THE AWAKENING

Cassandra’s padded feet put miles between herself and the vile clan Barrachius’ Alpha, Ulster, but she couldn’t escape the waves of shuddering revulsion that rolled beneath her pale white fur. The crisp night air invigorated and cleansed even as her heart wept over what she’d done.

Oh, how she hated the Phase!

What demented higher power had put together their species and thought it would be great fun if the female of their kind fucked anything that walked when they were in the Phasing period of their cycle?

Cassandra wanted to howl the song in her heart that cried of shame and loathing and grief, but she had to keep moving.

If Ulster managed to catch her, she’d find no mercy — not that she’d ask for any — his rotten heart was incapable of compassion, only sadistic lust.

And she might’ve just conceived his child. She stumbled as the horrifying thought nearly sent her tumbling to the frost-bitten ground but she recovered and regained her speed.

She wouldn’t think of that. Not right now. Safety first. Everything else came second.

Now that he’d tasted her, he’d never give up. Cassandra had caught a glimpse of his mind, felt his insanity and he was obsessed with her.

fact that Cassandra was some mystical being according to their legends was simply

and left her pack to join with the

a welcome sight — but the bitter night gave no

suddenly, her nose picked up a familiar scent and her heart thrilled with wild, almost

Koris! The twins! Pushing herself beyond her exhaustion, she ran straight toward the scent, following the trail as if it were a physical thing, drifting on the cold

moon, bathing the landscape in a ghostly watery

wholly beast. The sharp chill barely permeated her thick coat and the rough

ago she hadn’t even known of her unique heritage;

a pet in her life and yet now someone might mistake her for one if they saw her running past

clearing and a large modern home of steel and thick glass rose before her, casting deep imposing shadows and causing her to skid to

the flat-out run of her escape. She thought of Arja, the injured woman who’d