Marrying a Warhound (Cassian) novel Chapter 111

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The chamber was dim, lit only by the blue glow of the sconces embedded in the stone walls. The muffled thud of distant bells and the faint clash of steel outside the keep were a reminder of what waited beyond these walls. Yet Matron Yara had called them here, and one by one, the councilors had come.

Ilya Keldar’s sharp voice cut through the uneasy silence first. “Why summon us now, Matron? In the middle of the tide? Men are dying on the walls, and you think we have the luxury of council meetings?” His silvered beard bristled as he leaned forward.

“This is uncalled for, Yara,” Sister Veris folded her arms. “The third night is always the worst. Every capable leader should be at the wall, not locked in here.”

Even Oren Frostgate, who normally held his tongue said, “You drag us away from the defense to sit in this chamber? What could possibly be worth abandoning our posts?”

Matron Yara let them have their outrage. She sat at the head of the long table, hands folded neatly, her expression unreadable. When the last of their complaints died down, she finally said. “Because I have discovered something that changes everything.”

That silenced them.

Their eyes turned toward her. Yara tilted her head slightly, as if savoring the moment, then let her lips curl into the faintest smile. “Tell me, esteemed councilors… how much would you sacrifice if I told you the root of the tide has already been found?”

The room stilled.

Ilya’s brow furrowed. “What are you implying? The Beast tide was caused by the red moon.” It has been like this for centuries.

Yara’s eyes gleamed. “I am implying that the Consort, Atasha Black, is not a gift to the North. She is its curse.”

Gasps and murmurs broke out around the table.

Sister Veris’s jaw clenched. “You dare? We all know what you’ve been whispering, Yara. Spreading doubts, twisting facts, setting father against daughter. You think no one sees you, but I do. How could you bully someone without a wolf?”

Matron Yara didn’t flinch. Instead, she offered Veris a smile. “You see what you wish, Sister. But the evidence speaks louder than whispers. Beasts don’t come in greater waves without reason. And who appeared in the North just before the tide began to change? It was the woman who had bewitched the Lord?”

Her words spread like smoke, curling into every doubtful heart in the room.

“Bewitched the lord?” Sister Veris’s expression turned ugly. “The Lord is the strongest among us and yet you dare to say that the consort bewitched him?”

Yara only smiled in response,

20:31 Wed, Sep 24

Chapter 111

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“There are things that you must… understand Sister,” Matron Yara said. “The witches are getting stronger everyday. They have discovered ways to bewitched people and I believe that the consort is… one of them.”

“One of them?” Oren repeated, his brows knitting tightly. “Matron, do you even hear yourself? She is wolfless. A woman with no beast to her name. How could you accuse her of something like this?” He shook his head, incredulous. “Atasha Black is the only one who has lasted this long in the North. Everyone here knows the fate of the Lord’s previous brides. Yet she has endured weeks under his roof. No one understands how, but to twist that into witchcraft is absurd.”

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