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,

been obsessed with her birth mother. The fact that Cassandra was some mystical being according to

had run off and left her pack to join with the enemy,

had to find Jandin and Koris — hell, even that cold-hearted, achingly beautiful vampire Cristophe would be a welcome sight — but the bitter night gave no clue as to where she was, only her fear that Ulster wasn’t

didn’t know how long she’d been running but suddenly, her nose picked up a familiar scent and her heart thrilled

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 night air

picked up the illumination from the moon, bathing the landscape in a ghostly watery

beast while her body was wholly beast. The sharp chill barely permeated her thick coat and the rough terrain was no match for the tough calluses of her paws.

known of her unique heritage; tonight she’d become the stuff of

never owned a pet in her life and yet now someone might mistake her for one if they saw her running past would’ve

a large modern home of steel and thick glass rose before her, casting

lolled as she panted hard, her ribs heaving from the exertion of the flat-out run of her escape. She thought of Arja, the injured woman who’d been kind to her within Clan Barriachius, and she made a vow to try