Marrying a Warhound (Cassian) novel Chapter 40 read online

hapter 40

ATASHA’S POV

The rain had finally stopped, but the air inside the war tent still felt damp, thick with

something I couldn’t name. Maybe it was dread. Maybe it was exhaustion. Either way, it clung to everything.

Cassian sat at the long, worn table, one arm resting beside a spread of blood–stained maps, while the other remained bandaged tightly across his torso. I had already healed him earlier in the carriage, there shouldn’t have been any wounds left.

Yet he had Mendez wrap him in fresh bandages anyway, right in front of everyone. I wasn’t sure if it was for appearance, strategy, or simply habit. And to be honest, I didn’t want to ask. Not now. Not when the air was still thick with the stench of blood and smoke, and we had bigger problems to face.

A map of the northern border lay spread out in front of him, weighed down by daggers and empty mugs. He hadn’t said a word since he ordered the reports. I stood behind him, half- hidden beneath the hood of a cloak, the shadows swallowing most of my face. He hadn’t told me to leave, so I didn’t. Not that I would’ve listened.

Mendez stood near the flames, flipping through blood–stained pages of a field report. His voice was cold, but his words made my stomach knot.

“We’ve confirmed twenty–eight fatally wounded,” he began. “Three lieutenants were poisoned -the same compound that was traced to the Demon Fang traps. One died this morning. Two are still alive but declining. Antidote efforts haven’t worked so far.”

He looked up briefly, then continued.

“We have twenty more injured, lacerations, burns, crushed limbs. Minor cases for now, but that number will climb before dawn if another wave comes.”

Cassian didn’t look up. “It will.”

Mendez gave a short nod of acknowledgment, then flipped the page.

“The children… They’re stable. No surface injuries, thanks to the treatment provided by Lady Atasha,” he added, glancing my way briefly. “But they’re severely underweight. Bones showing. Muscle mass nearly gone. Some of them haven’t spoken a word since rescue. Others flinch when approached by adults.”

My chest tightened.

“They were fed and given clean clothing, just as ordered. They’re resting in the adjacent tent,

11:12 Wed, Sep 10

Chapter 40

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but…” He hesitated. “They haven’t lowered their guard. Even while eating, they glance at the flaps. They eat fast. Too fast. Like they’re scared someone will take it away.”

Cassian finally looked up. “Continue,” he said, tone unreadable. “She saved them. She deserves to know everything.”

Mendez didn’t hesitate this time.

“We suspect they’re remnants of smaller packs and villages, scattered ones that were attacked during previous raids by the Demon Fangs,” he said. “At least, that was the original theory. Now… we’re not so sure.”

He pulled out a folded piece of parchment and set it on the table. “We found traces of something unusual in their blood. Something not native to this region. I’ll need more time to determine exactly what it is, but it wasn’t natural. Whatever it was, it was being administered slowly.”

“What are you suggesting?” Cassian asked, voice low.

“I don’t think those kids were just kept there. I think they were being prepared. Conditioned.” Mendez’s expression hardened. “There’s a black market for this sort of thing.”

Cassian’s jaw clenched.

“Slavery?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.