(‘Scent’ Excerpt Chapter 5)
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!
“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
“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
“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.
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