Chapter 130
Chapter 130
ATASHA’S POV
“How much are you willing to pay?”
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That question hadn’t left my head since Agape said it. It followed me everywhere–through the infirmary, during meals, even now that I am alone. But it wasn’t just that. Everything about that conversation lingered like a splinter I couldn’t pull out.
The thought of fae blood. The idea that I might be something… different. That my power came with a cost I didn’t fully understand.
Now, walking along the outer wall, the wind stung against my face, sharp with the bite of snow. The land stretched endlessly before me, white, empty, and cold. It made me think of the South, where I’d grown up. Of green fields and warm air, and people who never truly belonged to me.
If what Agape said was true, if my blood wasn’t entirely human or werewolf, then who were my real parents? Where did I actually come from? If I had the blood of the fae, then how did I grew up with werewolves?
I tightened my cloak around me and forced a slow breath. One of these days, when the red moon ended and the roads opened again, I would have to return. I needed to know. I couldn’t keep living on questions and half–truths.
“Lady Atasha…” Grace’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She had been following a few paces behind, her steps careful on the frozen stone.
I turned slightly, brushing snow from my hood, but my mind was still far away, back in the South, back to the home that was never really mine.
“I received reports that the Lord is already in his study.”
“Great,” I said with a nod, then turned on my heel toward Cassian’s study.
It had been days since he’d started avoiding me, or at least, that’s what it felt like. He had been away, outside of the walls doing the goddess knows what! I didn’t know if it was because of the upcoming test, my refusal to back down, or that humiliating excuse of a confession I’d blurted out. Maybe it was all of it combined.
Whatever the reason, the silence between us had stretched too long. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed to see him. To talk to him. To understand what I had done wrong, or if I had done something right that scared him away.
“My Lady, I think you should slow down…” Grace quickly said. “The Lord-”
“I’m fine,” I shook her hand off my wrist before I opened the door.
The door creaked open before Grace could stop me.
Inside, I froze.
A woman stood beside Cassian’s desk, tall and striking, her long dark hair pulled neatly behind her shoulders.
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Chapter 130
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She was speaking to him in a low tone, serious but calm, and the sight of them together made my steps falter.
Cassian turned first, his crimson eyes landing on me. The woman followed, her words cutting off mid-
sentence.
For a moment, no one spoke. I just stood there, my hand still on the door, my mind struggling to catch up. Something strange twisted in my chest, a feeling I didn’t want to name.
“I… I’m sorry for interrupting,” I said quickly.
The words came out too soft, too uncertain, and I immediately frowned at myself. Why did I sound like a guilty child caught doing something wrong? I had no reason to apologize. This was his study–our home. I wasn’t trespassing.
I straightened a little, forcing myself to breathe, and let my gaze shift toward the woman. She was beautiful in a way that demanded attention—tall, graceful, with skin smooth as carved glass and sharp features that looked almost unreal.
“This is…” I started, my tone steadier this time.
The woman blinked, then turned to Cassian briefly before giving me a polite nod. “You must be the Consort,” she said. Her voice was soft but carried an elegance that felt almost trained. “My apologies. I was too absorbed in my discussion with the Lord that I forgot my manners.”
She stepped forward with a practiced smile, offering a graceful bow. “I am Claribel–an envoy from one of the tribes.”
“An envoy…” I repeated under my breath before catching myself. Up close, there was something about her that tugged at my attention–her posture, her poise, even the faint shimmer in her eyes. It reminded me of Agape and the others, the way their disguises had fooled me until they revealed their real forms.
I blinked and gathered myself. “I’m Atasha Valemont,” I said, the name still feeling foreign on my tongue. I forced a polite smile. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting.”
Claribel’s lips curved faintly. “Not at all,” she said. “I was just leaving.”
She turned back toward Cassian, curtsied deeply, then looked at me again with a knowing glint in her eyes. “See you soon, Lady Atasha.”
Before I could respond, she was gone, her perfume lingering faintly in the air as the door shut behind her.
I exhaled slowly and gestured for Grace to leave as well. She hesitated, but I gave her a firm nod. Once she stepped out and closed the door, silence filled the room again.
Cassian was still standing near the desk, his expression unreadable.
I crossed my arms, my frustration bubbling before I could stop it. “Are you not going to say a word?” I asked. My tone came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t bother to take it back. I immediately swallowed. “I know you are upset about the test, but Cassian… I am tired of this.”
I didn’t even know what had gotten into me. Maybe it was everything Agape told me, or maybe it was just all
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Chapter 130
the confusion building up inside my head, but something about all of this was driving me mad.
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Cassian didn’t move. His eyes stayed on me, and the silence stretched until it became unbearable.
And that made something inside me snapped.
“Say something,” I demanded, my voice louder than I intended. “Anything. At least try to talk to me because I’m not a mind reader, Cassian! I don’t know what’s going on with you lately.” It has been a damn week since this silence started!
He still didn’t answer, and that only made my chest tighten more. “You’ve been avoiding me for days. Is it because of the test? Because I didn’t listen to you? Or is it because I’m too stubborn?” My voice wavered, but I kept going. “What is it, Cassian? What did I do this time?”
His face darkened, and for a second, I thought he might shout. But he didn’t. He just stared at me, his jaw tightening, his hands curling slightly at his sides.
I refused to back down. “You’re the only one I can talk to in this place,” I said, forcing the words through the lump in my throat. “Agape told me things, about the fae, about what I might be. He said I could have their blood inside me.” I swallowed hard, feeling the burn behind my eyes. “Do you know what it’s like to hear that? To not even know what you are? To not know if you’re human, or wolf, or something else entirely?”
My voice cracked, and I bit it back, refusing to let the tears spill. “You’ve been angry, distant, and I don’t even know why. I wanted to ask you for help, but you won’t even look at me properly. Do you want me to stay away too? Is that what this is?”
Cassian’s eyes flickered, just slightly, but it was enough to see the shift in him. Something broke in that cold expression.
And then, before I could say anything else, he moved.
It happened so fast I barely saw it. One moment, he was standing across the room. The next, his arms were around me, pulling me tight against him. My breath caught in my throat as his warmth hit me, solid and grounding.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his voice rough against my hair.
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