Marrying a Warhound (Cassian) novel Chapter 13

ATASHA’S POV

“Oh?” Cassian smirked, voice dripping with mockery as he lounged in the chair like he had all the time in the world. “I didn’t know the Alpha cared so deeply for his daughter. Enough to come knocking while his warriors are being shredded by Demon Fangs just beyond the ridge.”

“My lord-” Alpha Collin started.

“My consort is safe,” Cassian cut in, tone clipped, his gaze flat. “But then again, shouldn’t your priority be the enemy at your doorstep, Alpha? Or has your attention shifted to more personal

matters?”

I stood quietly behind him, head bowed, cloak pulled tight around me. From the outside, I must’ve looked like one of his servants–silent, obedient, forgettable. But inside, my heart slammed against my ribs. I shouldn’t have been here.

I wasn’t meant to hear this, let alone be part of it. Every word they exchanged made the space feel tighter, the heat between them sharper. Still, Cassian had told me earlier, “You’ll be fine. Just stand behind me. Don’t speak unless I tell you to. Let me handle them.” I repeated those words like a prayer.

Alpha Collin didn’t acknowledge me. Not even a glance. His eyes were locked on Cassian, his jaw clenched. “My wife has been refused access to our daughter,” he said. “She only wants to see Atasha. That is not an unreasonable request.”

Cassian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “No.”

Silence dropped like a blade.

“No?” Collin’s voice edged with disbelief.

“You heard me,” Cassian said. “She’s resting. She doesn’t need chaos at her bedside, or questions disguised as concern.”

Collin’s nostrils flared. “Are you hiding something, Lord Valemont?”

Cassian’s smile returned. “I’m not hiding anything. I came here under the King’s direct orders to eliminate the Demon Fang threat.” He paused, then tilted his head. “But if you no longer need my assistance, I’m more than willing to ride out with my men and let Nightfall handle it alone.”

The temperature in the tent dropped. Collin took a step forward. “Don’t twist this into something it isn’t. Don’t be unreasonable. Atasha is my daughter! Of course I’m concerned.”

11:04 Wed, Sep 10

Chapter 13

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Cassian chuckled. Not loudly, but the sound was sharp enough to grate. Cassian’s arrogance made my blood boil. But no one challenged him. No one ever did. That was the worst part. He was untouchable. And even when he was being insufferable… he was always right.

“Let’s not fool each other, Alpha,” he said. “If you were truly concerned about your daughter, you would’ve married her off years ago, not shoved her at me like a broken trinket. If this union was meant to secure an alliance, then perhaps you should’ve given me Celeste instead. Or is that still your intention? Let me marry a second wife?”

Collin’s eyes flared with rage. “Preposterous! How dare you suggest something so vulgar while my daughter is bleeding, possibly dying, as we speak!”

Seeing my father this emotional stirred something unfamiliar in me. I found myself looking at him differently, almost warily.

Alpha Collin never showed his emotions, least of all in the presence of other Alphas. He was always composed, calculating, cold to the point of cruelty. And yet here he was… seething with fury, his composure cracking, not because of me, but because of Celeste. His anger wasn’t quiet or strategic. It was raw. It was the anger of a father who wanted to protect his daughter.

Despite this, I just stood there, silent as a shadow behind Cassian.

“If I didn’t know any better,” Cassian said. “This performance would’ve almost convinced me, a father so desperate to protect his daughter, he abandons the battlefield to plead for her life.” He let out a sharp sneer, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement.

For a moment, I couldn’t understand what was wrong with that. My father had come to check on me, wasn’t that normal? But Cassian wasn’t finished. And I’d learned by now that when he spoke like that, something was coming.

Without a word, Cassian lifted his hand in a subtle motion, and Physician Mendez immediately stepped forward. He crossed the space and handed my father a folded parchment.

Alpha Collin frowned. “What’s this?”

“A comprehensive list of the poisons used in tonight’s attack,” Cassian said. “And it’s still growing.”

My father unfolded the parchment, eyes scanning the contents line by line. The deeper he read, the darker his expression became.

“This…” he muttered, anger flickering in his tone.

“Exactly,” Cassian cut in smoothly. “Demon Fangs are savages. Crude and unpredictable. They don’t use tactics or strategy, let alone calculated methods of poisoning. And yet“—he gestured

11:04 Wed, Sep 10

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