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.”

whispered. Koris struggled to refute her claim 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.

to find the right words. “Don’t give up on him. The Gods would not have put you in his path if

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

She shook her head vehemently and Koris sighed. “You may

“Why?”

will understand. Right now, the Prophesied Child is likely growing in your womb.

remark that hovered on her tongue. Koris was trying to help;

didn’t feel

didn’t have maternal instincts? What

she murmured, looking away. “I appreciate your kindness. It’s

time. He is grieving, too,” he

me in the dark, Koris,” she begged, needing a little insight or she’d go insane. “He mentioned something similar but I

garden as if worried about

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

shocked to her toes. The image of the woman she’d glimpsed flashed in her mind and she fought a growl of

yet added with dismay, “He had

to see if they were still alone. “Yes. Of sorts. It was ill-fated from the start but

Tieran to be with the image of a man in love, willing

way

had been found, she couldn’t face being

reeling from

her. “It is what it

you, Koris,” she said, knowing he’d taken a great risk in sharing this information with her. Koris

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

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

conceived his child? A trickle of