Marrying a Warhound (Cassian) novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

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“I told you… didn’t I?” Alpha Collin Black hissed. “We cannot do this now!” He held his wife’s arm trying to pull her away from the tent. “We are currently-”

“I merely want to see my daughter,” Genevieve hissed.

The rain had not let

1. up.

It beat mercilessly against the northern canopy, drumming down the leaves in a constant rhythm like the war drums of the gods themselves. The forest floor had turned to mud, a thick, sucking quagmire that clung to every step, swallowing boots whole and making the very act of standing feel like defiance.

Rainwater streamed through the trenches, carving shallow rivers that ran slick with ash and blood. The wind carried the tang of iron and wet bark, and overhead, lightning spiderwebbed across the sky like a warning from the heavens.

Yet none of that stopped Luna Genevieve.

She stood just outside the central war tent, cloak soaked through, raindrops catching in her black hair like a crown of cold fire. Her head was bowed in the perfect image of maternal grief, and her hands trembled as she clutched them before her chest. She didn’t flinch when thunder cracked above her.

Celeste stood beside her, pale and trembling, arms folded over her soaked gown. Every now and then she glanced toward the soldiers passing nearby, ensuring their eyes stayed on them. She pressed closer to her mother, like a daughter seeking comfort.

It was all part of the performance.

Genevieve dropped to her knees in the mud.

“My Lord Cassian,” she called, loud enough for every ear within shouting distance to hear. Her voice wavered, practiced to perfection. “Please… I beg of you. Let a mother see her daughter.”

The words echoed.

Heads turned. Curious whispers rippled through the ranks. The sight of the proud Luna, on her knees, soaked, voice breaking, was a scene crafted for witnesses. And Genevieve knew it.

She could already feel their gazes on her like a thousand invisible hands. The weight of attention pressed in, and she smiled to herself. Let them watch. Let them believe.

Behind her, Alpha Collin gritted his teeth. “Genevieve, stop this,” he hissed under his breath, gripping her shoulder. “We have bigger things to deal with, our patrols are stretched thin, the

11:05 Wed, Sep 10

Chapter 16

Genevieve stiffened. “How dare you-”

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“I dare because I bled tonight,” Rio snarled. “Because my people bled. And you, standing here, stirring panic, sowing doubt, insinuating that my Lord, the Prince of the North, has harmed your daughter? Are you trying to distract us? Because if you are… that sounds a lot like treason.”

For a moment, the only sound was the rain pounding harder against the tent, and the distant roar of thunder rolling across the mountains.

Genevieve’s jaw ticked. She had not expected this level of pushback. Rio was clearly sharper than she anticipated. Still, she wouldn’t retreat.

“I don’t care about politics,” she said, raising her chin. “I only want to see my daughter!”

“You want to be seen wanting to see her,” Rio snapped back. “Don’t pretend otherwise.”

“The Lord is willing to see you now,” he said calmly, eyes sweeping over each of them. “Please,

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