Chapter <b>65 </b>


    MATRON YARA IRONSONG’S POV


    <b>78 </b>


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    “The princess went to the prince’s cabinst night?” Matron Yara asked, her brow furrowing. “And what of it?”


    Maningo shifted ufortably. “That’s all we know. No one saw her leave. The only thing the guards noted was a horse slipping out of the estate well past midnight. Since then, nothing. Perhaps she hasn’t woken yet.”


    Yara gave a harsh snort. “Or perhaps she’s dead.” She waved the thought off as if it were obvious. “What about the prince? Any word?”


    “<i>The </i>prince hasn’t stepped out either,” Maningo reported quickly. “His cabin remains sealed. No movement since she entered. Physician Mendez instructed everyone to keep their distance from the cabin, not even the servants are allowed to get closer.”


    “Fine. Keep watch,” Yara muttered. “If either of them stirs, I want to know before the others.”


    Maningo bowed his head and excused himself, pulling the door shut behind him.


    For a moment, silence filled the room. Yara leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers against the armrest as her thoughts turned darker.


    That silence broke when the door opened again. Halden Morrow stepped inside without asking.


    “You’ve been pacing holes into this floor all morning,” Halden said. “What are you up to, Yara?”


    Her lips pressed into a thin smile. “Just curious.”


    “Curious?” He stepped in, closing the door behind him. “About what?”


    “Why she’s still alive.” Yara’s fingers tapped the armrest of her chair. “Atasha ck. By now, she should’ve been torn apart on the road or strangled in Cassian’s manor. But here we are, weekster, and she’s still breathing. Aren’t you curious too?”


    Halden snorted. “Isn’t that because she’s useless? An omega with no wolf. What could she possibly do? Nobody wastes a de on someone like that.”


    “Don’t underestimate the value of symbols,” Yara said coldly. “Cassian doesn’t spare the weak. You know that as well as I do. Which is why her survival doesn’t make sense.”


    Halden shrugged, unimpressed. “You expect the Demon Fangs to kill her? Or Cassian to


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    ughter her the moment the contract was signed? That’s what you were betting on, wasn’t it?”


    “Yes.” Yara leaned forward, her gaze narrowing. “Because Nightfall deserves it. That pack spat in the King’s face, broke the ords, and spilled blood they had no right to spill. Byw, they should’ve been culled. Everyst one of them. And what better excuse than the bride? Cassian could’ve cut her down before the ink on the contract dried, and no one would’ve questioned it. It would’ve been the doorway to punishment.”


    Halden’s brows rose, but his smirk remained. “Yet he didn’t. Which makes me wonder… maybe the Tyrant Lord finds her amusing. Maybe she’s just another game piece he can toss aside when he’s bored.”


    “Inwardly,” Yara muttered, ignoring his tone, “I thought I knew Cassian well enough to predict him. He doesn’t leave liabilities standing. He doesn’t cradle weakness.” Her jaw tightened. “But this time, he did.”


    Halden chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re wasting your breath. She’s wolfless. Sooner orter, the north will chew her up and spit her out. And if the beasts don’t, Cassian will. He’s never spared anyone that close to him. You of all people should know that.”


    Yara didn’t answer right away. She let the silence stretch, eyes drifting toward the window where the wind rattled against the shutters.


    For some reason, she felt like she had missed something important.


    Halden broke the silence first. “I also heard something else. Word is, the Princess has gone north.”


    Yara tilted her head. “North?” She had already heard the same report minutes earlier, but she wasn’t about to admit it.


    He smirked. “That’s what’s being said. That she slipped out in the night to follow Cassian to the border walls. Do you think it was because she missed him?”


    Her frown deepened, “Who would miss that tyrant?”


    Halden barked a shortugh. “That’s what caught my ear. If she’s running to him with news, I’d like to know what it is.” He leaned against the edge of her desk, his eyes glinting. “But what really made me curious was what I heard out of the infirmary.”


    Yara’s brows knitted. “Go on.”


    “The mine copsed. Apparently, the Princess issued a series ofmands. Set the n, arranged the bays, even counter–signed the vials. Then, she stepped back and let the staff handle it. No panic, no chaos. They say her orders were precise, clear enough to hold the ward together until things settled.” He gave a low chuckle. “Not bad for someone who’s supposed to


    be useless.”


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    Yara sat up straighter. “How would she even know how to do that? An omega girl with no wolf, no training, what experience could she possibly have?”


    “How should I know?” Halden shrugged. “All I can say is, her instructions sounded like they came from someone who knew exactly how healing works. It looked like she had practical knowledge. Which doesn’t make sense for someone like her.”


    Yara’s eyes narrowed to slits. She drummed her fingers harder against the armrest. “Do we have reports from the soldiers?”


    “That’s another reason I came here,” Halden said, his grin fading into something more serious. “We tried to pull details from the ranks, but it’s nearly impossible. Cassian’s lieutenants, those men would slit their own throats if he ordered it. They don’t bend, don’t answer to anyone but him. And yet…” His voice dropped. “They seem oddly warm toward the Princess. Weing. Almost protective.”


    Yara stilled. “Protective?”


    Halden nodded. “As if she’s one of their own. They don’t extend that courtesy to anyone else. Not the healers. Not the council. Only her.”


    Her frown deepened, lines carving sharper into her face. Something about that didn’t sit right. Atasha ck wasn’t supposed to matter, not to Cassian, not to his men, and certainly not to


    the north.


    Yet here she was, alive, giving orders, and being epted.


    “That’s dangerous,” she mumbled.


    “Why do you think they act like that around her?” Halden asked. “Do you think it has something <i>to </i>do with the Lord’s orders? Perhaps… he… had fallen in love?”


    “Love?” Matron Yara snorted. “He is a Valemont. It cannot be love.”


    “Then what is it?” Halden asked, his expression turning ugly. “Do you think she is hiding a


    secret?”


    “Or they are using her to shield one,” Matron Yara. “They must be using her to divert the attention of the enemies.”


    “Like a bait?”


    “Exactly, like a bait.”