THE AWAKENING

She felt no fear.
Her bared fangs dripped with saliva as she hungered for Ulster’s blood. Beside her Tieran, her Alpha and One True Mate, stood
on all fours beside her with an identical snarl as Ulster and his clan advanced like a dark, evil force invading every crack and
cranny, seeking out weakness.
Cassandra and Tieran were outnumbered but stared death in the eye without flinching. Ulster would hound them until he
snatched victory from their jaws and that would likely mean the death of one of her pups.
A new and frighteningly powerful emotion swept through Cassandra as she held her ground, refusing to yield in the slightest to
the rival clan.
I will not surrender my babies to you. I would rather die first.
Ulster’s thoughts, harsh and guttural, poked at her brain, intruding. I will take what is mine. Kill the other.
The growls echoed in the forest as Ulster’s clan closed in.
A howl ripped through the air. Tieran answered with a sharp, answering howl.
Within seconds the males of Clan Barrachius appeared from within the dark canopy like one solid wall of coiled muscle and pelt
to flank Cassandra and Tieran, bulking their numbers and increasing their odds of survival.
Cassandra’s wolf lips twisted in a parody of a smile as Ulster lowered his rangy head with a growl, surveying the increased
numbers.
Turn tail and run, you bastard so I can run you down like the rabid dog you are.
But Ulster didn’t run.
No, he’d come too far to surrender the fight. He had blood lust in his eyes fueling his brain.
And his bright gaze was centered on Cassandra with obsession and wild lust.
Mine!

The crazed yowl resounded in Cassandra’s brain seconds before Ulster launched straight for her, crashing into Tieran in the
process.
Snarls ripped through the still night air as wolves tore at one another, crunching bone and tearing sinew.
Cassandra leaped into the air, landing on Ulster’s back and sinking her teeth into the scruff of his neck.
His fur tasted dirty, as if he’d rolled in something disgusting and rotten only moments earlier but Cassandra didn’t let go.
Her babies gave her strength above and beyond the rest of the clan and within seconds Ulster yelped as she tore out a chunk of
his flesh with her sharp canines.
He threw her off and she landed on the ground with a clumsy stumble, nearly losing her footing and rolling to her back.
Another beast clamped his jaws around her neck, intent on snapping it, but Cassandra used her mental skills to tear into his
brain, causing unrelenting pain.
The beast howled and let go, dropping to the ground in agony but another took his place.
Sharp teeth bit and sheared into her flesh, causing her blood to run in a thousand different places but she refused to give up or
stop.
Too much was on the line to give into the pain and fear. Another beast clamped onto her leg and she howled in pain as the bone
threatened to crack but within seconds Cassandra sent the beast to join his brethren, writhing in agony as she shredded his mind
with the power of her thoughts.
She heard a pained snarl and she whirled around, afraid for Tieran but she skidded to a halt when she realized Tieran had things
well in hand — or well in teeth — as Tieran tore into Ulster, the sound of breaking bones like music to her ears.
Ulster deserved every moment of pain he received. She remembered the poor, abused women stuck in Clan Janus and she
knew that if Ulster were gone she could persuade the women to join Clan Barrachius.
But first, Ulster had to go.
She felt nothing but fierce elation as the fight began to wan and victory seemed imminent. The dead and dying from both sides
were scattered about the clearing and Tieran stood over Ulster, his fangs buried in Ulster’s neck.

The battle raged around them as bloody spittle and fur flew but Cassandra bristled with dangerous energy, daring anyone to take
their chances.
She fairly pulsed with raw power, her babies squirming in her belly, their soft kicks and pummels inside her womb felt as if they
were trying to aid in the fight from the safety of their birthing sacs.
Cassandra watched with grim satisfaction as Ulster gasped, his paws jerking as his lifeblood poured from Tieran’s mouth to stain
the forest floor.
She felt no remorse, no guilt. The old Cassandra — Cassi as she’d been known to her friends and adoptive family — would’ve
recoiled at the violence, been horrified by the carnage.
Cassandra felt nothing in common with the person she’d been. In fact, it seemed light years since she’d been that soft, sheltered,
nerdy girl who’d been more focused on getting good grades than engaging in life.
Now, she was life.
Cassandra padded over to Tieran and peered into Ulster’s eyes, catching his dying gaze.
You lose. I will raise both babies as equals and they will never know about you.
She pushed the thought into Ulster’s dying brain and took great pleasure in watching the light die out in his eyes. Tieran released
Ulster from his powerful jaws and Ulster’s body crumpled to the ground with a soft thump.
Dead.