Chapter 184
Chapter 184
Matron Yara’s POV
She always knew something was wrong with Atasha! “A monster!” her thoughts spiraled.
Yara forced herself to stand straighter, but her knees shook the moment Atasha took another step. The girl’s eyes stayed locked on her, and the look in them made Yara’s skin crawl.
She had seen Cassian in battle, had seen the wildness he carried when he tore through enemies without hesitation, but this was different. This wasn’t rage. It wasn’t righteous fury. It was hunger wearing a human face.
“More soldiers!” Yara shouted at the open doorway, her voice cracking, “Get in here! Kill her! Now p>
The pounding of boots grew louder, and within seconds, five more soldiers
pushed into the already bloody study. They saw the bodies on the floor, the blood streaked on the walls, the twisted limbs of their fallen comrades, and for a moment even they faltered. Some hesitated. One cursed under his breath.
But they moved anyway, fear driving them more than loyalty.
But Atasha didn’t wait.
As the first soldier lunged, she stepped into his strike, grabbing his forearm before his blade could descend. She twisted sharply, and the man screamed as his elbow snapped backward. She shoved him into the second soldier and used the moment of collision to seize the first man by the jaw. Her thumb dug under the hinge, and she forced his head back so violently that his neck opened in a tearing rip across her nails. Blood sprayed out in a hot arc that hit the wall behind her.
The second soldier gasped at the sight, but Atasha was already on him. She pushed him down by his collar and rammed her knee into his temple. His skull cracked against the floor, and his body jerked once before going limp.
“You- Help! Where is everyone? More soldiers!” Yara screamed as three more men rushed towards Atasha from behind, trying to overwhelm her. One wrapped his arm around her throat in a chokehold, pulling her up from the ground. Another grabbed her waist to pin her arms. A third aimed a dagger for her ribs.
For one brief moment Yara thought they had her.
But Atasha bent forward sharply and kicked both feet upward, slamming them into the cabinet behind her. The impact launched herself backward, crushing the man holding her in a chokehold between her back and the wall. His scream was lost under the sound of his ribs breaking beneath the force.
Before the other men could recover, Atasha rolled forward, taking the choking man with her. He hit the ground with a thud, and she twisted his head sharply to the side until it snapped. The corpse flopped uselessly as she rose from the floor, already turning toward the next target.
She seized the man with the dagger by the wrist and wrenched him forward. The blade he meant for her ribs slid across her own forearm but left no wound. He stared at the unbroken skin in horror, and that moment cost him his life. Atasha leaned in and tore his throat open with her bare hand. He dropped instantly, hands clawing at the gaping wound as blood pooled under his chin.
The last soldier stumbled back, shield raised, but she shoved it aside as if it weighed nothing. She grabbed the front of his armor and threw him over the desk.
He hit Cassian’s shelves so hard that several books fell onto his skull. Before he could stand, she crossed the room and smashed his head against the floor until the stone cracked under the repeated impacts.
The study fell quiet again, quiet except for the dripping of blood from the table and the sound of Atasha’s heavy breathing.
Yara’s throat tightened as she watched eight dead soldiers now lie scattered like broken dolls around the room. Not one of
them had slowed Atasha for more than a heartbeat. The girl’s hair clung to her blood-soaked face, and her chest rose and fell with something that wasn’t exhaustion but intensity, like her entire body was still waiting for more prey to
enter.
“This is… this is a monster,” Yara thought. She turned to the hooded man beside her.
“You’re useless,” she snapped, panic lacing every word. “You said the stone could deal with anyone! You said it could restrain any wolf, any fae, any, whatever she is! But you can’t even make her flinch p>
The hooded man didn’t answer right away. His hand shook around the stone, and the light inside flickered. He stared at Atasha, who was now slowly wiping blood from her face with the back of her hand, leaving streaks across her cheek. She looked more animal than human.
Finally, he spoke.
“This isn’t something I can handle p>
Yara whipped toward him. “What do you mean it isn’t something you can handle!? You can’t leave! Keep restraining her p>
But he was already reaching under his robe. His movements were jerky, frantic. He pulled out a small round object, a metallic emblem etched with unfamiliar markings. The moment it touched the air, his figure rippled.
It was as though the room warped around him. His robe shimmered. His outline distorted, like someone had dipped him in
water.
“What are you doing!?” Yara shouted, stepping forward and grabbing his arm.
To her surprise, her hand went through him.
She stumbled, eyes widening. She tried again, grabbing for his sleeve, but her fingers passed through fabric and skin as if his body was fading. She felt nothing.
“Stop! You cannot leave!” she screamed, voice cracking. “Do not you dare run away! You said you could restrain her p>
“This is beyond me,” he said, and his voice sounded distant, already half-faded. “This isn’t a creature that binding stones can subdue. I cannot stay here p>
“Coward!” Yara lunged again, but she touched only empty air. “You useless coward p>
His form blurred further, and then, without another word, he bolted. His steps were fast, too fast, and the moment he crossed the threshold of the study, his entire body flickered out of sight completely, leaving behind only the echo of footsteps disappearing down the corridor.
Yara stared at the space where he vanished, her heart pounding, her hands trembling.
She spun back toward Atasha.
The girl was standing in the center of the room, surrounded by bodies, her chest rising slowly as she stared at Yara with that same hungry, dark expression.
Yara frowned, her hand was already on the dagger on her hips. However, before she could even make a move, Atasha’s hands wrapped around her throat. Atasha’s fingers closed around Yara’s throat before the Matron even registered the movement. One moment she was reaching for her dagger, and in the next her feet were no longer touching the floor. Her breath vanished in a single, sharp gasp as her body jerked upward.
Atasha lifted her. Not by the collar nor by the hair but by the throat.
Yara’s boots scraped against the air, searching for solid ground that wasn’t there. Her dagger slipped from her hand,
clattering against the bloody floor. Her fingers clawed at Atasha’s wrist, nails scraping against skin that didn’t give at all.
“L-Let go,” she choked out, her voice strangled by the pressure tightening around her windpipe as she tried to connect to her wolf. She had to do something or Atasha will end her!
In response, Atasha loosened her grip as she smiled. “Hello there… my lady,” Atasha drawled. “Did you expect to die so
soon p>