesn’t even want to fight for me.”
I turned back to face her. She was close now, her eyes searching mine, as if she were waiting for me to decide.
“Let her go." Laura said softly. “Perhaps you have to do what’s best for you, even if it’s difficult.”
The weight of her words sat heavy in the room; I could feel the tension in it shifting. My heart was heavy, my chest tight. I couldn’t get what I had to do out of my head. I had to make a choice. A difficult choice.
“I… Almost to myself, I muttered, 'I think I've made my decision.'
Lifting her voice low, her soft, she stepped closed. “What are you going to do?”
I stared at her, my eyes hardening with the surety of my decision. “I’m going to break the bond. Tonight. ‘I can’t pretend anymore,’ I tell him.”
She didn’t say anything, but her eyes widened. She waited and just stood there. Watching.
I said, my voice firm, “I’m going to announce it to the pack.” “I’ll sever the bond. It’s the only way.”
I saw Laura’s faint smile. The same smile she had given me when we first met, sympathy, understanding, and maybe a little bit of triumph. She was already winning.
As I turned to leave, my heart broke into two parts. A small, painful part of me didn’t want to do this. But another part of me had been suffocating and was desperate to be released.
“Cassian…” Laura's voice brought me to a halt.
I looked at her one last time.
She whispered, “If you do this, there is no going back.” You’re not just breaking the bond. You’re breaking everything.”
I didn’t answer her. With that, I just turned and walked away, already thinking through the decisions that needed to be made.
The pack was waiting. They needed to know.
I was going to end this.
The question still lingered: had I made the right choice?
- Writer
