The Destined (erotic paranormal) (The Breeding Prophecy) by Alexx Andria Page B

would suggest you stop underestimating me,” Cassandra warned before transforming back into her wolf form. The pain was fleeting as she settled into her familiar animal skin before Tieran could stop her. She bounded away from him and the clearing, easily putting distance between her and the others. She followed the scent lodged in her nose of the compound and she went uner ringingly along a dizzying path, her padded feet eating up the miles as if they were mere yards.
    She burst into the compound grounds and went straight for the sentries guarding the entrance. Her chest heaved from the exertion but she managed to transform into her human form to gasp the words, “We were attacked. Tieran needs help.” She projected the image of the clearing into their brains and their startled eyes told her that she’d succeeded in not only freaking them out, but also of communicati ng the location of their fallen clan mates.
    Exhaustion from the run and the fight left her without the energy to explain further and simply limped , naked, bruised and bloody into the house to go straight to her room to collapse .
    But immediate rest was not in the cards. A woman that made her hackles rise and a growl pop from her chest, though she’d never seen the woman before in her life, waylaid her on the way .
    “You,” the woman bre athed with sharp disappointment, the sound of that single word laced liberally with hatred and dismay. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders in a waterfall of beauty that would’ve made a supermodel jealous and it certainly didn’t make Cass andra feel like a pageant queen but even as her dark eyes glittered like jewels at midnight, her heart burned with jealous heat. Cassandra sucked in a tight breath as understanding washed over her. “You weren’t supposed to come back,” the woman said tightly in a low, private voice meant only for Cassandra to hear.
    “Serra,” Cassandra said. “What are you doing here?”_ iad I was
    “This is my home. I was born here. You are the one who doesn’t belong,” Serra said bitterly. “Where is Tieran?”
    Cassandra ignored Serra’s question, her mind moving at a frightening clip that was probably nearing delirium and knew somehow that Serra had been responsible for Ulster’s sudden appearance. “I need to rest,” Cassandra said brusquely, moving past Serra. “If Tieran wishes to see you, that’s his business. Not mine.”
    “His heart belongs to me,” Serra said to Cassandra’s naked backside as she ascended the long staircase. Cassandra kept her pace and refused to react even though the hateful comment sliced at her own heart as if it were a raw-edged blade.
    Iona appeared at the top of the stairs, her careworn expression focusing like a laser on Cassandra’s belly. “You have exhausted yourself and put your pups at risk,” she warned with a narrowed gaze. “Come. You must eat to replenish your strength and then bathe the blood from your skin. You stink of death and misery and that cannot be healthy for the pups.”
    Cassandra was too tired to argue and too heart-sore to do more than nod in agreement. Perhaps after food and a scrub, she’d feel less ready to cry. Her warrior strength that’d filled her during battle had apparently been used up, leaving her pathetic and sad, ready to sob like a dumb girl.
    Iona ran the water in the massive Jacuzzi tub and set the jets to bubbling. She wasted no time in getting Cassandra into the heated water. She sank into the bubbles with a grateful sigh, forgetting for the moment of her heartache and confusion and simply allowed Iona to scrub the filth from her body. Before too long, Iona was pulling her from the tub and wrapping her into a thick white terry cloth robe that enveloped her in warmth and security. A large, steaming plate of nearly raw meat awaited her and Cassandra began stuffing her mouth with the juicy protein. As strength returned to her body, Cassandra’s brain began to work again. She chewed and