Crumbled heart
Cassian hurriedly covered his mate using his body. It was instinctual for him to do this. That stranger's gaze that he just met felt dangerous and the first thought that came to his mind was to keep his mate away from that gaze. He already knew of vampires lurking all around the Findara but that alone didn't seem like the case anymore because the stranger with red eyes did not smell like a vampire but instead something else that he failed to recognize. As a wolf, failing to recognize his enemy was far more dangerous than the danger itself.
Meanwhile, Iris was startled as soon as the grand duke stood in front of her, "What is it....?" her question remained half because she soon saw Cassian's anxious eyes and felt him firmly holding her wrist before dragging her from that place.
Everything happened too quickly because as soon as they left the river bank, Cassian hurriedly walked with Iris in tow.