THE AWAKENING

Chapter-20-

Ouch. That hurt. But she forced a smile as if Cristophe’s statement hadn’t punctured her deep inside. “Well, that’s not very Prince Charming of him to not want to rescue the damsel in distress.”

“Yes, well, Jandin and Koris were quite vocal in their opposition of his slow to act position.”

She smiled warmly at the twins’ loyalty but even as they were hot as hell and built like semi trucks, she felt nothing more than brotherly affection for them, which was a tragedy because she had a feeling a life with those two would’ve been decidedly easier than one with the hard-hearted Alpha Tieran.

And yet…when she thought of Tieran, her palms began to sweat and little flutters heated up her insides, which told her she had a snowball’s chance in hell of forcing her heart to want anyone else.

Particularly now that she was growing his bambino in her belly.

And apparently, the little bundle growing beneath her heart, was one helluva binding force for them both.

There were times when Tieran simply couldn’t deny himself any longer and he would burst into her room, eyes blazing and muscles taut, and Cassandra knew he was going to fuck her raw. Just thinking about being with Tieran was enough to send her heart racing and her core to heat.

They were epic together. Until it was all over. Then, Tieran would retreat and leave her coldly behind.

That felt worse than if he’d just been a mechanical lover, going through the motions because he had to. Somehow feeling that raw passion for brief moments was so much more painful because she knew what she’d never have.

Ignorance was better.

“Do werewolves get more than one mate?” she asked, unable to help herself.

“The werewolves mate for life with one true mate.”

Cassandra swallowed, accepting Cristophe’s answer. Was she Tieran’s true mate or was Serra? To see how torn up he was over losing Serra, Cassandra would have to say that yes, Serra had been The One.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just wondered.”

“You fear Tieran isn’t your True Mate?” he asked, perplexed. “Have you not noticed how his gaze never leaves you?”

“Being possessive of your baby mama isn’t what love is made of. Clearly, you haven’t watched enough Law and Order.”

Cristophe chuckled with derision. “I see enough drama in my everyday to seek it out for pleasure.”

“Makes sense. When my life was nothing but college exams and crushing existential dread over where my life was going, I couldn’t get enough of murder and mayhem in my television show preferences. Now, I just want happy endings.”

“I’ve lived too long to hope for such things,” he said quietly.

His comment made her sad. Being immortal sounded like a colossal bummer. The classic movies about vampires got it all wrong. “Have you ever been in love?” she asked.

“Love is a human emotion,” he scoffed but the far-off expression in his eyes told a different story — a private one that he didn’t feel like sharing. She didn’t press. He returned to her. “You shouldn’t doubt Tieran’s feelings for you. He will guard you with his life.”

“I know he will. But will he love me?” she asked with a sigh. “I might not be human but I still have a heart that yearns for love. I can’t help myself. Call me old-fashioned but I prefer my baby daddy to actually love me.”

Well, at least one of them. The one who wasn’t evil, of course.

“You would do yourself a kindness if you let go of such tedious emotions and focus on the health of your pups.”

Solid advice. Except, she wasn’t so good at following good advice these days.

“Do you know anything about Serra?” she asked, unable to help herself.

“Yes. A non-breeding female. She is of little consequence.”

Yeah, tell that to Tieran’s heart.

“She is nothing. If she becomes a problem, Tieran will remove her.”

“I think he loves her,” she admitted in a small voice. “What if she’s The One and not me?”

“Impossible. Her womb is barren. You are his True Mate. He will come to realize it by the time the pups are here.”

If only she could brush aside her concerns as easily as Cristophe suggested. Maybe it was because she’d been raised as human that she clung to human ideals about love and fidelity. Sure, as far as she knew, Tieran was physically faithful to her but she couldn’t help but cringe when she thought that he was imagining Serra when he was inside her.

It was hard to imagine that he’d shared the kind of epic sex he and Cassandra had together with anyone other than his mate, though.

He couldn’t fake the bone-melting pleasure they created together. There was one thing she felt confident was real — their chemistry.

Too many questions made her head spin. She suspected Tieran was faced with the same questions, which was probably why he was being such a royal jerk all the time.

Cristophe had left her with that final thought and Cassandra had obsessed on it since.

To be honest, Cassandra was getting tired of Tieran’s routine. Yeah, so he had to give up his girlfriend, Serra.

Well, she’d had to give up her damn life for this prophecy. And now she was likely going to get stretch marks, too. In Cassandra’s estimation, they were equal in the misery department.

The door opened and Cassandra expected to see Tieran but was surprised to see the seer, Iona, walk in. The petite nature of the woman belied the power that rippled from her aura.

No one knew how old Iona was — Cassandra had asked around after meeting the grizzled woman for the first time when she’d fainted after experiencing a vision of her two babies in the womb — but Cassandra was fairly certain, she was at least one hundred years old if she was a day.

Cassandra tried to hide her disappointment but it must’ve been plainly written across her face as Iona laughed and said, “Not the person you were hoping for? Has your heart softened toward Tieran?”

Cassandra’s gaze narrowed. Had she softened toward the biggest prick she’d ever met since Rory McAdams, the same guy who pointed out to the entire cafeteria that a bird had crapped on her head?

Um, no.

“He was supposed to bring me food. I’m starving. I wouldn’t care if it were the devil walking through that door as long as he held a sandwich in his hands.”

“Be careful with your words. Words have power,” Iona warned, not finding the humor in Cassandra’s sharp quip. “Once word spreads that you carry two pups, Ulster will stop at nothing to find you.”

“And why should he care?” Cassandra said, hoping to sound flippant when in fact, her heart was stuttering painfully with fear. Her biggest fear had come to fruition.

She was not only carrying Tieran’s child, but Ulster’s as well. She would’ve been happy to keep that information to herself but Iona had broken the news to Tieran, who then shared the news with his clan.

To say she was a bit irritated with Iona was an understatement. “I hardly think Ulster is interested in being a father.”

“Don’t be foolish, girl. The urge to keep one’s progeny close is part of our make up. He will come.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Cassandra’s shoulders shook with a slight shudder but she tried to keep it light. “Well, maybe I should go after him for child support then. However, I’ve seen his digs. I don’t think he has much to spare.”

“Stop.” Iona’s commanding voice cut through Cassandra’s sarcasm like a blade. “You cannot hide your fears from me, child. I can see them as plainly as I see those pups in your belly. I see their hearts beating fast and true, same as yours. You must be strong in the coming months, not only for this clan but for your pups. They will need a strong mother to protect them from whoever would seek to harm them.”

“Who would want to hurt my babies?” Cassandra asked. “They’re just babies. It’s not their fault how they came to be in existence.”

“This is not the world you grew up in,” Iona said. “You cling to a memory of who you were and what you knew. None of that is applicable for the present or the future. Tieran will protect his pup just as Ulster will protect his. But either would kill the other pup without reservation.”

Cassandra gasped. “Tieran would kill a baby?”

“Do not seem so shocked,” Iona said sharply. “Clan Barrachius has remained the top clan among scores of others because our Alphas do not shy from responsibility no matter how distasteful it may seem. Tieran would do whatever was necessary to secure Clan Barrachius’ future.”

At that Cassandra stilled as the import of Iona’s words began to sink in. She didn’t care who had fathered the babies — they were hers — and she wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt them. Before she realized it, she’d bared her teeth in a subtle growl. Iona surprised her with an approving chuckle.

“Yes, girl. Fight for their lives. I believe the Mother Goddess would not have allowed such a deviation to the prophesy if there hadn’t been a purpose. Alas, not everyone shares my faith. It will be up to you to make them see differently. And that includes Tieran.”

“He hates me. I doubt he’ll listen to a word I have to say about anything,” Cassandra said unhappily. “Perhaps I should just leave and take my chances on my own.”

“Tieran would not allow it.”

“I didn’t say I would ask his permission first,” Cassandra retorted coolly. “Besides, perhaps he would be relieved that I was gone. Then his beloved Serra could return.”

Iona looked freshly annoyed at the mention of Serra’s name. “Serra’s path is not with Tieran and it never was. I tried to warn him but he is a stubborn mule of a man. He made his choice even though I told him it would end in heartache. Serra was equally stubborn. She and Tieran were not a good match, no matter the prophecy. Theirs was a union destined for pain.”

Curious, Cassandra asked, “Why?”

“Serra’s ambitions are her true heart’s desire whereas Tieran’s desire was pure. Serra loved him only because he was the Alpha.”

Cassandra digested the information Iona had shared and felt a pang of sorrow for Tieran even though she probably shouldn’t. “Have you ever shared this with Tieran?”

“There are some things that a person is unwilling to hear and must feel with their heart in order to listen.”

Iona left Cassandra with that final thought.

So much had changed in such a short time frame that it was little wonder she hadn’t lost her mind yet. She didn’t understand a lot about what was happening but she could no longer deny that her birth heritage was tied to a mystical prophecy.

She’d conceived two separate times by two separate men, yet the gestation was within days of another. She knew that her pregnancy was moving at an accelerated rate, something that would’ve freaked her out in her normal life, but seemed par for the course in her new reality.

She had no way of knowing when she might give birth but she did know that she would defend her babies to the death if need be. She thought of Ulster and his ragtag clan of thieves, criminals and frightened, cowed women and she knew she had to do something to put an end to his reign.

If the Mother Goddess had seen fit to allow two pregnancies, then Cassandra believed Iona — there had to be a reason.