Animal Secrets: A Paranormal Romance (The Animal Sagas) Read online

  Animal Secrets: A Paranormal Romance

  By SusanG Charles

  ©2013 SusanG Charles

  Preface

  The one thing that all of us, humans and animals, have in common is a never ending search for love, companionship and family – as well as a place to feel a part of something. So this book is dedicated to each and every one of us, the world over, and to all the many animals, 2 legged, or 4 legged, or whatever, that constantly yearn for this most universal of emotions – love!

  ©2013 by Susan G. Charles

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

  Chapter 1

  Present day -

  Life had been hard on the Seron sisters the past year or so, what with their parents sudden deaths, financial worries, extreme changes in income, vocation, expectation and then, most recently, Sonya’s abduction. Thankfully at least that event did have a happy ending for them. And now, through a series of events, totally unplanned by the pair, the sisters find themselves right smack in the middle of a new family pack – one that they had no idea even existed only a year or so ago.

  The Strongheart pack, their new family, had changed quite a bit since it welcomed its new members just a few months ago. This werewolf pack was also a well known clan in their own right, well known for their traditions, strength and current members. In fact Ben, their Alpha, and Clay, his second in command, were commonly spoke about in the were circles for their past feats of bravery and courage. They were rock stars in their own right.

  But for some unexplained reason the numbers of the Yukonia were line had died down over the years, almost to the brink of extinction. Things were very different if you compared the girls heritage currently to the thriving Strongheart clan. As so it happened, through no fault of their own, that Lynda and Sonya Seron were likely the last rare surviving members of the Yukonia clan, a once large and proud line of were-cougars that roamed North America from shore to shore.

  Overall, the were-cougars were an unusual mix with the were-wolves that made up the Strongheart pack, but they were also a very powerful asset. Just imagine trying to put a few cats in a room with a solidly formed dog pack and you might have some idea of the kinds of changes that were now going on inside the Strongheart clan. If you had told the current members that this was going to happen a few months ago they would have called you a liar. So this new arrangement was completely unexpected to say the least. And it was causing a few problems inside the group that needed to be taken care of right away.

  Ben Wilder, the current Alpha of the Strongheart pack, was a shrewd leader who had recognized the strength of the potential alliance when Lynda came to him months ago, agreeing to offer herself as a mate in exchange for his rescuing her sister from the grips of a man who sought to claim her as his wife against her will. He agreed to the union, heck, it was actually his own idea if you knew the whole story, and they had been together ever since.

  And not long after Sonya’s rescue several months ago, she became bonded with her own bodyguard, Clay. In fact, it had just happened recently. It was a surprise to practically all the pack members, except for Lynda, who had thought they would make a perfect match the entire time. Nothing like sisterly intuition when it comes to potential mates! And he was the perfect man for her too – Lynda couldn’t have made a better choice for Sonya herself.

  Of course, her Yukonia intuition might be further heightened by the fact that she was now pregnant with twins! She had been fertile on the night of her first mating with Ben, and their union had resulted in twins. Needless to say he was so happy about the possibility of being a dad. Everything had happened so fast to him, only months ago he was a happily confirmed bachelor. And the thought of being married, not to mention being a dad, was something that he envisioned to be far away into his future. But he was happy with how things worked out and enjoyed the turn his life had taken.

  There were just so many changes going on for everyone in their tightly nit group, that the entire pack was struggling a bit with their current growing pains. It was definitely a time of change for the pack and Ben did his best to make sure that all members were as comfortable as possible inside their group. So he scheduled different activities for the pack to let them have fun, interact and blow off some steam and managed members concerns in a fast and efficient manner. And this was the key to his success – he was known to take action when needed and to have the lives of his pack members ahead of everything else, they were always first in his life.

  Chapter 2

  Now, although the sisters were immersed in much happier times than they had experienced in the past year or so, settling into pack life was no cup of tea for them either. And this was especially true for Lynda. In so many ways, she had been the leader of the sisters own little pack, and submitting to the desires and will of Ben as the Alpha of their pack was no easy task for her, especially since her hormones were raging as she now entered the second trimester of her pregnancy.

  And being a first time mom this was all new to her – the pregnancy was the source of great pride in her, yet the nausea and just the general feeling of being “off” was getting her down a bit. In fact, she hadn’t shifted in months and maybe that was a part of it too. And all these new things she was now expected to do, on top of everything else, well, it was just a little overwhelming. And she did not like feeling overwhelmed at all. This was so very foreign to her.

  “Lynda, have you set up the run with the other females of the pack?” Ben asked as he glanced over a map of the territory their pack claimed as their own. The map was not for him, it was for Lynda. He had pulled it to help her learn their territory as she planned out this new activity.

  “Oh, no, not yet,” Lynda said casually as she rubbed on her rounding belly. She was feeling extra tired lately.

  “Lynda,” Ben said patiently as he turned to look at her. “As the mate of the Alpha, it is your duty to lead the run.”

  Lynda narrowed her eyes as she looked back at him. Sonya often called this look “the stink eye.” He cringed internally as he knew this was a definite sign that she was not pleased.

  “I understand that Ben, but I’ve just been so tired lately,” she sighed heavily, still rubbing her tummy.

  Ben put his markers down on the map, stepped over to her and gently encircled her with his arms. He kissed her gently on the top of her head. But he was careful not to hug her too tightly. He did not want to do anything to harm the twins growing safely inside Lynda’s tummy.

  “Of course you are. And I completely understand. I really do. So, then maybe you could appoint someone else to lead the run for you? What do you think about that?” he suggested to her as he moved his face down to nibble on her ear.

  Lynda nodded at his suggestion, a tiny little smile growing on her face as Ben kept kissing her ear. “You know, I think that would be best. That is a great idea, honey. How about Sonya – I bet she could do it,” she smiled at her suggestion.

  “Well… do you really think that would be best?” Ben asked with a hint of displeasure in his tone. He liked Sonya very much but she had a very impulsive nature about her and wasn’t always the best person to follow through on completing projects.

  “Oh, it’ll be fine,” she nodded and sighed as his closeness and his scent began to drive her wild with desire. Since her pregnancy began she found it difficult to keep her hands off of him. It was not only her hormones that drove this need, but her Yukonia nature as well. They were designed
to automatically sense and respond to the needs and wants of their mates. It made for sensational pleasure in the bedroom for them both, which could easily become addictive to both of them if they were not careful.

  “She’s calmed down a lot since she mated with Clay, don’t you think?” she added, trying to distract herself from the soft kisses that Ben was now lining the side of her neck with.

  “Oh Ben, stop,” she sighed. “You know what that does to me.”

  “But did you notice something? That we are alone,” he murmured just beside her ear. “And we will not be bothered for hours,” he added with a heavy sigh of desire. As the Alphas of the pack they did not always get much free time due to the responsibilities of their posts. Moments alone could be scarce when there were duties to fulfill and runs to plan, and feasts to prepare, and activities to create….

  “Mmmmmm,” Lynda purred as he turned her to face him and met her lips with a sensual kiss.

  “Are you too tired?” he asked as he met her eyes once more.

  “No,” she said quickly. “No not too tired at all,” she insisted.

  He chuckled low in his throat and swept her up easily into his arms. Despite her growing belly, he had no difficulty whisking her away when he wanted to. She was still light as a feather to him.

  They had nearly made their way back to the bedroom when Sonya came bounding in the front door without knocking. “Lynda! Lynda!” she cried out enthusiastically. She skidded to a stop when she spotted her sister and Ben in the hallway, right in front of their bedroom door.

  “Oh, sorry,” she gasped and started to back away. “Bad timing.”

  “No, actually,” Ben cleared his throat and reluctantly lowered Lynda to the ground. “It’s perfect timing. Lynda has something she needs to talk to you about,” Ben gave Lynda a knowing look, kissed her lightly and went back to the map he left minutes earlier. He wanted her to take a more active role as an Alpha in the pack, even if she was currently pregnant.

  Lynda sighed, trying to control the desires that had just flooded through her before Sonya’s unexpected entrance. “Sonya, I really don’t feel well enough to take the females on the upcoming run. Do you think you could do it for me?”

  Sonya smirked a little as she looked from her sister to Ben, and then back again. “Oh so that’s why Ben was carrying you, because you’re soooo very tired,” she teased and offered a heavy wink. Ben blushed and glanced away. Lynda folded her arms over her round belly and arched a brow at her sister.

  “So, will you do it, or not?” Lynda asked again, with a hint of exhaustion in her voice but not unexpected at all in her conversations with Sonya. As the older sister, Lynda was used to having to ask several times for something before Sonya would agree to it.

  “What exactly is it? What is it for? What would I have to do?” Sonya asked. She was new to the pack and had never led a run before.

  “It’s just an opportunity for the females to really let their hair down – it’s a release, to go on a pack run, it’s a kind of tradition we have mainly,” he explained to Sonya casually. “Plus, it lets younger females get to know the full range of our territory which is a really very important thing to know. And you need to be aware of it too.”

  “Hmmmm,” Sonya eyed him curiously. She crossed her arms waiting for more details – it felt as if there might be something that he wasn’t telling her.

  “So, what do you males do while all the females are out running?” she asked Ben point blank.

  Lynda’s eyes instantly widened, she had never thought to ask Ben that question. Still when she saw the glare that instantly flickered across Ben’s features she stood up for her mate.

  “Sonya, Ben doesn’t have to answer to you. Just say yes or no. If you don’t want to do it just let me know right now and we’ll just ask somebody else,” she encouraged quickly. She didn’t want any resentment breeding between the two.

  “It’s okay,” Ben sighed, he had become accustomed to the less than traditional behavior of the sisters since they joined the pack, and he didn’t want them to feel imprisoned, inhibited or held back in any way. He wanted them to feel comfortable and he knew this transition was not an easy one for either of them.

  “Well, while the females are away the males engage in their own kind of tradition. Then at the end of the run, those who are mated join together, and those who are not can select a mate if they so desire.”

  “Oh! Okay, sounds like fun!” Sonya chirped out. “Guess you two were getting a head start, huh?”

  “Sonya!” Lynda warned her sister with a flash of her eyes.

  “Alright, alright, I’ll do it. Sure, I’ll do it! Don’t worry – we can talk about it later and you can fill me in on what I’ll have to do. Now I’ll let you two get back to whatever you were doing a few minutes ago,” she laughed and turned on her heel to exit the house.

  Chapter 3

  Later that night, as the females prepared to go on their run, Sonya was actually glowing. She was so happy that her sister and Ben asked her to do something important in the group. That made her feel like they trusted her and that was terribly important to her. She wanted to make her sister proud of her. She had a hard time with the group in the beginning but once she had mated with Clay she had really tried to become part of the pack. She liked the idea of having such a large family to look out for her, and although she didn’t agree with all of the rules, she didn’t mind them too much either.

  The idea of getting to lead a run, which was a semi-big deal in the pack hierarchy, and then return to Clay’s arms afterward sounded wonderful to her. Lynda and Ben had given her all the basic details earlier and she understood exactly what they wanted her to do. Once she got to the run she was keenly aware of all the other females in the pack and wanted to do her best to fit in without coming off as too bossy.

  Once there she began to study the map closely with one of the other senior females, a wolf named Leyna, who was assigned to travel with her just in case she lost her way in the new territory. The elder wolf knew her way around these parts like the back of her paw and Ben knew that she would be a great help to the newest pack member. Leyna was intelligent, strong, outspoken and most of all fair, which Ben felt would be a great way of gently guiding Sonya into pack ways.

  As all the women gathered they began to shed their garments once they had received the details of the nights run. They began the run in human form through the woods, with their mates and other male members of the pack, as well as Lynda, howling and cheering them along. It was hard for many of the men to resist joining in on the run, as the call of the woods was so very strong. A few steps in was all any of the women could take before they all began to shift into their wolf counterpart. It was an incredible sight.

  Sonya waited a few moments giving the most senior members time to get started before she joined in with the other pack members further down the pecking order. She wanted to be sure she did not step on any toes or do anything against pack tradition. As Sonya ran she transformed into her mountain lion form, kicking up rocks and dirt behind her as soon as the transformation was complete. She could not run as fast for as long as some of the other wolves, but the women were careful not to leave the chosen leader of the run behind. Eventually they reached a point in the run where they had to make a sharp turn, and Sonya, exhausted from sprinting for so long, slid off to the side to rest for a second.

  Leyna ran over to Sonya’s side and stopped as the other wolves unintentionally ran past their activity leader.

  “Are you all right? Did you get hurt?” she asked Sonya.

  Sonya started to answer then immediately winced in pain. She instinctively drew her injured paw to her and licked it. She had twisted her paw in a pile of rocks when she slid in to stop here. She hated to disappoint Lynda but she knew if she made the wolves wait for her now, she would be holding them back even more.

  “Yes, I sprained my paw. But please, can you lead the rest of the run? Don’t let me hold you or the others up.” she a
sked the senior wolf.

  The wolf nodded, completely understanding the cougars injury. It was in no way life threatening but it was one that could cause the trip back to be a long and slow one and maybe even possibly re-injure the limb. Her silver fur glimmering in the moonlight, Leyna told her, “I will send Clay back to help you.”

  Sonya, still in her Cougar form, nodded in response. As she watched the wolves run off she felt a pang of sorrow. Even though the wolves had welcomed the two sisters into their family, they were still very different from the wolves. She again licked her paw and did her best to inspect it for any cuts or scrapes as she lay there. Sonya wondered to herself, as she waited for help, if their ancestors had once held any traditions kind of like the ones she was now participating in?

  Overall, the path of the Yukonia was a more solitary one, but it might have been interesting to know how they interacted with one another when they were together. Unfortunately, she and Lynda were the last of their line. At least, that was the best they could figure since they had gotten no replies to their funeral notices about a year ago when their parents had died. So strange. When they were just teenagers many of their clan began to die out and no young had been born in many years. In fact, Sonya, to their knowledge, was the last to be born, and she was considered to be a miracle, since many other pairs had tried to produce offspring and had failed.

  Sonya transformed back into her human form as she lay there, but she still could not walk, as it was her right ankle that was twisted. She reached down and rubbed it with a frown. It wasn’t broken, thank goodness, and it had no obvious cuts, just a little trail rash, but it was beginning to throb in sync with her heartbeat. And the throb was slowly growing in intensity. This was certainly not how she had imagined her night ending. She was sure that Clay would come to help her as soon as he found out, but it hurt her pride a little that he would have to rescue her again. And she was more than a little bit embarrassed that she had not been able to finish the run with the other girls in the first place.