Julia just found out that she is pregnant with the alpha's child. Damien's pack of misfit wolves has finally settled down into their territory. Nothing could be better...until everything goes wrong.Excerpt:Julia voice trailed off into a gasp as the reached the bottom of the staircase and rounded the corner into a huge cavern. Studded with stalactites, the ceiling of the cave was high and arched, the point of the roof retreating into darkness... moreJulia just found out that she is pregnant with the alpha's child. Damien's pack of misfit wolves has finally settled down into their territory. Nothing could be better...until everything goes wrong.Excerpt:Julia voice trailed off into a gasp as the reached the bottom of the staircase and rounded the corner into a huge cavern. Studded with stalactites, the ceiling of the cave was high and arched, the point of the roof retreating into darkness. The many wall-mounted torches gave the air an orange-red hue.Damien was chained to one of the walls, his arms strung up at his sides.Before Julia could process any of this, the werewitch said, "Help? Now I will help you more than ever. Ak-kar-ali-ma!"And as she said this, her angelic voice became cracked and phlegmy, the voice of a shriveled, spiteful hag, a crypt keeper, and Julia's body was frozen still. The witch snapped up one hand to Julia's face and forced a vial between her lips. Julia screamed and thrashed and tried to wrench her head sideways, but the witch yanked Julia's head back and held her chin shut. Acidic liquid filled Julia's mouth. It burned, oh it burned!Julia tried to spit it out but to no avail. She choked as the burning liquid slid down her throat, hot and sinister.The witch snapped her finger and Julia fell to her hands and knees, coughing, retching."Julia!" Damien strained against his chains, wrenching his body out toward her; the jangle of the iron links echoed in the open space like a grating cackle. "Don't do anything to her! I'll fight! I'll--"The liquid scorched down Julia's throat like a shot of extra high-proof alcohol, but unlike alcohol, the burn didn't fade. It intensified, it spread. Icy flames of agony licked through her body. Her skin broke out in sweat and gooseflesh at once as the angry fire branched through her chest and down, down--Down to her womb."No," she breathed, pressing both hands to her stomach, the pain abruptly forgotten. Time seemed to freeze, trapping her in that initial moment of incredulous horror.The steady soft beating that had become so much a part of her own self had suddenly stopped. She searched within herself for the sense of any presence, but her body was hollow, empty."NO!" she screamed, her fingers scrabbling across the skin as though she could find the life inside of her by hand. "What have you done?! What have you done?!""Julia!" Damien cried hoarsely. "Julia, what is it? What is--""What have you done?!" less
