Chapter 125
Chapter 125
ATASHA’S POV
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“What do you think?” I asked, trying to sound casual after his first bite. I kept my eyes fixed on the table, pretending it didn’t matter. But by the third spoonful, my patience snapped. I leaned forward slightly, waiting for an answer I wasn’t sure I wanted.
Cassian didn’t speak. Instead, he dipped the spoon again and lifted it… toward me.
I blinked, my mind going blank. “What-”
The spoon lingered in the air between us. His crimson eyes stayed on me, expectant.
My lips parted, but no words came. My head turned instinctively toward Grace, only to find her quickly looking away, her face angled toward the brazier like she hadn’t noticed a thing.
Heat rushed to my cheeks. With no escape, I leaned forward and tasted it straight from the spoon. The stew was warm, savory, the herbs balanced just right. But none of that explained the way my stomach knotted or why my heart had leapt into my throat.
Cassian set the spoon back into the bowl. “It’s delicious,” he said simply.
I swallowed, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “Thank you.” My voice came out smaller than I intended.
His mouth twitched, the faintest shadow of a smirk. “I thought you could only grill meat.”
I froze. The words hit harder than they should have. My eyes widened as I blinked at him. “You… you remember that?”
The memory rushed back before I could stop it, the cave, the fire, the taste of smoke in the air. And then his mouth on mine, fierce and consuming, leaving me with nothing but heat and confusion. I had convinced myself he had forgotten. Or worse, that it hadn’t meant a thing to him at all.
I lowered my gaze quickly, but it was too late. My face burned, my pulse thudded against my ears. I was pretty certain he could hear my heartbeat. He had remembered. Not just the meat, but that kiss.
My fingers tightened on my lap. “I… I actually thought you didn’t remember it anymore,” I admitted, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Cassian didn’t answer right away. His gaze lingered, sharp enough to make me squirm, but steady in a way that made my chest ache.
The silence stretched until I couldn’t take it anymore. I forced a shaky breath, lifting my eyes again.
And found him still watching me.
“You hoped I would forget?” he asked, and the question caught me so off guard I almost dropped the spoon. How could he just ask something like that so directly?
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Chapter 125
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“Of course not…” The words stumbled out of me too fast. I twisted my fingers together, searching for the right way to explain. “I just thought… I thought maybe-” I stopped, as I tried to avoid his gaze. “Mendez told me about the Red Moon. So…”
I trailed off, my thoughts tangling.
“-So I thought you hadn’t remembered anything,” I finished, my voice thin.
Suddenly, a voice called from outside the tent. “Matron Yara requests to speak with the Lord!”
Cassian didn’t look away from me. “I’m busy,” he said flatly.
The flap lifted anyway. Matron Yara stepped inside without hesitation. One look was enough to tell she already knew I was here. Her gaze flicked to the bowl between us, then to the way Cassian still sat across from
- me.
“There are matters I cannot delay,” she said.
Cassian finally shifted his attention. “Did you not hear me?”
“This is more important than-” She stopped, her eyes cutting toward me.
“Than what?” Cassian asked, his voice low. “My meal?”
Yara’s jaw tightened. She looked at me for a long, scathing moment before she turned back to Cassian. “Forgive me for disturbing you, my Lord, but I’ve heard rumors about the outpost. They say Lady Atasha healed men who should not have survived. I thought it best to clarify this directly.” Her voice softened in a way that made my stomach twist. “You know my parents died from witchcraft. I would like to know if Lady
Atasha is a witch. Because if she is-”
Cassian’s chair scraped faintly as he leaned forward. “Careful of your words Matron.”
Yet, Yara held her ground. “The men are speaking her name like a prayer. Do you understand what that means? Power like this doesn’t stay inside the walls of one outpost. Word will travel. The Crown will hear of it, and when they do, there will be questions you cannot avoid. Questions that could divide the North. If she is what they claim, then every council, every temple, every house will demand a say in what is done with her. It will not matter how strong you are, my Lord. You cannot shield her forever.”
Cassian’s jaw flexed, but he said nothing.
Sadly, I was different. Her words struck deeper than I wanted to admit. My fingers dug into the lunch box in my lap, the wood biting into my skin. The stew’s smell felt wrong here, like it didn’t belong in a place weighed down with maps and threats.
But Matron Yara was right. As much as I hated it, as much as I wanted to believe Cassian’s presence alone could silence them all, I couldn’t hide behind him forever. I had made the choice to reveal what I could do. I had touched the dying and pulled them back, and now the consequences had found me. I cannot let him take the blame.
Cassian’s voice cut through the heavy silence. “Enough. You will discuss this matter again, Matron.”
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Chapter 125
Yara blinked, then straightened. “Then answer me plainly, my Lord. Did she heal them?”
Cassian didn’t hesitate. “She saved my soldiers.”
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Yara’s gaze slid back to me, sharp enough to make my skin prickle. “Then the question stands. If the Crown knows this… would you be able to protect her forever?”
“I will agree to the test,” I said, my own voice surprising me as much as it did Cassian and Matron Yara. I rose slowly from my seat, forcing my legs to steady, and met her gaze head–on. “I know you doubt me, but I can assure you, I am no witch.”
Yara’s eyes narrowed, though her expression didn’t change much. “I’ve heard those words before, Consort,” she replied. “Forgive me if I cannot simply accept the claim of someone who appeared out of nowhere and suddenly begins healing men on the brink of death.”
My lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t need to say the rest out loud. If she had already pried into my past, then she knew exactly what I was, an omega. And to her, that title alone was reason enough not to trust me.
This time, I looked at Cassian. “Then, name the place and time. I will agree to the test.”
AD
