Chapter One
The Beginning
Claudia jerked awake, her flaming hair falling around her shoulders as she glanced at the clock that was settled on her nightstand, flashing 5:00 am in bright red letters. She exhaled the breath that she had been holding in, her round stomach cramping slightly as the baby within kicked. She rubbed the swollen stomach, her mind flashing back to her dream.
No, her premonition. That is exactly what it was. All those people, huddled together waiting for an excruciating death. One that would leave those left, in immense pain.
Claudia tossed her velvet blankets to the side and struggled to her feet. She waddled over to the small closet within her room. Once she was situated in a pair of what was lose fitting jeans and a tee she slid into her house shoes. Claudia padded down the stairs and to the kitchen to set a pot of coffee before she woke her husband. This wasn't good. Her head was pounding and her heart was aching.
She sat at the kitchen table for a moment to collect her thoughts. She had so much that she needed to explain. For once in her life, she wished that she didn't have her gift, that she was actually normal. This wasn't something she knew how to explain, or even how to talk about. What was a woman to do in an inexplicably dreadful situation. She had to see her friend, her mentor, her alpha.
Once her mind was made up, she climbed back to her feet and made her way back up the stairs. She paused in the doorway, just watching her husband sleep. He had been working non-stop for the past few months, trying to save his vacation days for when the baby was born. Claudia stayed there for a moment just enjoying watching him getting his well-deserved rest. She hated having to wake him, but she knew that he would want to join her on this particular trip.
"Noah," She said, walking to his side of the bed. She laid her hand on his shoulder giving it a gentle shake. He blinked his eyes open and glanced up at her, confusion within those chocolate brown orbs. "I need to see Talia."
"I'm up," Noah groaned tossing back the blankets. He threw his feet to the side and climbed out of bed, "What happened?" He yawned, making his way to the closet.
"I had a premonition," She muttered, trying not to look him in the eye when he whipped his head around at her. She rubbed her belly as she sat on the bed. "It wasn't good."
"How bad?" He asked, buttoning his jeans, "Is it like life and death?"
"That's exactly what it is," she replied, finally meeting his gaze as he pulled his tee-shirt down. He sighed as he slipped into a pair of socks and boots.
"Well shit. Let me grab a cup of coffee then we can head out. I know you wanna get there as soon as possible. What time is it?"
"Almost five-thirty," Claudia said as she followed her husband down the stairs and back into the kitchen. The pot that she had made earlier was already done and waiting to be poured. She grabbed her own mug and added a little bit of cream and sugar.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Noah asked sitting across the table from his wife, with his own cup.
"Lots of flames, people, and death. Almost the entire family, up in smoke." A sob broke in her voice as she tried to take it all in. This wasn't set to happen now, or even in the near future, but when most of the wolves were grown and supposed to be in school. When they were supposed to be flourishing, growing, and experiencing life to the fullest. Yet, most weren't going to get that, the children and babies weren't going to grow and love.
That's what hit her the most. The fact that the people she loved and grew with wasn't going to live past that day and she couldn't even tell them what day that would be, only that it was coming. Her entire world almost shattered then and there.