Chapter Two

Cassidy stared at herself in the mirror on the wall. It was a luxury that her mother had paid handsomely for, to brighten up her room. She once again lamented her bastard status. As such, she was given a room that was directly in between the drudge dormitories and the larger suites that the Lord Alpha and his family enjoyed. She had been ten when she was moved from the dormitories to this tiny closet. Until then, she had never been alone. Whelped and raised among the drudges, Cassidy had first shared a bed with her mother, and when she became too old for that, she was moved to the communal nest where all prey children slept, near the hearth. After the mourning period for the Lord Alpha's mate had passed, the Lord Alpha had publicly claimed Cassidy as his child, and had her moved from her home to a station in between.

She did not lament the small luxuries that came with her half-station. Having a private bath attached to her room had spoiled her. But, there were times where it was lonely, like now, when she could have used her mother or Indra. She laboriously worked on her auburn hair, plaiting it in a thousand small braids. She didn't usually spend so much time on her appearance, preferring to remain fresh-faced. However, she would be representing the Lord Alpha at the ceremony, as his last child to enter the First Shift. Cassidy had a role to play, one of the dutiful daughter, bound by tradition.

She gathered half the tiny braids into a knot on the top of her head, leaving the other half to fall around her face and down her back, framing her strong jaw and stubborn chin. With the wild tangle of curls out of her face, her eyes appeared larger in the mirror, luminous. Were those the eyes of a frightened rabbit staring back at her, or a brave and noble wolf?

She shook her head, dispelling the notion. It would all be decided at the ceremony, and only the Moon Goddess knew where she would fall when it was all said and done. Worrying was useless.

The dress her father had provided for the evening hung over the back of the single chair in her room. She wondered idly for a moment if he had picked it out personally, imagining the Lord Alpha dictating exactly how the dress should best represent her. The color was the deep blue velvet of midnight , with dozens of tiny crystals clustered along the fabric, giving it the appearance of a star-strewn sky. It was the most beautiful garment she had ever owned, most of her clothing the utilitarian tunics and wide legged trousers that was preferred by the drudges.

The Lord Alpha had always made sure to provide for her, even if she would have preferred more time with the man instead of the small but lavish gifts she was given.

As she slid the whisper-soft fabric of the dress over her body, she remembered the look of utter contempt Reena had given her the day she was presented as the Lord Alpha's third child. Reena had spat on her. Not that Cassidy blamed the girl. She had just lost her mother the year before, and suddenly there was a new child being presented before the village, obviously having been whelped nearly a decade before.

Cassidy had once tried to speak to her mother about how she came to be. She would only tell her that the Lord Alpha was the kindest man she had ever met. There had been plenty of speculation of how a rabbit shifter had ended up in the bed of the Lord Alpha. It wasn't unheard of, children of unholy union conceived in the dark, but they were usually taken care of discreetly.

It was a shock to the entire village that the Lord Alpha would flaunt his indiscretion so publicly, but he had been firm and unyielding when his advisors and court demanded he renounce her. He had taken her by the hand and led her to her new siblings. That is when Reena spat on her. It was the one and only time that she had ever seen the Lord Alpha react to one of his children in violence. He had struck Reena so hard that the girl still wore the scar of his signet ring high on her cheek. Reena had never so much as been physically violent to Cassidy after, though that didn't stop Killian.

Killian had tormented her nearly daily, but fear of the Lord Alpha had always kept her mouth shut. She couldn't bear the thought of one of her siblings wearing a scar because of her again.

Cassidy shook off the heavy weight of memories, deft fingers securing the ties on the side of her dress. She was thankful there was no corset or boning, she preferred to have her movement unrestricted.

Dressed and put together, she gave herself one more moment to indulge her vanity, admiring the color of the gown on her sunkissed skin, and the glow of her tawny eyes. She slid into her sturdy boots, thankful that the dress hem was long enough to hide her feet. She snatched her cloak, throwing it atop her dress, and let herself out of her tiny room.

The whole castle was buzzing with the Feast, many of the elite predators arriving from around the village to toast the First Shift, and dote on their pampered, petted children.

The Feast would continue well into the night, but Cassidy was ready for the ceremony. Once the wolf moon rose, high in the night sky, each of the participants of the First Shift would make their way, one by one, into the temple.

She knew that the ceremony was performed individually. The High Priestess would call on the Moon Goddess, feed the participant a potion made of vox berries to activate the dormant Shifter gene, unlocking the true potential of each applicant.

Prey shifters would have a rare rest day, so festivities in the village were under way as soon as dusk descended. She carefully picked her way to the castle gates, thankfully ignored by the large gathering of predators that lined the halls.

Indra and Kristian stood, waiting impatiently for her to arrive. They were among a cluster of prey shifters. Not for the first time, Cassidy had wished she had a moment to speak to her mother. But the Feast had every elder shifter drudge on hand at the castle, too busy serving the Lord Alpha and his guests to be able to make time for their children. She blatantly ignored her sinking gut, pasting on a bright smile for her friends. Whatever the night brought, she would be able to see her mother after.

"Cass!" Indra waved at her excitedly from amongst the throng of eager shifters. Cassidy lifted a hand, hurrying to join her friends. "Cass, did you hear?!"

"The Lycan King showed up unannounced at the Feast. The Lord Alpha was taken completely by surprise!" Kristian interjected and Indra threw him a pout. "The whole castle is buzzing with it."

Cassidy shook her head, "I hadn't heard. I miss all the best gossip in my room." She frowned thoughtfully. It wasn't unusual for the Lycan King to leave his northern stronghold to visit with his Lord Alphas, but showing up unannounced was odd. Of course, her father had not sent for her, as her station did not allow for her to attend most political functions, at least not until her position as a predator shifter was confirmed. It still stung not to at least be informed.

Indra grabbed Cassidy's hand and pulled her closer. It was full dark now, and the gates leading from the castle to the village opened with a groan. "Ready to make history?" Indra murmured to her. Cassidy shook her head, not sure if she was honestly ready to confront her future, but her feet moved without her permission, and she was swept away with the crowd toward the village temple.