Wanted By The Alpha Lion (Heroes of Shifter Creek 2) Read Online Free PDF

the fire was.
    Sammi began the ritual. “Cassie Judd, you have chosen to become a lioness, to join the sisterhood we have long established within this pride. We accept you with our love and understanding.”Momentarily flashing a giant set of carnivorous teeth, she partially transformed, biting into her own hand so that it bled. Then she went to the fire and let the blood drop within the flames. “Our blood is your blood.”
                  “Our blood is your blood,” the lionesses echoed, and they followed Sammi’s example.
                  “Now it’s your turn,” Sammi said hesitantly. “You must sacrifice your blood to the fire.”
                  “Okay,” Cassie acknowledged, searching around her for a sharp stick to cut her hand with.
                  “No,” Sammi said, resting a hand on her shoulder, her grip an indication of the strength within. “In order to transform, you must enter the flames.”
                  “Oh,” Cassie repeated, this time with far less confidence as she peered straight into the flames, feeling her face turn red with the heat. Now she understood why Sammi had been so cryptic about the ritual. If Cassie had known earlier that she had to walk into the fire, she would have been driven crazy with the fear and anticipation. “Will it hurt?”
                  “I don’t know,” Sammi admitted. “You can still change your mind, Cassie. We accept you as you are. You’re Gowon’s mate. You’re already part of this pride.”
                  “But I’m divided from my mate,” Cassie insisted, looking at Gowon. “We can’t speak. We can’t... touch. We are not one, not like this. This is the only way.”
                  Before she lost her confidence, with her heart full of her love for Gowon, Cassie jumped straight into the flames.
     
     
    ***
    Gowon
                 
                  It took all of Gowon’s self-will not to jump into the fire after Cassie. A pain he never knew before overtook him as he watched her sacrifice herself for him.
                  I shouldn’t have let her do this , he thought, distressed. I am the alpha. I say what goes. Being divided by our forms is better than being divided in death...
                  The air around him was eerily quiet, the crowd focused on the woman who had disappeared into the flames.
                  Unable to take much more of the wait, Gowon sprang to his feet and roared loudly, asserting his power over the pride. His self-will gave out. He was going in after her.
                  Cassie, I’m coming... he shouted mentally, roaring again.
                  Just as he was about to leap into the fire to save her, the flames shifted, snaking up to the sky and disappearing amongst the heavens. In their place, with soft embers falling around her in the night, was a lioness more beautiful than Gowon could have imagined. Her fur was not tawny but mahogany, like her hair in human form. She was a dark lion, a rare lion, rarer even than himself.
                  Cassie leapt out of the fire pit and landed beside him, the earth cowering to her power. Elated, Gowon nuzzled his head against hers, showering her in his love. She purred beneath him, returning his affections. Soon, her purr turned low and seductive.
                  Smiling, Gowon ran from the pride, leading his new lioness to a place all their own, where once again, they could be one.
    ***
                 
    Cassie
     
                 
                  When she woke, it was morning. And she was human once more. That didn’t concern her. She knew it would take time to learn how to shift at will. What concerned her was that Gowon was no longer by her side. She woke alone.
                  Naked and worried, Cassie stood, surprised by