THE AWAKENING

Chapter-37-

In the days that followed, Cassandra found herself overwhelmed with the newfound knowledge that’d flooded her brain at Iona’s passing.

Suddenly, she had access to her lineage, understanding how the bloodlines crossed and intersected and how the Mother Goddess cherished her wolf-children and blessed them with gifts that surpassed anything humanity had ever known.

She knew at a glance someone’s intentions as their energy pulsed with malicious or generous intent. It was unnerving at first but she embraced her gifts with courage and determination.

Her babies, a girl and a boy, were named Ianna and Veris, and they were exceptional children who grew like beautiful, alien weeds that were both dangerous and yet mesmerizing.

And they had the ability to transform at will, which made for some challenging parenting. Cassandra never knew if she were going to find pups or babies in the cradle but she always knew where to find them if they happened to escape their beds.

She suckled them as both human and wolf, depending on her pups disposition. It was easier to discipline them in her wolf form, leaning on instinct when necessary. But the love she felt for her babies was equally strong in either form.

“You are amazing with them,” Tieran said with pride. “You are a formidable Alpha’s Mate. You will raise our pups with strong hearts and even stronger minds.”

Cassandra smiled and accepted his praise with a glowing heart. So much had changed in such a short time frame that it was difficult to comprehend how radical the switch in her life.

She went from a nobody in college, struggling to find her identity in books and academia when her true identity had been hidden from her until fate determined it was time to emerge.

And as traumatic as certain events were, Cassandra wouldn’t trade her life for anything.

Since Ulster’s defeat, Cassandra and Tieran had managed to convince a few of Clan Janus to join with Barrachius but it was not an easy transition.

Ingrained prejudices made for tense relationships but a few were grateful for the change and ready to embrace a new way of thinking, particularly the women who’d been horrifically abused, such as Arja, who in spite of her limp, had become quite helpful in the kitchen with Hannah.

But it wasn’t factions within Clan Janus that worried Cassandra and Tieran. It was a threat from within that had nearly taken everything.

Serra, in spite of an exhaustive search, had managed to escape justice. The fact that she roamed free was a worry that kept both Tieran and Cassandra awake at night.

Tieran, gazing at their sleeping twins, said, “If she dares to step foot on Clan Barrachius land I will know.”

“As will I,” Cassandra said with deadly calm. “She would be foolish to try.”

Tieran smiled in approval at Cassandra’s fierce protectiveness. He knew she didn’t offer idle threats either.

“If she hadn’t tried to kill me and the babies, I could’ve been compassionate to her situation,” Cassandra shared. “I cannot imagine the agony of losing my heart to the one I couldn’t have.”

Tieran’s expression darkened with regret. “Serra was right in that I never should’ve allowed her to stay. I should’ve known she would not go down without a fight. I put you and the babies in danger and I will never forget that.”

Cassandra caressed his jaw. “Don’t take on her decision as somehow your fault. You are not to blame for her actions.”

Since Iona had passed on her knowledge, Cassandra had been able to unlock gifts that had been lying dormant in her mind. She felt the weight of his guilt and it pained her to know that he blamed himself for Serra’s actions.

“You are such a good man,” she whispered, brushing a kiss across his lips. “Solid, strong, and firm, but able to know the difference between kindness and weakness.”

Tieran smiled with love in his eyes. “You are a gift from the Goddess.”

“Damn straight I am.” She grinned, accepting the compliment with bold cheekiness. Cassandra was one bad ass Seer, one that definitely didn’t take any shit from anyone and she liked that about herself.

“You have that look,” Tieran noted with a faint smile.

“Which look is that?”

“A look that says you want to tear someone’s throat out.”

Cassandra laughed, not bothering to deny it. “Serra better hope never to cross paths with me. I fear that confrontation would be messy.”

Tieran sobered and pulled her to him, sealing his mouth to hers in a fierce kiss that stole her breath.

When he broke the kiss, she stared into his eyes, loving this man more than life itself. “What was that for?” she asked softly.

“For being my perfect True Mate. I look forward to a lifetime with you by my side. You are mine and I’ll never let you go.”

She liked the sound of that. Cassandra smiled as he pushed her down to the bed. “And what exactly do plan to do to me?”

Tieran’s mouth curved with wicked intent as he plucked at the buttons on her night gown until he could part the halves, revealing her full breasts that were always swollen now with milk for their twins. He paused to lap the pearl of thick milk beaded at her nipple, growling with pleasure at the sweetness. “If it weren’t for the babies, I would happily suck your beautiful breasts dry.”

“I think I make enough to share,” she managed with a breathy whisper as moisture trickled down her thigh at his wicked statement. Within seconds, his sharp sense of smell caught her immediate arousal and he dropped to his knees to bury his nose at the apex of her thighs.

“You taste like heaven,” he groaned against her quivering flesh. “I could happily die with my face buried right here.”

That made two of them.

“On the bed, now,” he commanded, rising above her as she laid back. “Let me see that wet pussy.”

She shuddered at the Alpha tone, creating more wetness to dribble from her slit. His powerful gaze always shredded her to pieces.

Tieran’s primal smile was enough to ruin her for life. He was her everything. Her One True Mate.

And he fucked like a god.

Yes, life was good.

She didn’t know the future but the present was exactly as she wanted it to be — with Tieran, their babies, and the clan.

-ALSO BY ALEXX ANDRIA-

If you enjoyed THE AWAKENING, you might also enjoy BLOOD MOON RISING.

Here’s an excerpt of BLOOD MOON RISING:

***

Well, this was a shit-storm and a half that went down,” Elijah Kane muttered to his partner Rook Valentino, surveying the gore and violence spread around like the white powder spilled all over the floor.

Elijah rose and signaled the all-clear to the rest of the SWAT team as they converged on the abandoned warehouse, the sounds of metal artillery and Kevlar echoing in the gloom. “Looks like the party started without us. Everyone’s dead already.”

“Fuck. I always miss the good times,” Rook said, his eagle eye taking in every detail.

For a human, Rook was surprisingly adept at picking up even the smallest clue. “I didn’t even get to fire my newest toy.” He shouldered his AK-47 with a grunt of disappointment. “Day late and a dollar short. Story of my life. What do you make of this?” he asked, turning serious. “Are you thinking vigilante? I mean, it can’t be about the drugs because...look around, there’s plenty left behind.”

Elijah nodded, thinking the same. “Yeah, if this was anything else, the players would be dead but the dope would be gone. I’d say there’s a cool five hundred G’s in coke spilled all over the place.”

“So what’s the deal? If it’s not vigilante justice, maybe a rival gang trying to set up shop and sending a message?”

“Maybe,” Elijah agreed but something else was tingling in his senses, a warning of something bigger, more sinister and far more dangerous than a bunch of dope dealers trying to snag new territory.

He lifted his nose to surreptitiously scent the air. There it was...the lingering scent of something that immediately caused his lip to curl.

Rook caught the motion and waited, tensed and alert. Rook was human but he knew Elijah’s biggest secret and better yet, kept it.

“Yeah? Got something, Fido?”

“Fuck off but yeah,” he admitted, keeping his voice low. “And it ain’t good.”

“Great. Maybe I’ll get to use this bad boy after all,” Rook said, grinning. “Nothing like coming to a party overdressed.”

“You got silver bullets in that bad boy?” Elijah quipped darkly. “’Cause the bullets you got in that thing will just piss them off.”

“My favorite...shifter criminals. The best. Tell me why I hang out with you? One of these days you’re gonna get me killed.”

“I told you I’m a bad influence,” Elijah said, going to one of the mangled bodies.

He lowered on his haunches to take a closer look. Rook followed. His hunch proved right.

“You know him?”

“Yeah, pack leader for the Westing faction. They’ve been controlling this territory for generations.” He paused in thought. “This doesn’t feel right. There hasn’t been a territory feud in years. Why now?”

“Who would stand to gain from removing this guy?” Rook gestured to the body.

“The Kellers, I suppose but like I said, everything’s been quiet for a while. And I doubt it’s a Keller involved. They’re too fat and happy sitting on the Council to mess up that gig with a territory fight.”

“Well, someone wasn’t happy and things did not end well,” Rook said, surveying the blood spatter and entrails littered on the cement. “This is disgusting.”

Elijah agreed. The scene told a brutal story. But there was something else, something beneath the scent of death that bothered him more.

He rose, his sharp gaze roving the scene, taking in every detail. They’d been planning this bust for weeks but Elijah hadn’t realized that the Westing pack leader was going to be here when it went down.

And he certainly hadn’t expected to find so much carnage.

“Well, I guess we’d better let the chief know that we traded a drug bust for a murder scene.” He gestured to Rook. “C’mon you big pussy. You’re filling out the paperwork on this one.”

“The fuck I am,” Rook disagreed, shooting Elijah a short smirk. “This one’s on you. I told you we should’ve hit at midnight instead of this first light shit. If we’d busted up the party when I’d suggested, we might’ve caught us some
bad guys.”

“Yeah, well something tells me it’s a blessing we missed this dance party. No one here got out alive.”

“True enough but I’m still not doing the paperwork. Besides, it’s your turn anyway. I did the paperwork for the Allen Avenue warehouse and that was a bitch. Do you know how many pieces of evidence we logged? Shit...my fingers are still cramping from all that typing.”

“Maybe if you did more than hunt-and-peck you’d be in better shape,” Elijah shot back with a quick grin but in all seriousness, there was nothing to laugh about.

The City of Angels had no idea what roamed the streets at night — and broad daylight —and they were better off for it but Elijah knew what prowled and fed on human flesh.

He knew what lurked in the shadows with dripping fangs and a thirst for blood. Mostly because he’d been born into it. Elijah Kane was more than just L.A. SWAT...he was shifter- born in a world of man, a legacy to a more primal universe, one where blood and violence were the only currency worth respecting.

Elijah was born Wolvryn, one of the oldest wolf shifter breeds in the history of the world, not that he readily announced that fact, of course.

Humans didn’t react too well to discovering that they weren’t the only kids on the block.

“So, what’s the plan?” Rook asked. “My trigger finger is getting itchy.”

“The plan? Not dying comes to mind,” he retorted but Rook had a point. There was something bad going down and he could feel it in his bones.

Something in the air vibrated with a dark energy, leaving a malevolent stain that was hard to miss. And if that weren’t enough of a shit sandwich, the warehouse stank of his brother.

His twin brother.

“Let me ask around,” Elijah told Rook. “Someone’s gotta know what’s going down.”

“You think this is Decklin’s doing?” Rook asked, zeroing in on Elijah’s darkest thought.

“I don’t know,” he answered, scanning the street, looking for any indication that whoever had sliced and diced their way through the warehouse was still hanging around for funsies. “This isn’t exactly his style but it’s not like we’ve been throwing back beers lately. Frankly, if he were standing here in front of me I’d probably throat-punch him first and ask questions later.”

“Family reunions must be a gauntlet. Anyone die over a turkey leg?”

“Just the turkey.”

“And by turkey, you mean human, right?” Rook supposed with a shudder and Elijah laughed as he clapped him on the shoulder.

“Aren’t you glad I never acquired a taste for the pink meat?” Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Hell yes. It would make being your partner a little awkward knowing that you’re salivating over my sexy ass.” Rook flexed for effect and then kissed his bicep. “With a little barbecue sauce, this shit would be hard to resist.”

“Jesus, you crazy ass freak,” Elijah actually laughed. “Let’s hurry up and mop up this scene so I can get to the paperwork.”

“Naw, you go ahead and take the Range Rover. I’ll hold down the fort with the team. Lord knows someone’s gotta keep Granger from fucking everything up with his demented sense of duty.”

“Keep him from packing his nose with the evidence,” Elijah said, climbing into the department vehicle. “Keeping him clean and sober around all that shit is going to be a challenge.”

“Challenge accepted,” Rook said. “Or, I could just look the other way and let the fucker OD himself. Might be
less work.”

“Yeah, but you’ll be filling out that muthafucking paperwork all by yourself.”

“Shhhit. You gotta point. I’ll keep him clean. He can off himself on his own time.”

“Good thinking.” He tossed a wave at Rook and then split the scene. The minute he hit the freeway, his mind was moving faster than the Rover with it’s lights blaring.

Could Decklin be responsible for the carnage? Entirely possible. Decklin was dangerous; he was fucking crazy.