Declan who as another breed of Werewolf, could never completely be one of us, just as I would always be different

(‘Scent’ Excerpt Chapter 11)

30^th October 2084

“Are you ready?” Grant’s glowing silver eyes felt like they burned into my soul.

“Yes.” I gulped.

“I feel that you’re ready tonight B.” He rumbled out in his thunderous voice. I looked at him expectantly when he said simply, “come.”

Then in his Werewolf form, Grant leapt from our front veranda, clear over the driveway and he disappeared into the woods in a single bound. In one leap, in my Werewolf form I joined him. He ran out in front as I ran right behind, so close I was almost treading on his heels.

We ran through the darkened woods so fast that the colours seemed to stream into each other like army camouflage of green, grey and black.

My husband streaked along, running up to 200 km/h as I deliberately hung back, not engaging my faster speed thanks to my ability as a Circulator. Although Grant’s supernatural strength was more than my match; my Circulator speed was greater than his. My instincts slowed me from overtaking him as I played out the role he were First and I were Second of our personalized pack.

Grant ducked left and instantly I ducked left. He ducked right and automatically so did I. I mirrored his movements and together we bolted through the woods as he was Yin to my Yang. I smelled his scent as clear as day as I felt his heart beat and I felt his hunger… Tonight I hunted as a Lokoti Werewolf with my mate.

TONIGHT WE HUNT ANIMAL AND NOT HUMAN – Grant willed to his Werewolf wife.

TONIGHT WE FEAST ON ANIMAL FLESH – I willed back to my husband.

My body copied exactly what my mate’s did. I ran at his pace and I panted when he panted. Hell, even my heart would beat to the same rhythm as his.

Then I sensed what he sensed, as I smelled what he smelled. I picked up that we were closing in on the pack, as they chased down a small group of moose. I smelled the scent of our prey which made my stomach rumble.

The thirteen other members of the pack all closed in on the four moose who were running for their lives. I felt exhilaration with my predator instinct delighting in their fear. I could almost taste the fresh kill!

However as my mouth watered, another instinct knew that this wasn’t the National Park’s only moose. I sensed that I wasn’t hunting a species to the point of extinction. If this had been the case, then our instincts would have steered us towards other prey.

As my mate and I left the tree coverage, we spotted the Lokoti Werewolves running up a mountain ridge behind our targets. Out in front of the pack, ran Declan in his European Werewolf form as our honorary member.

My heart skipped a beat, as it picked up in speed from seeing Declan’s large supernatural form running on all-fours. Like this, he chased down the Alpha male moose. Don’t ask me how and don’t ask me why, but although this was my first hunt with the pack; I sensed that the pack allowed him to take down fighting, the largest and the strongest. If it were moose than Declan would challenge and take down the alpha male or if it were caribou it would be the same. The pack would chase other quarry to let him combat alone. I sensed that his European Werewolf bloodlust demanded that he didn’t share his prey.

My greater speed as a Circulator engaged, thanks to the rush of exhilaration I experienced from seeing him out in hunt. I streaked past Grant as I spotted the fastest female moose. As Declan challenged the strongest male to combat, I wanted no I needed, to chase down the fastest. My bloodlust wanted to feel the satisfaction of being not only stronger but faster than my meal.

As the female moose ran out in front, I streaked past the entire pack to chase her down. The female tried to shake me as she ducked left so I did too. The female next ducked right and so did I. Next, she bolted towards more trees to try to hide but before she reached the tree line I leapt upon her.

My bloodlust boiled as my heart was pounding and all I could smell let alone breathe was the scent of my kill. I smelled her fear, her racing heart and her adrenaline rush as she tried to escape from death - from me.

I leapt into the air and landed upon her outstretched, engaging my supernatural strength to dig my claws into her tough hide. The female moose made a last-ditch attempt to bolt with all of her might…but by instinct, I knew exactly where her jugular was in her larger neck and I brought my dangerous jaws down. I felt her mangy fur against my tongue, as my elongated teeth drove through her tough pelt. I tingled all over as soon when I felt her warm blood gush into my ready mouth.

With her jugular pierced she immediately came crashing into the ground with me right on top of her. Then as her legs flailed uselessly in the air, I kept my jaws over her crucial artery which both expedited her death and made it as painless as possible.

In the corner of my eye, I caught Grant also pounce on her fallen form, indicating that he had run right behind. Then so did Grandpa, Dad and Ian and share my kill they did. Grant’s elongated teeth dove into the artery in her chest, right next to her heart. Dad also bit into another major artery. Ian and Grandpa bit into the moose’s upper legs which were still trying to kick us off. As soon as I saw my kin do this, the sooner I felt the female moose’s heart stop as she no longer inhaled air…she was dead.

The female moose who was my first kill on my first full moon hunt with the pack, was extinguished. As if guided by my predator instincts, my elongated teeth now began to pull away her pelt to reach the warm, soft flesh underneath.

This even tasted better than my Great Grandma’s roast dinners with her famous gravy! This was more fulfilling than I could have ever dreamed possible! The taste was both sweet and yet savoury, with the fresh kill both placating my hunger and my thirst. My heart raced as I felt giddy over the exquisite delight!

Frickin’ hell, this both excited as well as satisfied me in a way that I have never experienced before. This was more than pleasure, this was more than delight, this WAS fulfillment. For a brief couple of moments as my bloodlust was purged; I felt more than satisfaction but I felt almost euphoric as I addressed my yearnings.

As I feasted, I caught Grant’s silver eyes watching as he hungrily ate. Then I felt something else…I felt a rush of pleasure and appreciation in my Lokoti Werewolf husband that he got to share this with his wife. I sensed the relief that he felt for being able to share the hunt and the kill with not only another Lokoti Werewolf, but it was with his mate.

My glowing turquoise eyes met his glowing silver ones. Grant growled satisfactorily as he ripped open the chest cavity with his clawed hands. I couldn’t see Dad’s or Grandpa’s bloodied faces, as they were eating their way through the moose’s abdomen. Ian tore off a leg to eat, like it could have been a giant chicken drumstick instead.

The males feasting encouraged my own as we didn’t have to worry about table manners. I didn’t care about being ‘lady like’ as I was permitted to gorge on fresh kill. My dangerous mouth became covered in blood, just as Grant’s, Ian’s, Dad’s and Grandpa’s did.

I am Lokoti Werewolf who is mated to another Lokoti Werewolf. I AM the fifteenth member of the pack and for a coherent moment all of the basic principles of life and my existence made perfect sense. I AM a predator, just as I AM a killer. I need to hunt when the full moon piqued not only our bloodlust but our lunatic tendencies.

Luna which means the moon…lunatic which means made crazy by the moon…the light of the full moon which stirred my bloodlust and I must hunt and I must kill and I must feed. That was all there was to it, so why fight it when I could hunt with my kin; animal instead of human?

The circle of life and death; the universe expands, the universe contracts and the cycle of existence continues to renew itself. My Lokoti Werewolf instincts were part of this; able to hunt a species where numbers were not endangered so it harmonized with nature.

As I contemplated all of this, my life started to make sense because I now made sense. I am the first female Lokoti Werewolf and I am the last Circulator. I am the beginning and I am the end but I am not alone. I had my Mum, Gran and Vincent, as members of the Circulate; I had Grant and the rest of the pack to guide me as one of Earth’s dangerous predators. But in a small way I also had Declan…

He was the male whom my secret desires lay with; he was the male who secretly desired me; Declan who as another breed of Werewolf, could never completely be one of us, just as I would always be different as the first female of the pack. Declan, who after combating the strongest male moose, he ate his kill alone. The rest of the pack numbered four to six Lokoti Werewolves per prey. As the Lokoti Werewolves could hunt in a pack, his European Werewolf bloodlust demanded that he ate his conquered alone.

Declan raised himself from his already-eaten meal, thanks to his greater appetite. I felt his burning gaze as the green-eyed monster looked my way. I overheard the satisfied growl he emitted, seeing me covered in blood as I sensed inside of him a different kind of hunger build…

Just then he caught sight in the corner of his glowing green eyes, another male moose come into the clearing. It looked enraged at my feasting on one of its females. The male moose made a charge towards me, but Declan swatted the animal with his strong, sharp claw when it charged past the tree that he was standing behind.

His second kill went crashing bleeding profusely, into the ground. As Declan’s large canine head and ever-hungry jaws lowered to eat his second meal, he never looked away from my direction.

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