Heart of Iron

Chapter 17: The Weary and Wrathful

CASIMIR

Everything felt like a nuisance, at the moment. The past two weeks were exhausting and being away from Rowan had become more of a struggle with every beat of my heart.

Soren lumbered beside me, his face marred by his usual scowl.

And behind us, Beau whistled a cheerful tune, as if we hadn't spent the past couple of days tracking and destroying the rogues who had led the attack on Goldencreek and their affiliated pack.

It was good to be back in Ironmoon but it was taking everything in me to keep a leash on the beast and bond raging inside of me.

"Do you ever shut up?" Soren grumbled, tossing a heavy glare over his shoulder.

"Do you ever relax?"

"Both of you...silence," I growled between my teeth.

My anger had gotten the better of me several times during our hunt—the beast taking full control of my mind. In those times, it was impossible for me to decipher between friend or foe. There was only hunting and killing my prey.

Beau and Soren were forced to send their cadets back to Ironmoon ahead of us, because they were afraid I might attack one of them. And while I agreed with their decision, it still felt like shit.

I had thought I had more control than that, but the arrival of Rowan in my life had shifted something in me. It was terrifying to think I might slip into that state and hurt one of my own or worse, her.

I was, after all, the monster of my fathers making. However, it was my connection to Rowan that made me wish I could be more.

That hope was dangerous. I knew that. It made me greedy for a life that I knew couldn't be mine. If I gave into the call of the bond, Rowan wouldn't be able to escape the beast that lived inside me.

Worst case scenario, she'd end up like my mother.

A cold sweat broke across my skin at that thought, fingers trembling. That...I could never allow that to happen.

I shook my head, pushing the dark memories from my mind.

The big house was in view now. Rowan was within reach and soon I could get rid of this overwhelming tightness in my chest. Once I saw her face and knew that she was safe, everything would be fine.

The attack on Goldencreek was one of the most heinous I'd witnessed in a long time. It had stirred long forgotten feelings—feelings that I was certain I'd overcome with the defeat of my father. But it appears that I was wrong. There were still things that I feared.

Or maybe it was because of Rowan those buried feelings resurfaced. I wasn't sure how to feel about that possibility.

My father had taught me lots of things, but protecting wasn't one of them. Life was a struggle of the strong and weak. The strong survived and the weak died, simple as that. Things that got in the way of your path forward were something to be wary of; if they were useful then you used them and if they weren't then you threw them away.

Since bringing Rowan here—no, from the moment I met her—I was captivated. She was someone that my father would have thrown away. Someone I wouldn't have taken a second look at in the past.

But it was her unwavering gaze, the way she trembled with fear but still walked forward. She didn't have the strength, strategies, or body of a warrior. However, she had the heart of one. That was the real reason I brought her to Ironmoon, instead of leaving her in Blackstone and completely ignoring our bond.

Now, my reason for wanting her to remain here was turning into something else.

The more I watched her and talked with her, the stronger the pull of the bond became. I knew she was beautiful, and our kiss had haunted my dreams in the long nights after until I was feverish with my desire for her.