THE AWAKENING

Iona’s old bones creaked and rattled beneath her thin skin and she wished she could still transform. She missed the feel of the ground beneath her paws, the feel of arterial blood gushing into her mouth as she took down prey.

Ah, those were the days.

Now she was stuck in this old woman’s decaying body, her mind still as sharp as ever, but her ability to do anything more than shuffle and limp was lessening by the hour.

She’d known the minute she saw Cassandra, she’d be The One. Relief and sadness followed the knowledge but when one has lived as long as she, the relief was a bit more pronounced than the sadness.

And now the time was here; albeit a bit more quickly than she’d anticipated. Thankfully, she’d already paid her homage to the Mother Goddess for all the years she’d given her and she was ready to pass the torch.

Cassandra was dying.

She pushed aside the wall of men standing helplessly around Cassandra’s inert body, shocking everyone with her sudden appearance. “Seer!” Tieran exclaimed. “Serra—“

“Has poisoned Cassandra with wolfsbane,” she cut in irritably. “Yes, yes, go make yourself useful and get me my bag as well as a sharp knife.”

“A knife?” Tieran repeated but Iona’s no-nonsense stare quelled his questions and he left quickly.

To Jandin, she said, “You must keep Tieran from this room. I must be allowed to complete the ritual in order to save her life. Do you hear me?”

Jandin nodded fearfully. No one would gainsay the Seer. “Yes. Can you save her?”

I damn well better try,” Iona said,

didn’t ask for any of this but you’ve handled yourself well. I know you will shoulder this next responsibility

skirt, she withdrew a tiny vial with

the Mother Goddess,” she murmured as she poured a drop into Cassandra’s slack mouth, then another, and

Cassandra’s stomach, felt the frantic beats beneath her palms and whispered a secret

smiled. “Strong little Alphas,” she murmured, sighing when she realized she would never know them. “You will do your kind proud and bring the clans together. You must end the fighting. And you will.

opened slowly as the magic of the Mother Goddess counteracted the poison but a different threat loomed. Iona looked into Cassandra’s blearily focused eyes

nod. She struggled to her feet, clutching her stomach as waves of pain racked her body. “I can’t,” she gasped.

will or they will die,” Iona said

body ripped apart and knitted back together beneath her skin, transforming her into the white

whined and collapsed to the floor and Iona quickly followed. “Now push them out, Cassandra. Let your body

Cassandra managed to birth

Cassandra began cleaning the babies who had

infants. Iona marveled at the

granted Iona one last vision as she saw the twins, hand in hand, the male and female, tied to each other in strength and weakness, bringing the clans together after

knowing her time was drawing near. She retrieved the vial from her pocket again and gave

that?” Cassandra asked, her voice weak. “What

Mother Goddess’ children as much as they are yours. They would need their ethereal mother’s milk to thrive, just

“What?”