Page 1 of His Secret Mate

CHAPTER 1

ORION

Otter Cove, Alaska

Present Day

The roar of the float plane's engines reverberated through the expansive Alaskan wilderness as Orion banked to the right to come back around, lining up with the shoreline. The landscape below never failed to take his breath away. It was different than the expansive white tapestry that he lived with in the Arctic. Orion, who had years of experience navigating these remote areas, skillfully maneuvered the plane toward the shimmering watery surface of the cove.

The float plane coasted smoothly toward the water; Orion made subtle adjustments to align the plane with the natural contours of the cove. The floats began to skim the surface, sending up a gentle spray of water. As they made firmer contact, they created a soft, rhythmic thudding sound as they skipped across the surface. The plane slowed, the resistance of the water gradually bringing it to a gentle stop. Orion skillfully guided the plane toward the shallower part of the cove, where the water was calmer and mooring the plane would be safer and easier.

Orion cut the engines, dropped the mooring, and went back into the cargo area to get his kayak. Once he had it in the water, he slipped in and headed toward the shore. The dock at the Polaris compound was not ideal for mooring a float plane to load supplies for Aurora Station. He’d found it easier just to ferry the provisions out using one of the compound’s powerboats.

The sensation of a dozen bees buzzing—not in the cockpit, but in his head—and the roiling nausea in the pit of his stomach continued to plague him. Both had started soon after he’d left Aurora Station and had been increasing the closer he got to his destination. He knew the legends said that those were the telltale signs that your fated mate was near. But that was ludicrous. He’d been to Otter Cove a number of times since joining the Resistance, and not once had there been any indication that he even had a fated mate, much less that she was at the Polaris compound. Could it be that she was not only fated, but a secret as well?

LARA

“Lara, you have to come. You promised Derek and me that you would come at least once a month and join us all for dinner,” her sister Tess said with a note of irritation in her voice.

“I’ve been kind of busy,” replied Lara, wishing she’d never answered her phone. “I don’t know that I can break away this month.”

The problem was Tess didn’t know what she was working on—didn’t understand she was reaching a critical point in her research and what that research could mean to Trudi and her kind. Trudi was a Tasmanian Devil-shifter and both the purebred and shifters were becoming extinct from a cancerous, genetic condition known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease. There was a real concern that if not eradicated it could wipe out the entire species.

Some work had been done in trying to ascertain the genetic anomaly that spread the disease and made it seemingly impervious to treatment. Another line of research had centered around a specific plant—with variants all over the world—that had once been a staple in the diet of Tasmanian Devils but had been wiped out due to human encroachment.

One researcher had found a similar plant in the Amazon rainforest, but it hadn’t proved strong enough to make a difference. Lara had found evidence of a plant from the same genus that had once grown in the Arctic. It was thought to be extinct, but there was a rumor in the scientific community that it had re-appeared. The Solanum Mystica was said to have ‘magical properties,” but the more research Lara did, the more she came to believe it could provide if not the answer, then at least a significant clue, for finding a cure for DFTD.

Lara suddenly realized Tess was still talking.

“That’s what you’ve said last month and the month before that and the month before that.” There was a pause. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Sort of,” admitted Lara.

Tess laughed. “You’re buried in your research again, aren’t you?”

It was good that Tess knew and understood her so well. “I can’t help it. Things have been a bit quiet, and I’m convinced the reappearance of the Solanum Mystica could be a significant find. It’s been said to have been used and prized for its healing properties.”

“But how can an Arctic plant help Tasmanian Devils who don’t live in the Arctic or even anywhere it’s really cold?”

“I don’t know, but it’s the best lead I’ve got.”

“Do you want me to ask Derek or talk to the guy who runs Aurora Station?” Derek was Tess’s husband and mate. He was also a member of the Resistance and the deputy sheriff of Otter Cove. “Maybe he could get you some and bring it down next time he comes.”

“It has to be collected carefully. If it’s not harvested or stored properly it could be for naught, only I wouldn’t know that and might miss what it could do. Maybe I could just go up…”

“To Aurora Station? Good god, no! It’s incredibly remote even for the Arctic. It’s not just in the middle of nowhere, it’s at the far reaches on the outskirts of nowhere. I’ll talk to Derek. Maybe you could walk the guy through it.”

It would do no good to argue with Tess, and Lara was convinced she needed to be the one to go and collect a sample of the plant so she could chase down her theory. Trudi and the other Tasmanian Devils were counting on her.

“Lara? You need to come to dinner. There are several single guys who would love to meet you.”

Lara snorted. “Tess, I don’t have time for romantic entanglements and the drama that always comes with them. I don’t need a boyfriend. What I need is a plane with a pilot and guide to get me up there and back.”

“What you need, at least according to Derek, is a keeper.”

“Not true.”

“Look around you, sweetie, what do you see? I haven’t seen you in months and I’ll bet your lab is a cluttered mess. I’m sure you can put your hands on anything you want, but you’ve always worked in organized chaos. Have you even finished unpacking? Zach said he’s come by your lab a couple of times and found you sleeping on a cot.”

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