Third person POV
Cassian had always believed loyalty was a simple thing.
Not easy—but simple. You showed up. You stood where you said you would stand. You protected the people you claimed to care about, even when it cost you something.
He had built his life around that belief.
That was why the truth about Claire felt like a blade sliding between his ribs—slow, deliberate, and devastating.
He moved through Moonstone with purpose, cloak pulled tight against the evening chill, his thoughts sharp and relentless. Rae’s words replayed over and over in his mind, each repetition cutting deeper.
She thinks Nolan is manipulating Ellie.
She wanted to help Kieran win her over.
She fled.
Claire hadn’t denied it. She’d run.
Which meant she knew exactly what she’d done.
Cassian’s wolf paced be
