**********Book contains strong language and sexual content***********

*****This book has been published and is available for purchase in both paperback and ebook format at www.lulu.com You can search the book name or search my name (Amber Russell) to find this book and the ebook version of the second book in the series "The Treaty". Thanks to all of your support. I will post the first few chapters now, then a chapter each week after that. Please let me know what you think of the book good or bad. I know it starts off a little slow but the information was important for later in the book and series.*************

Copyright 2012 Amber Russell

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

The Awakening / by Amber Russell / 2nd Edition

ISBN: 978-1-105-74810-3

Summary: Angel will discover a hidden truth about herself in this love filled adventure. She will suffer through losing the ones she loves, but in the end the truth about herself will set her free. She will find true love with one of her own kind.

Author's notes: I would like to thank all my friends and family for their support while writing this book. I would also like to give a special thanks to my wonderful husband, for all his patience and allowing me to neglect my household duties while writing.

Chapter 1

"Maybe we should just pull over Ken, it's getting really bad out" Samantha looked over at her husband with pleading eyes.

It was a blizzard as they were driving down the highway. The weather was getting worse the further south they were getting. The snow was so heavy now that even she couldn't see but a few feet in front of the car. They were planning a surprise visit back home to introduce their old pack to their new daughter.

"I seen a sign for a hotel at the next exit, we will stop there" Ken smiled at his wife, trying to reassure her that they would be alright.

They had been living in Minnesota for the past two years and wanted to go back to their old pack in southern Illinois for the holidays. They had brought a new pup into the world 6 months ago and they decided it was time to move back home. They wanted to make sure that she was able to grow up with others of her kind. The pack they were living with in Minnesota was small and there were no children around her age. Ken was about to turn on the blinker to make their exit when the accident happened. A semi truck had lost control on the other side of the highway and was heading right toward their car. Ken had no time to react before the truck plowed into them.

The truck hit the car on the drivers' side and spun it around until it hit the ditch. When the car hit the ditch it started to roll over and over until coming to a complete stop about 20 feet from the highway. Ken was killed instantly from the impact. Samantha had been flung out of the vehicle while it was rolling and laid lifeless on the ground about 10 feet away from the car. At only 6 months old the baby girl had no idea what was happening. She felt pain coming from every inch of her body. There were a lot of noises and flashing lights everywhere. She felt cold then all of a sudden two warm arms were surrounding her.

"She's still breathing" A voice said, that was the last thing she heard as her vision was lost and everything turned silent.

Bryan Price was on duty at the hospital that night and would never forget when the paramedics brought in the tiny child barely holding onto life. She was rushed to surgery to repair the many broken bones and damage vital organs she had received from the crash. He worked through the night to save the child; by the time he left at 3:00 A.M. he wasn't sure if she would make it through that night. He had a hard time getting any rest that night, all he could think about was that little girl who had just lost both of her parents and maybe her own life in that crash.

When he arrived back at the hospital that next evening he was thrilled to see that the child was still alive and making progress on her recovery. Bryan was a well known surgeon and he and his wife Angela had been trying for a baby for five years now. Every time she got pregnant she would lose the baby and couldn't take the loss of another child. They had decided to adopt instead and were in the process of being approved for an adoption. He had a soft spot in his heart for children and this little girl stole his heart from the first time he saw her.

He will never forget the images that were burned into his mind that night. The precious little girl with blonde curls and bight sky blue eyes staring up at him as he worked to repair her injuries. The baby had not even cried once while he was working on her, even though she had to be in severe pain. She had cuts and scrapes all over her body from the broken glass and metal shavings left from the crash. She had a large gash across her forehead that required 20 stitches to close. She had broken both arms, one leg, and a few ribs. He had to rush her into surgery after an ultrasound revealed that her small intestine had been partially severed.

Her parents did not have any ID on them when they were found, and the police were investigating to find out who they were. He spent his time between surgeries and follow ups with patients checking on the little girl. She was still unconscious but her heart rate and vitals were more stable than the previous night. That night when he left the hospital and went home he told his wife Angela about the precious baby girl that he was caring for.

She came with him the next day to see the little girl and was immediately drawn to her as much as her husband had been. They went to visit her everyday, even on days when Bryan was not working at the hospital. Two weeks had gone by and no one had claimed to know or identify the child or her parents. Bryan noticed that the child was healing at a very fast rate and was happy to see her progress healing from her wounds.

It was a Friday evening when social services came to take the baby girl from the hospital. They told Bryan that no one had claimed the girl and she was going into their care until she was ready for adoption. He was able to get information from them of the adoption agency she was going to but was told that he couldn't visit her until she was ready and available for adoption. He gave the little girl one last hug, and kissed her forehead.

"I will miss you my little angel" He whispered into her ear as the social services lady took her from his arms. He felt as if part of him was leaving with her when she was pulled from his arms.

Bryan was very upset when he arrived home to Angela. All he could think about was the little girl that he had cared for so much, and that she would no longer be part of his everyday life. Angela on the other hand was ecstatic that night. She had received the call they had been waiting on for months while Bryan was at work.

She noticed at once how upset Bryan was when he walked in, and thought it best to not share the news right away. Bryan explained to her that the little baby was taken from the hospital that day, and he was sad that he wouldn't be able to see her smiling face everyday anymore. He told her that she would be put up for adoption soon and once she found a new home she would be gone forever.

To his surprise Angela started smiling when she heard the news.

He tried to hold back his anger at her when he asked "Why are you so happy about this?"

Angela explained to Bryan about the call she got today. "We were approved for an adoption and can start looking for a child now."

He was still confused on why this made her so happy, when he was still upset about losing his little girl.

"Don't you see what this means Bryan?" Angela asked. "It means that we can adopt her,

we can adopt our little angel" she said with a smile.

Bryan was overjoyed with the news, and he grabbed his wife in a bear hug and swung her around in his arms. It took months to finalize the adoption, but they soon had their baby home with them and named her Angel, their little Angel.

Angel lived a nice life with her new adopted family. Her father made a lot of money working at the hospital and her mother was able to stay at home to raise her. They had a nice house in an upscale neighborhood. She would often visit her only grandfather's house on the weekends. He lived in a huge mansion and she loved to play hide and seek with him in the many rooms throughout the home. Grandpa Price was a very caring old man, who loved his only granddaughter very much. He was also very proud of the achievements that his son had made in life with a promising career in medicine, and the adoption of his pride and joy Angel.

Angel was six years old when her Grandpa Price passed away. She was sad she had loved her grandpa very much, and would miss spending time with him. Her dad would try to comfort her by telling her that he was in a better place now. Grandpa Price was a very wealthy man. He had made very smart investments when he was young and they paid off for him in many ways. He owned a huge mansion with acres of property. Angel use to love visiting the mansion as a child. Her grandpa would sit with her for hours and tell her stories while they ate cookies and milk. She would miss her loving grandpa greatly.

Angel and her parents moved into the mansion shortly after her grandfather passed. She was a wealthy little girl that could have anything she wanted in life, but she

never took advantage of her parents for money or trivial things. Every summer they would take a month long vacation to the estate that her father bought outside of Gardiner, Montana. Angel loved to go there as a child. There were acres upon acres of land for her to run and play. There were acres of forest too, but she was never allowed to go in the woods alone. Bryan would often take her for long walks in the forest along the paths. She was so amazed at the beauty of the forest.

She always felt at home running through the trees with the wind in her hair. Something about the forest had always called to her. She could sit for hours and watch the wind blow the leaves on the trees, and watch the sun as it casts long shadows across the forest floors. There were so many different smells in the forest too. She had a great sense of smell and soon learned that she could close her eyes and identify what types of trees, flowers, and plants were around her just by their smells. She felt at home in the forest and the walks with her father never seamed to be long enough for her to enjoy everything that was around her.

Growing up she went to private schools, she was friendly but didn't have very many friends. To be honest she always felt a little out of place around the other kids. She always knew that she was different. Her eye sight was more than perfect, she could hear things people were saying from across the room when no one else could, and she could smell so much stronger than everyone else. Yet she couldn't figure out what was so different about her. 'Those are just survival skills you should be happy that they are better than everyone else's' her father always use to say.

She was 16 years old when she got the terrible news about her parents. Their jet had gone down on the way back from a vacation they had taken for their anniversary. Angel was devastated by the news. She had lost the only family she had ever known. Why do I always have to lose the ones who are closest to me she thought to herself when her aunt gave her the news. The only family member that she had left living was her aunt Greta. Greta had never liked Angel much. She though of her as an add-on to her wealthy family. Not even blood yet she had to share her inheritance with the girl. Angel didn't like Greta much either, she never felt loved by the woman so she spent as much time away from her as she could.

When Bryan and Angela passed away Greta reluctantly agreed to care for Angel until she was 18. Greta only agreed to care for the girl because it meant that she would be allowed to live in the mansion for the next few years, and would receive a large sum of money to care for the girl. Greta moved into the mansion and became Angel's new legal guardian until she would turn 18. After the death of her parents she didn't want to be around anyone for a while. She decided that she would do home schooling for her last two years of high school.

She never really had many friends at school so she didn't see a reason to go back there. Sure all the guys liked her, she was beautiful. She had long blonde hair that always seemed to be perfectly styled without her even trying. Flawless skin that was smooth as silk and always had a natural tanned appearance. She had a trim body and large breasts for her slim frame. The thing that she got the most comments about was

her big bright sky blue eyes.

The guys followed her like she was a piece of candy that they couldn't wait to get their hands on, but she never felt anything for any of them. Sure they were rich and good looking, but nothing ever drew her towards them so she just ignored them like they weren't even there. She never even had a single boyfriend throughout high school. Of course her actions made all the girls jealous of her. They all thought that she was a stuck up rich girl, so she never made any real friends at school. She was able to graduate before she turned 18 with the home schooling. She didn't have any friends so she never went out. That left her with not much else to do than to study.