Marrying a Warhound (Cassian) novel Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Chapter 90

ATASHA’S POV

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I knew it was crazy. Maybe I had lost my mind a long time ago, maybe it was instinct, or maybe it was just plain stupidity. I wasn’t sure anymore. All I knew was that I was running after him, chasing Cassian through the snow like my life depended on it.

The cold bit into my skin, the red moon casting everything in a bloody glow, but none of it mattered. The only thing in my head was him, his massive form, his claws tearing through the snow as he disappeared into the night.

Then it happened.

Something dropped from the sky like a blur, slamming into Cassian and driving him into the ground. The impact cracked through the clearing, spraying snow in all directions. I froze, my lungs locking as I finally saw it.

The creature wasn’t a wolf. It wasn’t even like the other beasts. It had wings, enormous, leathery things that stretched wider than any banner I had ever seen, snapping the air with each violent movement.

Its body was bloated, swollen with veins that pulsed a sickly green, the skin stretched so thin it looked ready to split. Its head was a warped nightmare of a bat, ears jutting like knives, its snout twisted and elongated with rows of jagged teeth jutting out at every angle.

Its eyes bulged red and yellow, rolling madly in their sockets, and each exhale carried a stench so foul it coated my throat with bile. Poison. I could smell it from here, sharp and rotting, like something dead left out in the sun for too long.

This… aura. The suffocating weight crushing the air, it was coming from this thing.

It screeched, a sound that made the snow shiver, and then it bit at Cassian, its fangs sinking into his shoulder. Cassian roared, his massive wolf body twisting, claws raking across its gut. The bat shrieked again, but instead of fleeing, it pressed harder, wings thrashing as it tried to hold him down.

I stumbled back against a tree, heart hammering, and ducked behind it. My fingers gripped the bark so it dug splinters into my skin. I dared a glance around the trunk.

tightly

That was when I noticed it. The forest was empty. No glowing eyes in the shadows. No low growls from the treeline. There was nothing around me.

The weaker beasts had fled. They always did when something stronger claimed the ground. Relief pricked through my chest, at least nothing else would come for me here. But the price of that was standing right in front of me, tearing into Cassian.

He was already bleeding. Long gashes streaked across his sides, black–red blood dripping into the snow, steaming in the cold.

But he didn’t fight like a man wounded. He didn’t even seem to notice. He fought like a beast, savage and relentless, his claws slicing open chunks of the bat’s hide, his fangs ripping through its flesh. He tore and bit as though pain meant nothing, as though nothing existed but the kill.

8:14 Mon, Sep 15

Chapter 90

67

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The bat shrieked again and surged forward, wings beating hard enough to knock snow from the trees. It lashed its head low and rammed into Cassian’s legs.

He staggered, claws slipping in the churned snow. Before he could regain his balance, the bat lunged again, its teeth snapping shut on his hind leg, dragging him down.

My hands flew to my mouth, clamping shut around the gasp clawing up my throat. I couldn’t make a sound. I couldn’t distract him.

Cassian ripped free with a savage twist, but blood sprayed across the snow. He dropped to one knee, massive chest heaving, and the bat didn’t wait, it lashed out again, claws raking across his flank.

He didn’t dodge. He didn’t even try. He threw himself back at it, snarling like a wild animal, ignoring the way the wounds opened wider, ignoring the blood pouring down his fur. What is he doing? Can he not think? Why was he acting like… like a real beast?

My heart pounded so hard I thought it would break. The bat was on him again, slamming into his side, biting, clawing. Each strike landed heavy, shaking the ground beneath them.

Cassian was staggering now, his massive frame shuddering under the weight of each blow. His claws still slashed, his fangs still tore, but his movements weren’t as sharp as before. Blood streaked his fur, dripping into the snow in thick lines that marked every step he took. The bat pressed harder, its wings hammering against him, forcing him back with every strike.

No. This wasn’t right. I couldn’t just sit here while he was being ripped apart. My teeth sank into my lower lip until I tasted blood. I had to decide right now. Either keep hiding like a coward or step out and do something

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