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<b>81 </b>
55 vouchers
“Why are you letting that man insult you?” Genevieve’s voice cracked like a whip the moment they entered the confines of her husband’s war tent. “This is our territory, and he- he is nothing but a bastard! Someone born-”
“I dare you to finish that sentence!” Alpha Collin’s fist mmed into the war table, rattling the maps and sending an ink pot skidding dangerously close to the edge. “<i>Go </i>on,” he growled, veins pulsing in his neck. “Say it again and let everyone hear how ungrateful you are!”
Genevieve’s breath caught. For a second, only the thunder outside spoke. Then she narrowed her eyes. “So now you’re siding with that monster?”
Collin’s re could’ve cut through steel. “Your scheming stops here.”
Genevieve’s face darkened. “What are you talking about?”
“You think Cassian doesn’t know something’s off?” Collin snapped, stepping around the table. “Why do you think he brought Atasha here himself? In the middle of a war zone?”
Genevieve frowned. “He’s her husband-”
“Four brides…” Collin interrupted her. “He has killed four of his brides so far. We all know he’s not the type to y house,” Collin interrupted. “Especially not with someone he barely knows. No, there’s a reason she’s here. He suspects something. And if you are not careful then you will bury this pack with you!”
Genevieve’s spine stiffened. “Suspects what?” How could Cassian even think about Atasha when they are in the middle of a war?
Collin ran a hand through his soaked hair. “The Demon Fangs are using poison. Strategically. Unnaturally. They’re targeting his lieutenants and our strongest. You think he doesn’t realize this isn’t just a mindless attack? That someone’s helping them from the inside?”
Genevieve folded her arms. “And what? You’re afraid of him now? He’s just a werewolf, not as strong as the King”
Celeste, who had remained silent this whole time, finally spoke. Her voice was soft. “He’s not just a werewolf mother and you know that.”
Both parents turned to her.
“Father…” Celeste swallowed. “Lord Cassian didn’t even touch you…. and yet you bled. He made you fall without lifting a single finger.” Her voice trembled. “I don’t think we even understand the extent of his power. I believe, we needed to be more careful from now on.”
Genevieve clenched her teeth, saying nothing.
<b>81 </b>
55 vouchers
“I’m telling you,” Collin said. “He’s dangerous. And he’s angry. We have multiple injured men, but most of them were his men. High–ranking ones. He’s not in a good mood, Genevieve. If we keep pushing, who knows what that monster might do next?”
“But we’re almost there!” Genevieve hissed, desperation sharpening her tone. “The n is seeding!”
“And it’ll seed into your grave if you don’t stop,” Collin snapped.
Genevieve turned away, pacing to the far corner of the tent, frustration practically steaming off her. Then she asked, “How the hell did she survive?”
Collin raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Atasha,” she snarled, whipping around. “I thought you sent the best. So how did she live?”
Collin stared at her for a long, cold moment. Then he let out a scoff. “You were there. You saw what Lord Cassian did to me without even blinking. And have you seen his people? That entire unit–his so–called ‘guards‘–they’re not mere wolves.”
He walked to the table, leaned forward, and nted both hands on the map. “Even that physician… Mendez. He’s not just a physician. That man carries the air of someone who’s killed before. And lived through it. He has an Alpha Blood running through his veins.”
Genevieve’s eyes widened, a thought dawning inside her. “A shadow guard,” she murmured. “He left someone to watch over her.”
Collin nodded grimly. “That would be the only exnation. He must’ve known. Maybe not everything, but enough.”
“But why?” Genevieve said, almost to herself. “Why would he go so far for her? She’s nothing. A wolfless girl. Marrying her would not benefit him in anyway. She’s… She’s useless.”
Collin was quiet for a long moment. Then he muttered, “Cassian has always been…
unpredictable.” What if this is all just bait? A trap to see who moves against her? The thought of it made him frown.
Genevieve’s jaw clenched. She didn’t like the sound of that. Not one bit. “He knows something is up with us and wants to catch us in the act of killing our own daughter? Do you think that is his motive?”
“I wouldn’t know that. If he knows something then we are…promised. I’m telling you now,” Collin said. “We stop. If you’re going to do something reckless, don’t. Not while his attention is on us.”
Genevieve said nothing.
<b>81 </b>
55 vouchers
“That physician–Mendez–is likely the reason Atasha survived,“Collin said. “He’s sharp, smart and loyal. And probably just as dangerous as the rest of them. I heard he was able to save a few dying lieutenants as well. Cassian wouldn’t keep him by his side if he were not skilled.”
Genevieve looked away, her mouth tightening into a thin, bitter line.
“Whatever you’re nning,” Collin said. “Be very careful. Because this isn’t a court full of puppets. These are killers. And they’re watching us.”
Genevieve let out a loud sigh. All she wanted was Atasha dead. How could it be so hard? Had she underestimated that woman’s luck?
“Mother, I think we need to listen to father,” Celeste interrupted her thoughts. “I mean… even if Lord Cassian doesn’t see any benefit in this marriage, we cannot let him use Atasha <i>to </i>target
us.”
Genevieve clenched her jaw. Nothing about her simple n has been going well. Perhaps Celeste and Collin are right. “I need that woman dead before Lord Cassian leaves this ce,” she said. This is no longer a want. This is a need, a must. “We need to find a way to end her life without… without letting the shadow guards know.”
Alpha Collin met her gaze. She knew then that her husband understood the importance of Atasha’s death too<i>. </i>Only he knew the current state of their pack, and he knew that one attack from the Demon Fang and they will perish. He needed to make his troops stronger, and to do that, he needed soldiers. Soldiers from the north. “I understand,” he said. “I believe I know a way to end her life as quickly as possible.”
Just as Collin parted his lips to speak, the tent’s p rustled sharply, followed by a soaked, panting voice from just beyond the threshold.
“My lord!”
Collin’s jaw clenched. His eyes flicked toward the entrance, irritation ring briefly before he schooled his expression. “Come in.”
The p lifted, and in stepped William, Collin’s most trusted beta. His cloak was drenched, boots caked in mud, and his face was pale, too pale for a man used to war. He bowed low, breath hitching as if the words he carried weighed too much to hold in his chest.
“My lord,” William said again, straightening. “We’ve just received word from Lord Cassian’s people.”
Genevieve’s head snapped toward him, a spike of dread piercing her spine. William hesitated for only a second, then delivered the blow. “Lady Atasha is awake.”
<b>11:06 </b>Wed, Sep 10
ATASHA’S POV
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