Howl & Growl: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Various Authors

  "Do you think pups are born in nine months, like humans? Or about nine weeks, like dogs?"

  "What? I don't know. Kate, are you seriously thinking about seducing Galen?"

  "I can't help it. When I watched him change from wolf into a man, I don't know, something happened. And then, when he shook my hand, there was this link. Something in me responded."

  "Yeah, I bet."

  Kate laughed, blushing. "Well yeah, that too. But I mean, I heard something. A voice, in my head...It said, 'Mine.'"

  "You have a wolf in your lineage?" The voice was surprised. "Funny, you don't have the scent."

  The girls looked up at Elam. Damn, he was quiet. They never even heard his approach.

  "No, I don't think so. Why?" Kate asked.

  Elam pointed to a spot between them with his chin, seeming to ask if he could sit with them.

  Emma nodded, scooting over to make room on the log she was sitting on. Kate was sitting cross-legged, in the dirt, facing Emma.

  Elam lowered himself to the log beside Emma, his arm brushing hers as he settled in.

  The accidental touch set something off in Emma. Warmth spread from where his arm had brushed hers, and raced through her entire body. It reminded her of the very few times she'd gotten into her dad's whiskey. It had burned going down, landing in her gut with a heavy warmth that slowly, luxuriously spread out from her center, to fill her limbs with smooth, heavy, liquid warmth.

  She shot a shocked look toward Elam beside her, and was surprised to find him watching her with an odd, contemplative look in his eyes. She felt a jolt of an entirely different kind of heat shoot through her as their eyes met.

  A sudden, hollow ache seemed to settle between her thighs. She felt her breath catch and sudden flashes of scenes raced through her brain.

  She saw herself and Elam locked in a fierce embrace. Fighting? Oh no, definitely not fighting. The vision changed, she had Elam pinned down beneath her, her own heated eyes a sudden surprise. She'd never seen passion like that before, certainly not in her own face.

  The scene flashed again, quickly, like someone was flipping pages of a book in her face. Elam, pressing her against the wall of what seemed to be a cave, her legs wrapped tightly around him, her hands buried deep in his hair, her head thrown to the side in ecstasy as he nibbled at her neck.

  Then she was naked, on all fours in the same cave. On furs? Elam was covering her body with his, their bodies moving together in heated passion, and Elam getting so carried away that his teeth flashed in the darkness, open wide and aiming for the tender skin between her shoulder and her ear.

  What the hell was that?

  The images stopped, and she found her gaze still locked on Elam. She was confused, and almost angry. But no, the anger was fading, it was an emotion from the scenes that had flashed in her brain, not from real life right now. Why had she been angry? Wait, maybe angry wasn't the right word. More like, engulfed in animal need. She'd wanted, no needed, to fill herself up with Elam's cock. To be full, she had to be full to make the need go away...it was blind, thoughtless, animal longing she had felt, not anger.

  Was that what sex was like? She was still a virgin, but she couldn't imagine ever feeling quite as driven as what she had felt in those flashes.

  She'd made out with boyfriends before, they tried to push past her no, but she had always felt in control. Nothing in any of her make-out sessions had ever come close to fueling her in the ways she had just seen. Boys were just things to pass the time with, none of them had ever made her feel anything close to what she had just imagined.

  Wow, she wondered where her imagination had come up with that. Wait, Elam was still looking at her funny.

  Had she made a sound during her odd daydream? He was looking at her like...

  Had he seen it, too?

  No, surely not. Surely he wasn't able to see what she had just seen, feel the things she had just felt.

  His eyes were heated as he stared at her, the flames from the bon fire flashing in their depths. He seemed far away, but then his focus sharpened and Emma could hear Kate trying to get their attention.

  Emma pulled her gaze from Elam, and concentrated on what Kate was saying.

  "You asked if I had wolf in my lineage. Why?"

  Elam seemed to shake off whatever had overtaken him and cleared his throat before saying, "You said you felt a connection. Heard the word 'mine' when you touched my brother. That usually only happens with wolves. To operate as a pack, to hunt and run and live together, wolves have a soul connection to other wolves. It's stronger in one's own pack, as familiarity and commitment to the others strengthens that bond. It is strongest in mated pairs, the ability to communicate in feelings and in pictures and in words only heard inside your head. It is a wolf thing."

  "But there is no wolf in my family. My parents are missionaries, my dad is a pastor, the family line is known for generations. No mention of any wolves."

  "It could well be from hundreds of years ago. Someone, somewhere in your line has wolf blood. It is uncommon, but not unheard of. We were more plentiful a long time ago. It isn't as common as having Indian blood in these parts, but it is in you somewhere. I don't smell the wolf in you, though, so it must be very dilute. You may be the reason Galen has not chosen a mate then. We've been expecting him to, but his wolf has not yet claimed one. I assume now that it was because you hadn't shown up yet."

  "How come he isn't out here with everyone?" Kate asked, with a new determination in her eyes.

  "I saw him out here a while ago, but then Ziva cornered him."

  "What is her problem with me? I didn't even know who she was. And what is her issue with my dad?" Emma asked Elam.

  "She was here when your mother left. Not everyone is happy you are here. There is some bad blood because she left the pack."

  "Why did she leave? Is that never done?"

  "She was an exception."

  "Because my dad was human?"

  "I doubt it. No one knows why she left. Some will never forgive. They think more black and white- your mother left, therefore you should not be welcomed. Others would be quicker to forgive, if anyone knew why. What happened to make her leave? Why abandon us without even an explanation?"

  "And you?"

  "I'm of the 'the more the merrier' mindset. Our numbers, although seemingly large when we are all together, like tonight, are dwindling. Anyone with wolf blood should be allowed here if they fit in well with our pack and want to be here."

  "So, your mother is not of the forgive and forget bunch?"

  "I call her my mother, and I think of her that way, but they are not my blood. My parents were killed when I was just a new pup, and Thomas and Ziva raised me as theirs. Thomas found me wandering alone, in the woods. Thomas was happier about taking me in than Ziva. Thomas's wolf told him it was to be this way. Ziva is human, and is quite comfortable in the role of Alpha's mate, and all that comes with that position in the pack. I don't think she appreciated the competition of having a second male cub around her Galen. Thomas always treated me as his own. Ziva, not so much."

  "What did you mean when you said mom was the wolf?"

  "She was our Alpha."

  "I assumed only males could be Alphas." Emma kept on, trying to understand.

  "Female Alphas are a bit more rare, but definitely not unheard of. Every pack has its own rules, kind of like your countries. In our pack, the Alpha position is usually passed through the blood-line. All of the Alpha's cubs are trained for the position. Some show stronger tendencies as they grow up, the next Alpha can usually be foretold just by paying attention as the pups grow.

  But, it isn't automatically the first-born, or even the first-born male. So, we hold a challenge. All of the Alpha's pups compete. Usually how it is foretold plays out. But not always. Like in your mother's case. Her father was Alpha. She took part in the challenge, although it was assumed that her brother would win. But Reine won."

  "My mother was not only a wolf, but she was the Alpha
? Was she not supposed to mate with my dad? Because he is human? Wait, he is human, right? So many surprises today."

  "Your dad is definitely human. There may be some far off, dilute wolf blood, like Kate's, since he fits in with us so well, but he is human. He can not shift. And an Alpha can take whomever they want as a mate, human or not. The wolf's blood decides this, it recognizes their other half."

  "So why would mom, who basically held the title of queen of the jungle, just up and leave?"

  "No one knows. Your father may know, but if so, he has never shared."

  "I don't know. That was the one thing she kept from me, always. I thought I had time, to learn why, but she died so young." Henry said.

  "Dad, I didn't notice you were here."

  "You were involved in learning about your mother. That is exactly what I'd hoped. It will make your stay here easier if you have a purpose. I want you to know her. Of her, I mean. And I hope it changes you some, knocks you off of this bored, troublemaking path you have started down. This is an honorable pack, Emma. Maybe this missing half of you will aim the wandering half down the correct path. A father can hope, anyway."

  Emma just nodded, her mind full of new revelations.

  "Come girls, I'll show you to your cabin. I'll be gone before you wake, but you will be well taken care of here. I may be back on occasion, to visit and to check in. Or not. I may give you this year without my presence at all, we shall see. But I will be back just under a year from today, on your birthday, to get you both. The pack can contact me, if needed."

  The girls excused themselves from Elam with a smile, and followed Henry to the small guest cabin they were to share for the next year.

  The cabin was well stocked for visitors, the shared kitchen and living room in the middle of the small cabin, with a bedroom and a bathroom on each side, one for each of them.

  Henry showed the girls how to light the kerosene lanterns, told them of the fire danger, if they were misused, and showed them how to use the piped-in water in the sinks, showers and toilets, then hugged them, said goodbye, and left them for his own room in a different cabin.

  The girls, tired from their hike and all of the overwhelming new information, each picked a bedroom and retired to it, promising to talk about all of this tomorrow.

  Chapter 6

  Emma took her backpack from the couch someone had left them on, retired to the room that was to be hers for the next year, and washed off the day as best she could. She didn't bother with the pajamas she packed, she just pulled on a pair of panties, pulled back the covers on the surprisingly soft bed, and was lost to dreams until morning.

  Kate, on the other hand, tossed and turned for an hour.

  She had changed into a nightgown, gone to bed, and finally fallen into a light sleep, but she was greeted there with vivid dreams of Galen.

  "Mine." The word echoed in the halls of her dreams. She knew that voice, instinctively. It was Galen, and he was calling her.

  She tried to respond. She looked for him, chasing the echo around dark corners, picking up speed, running faster and faster toward the voice, the word, that called to her very soul.

  "Mine."

  "Where are you?" she yelled out her answering call as she ran blindly, taking corner after corner in her dream.

  "Come. Come to me, now, and I will make you mine!"

  "I'm trying. I can't find you!"

  "My wolf has claimed you as ours. Your wolf blood is too thin, I can barely feel the thread of you. I want to feel more of you. I need to claim all of you."

  She turned a corner in her mind, and barreled directly into Galen's waiting arms.

  "You. You are why I've been unable to claim a mate."

  He said the words with her wrapped in his arms. His hands buried themselves in her dark hair, half petting her, soothing her as she caught her breath, and half restraining himself from fisting the thick mass in his fist and yanking her head back to sink his teeth in her throat.

  "I want to sink my cock deep into you, as my teeth claim you, mark you for all the pack, as my mate. I know my time is coming. I will be Alpha. I'd always heard that my wolf would decide my mate, but it hadn't. My time of Alpha draws near, so I tried to force it. I've tried to decide on the logical best choice to sit beside me when I am Alpha, but none felt right. Then you showed up."

  He kissed her then, hard. His mouth teased against hers, demanding entrance.

  She opened her mouth to his, willingly, eager.

  His tongue slid between her lips, tasting her, testing her.

  His hand wandered, passionate and demanding, yanking up her nightgown and finding, squeezing her ass.

  She moaned her needs against his lips as he used his grip on her ass to pull her tighter to him.

  She felt his hardness against her stomach, and it released something inside her. This was her destiny, to be one with this man.

  "I already told Thomas I would have you." He continued.

  "Yes!" She answered, her hands roaming over his hard muscles, finding their way to his hair. She gripped a handful of his hair, pulling his mouth down harder on hers, wrapping a bare leg around his waist, wanton need driving every proper thought from her mind.

  "I tried to get to you earlier, but then my mother cornered me. It's probably a good thing, or I'd have claimed you for all to see, right there beside the bon fire. The pack would have understood, but you might not have."

  He said the words as his hand wandered farther south. He had been cupping her ass, but when she'd wrapped her leg around him, his fingers cut a path over the curve of her ass, down, sliding over her panties and between her legs. He teased the moist heat between her legs, his fingers seeking to slide between her lips.

  He was blocked by the thin fabric of her panties, but he could feel her need seeping through them as he danced his fingertips back and forth, teasing her wet slit through the damp fabric.

  A sudden surge of need flowed through her at the thought of him taking her, right there in the dirt, beside the camp fire. Beside Emma. Beside Elam.

  "Do you want me, too?"

  "Yes!" She panted the word, her mind still picturing herself rutting in the dirt, in public, with a man she had only met for an instant, as his fingers teased her opening and drove her to distraction.

  "You feel it, too? You will be mine? You will be an Alpha's mate, for now and for always?"

  "Yes! Oh yes!"

  "Then come to me. Now! And claim what is yours!"

  She woke with a start, sitting up in bed, in a tangle of blankets, as if she really was headed somewhere.

  "Wow. What the hell? That was hot."

  The thoughts filled her head as her breathing tried to slow itself from her heated dream. She had been this close to cumming, from his fingers alone. Over her panties. In a dream.

  She tried to control her thoughts, wondering if the surreal environment and her stressful day had fed the fantasies that had filled her dreams.

  She lay back in the bed, still panting, her fingers sliding closer to her own sex, in a sudden need to finish herself to thoughts and images from her dream.

  "Come to me, mine!"

  The words burst forth in her brain, shocking her with both the heated need she felt in the words, and in the fact that she could still hear the voice she had heard in her dream.

  Before she could deny the instinct, before she could tell herself that she was flipping insane to think it could be real, she was out of the bed, running toward the cabin's front door, and then through the door and down the porch steps.

  She was aiming for the bonfire, where he had said he had wanted to claim her, when she felt the mental tug.

  "I am here!"

  She veered off track, not thinking at all, but following the tug of the voice in her head. She would be his in every way. She would be claimed. And she would be queen.

  Chapter 7

  After hearing his mother complain, once again, about outsiders coming here, Galen wished he had waved her off when she sig
naled her wish to speak with him.

  He had been headed to claim the human, Kate, for his own, when his mother had flagged him down.

  He knew his place in the pack, and therefore had stopped to speak with Ziva, his mother and his Alpha's mate, before heading to Kate by the fire.

  He wished he hadn't, when all she could do was rehash the past.

  "She is not an outsider, Mother. She is Reine's daughter. She has Alpha blood."

  "That means less than nothing to me. Reine left. She forfeits any position her spawn would have held."

  "Her spawn, Mother?"

  "I see lust in your eyes, son. Tell me you are not blinded by Reine's cub? By traitor's blood?"

  "Emma? No."

  Galen was thrown some, by her sudden change of subject, but regained his mental footing quickly.

  "No. It is the human, Kate, that my wolf cries out for. I have already spoken to Thomas. If she will have me, Kate will be my mate, and will stand beside me for always."

  "Your wolf chooses the human? Of everyone here?"

  "I cannot help who my wolf chooses, mother. You, of all, should understand this. Father, chose you, and you are human."

  Ziva nodded, saying, "She has a drop of wolf's blood. Not enough to shift, nowhere near enough, but she has some."

  "How do you know? You can't smell it."

  A cloud passed over her eyes, but was quickly gone.

  "Your father approved?"

  "He knows one does not choose these things rationally. The wolf's blood decides. He gave his blessing, yes."

  "Then so it shall be."

  But by the time Ziva had released him, Kate was gone. He asked around, and was told Kate and Emma had gone to their cabin, for the night.

  He did not wish to ruin their first night with his talk of claiming, or of mates, so instead of heading toward their dark cabin, Galen shifted into his wolf form and went for a run in the woods.

  * * * * *

  Galen felt most at home in his wolf form. His sense of smell heightened, his body became bigger and immensely more powerful, and he could run like the wind.