by K. R. Smith
Frickin’ hell B…why are you even thinking about this?! You hate the guy, remember? You can’t stand the arrogant asshole. He was still rude to you after he did what he did. I mean, I should have wolfed-out then and there and swiped at his smug face with my claws!
Then my eyes squeezed shut, as my body vividly recalled the hypnotizing pleasure I felt with Declan Sabre. I remembered his blue eyes were wide and watching me as he moved, like he wanted to see me come… Oh my gosh!
My face turned bright red as I fell face first into my pillow from lying on my side. I can’t believe I just used those words in the same train of thought with Declan Sabre! Hell, I can’t believe that I actually had sex this afternoon.
It’s strange because I had deliberately never thought about it much. I used to hear about it from either Rachel or Mandy, as we exchanged gossip who was secretly ‘doing it’? But I always thought to myself that it would be ages until I ‘did it’. Now that I have ‘done it’ I felt half elated and yet half let down. In the beginning I thought to myself, so THIS is sex? THIS is what the big deal is? But it wasn’t until the second round that I started to like it when Declan changed our positions so we could both move differently.
Oh why? Why did I have to do what I did with HIM? I should have done what I did this afternoon with his little brother Derik who was in love with me. It would have been what he would have wanted…but I just don’t feel that way for Derik.
I don’t feel that way about Declan either, so what was the difference? If I had to choose between two evils, I would pick my best friend over his bullying older brother every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Then how come it was Declan and not Derik who could make me feel all funny inside? How come I didn’t like to kiss Derik but I liked kissing Declan?
Maybe somehow my internal wires have been crossed because of this stupid ‘bloodlust’ thing? Maybe it was what was making me feel this way? I growled in frustration when I knew that it couldn’t be true because of the butterflies in my stomach, which appeared the morning Declan drove me home and he put his hand over mine. This happened before I turned into a frickin’ Werewolf, so what now?
I sighed in defeat, as I sat upright and slammed my book shut. I stood up from the bed and made a move towards my bedroom window to close my curtains…when I paused.
Through the glass, I spotted in the dark woods a pair of glowing green eyes from Declan watching my window…again. My heart raced, making my face flush and I quickly pulled my curtain shut before I backed away.
What’s he doing here? I thought he said he could control himself. So why is he here in the woods outside my house - again? However what really scared me was the compulsion I felt to run outside to relive this afternoon all over again. No, I can’t risk this turning into a ‘thing’.
I turned off the lamp on my bedside table before I crawled under my covers as I tried to ignore my pounding heart or how my skin was heating up.
“No Bianca Wisetail. This isn’t a ‘thing’ you’re having with Declan Sabre. It isn’t.” I said firmly to my dark bedroom.
Ignore him and ignore your feelings… do this for Derik. This is just some weird Werewolf thing, I know it is. We can ignore it and we will.
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Chapter 5
New Chapter
~ 5 ~
21st September 2084
I trudged up the forest-encrusted hill from the river towards home after being granted a temporary reprieve from my ‘house arrest’.
It’s been five days since what happened with Declan in the woods and I still felt restless because of my guilty conscience. Usually sitting by the river and listening to the quiet whispers come from the water helped… but not today; not for the past eleven days since I changed; not since this stupid Werewolf business started.
Why me…? Why does it have to be ME to be both a Circulator and a Werewolf? Why does it have to be ME to be the first female Lokoti Werewolf in history? Why can’t I just be a Circulator like my mother, my grandmother, my great grandmother and my great, great grandmother? Why do I also have to be a Werewolf like my father, my grandfather, my great grandfather and my great great grandfather…?
Why do I have to be the only girl on tribal lands to have the bloodlust burning on the inside? Why does it have to be me, who turns animalistic and gorge herself on fresh kill? Why do I have to be physically the strongest woman in the tribe? Why does it have to be me to have the potent pheromones to attract the opposite sex? I’m not even interested in relationships!
This completely and utterly sucks! This has even alienated me from the best friend I’ve had all my life; all because I accidentally shagged his older brother instead of him, which Derik had been hoping for in his unrequited love. I mean, I don’t even LIKE Declan, I downright despise him! So why was it with him that I did what I did? Declan doesn’t even like me either. What did he say to me afterwards?
“It’s not like I have a lot of options, with you being the only girl around that I can do this to, without accidentally killing or worse, turning her…”
As much as we detested each other, we were able to agree that we wouldn’t do it again out of respect for his brother…no matter how much our bloodlust turned us towards each other.
We would keep the incident under wraps. No-one must ever know what we did for two reasons, with the most important to spare Derik’s feelings. The second was that if the tribe or our parents found out what we had done, they could call us ‘mates’. We could be expected to live together as husband and wife… eugh!
Blech! Gross! Disgusting! Me permanently tied to Declan…? We would probably kill each other within the first week of ‘marriage’. I would as soon as rip his face off to get rid of his smug expression!
When I returned home from my walk, I saw Dad’s truck parked in its usual spot, by the side of the house. Then I slowed my steps when I saw several more trucks and one familiar black jeep, parked out the front. I recognized that the vehicles belonged to Grandpa, Grandfather and one of the other Tribal Elders, but I wasn’t sure about the jeep. I had seen it around the community center before, but I couldn’t remember who drove it.
Why were the Tribal Elders at my house? They only convened at the meeting hall or on the Holy Grounds for ceremonies. What business did they have here? As I came closer to the house I heard a heated discussion, so heated it sounded like arguing. I picked up Mum’s voice first and she didn’t sound happy about something.
“She’s not even 18 years old!” She said angrily.
“But she’ll be 18 in a month.” Aunt Beth, one of the Tribal Elders spoke calmly.
“She’s talking about going to University!” She exclaimed.
“Jess, you know that B can never leave our lands now. She’s tied to her hunting grounds, the place of her ancestors. It’s in her blood.” Grandpa stated.
“Bianca’s future changed the moment she did.” Aunt Beth declared.
“But she’s a Circulator too! She’s going to live longer than 200 years like the other Lokoti Werewolves. She can’t stay here for the next 1,000 years or until she evolves, it’s unfair to expect that.” Mum debated.
“Right now, it’s too dangerous for her to leave our land. The first night she changed, she went hunting for human. With her speed as a Circulator coupled with her Werewolf bloodlust, we nearly couldn’t catch her before she reached town. She needs to be trained, to curb her bloodlust towards animal and not human.” Dad said matter-of-factly.
“It took Declan, who is stronger and faster than us, to catch her when she escaped.” Grandfather noted unhappily.
“By B taking a mate and an older Werewolf at that? One who has experience and training, he would help her contain her bloodlust.” Grandpa explained. “By B bonding to an older Werewolf, it would help her learn control and give her peace.”
What the…? Did they just say that they wanted me to take a MATE?! I froze, as I was dumbfounded by the very idea!
&nbs
p; “How is an early marriage supposed to bring her peace?!” Mum retorted. “And an ARRANGED marriage at that?!”
There was an awkward moment of silence, before Dad tried to explain it to her. “Jess, when a Lokoti Werewolf takes a mate, it brings out more of their protector instincts which in turn lessens their predator inclinations. Since the mating process is very much a biological and empathic bonding ritual, if B took another Werewolf as a mate? They would become attuned to each other. B’s mate would help her crave animal flesh because that’s what he would crave. Then the older Werewolf would be able to sense when B is about to change and be there for her to take her hunting.”
“Hunter you’re talking about marrying off our 17 year old daughter!” Mum cried out in frustration.
“Jess, do you really think that I would be in support of this if this was a bad idea? Do you think that I would allow the Elders or even the pack tell me what to do with my daughter, if what they were recommending would hurt B? You know I only want the best for my daughter, my little one…and what the pack and the Elders are advising is the right thing.” Dad sounded frustrated too.
Mum moaned as I heard the floor boards creak, indicating that she was doing her customary pacing up and down which she always did, when she was unhappy about something.
My mouth turned dry as my stomach churned in a sickening way. My parents, as in my very own Mum and Dad; were letting the pack and the Elders try to marry me off? Just who am I expected to marry…?
“Jess, think back to the day that Hunter saved you from those strangers.” Grandfather spoke. “Do you remember when he was gravely injured and I told you that you had to make your decision? Do you remember when I told you that I knew Hunter would make a good mate? I wasn’t wrong, was I? You and he have been very happy together. Now we are telling you the same thing about your daughter. I know that this is the right decision for B.”
“So you’re saying that you’re 100% certain that this person here is going to make my little girl happy?” Mum asked in disbelief. “But what about Derik?”
I heard Dad sigh in resignation. “Derik would have made a good mate for B…if she had remained human. But he can’t help her with controlling the bloodlust or take her hunting.”
Then who are they talking about MATING me to? Oh no, they’re not talking about Declan, are they?
“But – but – but can we at least give her a bit more say of who she would like to marry in the pack?” Mum started to argue again. “Since the pack is her only option in the choice of husband material?”
“There are only two males in the pack who are unmarried and they are both older than Bianca. But we have decided on this particular Werewolf because we think it would be risky if she were mated to the other.” Grandpa said.
“So basically she only has the one alternative? That’s not much in the range of choice!” Mum scoffed.
“She can’t consider Declan as a mate for two very obvious reasons.” Grandpa spoke as the tribe’s Medicine Man. “One, it would cause a rift in his family between he and his brother. Two, is because he isn’t a Lokoti Werewolf, he’s a European Werewolf. Declan is still battling to keep his bloodlust under control and we aren’t sure of the mating habits of his breed. As far as we know, his species isn’t designed for long-term mating. His breed of Werewolf doesn’t live in packs and his species has never been sighted with a long-term mate. His Werewolf gene may or may not be passed genetically from him to his children? But more importantly, he could harm the woman who is not of his breed when he mates with her.”
My eyes fell as my hands clenched into fists. Hang on a sec…I don’t feel disappointed that they’re not talking about mating me with Declan, am I? I should be happy about this! Even if I don’t want to take a mate, at least it wouldn’t be him. Then who the hell were they talking about fixing me up with?!
“Fine, I can see that Declan would be a bad choice because of Derik…but still. Isn’t there some way of giving my daughter a bit more of a choice? Or what about you, wouldn’t you prefer to choose who you would like to be your mate?” Mum asked somebody.
“Who me?” a familiar male voice asked back. “It’s OK, Jess. I’m unmarried because I don’t have anyone in mind.”
“Then wouldn’t you prefer to remain single a bit longer?” Mum asked this person. “Until you make up your mind yourself on whom you would like to spend the rest of your life with?”
“Um, I don’t mind really.” I heard this person say bashfully. “I respect the advice of the pack and the Elders although I’ve never seen B that way before, I guess because she’s much younger than me. But she’s friendly, polite and pretty. I know what the mating process entails, so I don’t imagine myself being unhappy or B either.”
Is this person inside the house, now? The voice was so familiar, I could almost picture whoever it was that’s speaking. Right, that’s it! My curiosity got the better of me, I have to find out who this person is!
“Bianca’s home.” Grandfather spoke, hearing my approach.
This silenced everybody as I reached the veranda steps. I threw open the front door and as I walked in, I immediately spotted Mum who was pacing up and down. Dad was sitting down next to Grandfather on one couch and on our second couch, sat Grandpa and Aunt Beth who were on the council of Tribal Elders… and Grant Elm stood by himself in front of our fireplace.
My eyes widened as I looked on Grant… of course! It was his voice that I heard talking and it’s his black jeep parked on our drive way. He’s the younger brother of Uncle Ian, Dad’s best friend so he’s like a cousin or something. He’s the one I’m expected to MATE with?!
“B…” Dad began.
“Grant is 10 years older than me!” I said indignantly. “He babysat me once when I was 13 years old when you, Mum, Gran and Grandfather went to Australia for a night!”
“B…” Grandfather began.
“What’s his hourly rate going to be as my husband, the same when he was babysitting me?!” I exhorted, hurt. “But it seems like he’s still going to be babysitting me, isn’t he? And that’s why you picked him!”
“B…” Grandpa began.
“No way!” I cried out. “I’m going to Cambridge to get a Bachelor of Arts in History! I’m NOT getting MARRIED!”
“B…” Mum began.
But I didn’t hang around to hear what they had to say, instead I turned around and took off through the front door! I leapt from the veranda, down onto the drive way and I high-tailed it back into the forest. Everyone else in the room looked to each other uncomfortably, as Grant frowned thoughtfully.
“At least she’s a good runner.” Grandfather tried to look on the bright side.
“She must make a good hunter, being able to outrun her prey.” Aunt Beth agreed.
“Is she wearing a new perfume?” Grant mused.
“No, those were the pheromones you could smell.” Grandpa smirked.
“Oh.” He pondered this. “She smells good.”
“All of the young available men of the tribe would agree with you.” Dad sighed wearily as he rubbed his face.
“I’ll go and talk to her.” Mum started to leave.
“No, I should.” He stopped her.
“I don’t think that she’ll want to talk to you, Hunter. You’re apart of the pro-marriage party.” She said coldly.
“That’s why I should talk to her, instead of you making this any harder for her than it has to be.” He replied.
“I’M making this hard for her?” She glared at him. “I’M not the one trying to palm her off!”
“If she knows that it’s because the Elders and the pack are concerned for her welfare, then she’ll realize that this is the right thing to do.” Dad said strongly.
“It’s only going to make her feel cornered and more upset!” Mum disagreed.
While they were arguing, Grant walked around them towards the front door. “I’ll go talk to her.” He volunteered. “She’ll probably have lots of questions to ask me.”
>
“Grant…” Mum began to object.
“That’s a good idea.” Dad said firmly.
Grant left the house, easily leaping from the veranda as he made his way to the tree line of the woods…
… as I ran through the forest in a direction I wasn’t sure of, but all I knew was that I had to get out of there and fast. I ran down the hill and found myself back at the river but I didn’t stop, I kept running. I ran upstream towards another hill, five kilometers away.
I ran to Sunset Point which was a hill that was just as big as the one that my house sat on top of, but it had a steep, rocky top with a cliff face. Dad has taken me there a couple of times during my summers growing up. We would sit and look over the valley with the river snaking below. It was quiet and peaceful and had the best view of our tribal lands at sunset, hence its name.
One of the good things that I’ve noticed about being a Werewolf, running was easier now even in human form. I closed the five kilometers distance within minutes before I ran up the steep side like a mountain goat. In the ten minutes I had left my house, I was sitting just over ten kilometers away on the rocky overlook.
I sat huddled in a ball whilst hugging my legs as I looked out over the view. The multiple tree tops looked like a green, uneven carpet contrasted against the dark blue river which flowed through our snow-tipped mountainous land. Everything looked deceptively peaceful, which was in direct contrast to how I was feeling.
Grant…I can’t believe they picked Grant! I mean, he’s not an asshole like Declan, but he’s like an older cousin. Well OK, I admit that I didn’t see him very often growing up, except for the couple of times he would come over with his older brother. Dad, Uncle Ian and Grant would fix the roof together and Dad would thank them by providing cans of soda he had saved up, as well as a packet of pretzels or peanuts or something. Then the three of them would remain on the roof to eat and drink their rewards. Or occasionally, he would come over for dinner after fishing with Uncle Ian and Dad. Or I would see him now and then in the meeting hall during tribal functions.
