Sororate Chapter 1 *Updated*

2nd August 2226

We strolled hand-in-hand in a comfortable silence as we stared out at the picturesque views. Declan and I were enjoying the walk and I must admit, I was starting to really like this part of our holiday in China. We were into the second day of our hike along the Great Wall and right now, our trek took us through a mountainous part of the country.

The Wall curved around before it sloped downwards and then upwards again as it followed the peaks. The sky was blue, the air was clean and the breeze was cool, which kept us from overheating. However, when my husband first told me that we would be hiking for three days, I must admit I wasn’t what you might call, ‘excited’ by the idea.

“Are you frickin’ nuts?!” I barked.

“Relax B.” He customarily rolled his eyes. “We won’t be camping but we’ll be hiking. Each night we’ll have a hotel booked so you can still get your creature comforts of hot showers and a soft mattress to sleep on.”

“But hiking all day, for three days straight?” I complained.

“Look, we won’t even be hiking the whole thing! It’s less than half that we’ll be doing as they’re still restoring it.”

“I don’t care if it’s only a quarter of the way! This is three days that we’ll be walking the thing?!” I said indignantly.

“B, sometimes we run up to 300 km’s in one night on a hunt.” He gave a funny look.

“Yeah, but that’s one or two nights a month and I have the bloodlust fueling me along.” I frowned.

We were of course talking about the fact that my husband and I were Werewolves.

Declan was a 163 year old European Werewolf with the appearance of a man in his mid-thirties in human form. My blue eyed and blonde haired husband was finally growing out his crew cut which he had for 140 years so now his scruffy hair sat just below his ears. However when he was in European Werewolf form, he looked completely different.

His height of 190 cm’s almost doubled as his muscular build practically tripled in width. His hands and feet turned into dangerous claws. He was hairless but his head changed into more of a wolf’s as he had a short snout over jaws full of razor sharp teeth. His eyes glowed green with his round pupils turning into thin, black slits. As a European Werewolf, he would run on all-fours in speeds up to 300 km/ h and he was so strong he could lift up a car on each arm.

Me on the other hand, I was a 160 year old Lokoti Werewolf with the human appearance of a half Native Alaskan in my late twenties. I had dark blue eyes and recently, I had my hair restyled. Now I have a fringe and my former long, black hair was cut just past my shoulders.

Lokoti Werewolves have a more humanoid appearance in our supernatural form. Although my 170 cm height remained the same, my body bulked up like a weightlifter’s with extra muscle. My eyes glowed bright turquoise as my black pupils vanished. My teeth became elongated and sharp and the nails on my hands and feet grew longer, like claws. Lokoti Werewolves can run up to speeds of 200 km/ h in our upright form, but because I was also a Circulator I could move in the speed of light.

The Lokoti call Circulators the ‘Light People,’ because we can phase through time by our biological bodies dissolving into beings of light. The same way light passes through glass, a Circulator could pass through time. Only a few Circulators could also instantaneously phase which looked like a person disappearing in a bright burst of light.

When I instantaneously phase from Earth to the Circulate HQ on Taurus Six, I'd disappear in a flash and then reappear in another. This could produce electromagnetic interference where the temperature dropped or even make your hair stand on end. The existence of Circulators was clouded in secrecy and occasionally if we had a witness, we were mistaken for a ghost. Because of this, I hardly aged and I could move like light. Time travel was a handy gift to have when one had a doctorate in Ancient History and Mythology… heh heh!

I’m called the first female Lokoti Werewolf because supernatural genetics dictated that only the males in the tribe could be ‘activated’ to join the ranks. However on the full moon before my 18th Birthday, I turned to replace the fallen. It was a surprise to everyone least of all me and curiously, I remained the only female. I was also the only member in the pack who was both Circulator and Werewolf.

The second bedroom in our house had never been converted to a nursery due to another difference between me and the other Werewolves; I was barren. Aside from being stronger, faster and living for longer, my kind were also known for their virility. I guess any being who could turn part animal could behave like one with all-consuming urges to feed and procreate. Most of the pack had two kids or more and their bodies could shut down their reproduction. However, I didn’t even have a choice as I’ve never been able to breed.

However what I saw as a curse, my husband saw as a blessing. Over the years he’s been vocal about his dissatisfaction of children. He was skeptical of how they would affect our marriage, or the fact that he would be creating more European Werewolves; Declan sniffed me and then he said seriously, “you’re not pregnant, I can’t get you pregnant and that works out fine with me. I have a hard enough time controlling my own bloodlust that I don’t think I’d cope if I created offspring which had it too.”

Once, we had an argument when he was tired of hearing me moan; “You only mention them after a tribal gathering, because you feel left out. When there isn’t a tribal gathering, you’re quite happy to write your essays and lecture just as I’m happy with the Garage. I like having you whenever I want, where ever I want without worrying about if kids are asleep or not! We don’t want kids!”

My husband’s obsessive love for his wife was well known, although not many were game to tease him about it. Declan may not be a man-eater, but his growl or when his eyes would glow green could still scare people. His height and muscular build was also off-putting. But I must admit, everything that I just described here turned me on and our short tempers certainly kept the chemistry ignited.

Declan became the honorary sixteenth member of the pack after he was attacked by the European Werewolf whose bite turned him. The incident also claimed his father’s life, after which the three year old Declan and his pregnant mother were taken in. The Lokoti Werewolves helped raise the only toddler in the tribe to have the bloodlust and trained him to hunt animal instead of human. Thanks to his years of loyalty, honor and fighting to protect his family and tribe, my mate was made Second in the pack.

However the European Werewolf would rant and rave if his wife was away more than twelve hours for a guest lecture. He would snarl at anyone or anything that showed interest in either my Lokoti Werewolf pheromones or my aura as a Circulator. Quite often I’d be sitting at the dining table typing out an essay or organizing a presentation when Declan would decide to do the paperwork from the Garage so he could sit beside me. When we read books or listened to music or even watched movies, we always sat on the same couch tangled in the other’s arms or legs. Werewolves love to eat, so unsurprisingly his other passion was cooking. He liked watching me eat what he had procured so in exchange, I did the housework.

Although the commercial recovery after the Third World War meant food was no longer a luxury item; we still grew many of our own vegetables and herbs in our greenhouse. Together, we would work to loud rock music as we planted and tended to our crops. In a way, this became our ‘child’ from the amount of time we spent cultivating. Last year, Declan started to grow orchids amongst our vegetables as a hobby. They needed constant care but they became his pride and joy, especially since they were ‘our flower’. Before we were formally acknowledged as mates, he used to give me orchids which were grown by other members of the tribe.

“OK Brandon.” He looked warily on our great, great, great, great grand nephew, Brandon Sabre. He handed the 14 year old, a list of things to do in the greenhouse while we were on our tour of Asia. “I know these lands and I know where you live. With my sense of smell, I can track you no matter where you go on this planet. If I come back to a dead garden, your ass is grass and I doubt your parents will miss you THAT much.”

The poor boy’s eyes widened as he visibly gulped whilst looking on his tall, muscular Great x 4 Grand Uncle standing before him, glaring menacingly.

“Declan, don’t traumatize the kid!” I rolled my eyes.

My husband handed over the list to Brandon whilst he stared long and hard to instill his threat.

“Er, no sweat Uncle.” The boy nervously licked his lips.

I walked over to his side to pat him on the back reassuringly, “don’t worry Brandon, the job’s pretty easy and the list of instructions is easy to follow.”

For some reason, Brandon’s eyes widened further as he now looked in my direction. I even overheard him inhale deeply, which Declan caught as well. My mate rolled his eyes in a weary manner.

“Frickin’ hell woman…” he complained, “…I can’t take you or your Lokoti Werewolf pheromones anywhere!”

My husband suddenly pulled me into his arms which were away from the teenaged boy whose face fell as soon as my pheromones were removed.

“Dude, she’s your Great x 4 Grand Aunt and she’s also a married woman.” Declan growled. “Now scat!”

I watched Brandon quickly turn around and leave the greenhouse before he broke into a run and disappeared from our property.

Then my mate shook his head, “I hope your pheromones aren’t going to get us into trouble again on this latest holiday.”

“What do you mean ‘again’?” I looked on unimpressed. “When have MY pheromones gotten us into trouble?”

“Gee, let’s see now…” he sarcastically pretended to think, “…how about in Russia when the European Vampires tried to feed on you?”

“That wasn’t just because of my Lokoti Werewolf pheromones, it was also because of my aura as a Circulator.” I refuted.

“And that other European Werewolf Marcus, who tried to claim you?”

“That wasn’t because of my Lokoti Werewolf pheromones, it’s because there aren’t many female Werewolves left in the world.”

Out of the blue, Declan picked me up in his strong arms as he laughed evilly, “I know and you’re mine! MINE I say!”

I squealed with laughter as I squirmed out of his grip and then I too ran out of the greenhouse and back into the house to finish my packing…

…

… now here we were, hiking the Great Wall of China with our large backpacks strapped on. The Wall was busy with other tourists and we passed a couple of other people also with backpacks who had the same idea as us. However as the afternoon grew late, Declan pulled us aside to check the GPS on his mobile phone.

“Right.” He looked on his watch and then back at the GPS. “It’s 7 PM and it’s still 5 km’s to the town where our hotel is.”

“So what if we have to walk in the night?” I shrugged. “We’re ‘different’ Declan, we shouldn’t be afraid of the dark.”

My mate gave a peculiar look as he put his phone back into the front pocket of his backpack. “You think I’m afraid of the dark?”

“We are creatures of the night, aren’t we?” I smirked. “With your big build even in human form, you’re still intimidating. I doubt we’ll get mugged.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” His scowl deepened as he looked around at the surrounding countryside whilst sniffing the air. “We’re on somebody else’s territory.”

“Huh?” I gave a funny look. “Well, yes we are. It’s called China, Declan. Chinese people claim ownership of this country.”

Rather than laugh, my husband looked indignant. “B, sometimes I wonder whether you’re more ‘Light Person’ than you are like me.” He hinted at my being a Circulator as well as a Werewolf.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked offended.

“Smell the air!” He barked.

I closed my eyes to help me concentrate as I breathed in deeply through my nose… I smelled vegetation, I smelled moist earth, I smelled the warm humans walking past, I smelled the distant aroma of somebody cooking somewhere and then I smelled something else… This something was like a pungent animal smell, so strong that it left behind the realm of the natural and entered the supernatural.

My eyes snapped open to look on in surprise before I managed out quietly so no passersby could hear, “is - is - is that Asian Werewolf?”

My European Werewolf husband nodded as he looked down the side of the Wall at the valley below.

“They’ve marked this as their territory, as a kind of invisible fence warning off other supernatural beings. We should be safe in the hotel, but I don’t want to be out here when it’s dark. They could mistake us as hunting on their territory.” He advised.

I looked on impressed at how he knew this, or sensed this with his European Werewolf intuition. I guess being a Circulator could interfere with my Lokoti Werewolf instincts, but my husband was attuned to his. He immediately knew things about the European Vampires or the European Werewolves we encountered without ever reading the SSIT Reports.

After a moment, Declan noticed how I was still looking on him, or smiling rather.

“What?” He gave a funny look.

“You’re hot when you go all authoritarian about this kind of thing.”

To which he smirked back, “I’ll remember you said that later on in our hotel room.”

Declan retook hold of my hand and hurried us along. We picked up our steps until we were power walking as the sun sank lower in the sky. We were walking so quickly, we attracted some peculiar looks from the other tourists we passed.

We managed to walk another three kilometers before the red sun touched the dusky horizon. The view from the Wall showed the upcoming town where our hotel was situated but it was still two kilometers away.

“Come on, let’s leg it.” He ordered as the sun started to disappear.

My husband ran in front, almost pulling me along as I felt tired from walking all day. We ran in a speed which would have been considered fast for humans, but it was slow for our kind. It was too risky to show off our supernatural speed in public, nor could I just instantaneously phase us there because there were too many people about.

He led the way down some exit steps from the Great Wall and onto a road. Then we bolted the rest of the way into town with Declan still pulling me along. With the force he was squeezing my hand there was no way he was letting me slip from his grasp. He didn’t let go until we entered the safety of settlement. I stopped to catch my breath as I leaned wearily against the side of a building.

“Come on B, you’re a ‘growly thing’ as well as a ‘Light Person’; that was just a slow jog for us!” Declan taunted.

“I’ve also been walking two days straight!” I snapped amidst my puffing. “My feet are sore and my legs are tired!”

“Moan moan moan.” My husband rolled his eyes before he looked around warily.

“What is it?” I watched him.

“When we ran into town, I smelled more markings. This town is somebody’s territory so being outside after dark isn’t safe here either. Let’s just hurry up and get to the hotel.”

Declan grabbed hold of my hand again to pull me off the wall and after him down the road. We walked down several streets before we stopped under a street light so he could check our itinerary. He input the address of the hotel into the GPS then we followed the device’s directions.

We passed through a bustling commercial section where many people were either walking around or sitting at different outdoor tables and chairs. Out of curiosity, I glanced through shop windows or a few of the front windows of restaurants. It was the restaurants which had the outdoor seating where families sat down eating. I also noticed at a couple of these tables elderly people played Marjong.

“Oh look, Marjong.” I paused to watch until Declan pulled me along again.

An old Chinese man with a long, thin, white beard who was smoking a long, thin pipe looked up from his game as we passed. To my surprise, his brown eyes abruptly turned white, with just his tiny black pupils remaining. Frickin’ hell that man is an Asian Werewolf! The old man showed me his eyes to let me know that he also knew what Declan and I are.

“OK, let’s go.” Suddenly I hurried out in front and now I was the one pulling him along.

Now I wished I’d brought my Katana along with me, the silver-coated Japanese sword. I would have felt a whole lot safer with that insurance policy in my backpack. Declan spotted our hotel’s brightly lit sign and he escorted me off the street and into the small foyer where the check-in counter was located.

“We have a reservation for Sabre.” Declan handed over our itinerary with the barcode for the hotel clerk to scan.

“Welcome to the Jade Hotel.” The Chinese man smiled politely. “I believe your reservation has you in the Lotus Suite. Our room service will bring up your complimentary bottle of champagne for your stay.”

“We don’t drink alcohol.” Declan returned.

Well we can’t, if we got drunk and lost our control of the bloodlust being Werewolves? No, it was too hideous to consider…

“Very good Mr. Sabre.” The clerk didn’t miss a beat. “Then we can arrange another beverage to be served instead. We have a selection of de-alcoholized wines or soft drink or juice or iced tea -”

“The de-alcoholized wine would be fine.” My husband interrupted.

I could tell he didn’t mean to be rude, but by seeing him look over his shoulder at the door of the hotel; Declan just wanted us to hole up protectively in our room.

“The hotel has a gym as well as a sauna and a pool.” The clerk went on. “In the gym you can purchase massages and we even have an acupuncturist -”

“No thanks, we won’t be leaving our room.” Declan said shortly and then he read his name tag. “Sorry, Hsu? My wife is really tired and we’d just like to get checked-in.”

“Of course Mr. Sabre.” The clerk continued politely.

However he mispronounced our surname, to my husband’s chagrin. Instead of saying Sar-bra, it sounded like the clerk said Say-ber. The European Werewolf hated it when outsiders would incorrectly spell or mispronounce his Italian surname. However he didn’t correct the stranger this time, as all he wanted to do was get out of sight.

The clerk requested, “if I could please get your credit card as well as sight your passport for identification purposes?”

Declan quickly handed these things over to him who scanned them into his computer before he gave them back. Next, the clerk passed him our hotel room’s electronic key.

“Inside your room, you will find a menu for Room Service and your complimentary de-alcoholized wine will be served shortly.” The clerk finished.

“Thanks.” Declan retook hold of my hand to lead me away.

Then I don’t know why, but I think it was because I sensed something? I looked back over my shoulder at the hotel clerk who was watching us leave, when I caught him sniff. He wasn’t sniffing because he had a cold, but he was sniffing us.

Frickin’ hell, he’s another Asian Werewolf! They’re everywhere! This town really is their territory.

Just then I surprised Declan when I stopped, turned around and marched back over to the counter. The small lobby of the hotel was quiet with no other people around and the hotel clerk was standing by himself.

“Look,” I began, “we know this is your territory. We’ll keep to our room and then in the morning we’ll leave. We don’t want any trouble. If you guys are as good as trackers as I’ve heard you are; you’ll smell that we don’t eat human.”

Declan’s eyes widened when he realized who it was that I was talking to, whereas the hotel clerk’s face remained perfectly calm. He even smiled politely again.

“We are aware of that particular quality about you as our guests, thank you Mrs. Sar-bra.” The clerk said, now mysteriously pronouncing our surname correctly. “If the hotel had any objection, we would not have proceeded with check-in. But thank you for sharing your dietary requirements with us, we will be sure to notify the kitchen.”

My mate came to stand protectively beside as he looked suspiciously on the hotel clerk – slash – Asian Werewolf.

“We hope that you enjoy your stay at the Jade Hotel and please feel free to enjoy our features such as the pool, spa or sauna which is included in the cost of your room.” The hotel clerk ended with a slight bow.

I sensed that he meant it and he didn’t see us as a threat, so we were allowed.

“Come on, B.” My husband gently pulled me away.

We walked down a plush hallway until we spotted our hotel room door. As soon as Declan let us into our suite, I emitted a loud sigh of relief to be able to take off my heavy backpack which was the first thing I did. I dropped it onto the suitcase stand by the wall and when I turned back around, I found Declan standing by the closed door. I think he wanted to make sure we weren’t being followed, as he listened closely and he even sniffed.

“It’s cool, Dec.” I walked over to collapse wearily onto the King-sized bed. “They’re allowing us to stay tonight.”

However my mate didn’t move away from the door immediately, he continued to listen. When he did move, he walked over to the window and parted the curtains to look outside. I heard his growl as he dropped his backpack as if preparing for battle. What now?

Tiredly, I stood up and crossed over to see what he was glaring at. I saw two Chinese men who appeared to be in their twenties, wearing black clothes complete with black sunglasses, which made them look like gangsters. They were standing across the street whilst looking up at our window.

“More Asian Werewolves?” I guessed.

“They don’t trust us, so they’re letting us know we’re being watched.” Declan said with dissatisfaction.

“But they’re trusting us enough to let us stay.” I turned away from the window to walk back over to the bed.

As soon as I sat back down, I took off my hiking boots before I laid back. I stretched out on top of the bed as I felt my muscles begin to loosen. Ah finally, I could unwind.

Just then there was a sharp knock on the door which made the both of us jump!

Declan made a move towards it and he looked out the peep hole before he opened the door. Next, a male hotel employee wearing a black uniform, carried in a tray with a bottle of de-alcoholized wine in a cooler and two wine glasses.

“Would you like this on the table?” The staff member queried.

“Yeah whatever.” Declan answered as he looked on the man warily.

The man in the uniform carefully put the tray down and then he turned to leave. But before he departed he said lastly, “in appreciation of you showing consideration towards the safety of others; if you should order dessert with your meals this evening, your dessert will be free of charge.”

After that, he swiftly left with Declan locking our door behind him. Then my mate tiredly walked over to the bed I was sitting on, to flop down beside. I lay back down onto the mattress so we were lying side by side.

“I wish when I planned our travel, I had a map of all the areas marked by other Werewolves or locations of Vampire covens, so we knew where to avoid.” He complained.

“But then we’d never leave tribal lands because like humans, supernatural creatures are everywhere.” I pointed out.

“Yeah, I guess so. Hell, I was bitten by a European Werewolf in Alaska of all places.”

Next, Declan rolled onto his side so he was facing me. He turned quiet for a minute or two, as he rested his head on his hand to look down.

“What?” I wondered.

“You’re fearless, you know that?” He smiled softly.

“Fearless?” I gave a peculiar look.

“The way you walked up to the hotel clerk and laid it all out like that? I thought he smelled funny, but you saw through him immediately.”

“Only because I caught him sniff us.” I confessed.

“My wife the sleuth.” Declan chuckled as he placed a kiss on my forehead.

He moved in closer as he wrapped his arm around my waist. His mouth brushed my cheek before his lips smothered my own. I felt his ardor but all I felt was tired.

“Not yet!” I giggled as I moved my head away. “I need to unwind first.”

“Hey, you’re the one who said I’m hot when I go all authoritarian.” He reminded before he began to gently ‘maul’ my neck with his open mouth.

“You are hot when you go all authoritarian, but I’m also tired.” I grabbed hold of his hair to lift up his head.

“Is this the real reason why you asked me to grow out the crew cut, so you’ve got more hair to pull?” Declan shook my hand off.

“Definitely.” I tittered.

“You don’t see me pulling your hair, do you?” He lightly scolded.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“You’re right.” He smirked which expanded into an evil grin. “Besides, I’d rather pull the hair elsewhere on your body.”

“Eew!” I cried out which turned into a squeal of laughter when he ducked his head to take several playful bites through my clothes and into my skin.

*****

I didn’t sleep well that night and neither did Declan. Every time I rolled over and opened my eyes, I found my husband lying awake. He lay with his arms about his wife as he constantly watched the door or the large window of our room. I came to realize he was on guard by the way he kept his hold.

“Get some sleep.” I murmured sleepily. “We’re safe here, Dec. If we weren’t, I would have one of my warning feelings as a Circulator.”

“Shhh.” He stroked the skin on my back. “You’re more tired than I am, B. You need the sleep more than I do.”

“Declan, please go to sleep. If I sensed we were in danger I would have instantaneously phased us back to Alaska.”

“Close your eyes and be quiet.” He growled softly.

I rolled over so I could rest my cheek on his hot, strong chest. That was the good thing about having a European Werewolf for a mate; their bodies consistently ran at high temperatures. Although hot weather could leave him disgruntled, I never needed an electric blanket in the midst of a hard Alaskan winter. My husband appeared to appreciate our contact, as his arms tightened and he planted several kisses on my forehead.

We were quiet for a couple of minutes as I settled back down again. I guess Declan must have thought I had fallen back asleep, so he thought now would be a good time to say; “I love you B, always and forever.”

I surprised him when I mumbled back, “love you too Dec.”

Pause…then he said after a moment, “oh you weren’t supposed to hear that.”

“Whatever.”

“You were making your sleeping noises so I thought you were asleep again.”

“Whatever.”

“No seriously, you were breathing deeply and you were making those little sighing noises.”

“Whatever.”

“Were you faking it, knowing I was going to say that?”

“Declan, frickin’ shut up and let me sleep!”

*****

The next time I opened my eyes again, it was morning and it was by my husband shaking me awake.

“Come on, let’s get out of this place.” He greeted with a kiss on the nose before he leapt out of bed as if he had been the one who had slept.

Half conscious, I raised my head and marveled at how quickly he dressed.

Declan started to chuckle as he looked over at my dazed expression, “man I’ve been married to you for 140 years and your bed hair still cracks me up!”

Grouchily, I threw his pillow at him as he continued to laugh before I rolled over and tried to hide under mine.

*****

An hour later when we were dressed, breakfasted and our teeth brushed, we checked out of our hotel. The same hotel clerk was behind the check-in desk when we handed in our electronic key.

“Altogether 488 credits will be charged to your credit card Mr. Sabre, for your accommodation, your entrée and main as well as the additional de-alcoholized wine you ordered. However your dessert will not be charged as it came compliments of the hotel.” The clerk read off his computer screen.

My mate handed over his credit card to pay as he still looked on the clerk warily. A moment’s silence passed as the clerk swiped his credit card and then he raised the EFTPOS device for Declan to punch in his PIN which he did.

“The food was delicious, thanks.” I suddenly said.

My husband gave me a funny look but the clerk smiled politely, “I will pass your compliments on to the chef.”

The clerk handed Declan’s card back to him however when my husband and I turned to leave, we were stopped.

“Will you both be walking in a westerly direction along the Great Wall today?” The clerk asked out of the blue.

We both turned back around to look on in surprise.

“Maybe and maybe not.” Declan said vaguely.

We were, but he didn’t want the Asian Werewolves to know of our movements.

“I ask because when I saw your itinerary last night, it has your accommodation tonight at the Bamboo Inn in Wuwei, which is in a westerly direction. Wuwei is in the Gans province and I feel I must advise you that the area is the territory of the Hsin family.” The clerk said simply.

“The who?” He wondered.

“The Hsin family are not as enlightened as we are and they have not seen or smelled a female of your kind in a very long time.” The clerk stopped smiling. “Mrs. Sabre may not be safe there.”

My heart almost stopped as Declan’s eyes widened. I suddenly felt one of my tell-tale ominous feelings from Hsu’s warning.

“But we start a new tour tomorrow morning and we’re getting picked up by bus from the Bamboo Inn in Wuwei.” My mate sounded annoyed. “What are we supposed to do? Boycott the tour as well as the town?!”

The clerk looked on my husband unimpressed before he spoke in a low voice; “my apologies, I did not realize how different we are with our separate cultures. I was speaking as a friend. My family are very protective over our wives, mothers, sisters and daughters. We have not allowed our women anywhere near the borders of Gans province since one of our females were kidnapped by the Hsin family 50 years ago.”

My mate’s eyes almost popped out of his head when he heard this just as my heart began to race.

Declan threw pseudonyms to the wind in the quiet lobby as he looked on the clerk suspiciously. “I was told there was only one female Asian Werewolf left.”

“Then whoever told you that was not truthful nor accurate.” The clerk said simply.

“Figures.” My mate rolled his eyes.

“Didn’t either Leo or Marcus tell you that?” I remembered.

Declan gave a short nod, “it makes you wonder what else they lied about, doesn’t it?”

“Our people know of the Lokoti Werewolves.” The clerk spoke plainly as there was no-one else around. “The Lokoti Werewolves are respected by my family. It is because we know that you are not man-eaters you were allowed to stay last night. It is a sign of respect that I warn you now, avoid Gans province.”

“Maybe we should just go back to Alaska?” My husband complained.

However a plan started to formulate in my mind, “show me the itinerary.”

“What? Why?” He gave a funny look.

“Please?” I held out my hand.

He pulled out the itinerary from the front pocket on his backpack to hand over. I looked on the tour details we were meant to be embarking on tomorrow as well as the nightly stopovers before I turned back to the clerk.

“OK, so if we boycott Wuwei today, what if we head south instead until we come to Yushu? It’s where we’re supposed to stay for the first night of the tour.” I spoke to both the clerk and my husband.

“Yushu is not in anybodies territory and you should be safe.” The clerk gave a single nod.

“What about for the rest of our holiday?” I held out the itinerary to the clerk who took the document out of my hands to look on it again.

“In Cambodia you may meet the Truong clan who live in the northern region. But if you do not go out at night and remain in your hotel room, they should leave you alone.” The clerk handed the itinerary back.

“So after this place and if we avoid Wuwei, the other Asian Werewolves we’ll come across are in Cambodia?” Declan wanted to double check.

“The route your proposed holiday takes you on will be avoiding the territories of the other clans.” The clerk answered.

“Right,” Declan returned the itinerary to his backpack before he looked my way, “now to find our way to Yushu.”

“If you head down the main street to the south side of town, you will find a reputable car rental company.” The clerk offered.

“Thanks.” I smiled on his helpfulness.

“I wish you a safe journey on your travels,” the clerk smiled at me but then it disappeared when he looked on my mate, “and I must ask you Mr. Sabre that you do not come into our territory again.”

What the…? I didn’t see that coming! Declan and I exchanged a surprised look which we turned towards the clerk.

He spoke plainly as he looked upon my husband, “you were protected last night because of my family’s respect for the Lokoti Werewolves. However my family has not had the best experience with your breed before. I cannot vouch for your safety should you return to our territory again, with or without the company of your wife.”

The clerk was referring to Declan being a European Werewolf. The clerk didn’t seem so nice now and I saw that by suggesting the car rental company it was because he wasn’t trying to help us, he was trying to get rid of us. I recalled the sight of the two Asian Werewolves standing outside of our hotel window, watching. Now I saw it wasn’t because they didn’t trust me, it was because they didn’t trust Declan.

I opened my mouth to protest my husband’s innocence when he stopped me.

“Come on B.” He gently pulled me backwards.

My mate walked me to the door of the hotel as well as held it open for me. As he followed me out, he threw the clerk a parting glare.

*****

Declan was quiet for the remainder of the morning. We walked to the car rental company where he took charge of organizing the vehicle. I made a call to my PA at Hodge Endeavor to arrange for us instead of starting the tour in Wuwei, we would join it in Yushu.

Once we were zooming down the highway in our plasma-engine car, I noticed Declan’s moody expression as he glared over the wheel.

I placed a comforting hand on his lap; “look, it wasn’t anything against you personally. They like us, have had a bad experience with European Werewolves before.”

He spat out, “in the beginning the Lokoti Werewolves didn’t trust me so they married you to Grant. Then my own kind tried to leave me for dead and steal you. My breed must be the most hated of all the Werewolves out there!”

I squeezed his leg supportively, “but you solved that problem; you became the last of your kind when you killed Marcus and Michelle then Gran and Grandfather took out Leo.”

However this didn’t make Declan feel better which I saw when his frown deepened.

“Yeah well, according to that clerk back there, I’m one too many.”

My chest hurt as I felt his embarrassment and pain of rejection. I didn’t know what else I could say to make him feel better, so I stared out the windscreen.

“I love you Declan, always and forever.” I breathed.

My husband overheard with his sensitive ears and next he raised my hand to his lips to kiss it several times before he threw me a wink.

*****

Driving to Yushu took a lot longer than we expected. We ended up driving all day and as the sun set, Declan was still behind the wheel. We had stopped though for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea but according to the road signs, we were still 53 km’s away.

“Get out the map would ya, B?” He said impatiently. “See if there’s a short cut or somethin’.”

I turned on the GPS in the centre of the dash board and began to fiddle around with it.

“From our current position, which is the fastest route to Yushu?” I issued the verbal command.

The female voice of the car’s computer replied, “the current highway you are on is the main route to Yushu.”

Declan growled impatiently, “but is there a short cut?”

I didn’t know if he was asking me or the computer then, however the computer answered; “there is another route which will reduce the journey by 13 km’s but it is not the main road.”

“Who cares!” My European Werewolf mate barked. “Where is this other route?”

The GPS began to issue the directions and Declan turned off the highway and onto several smaller streets. I felt nervous about the idea of leaving the main route because we at least had the safety of other vehicles and the bright street lights. But this small road in the country was dark and poorly kept with many potholes and I didn’t see any other cars.

“Declan,” I began, “maybe we should turn back onto the highway?”

“Why?” He gave a funny look. I glanced away troubled as I huddled on the seat. He looked on in concern, “are you OK, B?”

“I’m just cold.” I came up as my excuse. My mate switched on the heater and aimed all of the air vents my way. “Thanks,” I said flatly.

We drove onwards through the inky darkness with the only light coming from our headlights or the computerized features on the dash board.

“Turn right after fifty meters.” The GPS directed.

My husband obeyed and we turned down an even smaller road which was only one lane wide and constructed of dirt. We’re driving down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country at night? It’s the frickin’ 23rd Century! All roads were meant to be sealed now, even the roads about our tribal lands were and they were in the middle of nowhere.

“Declan,” I began, “I don’t like this.”

My husband looked away from the road in my direction for a moment or two.

“Why, are you getting one of your warning feelings, B?”

But before I could answer, suddenly we were jolted forwards as if we ran over something and our tires blew out!

BAM! BANG!

“What the hell?!” Declan slammed on the breaks as our car skidded to a halt. Then he quickly put his hand on my leg, “are you OK?”

I blinked and although the shock had almost petrified me into a statue, I managed back a nod.

My mate was the first to undo his seat belt and hop out to survey the damage. I watched him walk around the car to the rear and then I heard him growl out expletives as he kicked at something on the road. I undid my seat belt to climb out and see what he was looking at.

In the red glow of our tail lights, I saw what looked to be a fence post lying in the middle of the road with several large nails sticking out of it. Declan walked back over to the driver’s seat and I watched him lean towards the GPS and press the green ‘assist’ button. Next, the screen started to flash a green colour, indicating that a signal had been sent to the satellite relay system so a repair vehicle would be dispatched to our location. If Declan had hit the red ‘emergency’ button we would have the Police come and find us instead.

“OK, a repair truck should be on its way.” He sighed in annoyance as he looked about. “But being in the middle of nowhere, it could be a while.”

I scowled as I looked away in frustration, I knew we should have stayed on the highway! I shivered again as the cold night air stung my bare legs since I was wearing shorts. Declan saw this so he came back over to lend his greater body heat by holding me close.

“We’ll wait inside the car and keep the heater on.” My husband offered.

Declan started to walk me around to the passenger’s door when he abruptly stopped. I watched him look in a particular direction and he even started to sniff, which was a worry. Oh oh, don’t tell me we have company?

“Not more Asian Werewolves?” I guessed.

“Uh huh.” His blue eyes turned glowing green so he could use his Werewolf sight to see better in the dark. “There’s a bunch of them coming this way.”

Just then the dread which had been growing in the pit of my stomach became worse as something else occurred to me; “the fence post with the nails sticking out of it was deliberately left on the road. The Asian Werewolves who live nearby use it to stop travelers so they can eat them.”

“Great!” My mate growled as he let go to take off his clothes. “It’s just what we need; man-eaters!”

I stood back to give Declan room as he quickly stripped so when he expanded into his European Werewolf form, his clothes wouldn’t be torn to shreds. I too started to undress as I took off my jacket as well as my shoes and socks but I left on my t-shirt and shorts. My shorts would be safe as it was primarily my upper-body which bulked up and my t-shirt was made of a stretchy material.

My mate completely undressed within seconds and he tossed his clothes and shoes onto the passenger’s seat along with mine. Then he stood back from his wife and the vehicle to shape shift from his human body into his taller and wider supernatural form.

Declan’s height almost doubled as his width tripled, whilst his skin turned into a tough hide over his muscle bulk. The nails on his hands and feet grew longer, sharper and pointier. I heard the soft cracking noises his bones made as his human skull morphed into a canine’s head with a short, stubby snout over razor sharp jaws. In his European Werewolf body he could stand and walk upright but when he ran, it was on all-fours.

I underwent a change of my own, as I felt my muscles bulk up and my nails grow longer and sharper on my hands and feet. I felt my teeth turn elongated and sharp, which jutted past my lips. The surrounding night lit up as if it were day, thanks to my Werewolf eyes as my dark blue colour turned glowing turquoise.

Although we were fairly sure the Asian Werewolves wouldn’t try to eat us, we didn’t trust man-eaters as they were dangerous. With my night vision, I saw them come out from between the dark trees and bushes.

At first they looked like ordinary wolves, except all of their eyes were glowing white with tiny black pupils in the centre. They all appeared alike; thin builds with silvery grey fur. I picked up with my acute hearing, the sniffing noises they made as they tracked our scent. I counted ten of them appear from the night as they fanned out to surround us.

My European Werewolf mate emitted a dangerously low growl to warn them off. He soon sniffed out who the leader was as he stood on his hind legs to tower over his foe. He moved to stand in front of me with his larger size to show the head Asian Werewolf that I was his mate and therefore under his protection. The snarling in return from his henchmen or hench-wolves I should say, didn’t seem to appreciate this.

Oh oh, don’t tell me they’re attracted to my Lokoti Werewolf pheromones too? Frickin’ hell, Declan was right; he really CAN’T take me anywhere! My husband roared loudly at the Asian Werewolves to back off, but instead of moving away they began to circle.

Just then one of the Asian Werewolves tried to snap at my arm but Declan in lightening fast speed, swatted the creature and sent him flying through the air!

The Asian Werewolf landed over twenty meters away thanks to my mate’s greater strength. It whined in pain when it hit the ground however it was quick to return to its four feet and rejoin its pack. They kept circling whilst snarling or sniffing, as if they were trying to smell a weakness in our defenses.

The European Werewolf remained upright on his hind legs as he gently pushed me against the car with himself in front, to act as my shield.

“Maybe we should instantaneously phase out of here?” I asked in my deep, rumbling Werewolf voice.

But my husband shook his large canine head to say ‘no’ whilst his glowing green eyes never left his foe.

The Circulator in me wanted to instantaneously phase the both of us to Alaska, however my Lokoti Werewolf instincts stayed this thought. They warned that the Asian Werewolves wanted to kill Declan and kidnap me, to try to force me to become their concubine or some nonsense. I sensed if we did take flight the Asian Werewolves would pursue, thinking that they were the dominant because we ran away.

I remember reading in the SSIT Report that Asian Werewolves were the best trackers of all the breeds. If they pursued, Declan and I would have to relocate to a different time period to throw them off our scent! If we did instantaneously phase back to Alaska and they came after us, it could put the humans of the tribe at stake, and that was something that my overprotective Lokoti Werewolf instinct was not prepared to do. It was best to fight it out, here and now to declare our dominance. Besides, looking on my mate’s huge, hulking, hairless European Werewolf body, actually made me think that we were dealing with a stupid bunch of males anyway. No matter how much they wanted to use me to try to breed, they were going to go up against Declan looking like that…?

My mate may have been bigger and stronger but unfortunately Asian Werewolves were faster. They started to run around in a circle, faster and faster that they began to look like a silvery blur! As they ran, I noticed that they were beginning to move closer. Declan growled fiercely and swung out his strong claw, but he missed… and then it was on!

Three Asian Werewolves leapt on the European Werewolf in lightening fast speed and the one in the middle went right for his throat! Before I could come to my mate’s aid, another two leapt on top of the car and grabbed me from behind to pull me away. They thought by separating us, it would weaken us.

My mate swatted off two of his attackers with his greater strength. Then he lifted up the Asian Werewolf that was trying to rip out his throat and he looked like he was about to snap the creature’s back! But before he could, another five leapt upon him!

“Declan!” I roared out in my thunderous changed voice at the sight of the five Asian Werewolves all biting into and clawing at him!

With my light speed moves as a Circulator, I managed to whip myself out of the two Werewolves jaws. Next, I turned around and used my Lokoti Werewolf strength to belt them both so hard, they flew ten meters away! Then I grabbed onto two of the Asian Werewolves who were on my husband’s large back. I pried apart their jaws with my greater strength, to force them to release him. Lastly, I too belted these two Asian Werewolves away.

They rolled away on the ground, but were quick to leap back to their feet. By trying to use their faster moves to leap on top, they still hadn’t cottoned on that I was not only a Lokoti Werewolf, but I was a Circulator too. Moving in the speed of light with my self-defense moves, I ducked from one then I caught and flipped to the ground the other.

I continued to fight this way, with my speed as a Circulator and my Lokoti Werewolf strength. The more I threw to the ground, or aside, or belted them away, the weakened they became even if they did continue their attack.

I was fighting four Asian Werewolves and Declan was fighting off six. I saw two of his enemy fly into a tree from one of his wallops! They collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely thanks to his larger claws. My mate and I fought side by side, as our enemy began to falter.

I whipped one foe across the snout with my claw-like nails, cracking open its jaw as it yelped in pain. Three down and seven to go… When one tried to go for my throat, Declan caught it in mid-air as he roared in fury! He lifted up his wife’s attacker into the air above and this time he did snap its’ back! The Asian Werewolf dropped to the ground like a sack and didn’t get up again. Four down and six to go…

Next, I pulled off one of the Werewolves which were trying to bite into the back of my mate’s bulky neck. I delivered several punches into its rib cage with my supernatural strength, before I flung it into the air and it landed fifteen meters away. It too didn’t get up again. Five down and five to go…or so I thought.

As soon as the Asian Werewolves discovered half of their pack had fallen from fighting, they began to back off.

They released their sharp jaws from the European Werewolf’s hardened hide, to slowly back away. Declan continued to growl threateningly, as he stood tall on his hind legs with his front claws ready. His glowing green eyes with the black slits for pupils, didn’t leave our retreating enemy.

We watched the five remaining members of the pack, pick up their wounded and sling them across their backs. After throwing us a parting growl, they slunk off defeated into the night. But Declan and I didn’t move, not for the first couple of minutes anyway.

We stood with our sharp claws and teeth ready, as we listened to the Asian Werewolves paw-steps fade away into darkness. Their scent gradually grew fainter the further away they went. After five minutes of sniffing the air continuously and watching the surrounding landscape incase they made a reappearance; I deemed it safe again and I looked away.

I gazed upon my enlarged mate, standing tall on his hind legs. I saw the multiple bite marks in his hide were bleeding. They weren’t deep because of his bulky muscle and the Asian Werewolves couldn’t dig their teeth in, but still I hated to see him hurt.

My Lokoti Werewolf instinct guided me on what to do; I placed my mouth over one of his wounds and ran my tongue over it, to use my saliva to speed up his regeneration process. Declan whined softly not in pain, but in affection as he remained still and allowed me to treat several of the worst bite marks on his upper body. When I stood back, I saw that he was no longer bleeding and new skin was there instead.

Next, my husband growled softly and I think he was ordering me to stand still. He put his heavy front claws on my shoulders before he too ducked his head. I closed my eyes and accidentally giggled because his large, hot tongue tickled. The sensation became so distracting, it accidentally made me revert back to human form which was too soon. There was still a long claw mark going down my back.

“Oow! Frickin’ hell!” I swore in pain.

Suddenly my injuries felt a lot worse in my weaker body. Declan rolled his glowing green eyes and shook his head as if to say, ‘well that was a smart thing to do, change while you’re still wounded’. Then he turned me around to begin to lick at the deep scratches in my back. His saliva thankfully turned the stinging wound numb, as it began to heal.

After my husband had seen to his wife’s injuries, he began to shrink as he too reverted to his human form. As soon as the reversal was complete, we hugged and kissed each other in relief.

“Are you OK?” We accidentally asked each other at the same time.

“I’m OK.” I nodded.

Declan held me closely as he warily looked into the night, “that was too easy.”

I said incredulous, “what do you mean, THAT was too easy?”

“They backed off too soon.” He frowned. “I don’t think that was all of them, I think they’ve gone for reinforcements.”

My eyes widened in alarm. I sensed he was right since he’s been proven correct before about other supernatural beings. He was right about the European Vampires, just as he was right about the European Werewolves. I guess being a predator, he recognized dangerous behavior in others like us.

“I’m going home to get my sword.” I announced.

“No, wait!” He grabbed hold again before I instantaneously phased away. Then my husband surprised me by what he next said, “I want you to go to Alaska but I want you to stay there until I call you.”

“Huh?” I said puzzled.

“I want you to go back to Alaska and stay there.” He repeated. “I’ll be fine, I have to do this alone.”

“What the…?!” I looked on as if he had lost his marbles.

“B, this isn’t up for debate!” He barked out. “I need to fight them alone, do you understand me?”

“No!”

Declan took a deep breath as he tried to put it another way, “the Asian Werewolves who attacked us, I think they’re the Hsin clan we were warned about. Somehow they got wind of us and they’ve come for you.”

“But why me? I can’t frickin’ breed for them!” I cried indignantly.

“You know that and I know that, but because of your pheromones THEY don’t know that. They think you’re fertile because of how you smell.”

I tried to pull away as my objection, but Declan held me firmly by the shoulders as he looked on demandingly.

“Now listen to me, B…” he said seriously, “…I have to declare my dominance. I have to fight them for you because if I don’t, they’re liable to track us back to Alaska and that would put the tribe at risk.”

“I know that Dec which is why I’m gonna fight with you -” I tried but he interrupted.

“No you can’t! What Leo and Marcus told me about the Asian Werewolves? It was mostly a lie but a small part of it’s true. Sure, there’s more than one female left but they are small in number. The Hsin clan don’t appear to have any which is why they’re so interested in you. Females of any breed of Werewolf including the Asian kind, are becoming rare in this world. Think about it B, why were Hsu’s family afraid of letting their women near the Hsin clan?”

I pushed his hands off, “how the hell do you know THAT much?!”

“Because I can smell it!” He snapped. “I can’t explain it B, but I can smell it just as I can sense it. My instincts are telling me since the Third World War, not many female Werewolves are created which is why they’re so rare. The other breed’s females are dying out from old age with hardly any new ones created. I don’t know why exactly, maybe it’s because of the underlying effects of the fallout? Humans may have been able to cure the radiation sickness in the natural world, but what about the supernatural world?”

“But -” I tried to interject but Declan interrupted again.

“You’re unique, B.” He cupped my face in his larger hands. “You’re the first and only female in the pack of Lokoti Werewolves. With your pheromones, you’re like a winning lottery ticket blowing down a street in the Depression era.”

I believed him but my stubborn Lokoti Werewolf protective instinct refused to abandon my mate in a time of danger. “Then I’ll fight with you.”

“No.” He released his hold.

“No? What do you mean, no?”

“I’d fight better without you by my side.” Declan said to my surprise.

“What?!” I cried out, offended.

“B, when I fought those Asian Werewolves just then? I was holding myself back.”

“You were holding yourself back?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you mean you were holding yourself back?” I put my hands on my hips demandingly.

My husband said guilty, “I’ve always been holding myself back around you and the other Lokoti Werewolves, B. I’ve been doing it ever since I was 5 years old and I first realized I was a different to the rest of the pack.”

My eyes widened as this new truth began to dawn, “you mean even on a hunt you hold yourself back?”

“Of course I hold myself back!” He said incredulous. “You think that by hunting one or two animals a month it placates my bloodlust?!”

“Well…” I faltered.

“Remember when Derik died?” He brought up the memory of his little brother passing away from old age. “Do you remember when I came back from a spontaneous hunt and you smelled the blood of at least ten different animals on me? I almost lost control over the bloodlust. But that’s what it’s like for me, B. Always. I’m insatiable! I want to hunt human and since I can’t eat them, then I eat animal. My bloodlust would happily eat something supernatural instead, like these Asian Werewolves… which is why I was told never to return because Hsu’s clan can smell it.”

My heart raced with anxiety as I almost felt afraid of him. I swallowed hard, “does that mean that – that you want to – to eat me too?”

“NO!” he was quick to pull me close to squeeze against him. Declan gently banged his forehead into mine as he inhaled deeply. “You’re part of every fibre of my being and my bloodlust knows this. You’re more part of me than Derik’s progeny is. As I said once, if anything ever happened to you? Then I’d be the first European Werewolf to die of a broken heart than to have it pierced by silver.”

I turned quiet as his words reassured and so did his body language. We both momentarily closed our eyes as we enjoyed the feel of our hot, strong bodies pressed together. I felt his fingers dig into my waist possessively.

“Which is why I’m asking this of you now,” his eyes met mine again, “return to Alaska and I’ll fight the Asian Werewolves and I won’t hold back. And I’ll win because of this.”

The picture of my husband going on an insane, murdering rampage as he indulged his supernatural hunger for one night to embark on a vengeful feeding frenzy, ran through my mind. It was like, ‘sniff at my wife like that and you’ll pay.’ The bloodlust in his breed was far more primitive than I gave it credit for.

Just then his head snapped around as his human blue eyes turned glowing green once more. I heard it too, the approach of more predators heading in our direction.

“Please B,” he looked on pleadingly with his glowing green eyes, “not only do I want you out of harms way, but I don’t want you to see what I do tonight.”

My heart pounded as I was touched by my husband’s honesty. But the Lokoti Werewolf inside blindly refused to leave my mate in a time of danger.

“I have a confession too…” I laughed weakly, “…I’ve been holding out on you as well. With my speed and strength – albeit it’s not as great as yours – there’s nothing that I can’t fight. This is why I’m coming back for you after I’ve done this.”

Then I surprised him when abruptly I disappeared in a bright flash of light! I instantaneously phased from the middle of the Chinese countryside, into my bedroom inside of my house in Alaska.

I rushed over to my wardrobe where upon I threw open the doors. I went straight for my Katana, which was hidden behind a long, black, woolen overcoat. I pulled the polished, silver sword from its sheath before I instantaneously phased back to China.

By the time I re-appeared beside Declan in another bright flash of light, he had expanded back into his huge, hulking, hairless European Werewolf form. It was just in time too, as twenty Asian Werewolves closed in on our position.

I changed into my stronger Lokoti Werewolf body before I growled at my mate, “I won’t hold back if you don’t. Stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours.”

I think I caught him smirk with his jaws full or razor sharp teeth, before he turned towards our attackers. But this time Declan didn’t wait for the larger group of Asian Werewolves to make their first move… he made his.

On all-fours, the European Werewolf barreled his way into the circle of smaller and weaker creatures! His hungry roars almost deafened. I didn’t have time to stand back and feel horrified by the view of my mate not just fighting, but EATING his way through our enemy. Ten of our attackers engaged him as I fought off the other ten.

An Asian Werewolf tried to use its supernatural speed to leap onto my arm which was holding the sword. But by using my time manipulation as a Circulator, I saw him come towards me in slow motion. This enabled me to move my arm away as I next spun around. Then using my Lokoti Werewolf strength, I didn’t just slice my sword through the Asian Werewolf…I cut him in half.

Two bloodied halves which once belonged to a whole, landed in the dirt. The remaining nine paused in their attack, long enough to see a member of their pack fall to the ground in pieces.

Just then my attackers and I were momentarily distracted from the blood-curdling whines, yelps and squealing. It was coming from the faltering seven who were fighting my mate. I saw three Asian Werewolves were already dead on the ground with either their heads, throats or their chests eaten out, thanks to his larger jaws.

The Asian Werewolves may have been faster than the European Werewolf, but their speed was showing no effect with his greater strength and size. Watching Declan let loose his bloodlust, was like watching a Great White Shark be unleashed into an Olympic sized pool during a swimming event. The victims saw their attacker coming but other than trying to escape, there was little they could do. However they didn’t try to run, instead the Asian Werewolves fought on to claim their dominance over the strangers on their territory.

The remaining nine I was dealing with, returned their attention my way which made me hold up my sword higher.

One tried to leap onto my right side as another attempted to jump my left. But in the speed of light, I was able to duck backwards. I continued to fight as such, which made my movements look like a series of bright flashes with me suddenly changing positions. Whilst moving around, I swung my sword with my supernatural strength. Another two Asian Werewolves fell to the ground, either missing a head or the bottom half of their body. Their flesh which had come into contact with the silver, looked singed with small wisps of red smoke, snaking into the air.

After I polished off my fourth attacker, I slowed down to real time when I realized the other six were now absent. I looked over at Declan who was mangling his seventh enemy – slash – meal, where I saw my six were battling alongside his remaining three.

My mate almost paused with his mouthful when I appeared beside him in another bright flash of light. I swung around my sword and chopped the head off one of his opponents! He dropped his half-eaten meal and together we faced off the remaining eight.

It was here we saw the Asian Werewolves begin to back away. For a second time this evening, the enemy retreated due to the loss of numbers. But this time I didn’t buy it. Who’s to say that they’re not going to come back AGAIN?

When one of the pack stopped to pick up its dead, it yelped in fright when Declan charged at it! The supernatural creature bolted away and only just escaped by its’ greater speed. Once more, we were left standing alone on the road, with our broken down car, panting with our bloodlust ignited.

Asian Werewolf blood dripped from my sword as the same blood covered the European Werewolf’s jaws. I sensed Declan was battling to retain his control on the bloodlust, which made me stand a safe distance. I wasn’t afraid of him turning on me, but I was wary of being knocked aside as soon as our enemy resurfaced. After five minutes of standing there, I realized that my mate wasn’t trying to calm himself; instead he was waiting for them to come back. I even caught his stomach rumble.

Frickin’ hell, was this fight going to go on ALL night? How many Asian Werewolves were there in this part of China anyways?! I just had to ask that, because I soon got my answer… Through the darkness, I saw with my glowing turquoise eyes the arrival of thirty more male Asian Werewolves.

What is this, tit-for-tat? At first we beat off ten, then we fought twenty and now they’re coming back with thirty…? Where the hell are they all coming from?!

Then my sense of smell detected some slight differences about these new Asian Werewolves - that they didn’t all smell alike. I realized we were dealing with more than one clan here. But they didn’t smell like Hsu’s clan, which was one small relief. If they had, then we’d have thought that this whole thing had been a set up.

Declan roared threateningly at the new arrivals, who looked on with their glowing white eyes and tiny black pupils. Next, they started to spread out to encircle us again. Maybe that’s their plan; to keep fighting with their greater speed and numbers until they’ve exhausted us?

This made me remember something in the SSIT Report on our foe; There are stories of human victims being unable to escape a vendetta placed against them by an Asian Werewolf, even if the human moved to the other side of the world.

Has my status as one of the few remaining female Werewolves left, become the males’ vendetta? Not to kill but to capture?

*Yes little wolf* I heard the familiar deep, rumbling inside my being. This voice often seemed to pop up when I was fighting for my life. *There is a reason why you as the first female Lokoti Werewolf are unable to breed*

Unable to breed… unable to conceive… unable to bear children…that’s it!

Next, I whipped out my mobile phone from my pocket with my claw-like hand. I opened it and quickly spoke to the small computer; “access translation program. Translate from English to Mandarin the words: I am barren. If you’re good trackers then track this, can’t you smell my womb has never been used? Don’t you wonder why?”

“Processing your request.” My computerized phone responded and within a second the words appeared on the lit-up screen.

Declan overheard what I was doing which made him snarl unhappily. He was angry about what I was about to do and he roared furiously at the Asian Werewolves for making me do it.

I called out the message in Mandarin in my thunderous Werewolf voice. I hope I got the pronunciation right and I wasn’t telling them instead I wanted to become pregnant? But whatever I said was met with silence…

The Asian Werewolves stood still as they looked on, with their glowing white eyes. Standing here in the dark countryside which had turned so quiet, I held my breath in fear I might miss something. The only thing which was audible in the night air was the sound of the Asian Werewolves sniffing; they were sniffing me.

Declan flexed his two front claws, waiting for them to come closer. However one of the Asian Werewolves whom looked slightly bigger than the others, turned away. Casually, it trotted away into the night and next the others turned to follow the one who must have been the leader.

They all slipped quietly into the darkness as their glowing white eyes and silvery-grey fur disappeared from sight. This time my all-knowing feelings as a Circulator, said that it was for the last. After a minute, I reverted to my human body whilst lowering my sword.

“That’s it.” I said. “They’re not coming back.”

I walked over to our rental car and opened the boot to put my sword inside. Whilst I had access, I opened up my backpack to take out a towel and a bottle of water. Next, I opened the passenger’s side door and sat down on the seat to put my shoes and socks on again. Lastly, I pulled on my zip-up sweater over my torn t-shirt.

When I stood up again, I noticed that Declan hadn’t moved. He was still standing in front of the car and his huge, hulking, hairless form looked intimidating in the headlights. He was growling hungrily at the night, like he was hoping that the Asian Werewolves would return. This disturbed me, as I didn’t want my mate to be known in the supernatural world as a cannibal.

I approached him with the towel which I began to dampen with my bottle of water. I held out the wet material, “here.” My husband turned his beastly head my way, as his glowing green eyes narrowed. I said casually to hide my knotting stomach, “to wash the blood off.”

Declan shrunk back into his naked human body, to use his hands to take the towel and he began to wipe himself clean.

As I walked a little away, I looked about at the sliced open or half-eaten bodies of the Asian Werewolves which were lying around.

To my surprise, they simply looked like a bunch of dead wolves on the ground. They didn’t revert to their human bodies when they died, like the other breeds did. Oh well, at least we wouldn’t have to explain the carcasses of dead humans to the mechanic, when they show up in their repair vehicle.

My mate walked past as he went over to the car for his clothes. He didn’t look my way nor did he speak, as he dressed. Then he moved to sit inside the vehicle to use the rear-view mirror to check his mouth and face and make sure that he had removed all traces of blood.

I sensed he was angry about something, actually he was infuriated about it! So much so, it kept his bloodlust burning inside. What was he angry about? Was he pissed off that he didn’t get to eat the other thirty Asian Werewolves? I watched him through the windscreen, as he wiped off the last of the blood on his hands and especially around his nails. I sensed he was deliberately not looking in my direction.

Oh, was he angry with me? Why? What did I do? I just removed a vendetta against us by a breed of Werewolf which was known to never give up!

Next, he shut the car door as he sat back into the driver’s seat. He switched off the internal light and I watched him close his eyes and take several deep breaths to calm himself. Warily, I walked over to the passenger’s door to climb in. Once I was seated, I shut the door again to keep out the cold night air.

The silence in the car was palpable as Declan opened his eyes to stare angrily out the windscreen. The road before us was littered with our fallen enemy, whose silvery-grey coats almost shined in the car’s headlights. I caught him growl again under his breath, as he looked on the carcasses. After two minutes, I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“OK Declan, what is it?” I looked on demandingly.

Silence… He kept his lips pursed together whilst sitting in a tense manner as he refused to look my way.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, annoyed. “Are you angry that I interrupted your feeding frenzy? Well guess what, I don’t know how many of them there were, but we were fighting more than one clan tonight. If we had beaten that thirty then they would have come back with forty, then fifty and maybe even sixty as they pulled in the other clans. We were becoming a vendetta to these people and they DON’T give up!”

“Don’t you think that I KNOW all of this, B?!” He shouted, which made me look on in surprise. “Don’t you frickin’ get it? I was fighting for YOU tonight! I was fighting for my mate! I was fighting for your honor!”

My stomach sank as I stared at my husband in shock. He was truly upset that I had put a stop to his ‘defending’. I thought his primitive bloodlust was so behind the times, it didn’t appreciate that his female stopped their attackers rather than him.

Then I caught him glance my way in disgust before he vehemently bit out, “if a male, human or other, yelled out what you said about yourself tonight? I would have shoved my claw down his throat and ripped out his still-beating heart! You shouted out to your possible rapists that they shouldn’t want you because you’re barren like you were some common…”

But he stopped himself here as he looked away whilst blinking hard.

Like I was a common what…? A common prostitute? Hang on, prostitutes aren’t barren, or not that I’d heard anyways. Why, was it a common trait for women who couldn’t have children, to become prostitutes? Maybe I’ve been hidden away in my nice, little, safe world on tribal lands for too long…

“Like a common prostitute?” I bit out. “You think I yelled out that I was barren like I was a common prostitute or something? Why do you think prostitutes are barren?”

Before I gave him the chance to answer, I swung open my door and hopped out. I slammed it shut and walked around to the back of the car. I popped open the boot so I could pull out my backpack and sword. Then I slammed the boot closed, slung the backpack over my shoulder and carried the sword in my left hand.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?!” Declan was quick to jump out.

“Excuse me, I think there’s a barren prostitute’s convention in Las Vegas that I’m due to make an appearance at.” I said coolly.

I had to blink fast to try to hide my watering eyes, coupled with the sensation of my heart splitting into two.

“Don’t be stupid B -”

But I didn’t give him the chance to finish his sentence, when I instantaneously phased home to Alaska.

Abruptly, I disappeared in a flash of light before I reappeared in another, inside my bedroom for a second time that night.

I dropped my backpack onto our queen-sized bed then I carried my sword over to its sheath which was lying on the floor. Once it was encased, I returned the two together to my wardrobe. The master bedroom was dark, but the familiar smells were welcoming.

Our two-bedroom home was a small, two-story, dark brown painted, wooden house with a stone chimney and a front veranda. We had a European style garden with a gravel driveway and a separate garage. Inside the house, our furniture was predominantly constructed of pine in country style, except for our sleigh bed or the red, over-stuffed, suede couches in the living room.

I was so angry that I noticed my hands were shaking. But to get my mind off things, I turned on my bedside lamp and then the Internet Radio feature in Declan’s digital clock. I blasted my ears with loud music whilst I unpacked. I selected Alanis Morisette to play, before I separated my clothes into the clean and dirty. I put away the clean clothes but the dirty clothes I dropped into my laundry basket. Lastly, I picked up the laundry basket to take down to the laundry, when my mobile phone started to ring.

I carried the basket on one arm as I fished my phone out of my pocket with my other. Declan’s name appeared on my screen and in a temper, I switched it off and slammed it down on top of the tallboy! It almost broke but I continued on with what was doing.

He can go to hell… or remain in China alone for all I care. I didn’t even mind that we’d be apart for longer than twelve hours. It’s not like I was leaving him in danger. I had seen to his safety, which was what really pissed me off about his behavior tonight.

Declan’s always shaking his head whilst telling me that I behave too much like a ‘Light Person’. When I thought I heard the voice of the Lokoti Wolf, my people’s spirit guide, talk through me again tonight? I thought that was what I did do, by behaving like a Lokoti Werewolf to ensure my mate’s safety. I didn’t care if a foreign breed now knew that I couldn’t have kids! It certainly wasn’t a secret around here.

I saw the quiet pity in my tribe’s eyes whenever they looked my way. But that was nothing to what I heard instead. Once with my supernatural hearing, I picked up whilst shopping in the supermarket in Alma, two women whisper behind my back. They weren’t Lokoti but they were used to seeing me around.

“She’s definitely had work done, how else does she stay looking like that?” Bitch One hissed.

“She may be pretty but I heard from Shana that she can’t have kids. I guess looks aren’t everything after all.” Bitch Two gloated.

Afterwards I refused to go grocery shopping off tribal lands for twelve months, although I didn’t tell Declan why. Usually I enjoyed the experience of visiting the supermarket in Alma. The huge shelves and the wide range of choice they offered, seemed like a special treat to one who has memories of when food was a precious commodity after the War. My husband knew this, which is why he couldn’t understand when I either refused to shop with him or I started ordering our groceries online, to be delivered instead.

I sensed that the Asian Werewolves who were low on females, wouldn’t want one who couldn’t breed for them. So what was sharing this fact with a bunch of sniffing strangers, for the safety of my mate and tribe? And Declan has the gall to act like HE was the one who was insulted tonight…? Screw that for a joke!

*****