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.

give up. Cassandra had caught a glimpse of his mind, felt his insanity and

specifically, he’d been obsessed with her birth mother. The fact that Cassandra

run off and left her

would be a welcome sight — but the bitter night gave no clue as to where she was,

picked up a familiar

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 as a light blue ribbon that

from the moon, bathing the landscape in

while her body was wholly beast. The sharp chill barely permeated

of her unique

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

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

thought of Arja, the injured woman who’d been kind to her