Christina’s POV
Three days after my birthday celebration with Hudson, I was supposed to et Ysolde for lunch at noon. By eleven, she still hadn’t mind-linked , which was strange. She usually sneaked into my studio hours early, stealing my coffee and complaining about the temperature of her frosting.
I crossed the street to Sugar & Whim. The door creaked open, letting in a blast of cold air that swirled around my knees. The shop was too quiet. Then I heard it - muffled sobbing from the back, punctuated by painful whimpers.
Stepping over piles of wood boards and torn cardboard, I found her curled up on the floor. Her jeans were covered in dust, her face streaked with dirt, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She hugged her knees tightly to her chest, her entire body shaking like a wounded animal.
"What happened?" I rushed over. "Ysolde! Why are you on the floor? Did the contractors bail again?"
She wiped beneath her nose with the back of her hand, her voice so hoarse I could barely hear her. "I told them to co later."
I grabbed her elbows and pulled her up, guiding her to the nearest chair. Her hands felt like winter stones. "The floor is freezing. Tell what’s going on."
Instead of answering, she threw her arms around my neck and broke down on my shoulder, her body shaking violently as her tears soaked through my clothes. I felt her wolf’s anguish through our faint connection - an almost desperate howl.
I gently rubbed her back. "Hey, hey, deep breaths. Talk to . What happened?"
She finally lifted her head, cheeks wet, tears still streaming down her face, voice breaking. "Cassian and I broke up."
"What?"
"It’s over. Completely over."
I stared at her, my heart sinking. "You two were officially together for what, two weeks? Last ti your brother almost killed him and you still stayed together. What happened? Was it Emtt again?"
"Not Emtt. I should have listened to all of you. Cassian is just an arrogant, lying asshole Alpha. Once he thought he had fooled, he stopped pretending." Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms.
My stomach churned. I’d known he was a player and hadn’t warned her when she fell for him. Seeing her this broken made angry and guilty at the sa ti.
"Did he cheat?" I asked.
She nodded, hands gripping her knees so tightly her knuckles turned white. Fresh tears welled up.
"So third-rate actress. I caught them in his apartnt last night. He didn’t even lie about it. Just said she was the lead in that new show he was investing in. The sa show he kept telling he hated." Her voice grew increasingly unsteady. "Chrissy, I saw them on his bed... he was fucking her."
Rage boiled in my veins as Akira growled in my mind, demanding we tear the cheater apart. I slamd my palm on the table.
"That bastard Alpha! Why didn’t you tell yesterday? We could have made sure he never gets it up again."
Ysolde exhaled shakily, reaching for napkins but her hands trembled too much to grab them properly.
She wiped her eyes, but the tears kept coming. "He said it in front of her. Said we were never serious. Said it was all just... fun for him. Said I was just the daughter of a minor pack Alpha, not worthy of a true Alpha." Her voice completely broke. "I didn’t want to argue or look pathetic. So I left. Didn’t cry, just walked out like it was nothing."
She paused, fidgeting with the napkin.
"I thought I was fine. Told myself I didn’t care. But when I got here, everything was so quiet, and then I realized... I actually fell in love with him." Her voice choked completely as she broke into convulsive sobs. "I thought we might have a mate bond... I really thought..."
Finally, she couldn’t speak anymore, pressing her lips tightly together as tears poured out like a broken dam.
I knelt beside her chair, pulling her into my arms, holding her shaking body tightly.
"You got out before he wasted more of your ti. That’s not weakness, it’s the smartest thing you’ve done. That jerk doesn’t deserve your love."
I ant every word. I hadn’t trusted Cassian Langford from the mont I first saw him pretending to care about her, kissing her hand in the hospital room like he’d stepped out of a soap opera. Less than a month later, his mask had slipped. That had to be so kind of record.
"So what now?" I asked.
Ysolde sat up, wiping her face hard, but fresh tears imdiately followed. She’d sared her remaining mascara into gray lines beneath each eye.
"I need to cry. No, I need to cry for a long ti," her voice filled with despair. "He’s never getting another chance from , but... but I can’t help it. Chrissy, I really thought he was my mate." She broke down again. "I was even imagining what our pups would look like."
Then she angrily wiped at her tears.
"I don’t even know why it hurts this much. My wolf is howling, and my chest feels like it’s being torn apart. It’s a hundred tis worse than I imagined."
"You don’t need to lie to or yourself. There’s no sha in falling for soone who wasn’t worth it."
"I’m not lying." She shook her head vigorously, earrings slapping against her neck, but the tears kept flowing. "We were together for what, three months? It would be pathetic to act like he was the love of my life. But... but I really thought... we had a future." Her voice fractured again.
She suddenly stood up, looking around like she might flip a table, but her legs were so weak she could barely stand.
"I’m going to build my brand and make tons of money. n are just distractions. I’m over it. Chrissy, I swear, I’ll forget him." But she was still crying as she said it.
I exhaled softly through my nose. "He doesn’t deserve you. A true Alpha wouldn’t humiliate his mate like that."
My palms itched as Akira growled for vengeance. "You shouldn’t have let him walk away. You should have called . I would’ve made sure he couldn’t get out of bed for a month. He can’t treat you like that."
Ysolde waved away wobbly, but the gesture lacked strength. "It’s over. I don’t want to waste another second on him. If I throw a fit, it proves I cared. But I don’t care. Really don’t care." She said while crying, completely unconvincing.
I folded my arms. "Does Emtt know? He should rip that bastard’s throat out."
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