ATASHA’S POV
Reina Morrow sat across from Cassian and me. Given her usual animosity, I expected her to glare or throw a cutting remark in my direction. Instead, she sat unusually calm, her attention fixed not on me but on my husband.
Husband.
That word did not sound right.
Halden cleared his throat. “My Lord, the beasts are wilder this time. In only two nights, we have lost more than we ever have before. Families have been torn apart. Houses burned. We-”
Cassian leaned back in his chair, cutting him off. “Is this the reason you came here? You risked your life, dragged your guards, just to tell me that beasts grow violent during a beast tide?”
Halden’s expression soured, his jaw tightening as if he had swallowed something bitter.
I couldn’t help myself. Inwardly, I smiled. There was something deeply satisfying about Cassian’s sarcasm, the way he could cut someone down without lifting a blade. Especially with the council. They had been whispering since his disappearance, wondering if I had done something to him. Some even believed I had cursed him or bewitched him.
The fact that he didn’t arrive with Mendez and the others must have reached their ears. So, they wanted to confirm if he was in the outpost. And now, seeing their faces when Cassian walked in alive, crimson–eyed and standing tall, was something I would remember for days.
Halden shifted in his seat, his composure cracking. “My Lord… I would like to speak with you alone.”
Cassian gave a single nod.
Finally, my chance to leave. I stood, smoothing my robe, and stepped out into the hall. Reina followed close behind, her footsteps sharp against the floor. I ignored her at first, for some reason, she didn’t seem that interested in ignoring me.
“Lady Atasha,” she called.
I turned, my brow lifting. “Is there something you need?”
Her expression softened in a way I had never seen before. “I know we got off on the wrong foot. I wish to apologize for disrespecting you.”
I blinked, caught off guard. Reina, of all people, apologizing? When we first met, she had looked at me like I was nothing. She had been one of those who expected me to die quickly. Was this sudden politeness the result of punishment? Or was she chasing something else?
Despite my thoughts, I kept my tone even. I smiled faintly. “That’s fine. Let the past stay in the past. Just… be careful next time. Not everyone is as forgiving as I am.”
7:44 Thu, Sep 18
Chapter 102
Her face cracked, just a little. A flicker, quickly hidden, but I saw it. My words had struck.
Yes, she had an agenda. Both she and her father did.
“I have been with the Lord for days, outside the gates,” I added. “I need rest. If you’ll excuse me.”
Reina bowed her head. “Of course.”
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I left her standing there and made my way down the hall. I didn’t know what game the Morrows were playing, but I didn’t need to waste more energy on them. There were people outside who needed my healing, and that was where I belonged.
I moved quickly. I went to our room, washed, changed, and stepped back into the hall. By then, the sun was already leaning west. Soon it would set, and the beasts would return. The infirmary was my goal. Mendez would need help, and every healer’s hands mattered if we wanted to stand through another night.
Before I could reach the stairs, someone blocked the way.
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