Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Ace; Ace Mass-market Ed edition (July 29, 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0441016150

Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member, and as his mate.

Cry Wolf is the first in the Alpha and Omega Series by Patricia Briggs.  It’s a spin-off of her very popular Mercy Thompson series. Had I realized that, I might have started with the Mercy Thompson series, but the Alpha and Omega series certainly has no trouble standing alone.  However, I do recommend reading the novella that precedes the series in the anthology On the Prowl.  It tells Anna’s story of how she became a werewolf and how she came to know Charles, her mate.

Cry Wolf picks up right where On The Prowl leaves off.  Charles has recognized Anna as his mate and although Anna is dubious, she moves to Montana with Charles to escape her current abusive pack.  As she begins the difficult adjustment to her new life with her new mate, she and Charles are called upon by the Marrok, who happens to be Charles’ father and the leader of all the North American werewolves, to track down and deal with a rogue werewolf who has been killing humans in the local mountains.

During their adventures in tracking the rogue, Anna begins to learn about her true nature as an Omega wolf . She goes from abused, timid and fearful to realizing her power and inner strength as both a woman and as an Omega.

After reading On The Prowl, I found the beginning of Cry Wolf to be a bit slow.  However, the story did eventually pick up and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this werewolf society and Anna’s unique place within it.

I look forward to seeing what becomes of Anna and Charles in the next novel, Hunting Ground.