Free Awakened from Ice: 1 (Werewolf Sentinels) by Marisa Chenery Page B

off. Once we’ve claimed her fully, a bond joins us together and we aren’t able to stand to be apart from each other for very long. But what do you mean by true mates?”
    Edensaw glanced at Cassidy, then focused back on Brice. “We go through the mating urge. Cassidy set mine off when she found us. That is how she woke me up, even though the time wasn’t for us to awaken. As for true mates, I can turn her into a werewolf exactly like me with one bite while I’m in my wolf form. You do not do this with mortal mates?”
    Brice stared at Edensaw for a few seconds. He looked as if someone had just sucker punched him. Cassidy wasn’t feeling much better. Edensaw hadn’t told her that part about his being able to make her a werewolf, immortal and all.
    “You’re in the throes of the mating urge and you aren’t feeling driven by it?” Brice asked. “And as for the turning part, you’re the first werewolf I’ve known who has a mortal for a mate. We can’t turn them. As far as we knew, the only way to be a werewolf was to be born one.”
    “No, my mating urge isn’t controlling me,” Edensaw said. “I feel the need to claim Cassidy as my mate, but I can wait until she is ready to accept me as hers. I had no idea we sentinels would be so different from our descendants.”
    Brice shook his head. “And I had no idea you guys actually existed. My generation is the third to have heard of the tale of the sentinels. I haven’t even told my daughter yet. We figured it was just a made-up story.”
    “But you believe us now?” Edensaw asked.
    “Yes, of course. Another part of the tale is how only the sentinels and the children they sired before going into their long sleep were able to shift into dire wolves.” Brice sat in his chair and everyone else took their seats once more. “So if you guys are real then I suppose the evil you were created to fight against is real as well.”
    “Yes, it is. The enemy is werewolves who were created from the darkest of magic. I felt the presence of their evil slowly growing while I slept. If they should rise in numbers, they are a threat not only to werewolves such as yourself but also to the mortals who share this world.”
    “And I thought lone wolves were bad,” Brice said with a sigh.
    “Lone wolves?” Ketah asked.
    “When a werewolf breaks too many pack laws or is violent to others, they are forced to leave the pack and go lone wolf. Not all of them are bad, though. A few are good, who would rather live on their own with no affiliations. I see we’re going to have to teach you what it means to be a modern-day werewolf.”
    “I was hoping you would take on that job,” Cassidy said. “I can’t teach them any of that. I didn’t even know werewolves existed until I found them. I’ve introduced them to modern society, helped them to fit in, but that’s all I can do.”
    Brice nodded. “You’ve done a great job of that. And it’s understandable that you wouldn’t be able to teach them what else they need to learn. The rest of my pack and I can take care of that.”
    Cassidy didn’t look at Edensaw when she asked the next thing on her mind. “Would you be able to find them another place to stay?”
    Brice gave her a questioning look. “Are you sure that is what you want? Edensaw is your mate.”
    “I don’t think I have much choice. I live in a one-bedroom apartment. I don’t have the space for all of us. I think they’d be more comfortable in a bigger place.”
    “No,” Edensaw said. “We will stay with you.”
    Cassidy turned her gaze on Edensaw. “You haven’t claimed me yet. I think it would be better if you and the others become more familiar with your kind before we take that step. You said your mating urge isn’t controlling you so maybe it would be better if I stepped out of the picture for a while until you’ve learned what you need to know.”
    Edensaw grabbed her around the waist and dragged her onto his lap. He cupped her face and forced her