Animal Heat: A Paranormal Romance (The Animal Sagas) Read Free Page A

ancient queen. Once they were inside, the alpha threw Lynda an old t-shirt, which she snatched out of the air. Not surprisingly, the shirt smelled of him. How like an alpha, Lynda thought to herself, to make a claim on a newcomer with his scent. She smoothly pulled on the t-shirt, which draped over her shoulders and fell to her mid thigh.
    She ran a hand through her auburn hair, trying to bring it back to some semblance of order. Nudity never bothered her, but messiness certainly did. Wilder watched her ministrations with a look of bland amusement as he sat down on a leather arm chair. “Would you like a brush, she-cat?” He asked chuckling. “No, I’m fine, Alpha.” She responded calmly and dropping her hand from her hair, sniffed daintily.
    A few members of the pack had filed in to the cabin after them. They were probably the most senior ranking, Lynda thought, judging by their postures. While there were two women in the small group, Lynda noted with relief that neither of them took a position next to Wilder. That meant the pack still had no alpha female. Her information had been correct and the secret deal was still a possibility. Lynda waited patiently, until all the pack members had settled around the room, arranging themselves in an informal circle around their leader.

Chapter 5

     ”My name is Lynda Seron; I am a daughter of the line of Yukonia.” The alpha’s eyebrow rose in surprise, and from somewhere in the room, one of his subordinates gave an appreciative whistle. Lynda had known that would get their attention. The line of Yukonia was one of the eldest, rarest, and most coveted Were blood lines in existence. They had been named after a North American goddess of knowledge, whom they were all descended from through a matriarchal line. To the best of her knowledge, Lynda and her sister Sonya were the last two remaining Yukonia females in North America capable of bearing young. Ultimately, that was the cause of their problem.
    “I have come to you to ask for your help, Alpha. My sister Sonya has been taken against her will by a member of another pack. I need your aid, and that of your pack, to rescue her. In exchange for your assistance…” Lynda took a breath to steady her nerves, and started again. “In exchange for your assistance, I will submit myself to you, and bear your young.” She struggled to keep any waver out of her voice. She did not want the alpha to think that the offer was not genuine. For a moment the room was utterly silent from shock, so still that her shallow breath could be clearly heard, and then every pack member began speaking at once.
    Lynda let the noise wash over her without reaction. She was only interested in Ben Wilder’s reaction. She watched him intently. He remained silent, his gaze locked as he watched her speculatively. He was good at guarding his emotions. Finally the other werewolves simmered down. “This is crazy, Ben.he doesn’t sister? ” The man who sat nearest Wilder snorted indignantly. “How do we know this feline is telling us the truth? Can she prove any of what she says?”
    Ben glanced at the man, and then turned back to Lynda thoughtfully. “Clay has a good point, she-cat.” The alpha spoke in a cool tone. “Can you prove to us without a doubt that you are who you claim to be?” Lynda nodded brusquely. She had expected her claims to be met with some disbelief. She walked over to Clay, and grasped his meaty wrist in one elegant hand. She could feel the muscles in his wrist tense at her touch and knew that he was primed to attack if he was given the permission to.
    Slowly, closing her eyes, Lynda allowed her ancestral power to take over her body. Her mind was suddenly flooded with every ounce of knowledge and memory that Clay possessed. She filtered through all of the information for some memory she could use, something a stranger would never know. Then she began to speak in a soft, nearly confidential voice.
    “When you were eight years old, you