Marrying a Warhound (Cassian) novel Chapter 31 read online

ATASHA’S POV

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“Heal all of them. I’ll take care of the rest,” Cassian said, already turning away before his words. had even settled. I didn’t stop him. Instead, I focused on what I needed to do.

I moved quickly, going from cage to cage, placing my hand on each child and pushing healing energy through their bodies. Their wounds closed faster than I expected. Unlike Cassian’s lieutenants, these children were easier to heal. Whether it was because their injuries weren’t as severe or because their bodies hadn’t yet hardened from years of battle, I wasn’t sure.

“My name’s Aries and you won’t be able to fight them,” the first boy I healed said suddenly, his voice surprisingly steady for someone who had been barely conscious minutes ago. He was standing beside me now, alert and upright. “If it’s just the two of you… there’s too many.”

I glanced at him, noting the clarity in his eyes. He looked completely different, awake and aware. Alive.

“He’s not like most,” I said quietly, more to myself than to the boy. “Cassian… is different.”

But I didn’t dwell on it. There were still too many children in cages, and I couldn’t waste time. I moved to the next one, pressing my hand against a girl’s bruised shoulder.

“You don’t have a wolf, do you?” Aries asked suddenly.

My hand froze. I turned to him, startled. “How do you know that?”

He shrugged. “I just do. But it doesn’t matter. I can help you open the cages.”

I nodded, choosing not to ask how he knew. It didn’t matter. If he could help, I needed him.

I focused on healing the older, stronger–looking children first. My reasoning was simple, if they could stand on their own, they could help free the others. And I was right. The boy grabbed a nearby stone, heavy and jagged, and slammed it against a rusted lock. The metal cracked under the force.

One cage after another began to open. The boy moved quickly, using a large stone to smash through the rusted locks while I focused on healing the next child. Soon enough, we developed a rhythm. I healed them then he frees them and tells them the current situation, stabilizing them.

Some of the children were strong enough to stand right away, while others needed longer before they could even sit up.

For a moment, it felt like we were making progress. Then the sound hit me.

11:09 Wed, Sep 10

Chapter 31

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It wasn’t just a distant movement, and I didn’t need to see it to know that it was the sound of chaos. Steel clashing against steel, heavy thuds, low snarls, and the sharp cries of combat.

My head snapped toward the direction Cassian had

gone.

This wasn’t a scuffle or a quick ambush.

He was fighting multiple enemies at once. A lot of them.

“Hey… healer!” Aries suddenly said, his voice louder now, urgent. “That one. You need to heal him first. He’s not going to make it.”

“Atasha… call me Atasha,” I mumbled as I followed the direction of his pointing finger and immediately moved, weaving around open cages and sluggishly moving children until I reached the farthest corner of the cave.

The cage was smaller, more rusted than the rest, as if it hadn’t been opened in years. Inside was a boy who couldn’t have been older than nine. He was curled in on himself, his back against the bars, face pale and drenched in sweat. Blood streaked the corner of his mouth, and the stone floor beneath him was splattered with vomit, thick, dark, and tinged red.

My stomach twisted at the sight.