“They met to talk about the tribe’s first female Lokoti Werewolf, who was also a Circulator.”

  (Small Fry Chapter 1)

            “Man, I feel like an idiot.”  He shook his head at himself.

            “Why?” I looked on closely.

            “We could have done this ages ago!”  He sounded annoyed with himself.  “Just imagine what it could have been like, if this happened 273 years before.  We could have started a family then, if I let you turn me into a Circulator sooner.  My Mom would have been thrilled for us, if she were here.  I wish I could have seen my human mother hold my daughter, before she died of old age.”

            I felt a strong sense of longing inside of him as he pictured this.  Then he let go of his wife to continue with cooking.  I leaned against the kitchen bench as I watched and listened.

            “Derik got to have the happy family life, with the wife and kids.  He gave my Mom two grandchildren, whom she loved to death.  I just wish that I could have done the same.  I wish that the pack hadn’t feared the idea of me creating more European Werewolves, in the forms of children.  I wish that your father trusted me enough to take care of you.”

            This made my chest ache as I felt these old wounds of his, never healed.  His expression was more than wistful, it was a mask of pain.  He momentarily looked away from the food to meet my waiting gaze.

            He recanted bitterly, “I remember the meeting the pack had with the Council of Tribal Elders, like it was only yesterday.  They met to talk about the tribe’s first female Lokoti Werewolf, who was also a Circulator.  Your Dad was beside himself with worry, he was scared that you might escape with your greater speed and kill a human.  Then it was a Tribal Elder that came up with the idea of mating you to another Werewolf, who could stop you from craving human as well as help your training.  Then everyone immediately looked at Grant, like I was invisible or something.  Nobody glanced my way, much less thought of me as a possible suitor.  When I spoke up by reminding everyone that it had been me who had stopped you from crossing the border of Lokoti land?  Your Dad put a stop to it immediately.  Hunter Wisetail walked over to stand beside his best friend Ian Elm and his brother Grant, and said that a female Lokoti Werewolf should be mated to a male Lokoti Werewolf.  Of course the Tribal Elders all liked the sound of that.” 

            I heard the jealousy in Declan’s voice which never faded, even after 279 years.

            “You mean Grant wasn’t asked?” I frowned.  “When I first found out about the arranged marriage, he told me he had been asked.”

            “Yeah he was formally asked at the meeting, by the Tribal Elders.  But with your aura and your pheromones, they may as well as have announced that he'd won the lottery!”  He snorted.  “I’m sure my feelings for you were suspected, even if they weren’t spoken of.  Finn and your Grandfather made mention of them, just a couple of times.  But they both knew I had to keep my distance before your change.”

            I watched him slap the bacon bad-temperedly into the frying pan which instantly began to sizzle, before he threw in a couple of hashbrowns too.

            “Finn and Grandfather knew?” I echoed in surprise.

            Back then I thought our forbidden love had been a secret?

            “At dinner at your grandparents house one night, when I was eighteen and you would have been fifteen years old; you walked off angry after one of our fights.  Your Grandfather caught the expression on my face and gave me a close look.  He asked, 'enjoying those sparks, Declan?'  That was the only thing he ever said about it, as he probably thought I was just attracted to your aura.”  He explained.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Our baby will be the world’s first half Lokoti and half European Werewolf.”

  (Small Fry Chapter 1)

           

            We exchanged surprised glances before we departed the room to find our medical practitioner, his scanner and his ‘medicine bundle,’ were gone.

            “Oh.” I said taken aback. “I guess he thought the emergency was over.”

            “That and I think he’s gone to Caesar to have a talk about us.”  He frowned.

            “Why?” I asked in alarm.  “You did let go, eventually.”

            “Well B, let me put it this way," he casually leaned against the wall. "The tribe’s first female Lokoti Werewolf turns the last European Werewolf who is her mate, into another Circulator.  For over 250 years, everyone thinks she’s barren and then bingo!  Her handsome husband does the 'manly thing' by knocking her up.  Our baby will be the world’s first half Lokoti and half European Werewolf.”

            I smiled on his dry sense of humor, “I like your little explanations, they’re like little stories in themselves.”

            “Thanks.”  He chuckled back. “So, what does the pregnant woman crave; bacon and eggs, or sausages and eggs, or even pancakes?”

            “Um, how about all of the above?” I shrugged.

            “I love my wife!”  He guffawed. “Man, are we going to have fun over the next nine months.”

            “Man, are we going to have an interesting next ninety years.” I corrected.

            Declan pulled back to give an incredulous look, “Ninety years?!”

            “There’s kids and then there’s grandkids.” I reminded.

            “Oh yeah.” He frowned as he returned to the kitchen to cook.  “By the time we make it to the space time continuum; we really will be like a pair of 70 year old humans, moving to Florida to retire.”

            “Yup.”  I moved to sit up on the bench to talk, while he made breakfast.  “In a couple of years, you could have a daughter sitting here instead of me.”

            He passed a funny look as he passed me the ingredients from the fridge.  “Why? Where will you be?”

            “I don’t know, away lecturing or writing my papers?” I shrugged again.

            “So because I’m the cook, I’m gonna turn into the 'house husband'?”  He raised his eyebrows unimpressed. 

            “Well, you are retired.” I reminded.

            “Hmm.”  He frowned as he paused in his food preparation.  “I guess you're right.  After working at the Garage for over 250 years, I’m in no hurry to return.  Our ‘rug rat’ is going to need money for food.”

            “The way you constantly shove food down my throat, I doubt our kid will ever go hungry."  I said dryly.  "It’s a good thing we’re having Werewolf young.  With their supernatural metabolism, we won’t have to worry about our child becoming obese.”

            Out of the blue, Declan picked me up off the bench and swung me around in his arms! 

            “Damn straight!”  He merrily laughed.  “I’m going to be a father!  Ladies and Gentlemen, I finally knocked up Bianca Sabre!  I knocked up the unknockable woman!  And she WANTS my child!”

            At first I squealed in fright then in laughter, "We’re going to have a baby!”

            “We’re going to have a baby!"  He chanted.  "We’re going to have a baby!”

            “Declan!” I cupped his face.  “Do you know how good it feels when I get to give the man I love, a child?”

            He gently returned me to my feet before leaning in closely. 

            “About as good as it does for me, to know that I’ve finally given you the one thing that you always wanted?”  He tenderly rubbed his nose against mine.

            “I've always wanted you and I have that.” I stroked his cheek.  “And now baby makes three!”

            “Baby makes three.” He hugged me tightly.  “My baby B and I are having a baby girl!”

            “A one-of-a-kind, just like her parents.”  I sighed happily.

            “A beautiful girl, just like her beautiful mother.”  He mumbled as his lips smothered mine.  

            I allowed this kiss although a part of me was still on guard.  There was a tiny part of my brain that was murmuring, ‘careful’.  My instincts didn’t entirely trust his turn around, all because his progeny would be female.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I've been trained not to think of myself as a father.”

  (Small Fry Chapter 1)

            Declan grinned like an idiot – a tearful idiot – but an idiot nonetheless.

            “Since you said ‘daughters’ and not ‘daughter’, it means I’m let out of the doghouse sometime.” He tried to joke.

            “Lucky me.”  I said flatly, as I turned back towards the window.

            Just then he laughed loudly as he leant on the kitchen sink.  He seemed to be laughing in pure relief!  He was guffawing like a man who had just been granted parole, in the face of a death sentence.

            He wiped his eyes on the back of his hands, “I can almost picture her now.  She’s going to be tall and she’s going to make all of the boys work hard, by beating them in school and in sport.”

            "Why do you say that?"

            Declan continued, “She’s going to be half of you and half of me.  I’m gonna teach her how to repair her hover-car if it breaks down.  You’re gonna teach her soccer and help her with her homework.  When she's not studying with you, she’ll be in the kitchen helping me cook.”

            “Maybe we shouldn’t be placing all these expectations on her yet.” I said warily.  “I mean, your last expectation was that she was going to kill her mother!”

            I thought these words would have wounded him, but they did the exact opposite.  Instead, Declan stood closely to smile down as his large hands moved to sit on my hips.  His bright blue eyes fixated on my dark blue ones, before he lowered his face to gently bump foreheads.  His spiky, dark blonde hair mixed in with my long, black layers.

            “B, ever since I was 14 years old, I've been trained not to think of myself as a father.”  He confessed with his eyes closed.  “It was the age when the Lokoti Werewolves told me that I could never take a human woman for a mate, for risk of harming her or turning her.  I thought if they’re scared of me changing her, then they probably wouldn’t want me to have kids that were like me, either."  

            That gave me pause, as his words and the emotion behind them hurt my heart.  I watched him speak with his eyes closed as I felt his hot breath on my face.  Although I was still furious with him, I didn't pull out of our embrace.

            He continued, "I fell in love with you when I was 17 years old but remember, I had to wait until I was nearly 21 until I could have you, when you changed at the age of 18.  Then you were married off to Grant and I had to wait five years before we were reunited.  This only compounded the idea that the pack thought the risk of me breeding with you was far too great.  Then it came out you were so-called barren and you couldn’t give Grant kids?  I thought, 'she was meant to be mine all along!'  Then for 273 years, I got to enjoy the marriage bed, without worrying the world about what the marriage could produce.  Now a baby makes three?  I’m sorry I didn’t run out and buy a bottle of champagne and a cigar.  For nearly 300 years I was taught and self-taught that I wasn’t father material, because I could plant rotten seed.”

            My eyes widened in further alarm, as I never knew his self-hatred was buried so deep, it was thoroughly rooted in his psyche.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This child will be part Lokoti Werewolf too."

“This child will be part Lokoti Werewolf too.” 

(Small Fry Chapter 1)

            “Tell me again you don’t have a bad feeling about this?” He rasped out, as if he were having difficulty breathing.  “Tell me how you’re gonna live through this?”

            “As Aunt B said, this child will be part Lokoti Werewolf too.”  Ki reminded.  “Maybe this baby will be exactly half and half?  I’ll keep a close eye on Aunt B, I promise.  You two won’t be alone, no Lokoti Werewolf ever stands alone.  You know this yourself, Uncle.”

            But Declan didn’t seem to hear, he was too busy staring at his mate. 

            “Tell me B, what can you 'see'?  Tell me what you ‘see’ in ours and the baby's future.”  He pleaded. 

            Next, he watched me turn to walk into the shadowy kitchen.  The whole house darkened in fact, as the sun was taken away from the grey clouds which were heavy with snow.  As if I were in a trance, I wandered over to the kitchen sink to stare out the window at my garden. 

            The grass was still short as the cold weather stagnated its growth.  I saw the bare branches of our Jacaranda Tree bend in the strong wind.  Then I stared at my withered garden plots, which were waiting to be buried under the thick snow of a long winter.

            Our small, two bedroom, two story, brown wooden cottage with its stone chimney; sat on top of a hill in the community centre inside the vast Lokoti National Park, in the Alaska Range.  Our home was normally cosy with life, love, cooking and company.  We had family, tribe and pack whom we intermingled or hunted with.  Our life could be called 'quiet' by some, but when you had to hide your supernatural state, where and how we lived was ideal.

            The signs of winter coming, also represented signs of something else to come.  Our home would be changed forever, as would be the people inside it.  As if to confirm this, I saw a snowflake fly past on the icy wind.

            I wasn't experiencing any visions, whilst I stared hypnotically at life outside.  Just as I could have bad feelings which warn of danger, I felt several new sensations.  They didn’t fill me with a sense of dread, instead they filled me with a sense of purpose.

            “Our daughter isn’t going to be a Circulator.” I spoke quietly, almost unsure of my own words.  “She’s going to be the eldest of three sisters and none of them will be 'Light People'.  I am the last Circulator to be born.”

            Suddenly, the window rattled loudly from a gust of wind, as my Jacaranda Tree bent back and forth.  I watched the snowflakes begin to fall thick and fast, but from the gale they fell in a sloping pattern.  I watched the many white dots cover the grass. 

            “The timeline has to make adjustments to Declan’s altered state of being.”  I said softly.  “Because their mother changed their father, our daughters will be born, but not as Circulators.”

            Then I felt my mate come to stand beside at the sink, as his greater body-heat radiated outwards.

            “Daughters?”  He asked hopeful.  “No boys?”

            A tear slipped down my cheek, as his relief didn’t bring me happiness, but disappointment.

            “And what would you have done if it was a son?”  I challenged.

            “If we had a son who was half Lokoti Werewolf but wasn’t a Circulator?  I would do exactly what I’m going to do now.”  He said firmly.

            “And what’s that?”

            “Give his mother a kiss and a cuddle and help her raise the little troublemaker.” He emitted a small smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is this why he’s so afraid of creating anymore European Werewolves, even as children?

  (Small Fry Chapter 1)

            “Why are you so adamant that you want a girl?”  I wondered aloud.

            “Because they’re not as strong as males!"  He flared.  "Female European Werewolves aren’t as strong as males, just as female Lokoti Werewolves aren’t as strong as their male counterparts!  Besides, I don’t trust other European Werewolves!  A son of mine would no sooner knock his Lokoti Werewolf mother out of the way, to attack the human she was trying to protect!”

            “But you were a young male European Werewolf and you didn’t hurt your mother…” I began to argue back, but his guilty expression stopped me.

            “Once.”

            “What was that?”  I thought I had misheard.

            Declan’s face paled, "Once I did when I was three years old, when the full moon triggered my first change.  Luckily, your Dad, Grandpa and Grandfather were there.  Your Dad caught my Mom before she hit the wall and your Grandfather caught me before I smashed through the locked front door.  I would have made a run at a human, but the male Lokoti Werewolves were able to stop me.”

            At first I was startled into silence, but then I tried to console. 

            “But Declan,” I began, "it was your first change and you were only three years old.  You had to be trained.”

            “I know, but it took years for my training to come into effect."  He reminded.  "Your Dad caught my Mom.  But from the force I used when I threw her out of the way, I could have harmed Derik whom she was pregnant with at the time.  Your Dad never trusted me because of it, which was why he hated the idea of you ending up with me.” 

            At first I found it hard to imagine a three year old boy, throwing his mother against a wall when she tried to restrain him.  But then I could, if the three year old was in his European Werewolf body.  Since they expanded so much with supernatural muscle, he was probably as tall as an adult human, let alone stronger than one.  Is this why he’s so afraid of creating anymore European Werewolves, even as children?

            “Hang on,” I shook my head in disagreement, "don’t forget that our baby will be half Lokoti Werewolf as well, like its mother.”

            “And what if it’s also a Circulator, like its mother?”  He arched a wary eyebrow.  “Then it could have my strength and your speed!  Just imagine if it snuck out of the house by instantaneously phasing, to go snacking on human that way.  A Circulator – slash – European Werewolf; we could be creating an almost unstoppable murderer!”

            “Declan!” I walked up to hold his head in my hands, to force him to look into my eyes.  “I just did create a Circulator – slash – European Werewolf!  And I have faith in YOU!  Just as I have faith that we could train our child to respect life.”

            “B, you’re not listening to me.” He put my hands over his heart.  “When I first turned at the age of three, the bloodlust almost ate me inside out!  Night after night, your Grandfather sat with me.  I tried so hard not to hunt human, for the sake of my Mom and my little brother.  But just as much as I loved my family; sometimes when the pain got so bad, I would even crave THEM!”

            I shook my head again, “I don’t believe you.”

            “That first year that I changed, there was a reason why your Grandfather stayed with me night after night, to train me.  Sometimes I'd stand in Derik’s room and watch him sleep in his cot.  At first I'd look on my little brother with love, but then my stomach would rumble, my mouth would water and the bloodlust would be saying, ‘do it, feed your hunger!  He'd taste so good and he'd take the pain away.’  Then my Mom would come into the room and stroke my hair, thinking that I was acting all brotherly?  Her soft hands smelled like the tenderest steak you've ever tasted in your life.”

            “Declan!” I cried out in alarm, as I pulled my hands back sharply.

            “THIS is why I don’t want to risk a son ever thinking that way about you!”  He grabbed hold of my arms.  “I may have fought the bloodlust to protect my loved ones, but I WILL NOT abide another threat to come along and destroy everything!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“B…you’re pregnant.”

  (Excerpt of Small Fry Chapter 1)

   3^rd November 2363

            We sat at the dining table in a tense manner, nursing our coffees.  Declan sat on one side as I sat on the other.  Our legs jiggled nervously and I think together we stared into our beverages, rather than consumed them.

            A thick silence filled the living room, as I sensed my husband was trying not to look at his wife, whom he inadvertently impregnated. 

            Normally, a married couple may celebrate this sort of thing?  But not when they were a 300 year old European Werewolf, who just had his elderly body reversed to his twenties by his 297 year old wife, who was called the Last Circulator.  Now the said European Werewolf was a Circulator too, it put a new spin on things. 

            Not only was I a Circulator, but I was the tribe's first female Lokoti Werewolf.  We've been mates for 273 years and where he had aged slowly, I did not.  He got to show off a youthful wife however, the drawback was that I couldn't breed.  With my bio-electromagnetic field in temporal flux, it not only stopped me from aging but also reproducing. 

            Now that I've turned my elderly husband into a Circulator too; his sperm matched my eggs bio-electromagnetic frequency and then… ta daa! 

            “B…you’re pregnant.”  Declan uttered in astonishment.

He immediately smelled the change in my hormones the morning after celebrating his transformation.

            I growled in frustration, as I rubbed my face from stress which caused my long, dark hair to flop over my dark blue eyes.  This made my mate look up sharply, with his bright blue eyes, wide with concern.  His previous white hair was back to his youthful, dark blonde colour and it looked particularly spiky this morning.

            How could I have been so stupid?  I knew the reason why I couldn’t breed was because of the whole temporal flux/ bio-electromagnetic frequency thing!  Why didn’t it ‘click’ inside my mind, before my newly-youthful husband, pounced on his always-youthful wife to celebrate his change? 

            I guess Declan decided to take affirmative action, or try to get a grip on our situation. 

            He took a deep breath before he spoke; “OK, so you’re pregnant.” 

            I gave him an unimpressed look for stating the obvious. 

            “Shut up.” He smirked at my expression.  “But let’s come up with a plan of attack, instead of sitting here in shock like a bomb’s gone off.”

            “What plan of attack?”  I said unhappily. “We’re not planning a battle against a coven of European Vampires.”

            “You’re 24 hours pregnant, B.”  He frowned.  “24 hours means it’s still just a bunch of cells inside of you.”  I gave him a peculiar look, wondering what he was trying to say?  He went on, “Remember our first time together?”

            “It may have been 279 years ago Dec, but yeah.  I still remember our first time.”  I said dryly.

            “Right.”  He cleared his throat.  “Then do you remember what happened right after it?  What I did to you?”

            Abruptly I straightened, as if he had thrown a glass of icy water my way.  “No, you don’t mean…?”

            “I’m 300 years old and yesterday I nearly died of old age!  You turned me into a Circulator, so we could evolve to the space time continuum together.  You and me having a baby, would be like an elderly human couple having kids at the age of 70!”

            “But we don’t have bodies of 70 year old humans!"  I objected.  "We’re both physically in our twenties!” 

            “Two days ago, my joints would hurt just from going up the stairs!  Two days ago, I was on pain medication for arthritis! You may have reversed my biological clock B, but I have an old soul.  My mind still feels like it’s an old man!”

            “So what are you saying, Declan?  That you don’t want to have this thing? This child?  This baby?”  I asked offended.

            “B, we’re supposed to be evolving to the space time continuum, the way an elderly human packs up and moves to Florida for retirement!”   He said indignantly.  “I mean, can we take this thing with us to the space time continuum?  We’re supposed to turn into beings of light, so what’s going to happen to the child inside you?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t see how marrying me off to somebody is going to stop me craving human flesh.”

  (‘Scent’ Excerpt Chapter 5)

Just then I jumped from the sound of footsteps behind!  I turned my head sharply, to see Grant easily leap up the steep rocks.  He casually came and sat beside, to also look out at the view.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”  He greeted.   Nervously I looked away, back over the forest, as I felt shy for the first time in his company.  Grant said seriously, “I thought we should talk.”

“I don’t want to talk.” I said petulantly.

“Yes you do.” He said evenly. “I’m sure you have lots of questions.”

“Only one; how much do my parents hate me to be doing this?” my eyes welled with tears.

“Thanks a lot!” Grant burst out laughing. “I’ll try not to take offence.”  I didn’t say anything else, so he spoke again. “I was a bit surprised when the pack and the Elders first spoke to me about the idea.  But I can see their logic.”

“There’s logic?” I asked bitterly.

“You’re the first female Lokoti Werewolf.  Because you’re also a Circulator, you’re faster than any member of the pack. You need to be trained and if you took a mate, it will help settle your bloodlust as you would be driven to hunt with your mate.  He would guide you towards other quarry than the forbidden fruit.”

“I don’t see how marrying me off to somebody is going to stop me craving human flesh.” My head dropped to stare on the fungus-stained surface of the rock.

“It will help.”

“But you’re not married so how would you know?”

“If I was married, then we wouldn’t be engaged.” He tried to joke, but I didn’t laugh.  “I know this is so because of the experience of the pack and from a millennia of knowledge down our bloodline.”

“But I’m the first female Lokoti Werewolf in history, so a millennia of knowledge doesn’t seem helpful.” I looked out at the view once more.

“You have the same bloodlust that a male Lokoti Werewolf has, so we know it to be true.” He answered patiently. 

We sat quietly for a couple of minutes, the both of us looking out at the forest underneath.

Grant spoke again, “Look B, I can understand how you’re nervous about this…it’s taken you by surprise, that’s all. When Lokoti Werewolves mate, it goes beyond simple marriage that you’ve read about in your books or seen in your movies.  We would bond together in a way that we would become attuned to each other’s thoughts and feelings.  When we take a mate, it’s a rewarding experience which is why it’s held with reverence and it’s taken very seriously among our people.”

“But I’m not the one.” I ducked my head.

“What was that?”

“I’m not the one.”

He paused for a moment, before his eyes widened in recognition.  “You remember that conversation?”

“It’s a bit hard to forget!  That night you babysat me was the only time that we ever talked.”

“We’ve talked plenty of times.”

“No we haven’t.  We’ve said ‘hallo’ plenty of times, but the night you babysat me five years ago was the only time that we talked.” I said as I stared at my shoes.

“I remember that night…I taught you a couple of card games which you picked it up pretty quickly and won a few hands too.” He gave a playful nudge.

“You brought over soda and let me stay up until midnight.” A smile escaped.

“So how did I go for my first babysitting job?” He asked in good humor.

“Not bad.” I shrugged. “Ten out of ten.”

“Cool.” He sat back as he leant on his hands. “After I looked after you, my older sisters and brother all roped me into looking after their kids now and then too. I think the fact that you managed to live through the experience spoke well of my child care skills.  Mind you, they’re not so impressed that all their kids are card sharks now and can even fleece half the adults in the tribe.” 

That made me laugh and I almost relaxed in his company, which I guessed it was what Grant was trying to do.   

“What made you think of our conversation on why I wasn’t married?” He asked as I shrugged back.   “Because our marriage will be arranged?” he guessed before I nodded.  Grant moved closer, which made me feel awkward.  “Did you know that in our tribe’s history there have been other arranged marriages?

I shook my head to show that no, I didn’t know that.  I briefly looked back his way to show that I was listening, before my eyes skipped away once again. 

“There has never been a case where an arranged marriage in our tribe has turned out badly.” He started to rub my back, which the gesture surprised me. “And I doubt that we would be the first.”

“But I’m our tribe’s first female Werewolf.” I said in a small voice as I fidgeted with my shoes.

“That just adds to exoticness of our situation.  And B?”  Next, he used his forefinger to turn my face towards him.  “You’re not being married to me as a punishment.  I see myself as lucky to be marrying you.  I know that we’ll be happy together and in a way, I feel like I’ve won a prize in a competition I didn’t even know I had entered.”

Oh no! Now I felt really rotten, as I tearfully turned away. I should tell him that I was in no way like that, instead I was like a booby prize!

“B?”  He looked on, puzzled.

“Grant…” I began.

“Yes?”

“Grant I’m – I’m – I’m…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not a prize!” my face burned. “I’m not a virgin!”

“OK.” He raised his eyebrows but he didn’t remove his hand from my back.  “Er, would it be helpful for you to know that neither am I?”

I looked his way in surprise, “I thought we weren’t supposed to have sex unless it’s with the one who is meant to become our mate?”

“That’s what our Elders would prefer, sure.”  He shrugged.  “But I guess you’ve come to realize yourself that certain things happen by their own accord.”

“How did you manage to have sex without mating yourself to somebody?” I asked bluntly.

Grant cracked up laughing again.  “You’ve still got a curious mind.”  I quickly looked away, embarrassed.  “No, it’s cool.” He cleared his throat. “Um well, male Werewolves can hold themselves back.”

“Oh.” I thought on this in befuddlement. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, what was it like for you?” He queried.

“What?!” I looked on him in alarm as I had no idea how to answer that!  He leaned in to sniff me.  I leaned away shyly. “What are you doing?”

“Phew! You don’t smell like you’ve mated with anybody.” He said in relief.

“Huh?” I wondered what the hell he was going on about?

“If you were mated to somebody, I would have smelled him on you.” Grant said plainly.  “If I had smelled him on you, it would have been a little embarrassing to return to our families and say that you already had a mate.”

“Oh...!”  My eyes widened in horror at the idea of everybody finding out about Declan.

“Since I can’t smell him on you, it means that the last time you were with this person was a while ago.  If you had mated with this person, his smell on you would be strong because you would see him frequently.  If you were mated to this person, you wouldn’t be able to go for long periods of being separated from him.”

“OK…” My eyebrows rose as my brain digested this piece of information. 

This would explain how Gran and Grandfather, Nana and Grandpa and even Mum and Dad behaved as if they were joined at the hip.  I had always thought that Werewolf couples were the soppiest in the tribe, which was in direct contrast to the Werewolf’s dangerous bloodlust.  Does this mean that this could one day be me too? 

“Smell me.” He suddenly offered.

“Excuse me?”

“Smell me.” Grant said simply.

“Why?”

“Just smell me!” He laughed at my hesitation.  I leaned over closer and inhaled.  He looked expectant, “well?”

“Well what?”

“What do you smell?”

“Um, I don’t know…”

“Did you smell perfume or human female scent or anything like that?”

“No.”

“Then you know I haven’t got a mate either.” He stated. “Or you would be able to smell her on me.”

“Oh, OK.” I raised my eyebrows, impressed at learning something new about myself. “Can humans do this?”

“Some can, but it’s generally just Werewolves because of our keen sense of smell.”

“Cool.” I smiled.

“See?” Grant grinned.  “It’s not so bad being a Werewolf, is it?”

“Um no, I guess not.”

“There are many benefits in being who you are,” he rested his hand on the back of my neck, “and when you take a mate?  You’ll find out many more things that make you special and what you have with your mate is unique.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My very own Mum and Dad were letting the pack and the Elders try to marry me off?

  (‘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 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~