THE AWAKENING

Koris found Cassandra hours later, wandering the wild, walled garden behind the house. The grounds were immense, giving the semblance of freedom, but in fact, she felt just as caged as when she was trapped in the cave with Cristophe or under lock and key with Ulster. She plucked wild lavender and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply when Koris startled her.

She dropped the lavender and immediately went to embrace him but Koris reluctantly took a step away from her. She stared reproachfully at Koris with wounded feelings. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“It is not my place to touch you any longer,” he answered wretchedly. “Even only in comfort. You are the Alpha’s woman and the Prophesied One. If you seek comfort you must find it with Tieran.”

At the mention of Tieran’s name, Cassandra turned away in irritation. “He’s the last person I would seek comfort from and the last person who would offer it,” she snapped.

The Prophecy was ruining her life. And now she couldn’t have friends? She returned to Koris, softening when she saw how lashing out had hurt him.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not quite myself. Well, that’s an understatement actually.” She walked to the small cement bench and sat down with an unhappy sigh. “I know you didn’t know me before the whole Phase thing started but I was a totally different person. I was happy, funny, studious, basically, a regular college student with dreams and aspirations. Now I’m just a magical womb and that’s not sitting so well on my heart.”

“You are so much more than that,” he disagreed.

“Yeah? Tell that to the stupid Prophesy everyone seems to be so wrapped up in. What if it’s all a bunch of hooey? What if everything you guys are basing your actions on is nothing but a bunch of old wives’ tales meant to keep control of a wild pack? I mean, myths and legends of every culture are grounded in some simple desire for order and control, to explain the mysteries of life so that confusion and chaos don’t rule. Mythology A, freshman year,” she quipped with a snort. “It’s basic human nature.”

“We aren’t human and neither are you,” he reminded her.

“Right. I guess that’s an important distinction,” she said with a sullen frown. “Still trying to wrap my head around that.”

Koris followed at a respectable distance until Cassandra patted the seat beside her with a pleading expression. “Certainly there are no rules about friends sitting beside each other, right? No touching, I promise.”

He seemed uncertain but couldn’t refuse. He sat gingerly beside her.

Even though he wasn’t as large as Tieran, his body still ate up most of the bench and caused Cassandra to smile with genuine warmth at his obvious discomfort yet desire to make her happy.

“Why couldn’t it have been you or Jandin?” she asked with a plaintive whine. “Either of you would’ve been fabulous. At least you guys like me. He looks at me like I’m an inherited disease that he has to tolerate.”

She didn’t need to clarify. Koris knew what she was referring to. “It would’ve been our honor to be your champion,” Koris murmured. “I would that things were different for you from the start. But we cannot live in the past, only in the present. Tieran is a good Alpha. He will protect you with his life as he would anyone in his clan.”

without being dishonest but she saved him the trouble, saying, “Please don’t bother. The Phase, as lousy as it is, has given me certain insights. He is with me because he’s expected to be, not because he wanted to

understand. He is very private. I would not presume to know his feelings, however,” Koris began cautiously, trying to find the right words. “Don’t give up on him. The Gods would not have put you in his path if it were not meant

not tales of legends and prophesies. I don’t know if

and Koris sighed. “You may

“Why?”

special. When you stop fighting it, you will understand. Right

the caustic remark that hovered on her tongue. Koris was trying to help; there was no sense in being

didn’t feel better.

if she didn’t have maternal instincts? What if she was a terrible

she murmured, looking away. “I appreciate your kindness. It’s more than Tieran has

time. He is grieving, too,”

leave me in the dark, Koris,” she begged, needing a little insight

anxiously around the garden as if

down to share in a low voice, “It is not for me to say but Tieran was forced to give up

woman she’d glimpsed flashed in her mind and she fought a

added with dismay, “He had

glancing to see if they were still alone. “Yes. Of sorts. It

to reconcile the hard-hearted bastard she knew Tieran to be with the image of a man in love, willing to

suffered a twinge of jealousy that he did not feel that way about her. “Who is she? Does she live here

no, she has left the compound. When news spread that you had been found, she couldn’t face being here

reluctant other woman,” Cassandra said softly, still reeling from the information. “I broke them up. No wonder he

a hard tone, surprising her. “It is what it is. As I said before, it is unhealthy to dwell in the past as that way

nodded faintly. “Thank you, Koris,” she said, knowing he’d taken a great risk in sharing this information with her. Koris dipped his head in a

knowing that Tieran had given up someone dear to him for the sake of the Prophecy? Cassandra weighed the information

her to understand his animosity. So they both had reasons to hate their roles

hand drifted to her stomach. What if she had conceived his child? A trickle of