The Heart Has Chosen

danger 48

Chapter 48

Maddox's POV

The moment the windows shattered, I was moving. Every protective instinct I had was screaming. Cassian was coming. Not for the pack.

Not for the dragons. For Sammy. And I wasn't about to let that happen. I shoved open the door to the house just as River's power settled. The Dragon King stood in the center of the room looking like he was one bad decision away from burning the entire forest down.

Honestly? I understood. Sammy was standing beside the table.

Trying very hard to look calm. She wasn't fooling anyone. Especially not me. King growled.

"Danger."

No kidding. Gareth immediately began barking orders. Dragon warriors rushed into position. Others shifted and launched into the sky. Outside, the sounds of battle were getting closer. Far too close.

I walked directly to Sammy.

"You're staying with me."

She crossed her arms. "No."

I stared at her. She stared right back. River sighed loudly.

"Now I understand why everyone warned me."

Sammy pointed at him. "Don't start."

A few warriors immediately looked away to hide their laughter.

River pinched the bridge of his nose. "Moon Goddess help me."

"Nope."

That answer came from both Sammy and me at the same time.

For a brief second we looked at each other. Then both looked away.

The dragon warriors definitely noticed. Unfortunately. A smirk appeared on Gareth's face. I ignored him. The front wall of the house suddenly exploded inward. Wood flew everywhere. Everyone spun toward the opening. Warriors immediately formed a defensive line. Smoke drifted through the room. Silence fellM Then footsteps.

Slow. Deliberate. Confident. A man walked through the dust.

Tall, Black coat. Silver hair. Cold gray eyes. The moment I saw him, every hair on my body stood up. This was Cassian. I knew it instantly. The man looked around the room calmly. As if he wasn't standing in the middle of an army.

As if twelve hundred dragons weren't surrounding the territory.

His gaze landed on River.

"Dragon King."

River's voice was ice. "Cassian."

The man smiled. "Still alive, I see."

River stepped forward. "Unfortunately for you."

Heat exploded through the room. Cassian didn't even blink.

His eyes shifted past River. Past me. Past everyone. Until they landed on Sammy. And suddenly his smile changed. Not cruel.

Not evil. Almost...Relieved. Which somehow made him even scarier.

"There you are."

My wolf immediately lunged against my control. "Mine."

I stepped in front of Sammy. Cassian looked amused.

"Alpha."

The fact that he knew who I was made my skin crawl.

"Move."

"Not happening."

Cassian sighed. "As expected."

River's dragon power surged again. The floor cracked beneath his feet.

"You've seen her."

The king's voice shook the room. "Now leave."

Cassian laughed. Actually laughed. Like River had told a joke.

"I spent seven centuries searching for her."

The room fell silent. Every dragon warrior froze. Every wolf stopped moving. Seven centuries? Cassian's eyes never left Sammy.

"I crossed continents." He took another step forward. "I watched empires rise and fall." Another step. "I buried kings." Another. "I burned entire organizations that stood in my way."

My grip tightened. Something wasn't right. This wasn't an obsession. This was something deeper. Something worse. Cassian finally stopped moving. Only a few feet separated us now. Then he looked directly at Sammy. And softly said, "You look exactly like her."

Sammy froze. River went deadly still. My stomach dropped. Because there was only one person he could mean. Her mother.

Cassian smiled sadly.

"I wondered which features you would inherit."

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Then Sammy did the last thing anyone expected. She stepped around me.

"Sammy," I growled.

She ignored me. Typical. She stared directly at Cassian.

"What do you know about my mother?"

The room became so quiet you could hear people breathing.

Cassian's expression softened. For the first time, he looked tired.

Ancient. Heartbroken. And when he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "I loved her."

The words hit like a bomb. River's roar shook the entire territory.

Outside, dragons answered. The sky erupted with thunder. And suddenly I realized this situation was far worse than any of us imagined. Because Cassian wasn't just connected to Sammy.

He was connected to her mother. And judging by the look on River's face… That was a secret nobody had expected to hear.