breaking.
“Believe it,” Caleb responded firmly. “Please understand this is necessary. As I said before, each of you women will be put under the protection of one of our male wolves and we hope eventually you will rut and raise a family of werepups together. If you don’t accept it you will still be treated kindly and fairly. But we do strongly encourage you to live as one of us.”
I glanced over at the other girls. The whole thing was so shocking it was hard to take in. Lisa was openly sobbing. Kaitlyn was fighting back tears and working hard to maintain her composure. Shelby had a glazed expression of disbelief. Beverly’s face had lost its normal haughty look and she looked like she would puke at any minute.
“Well, there is no need for further delay, let’s get started,” Caleb said. “Do not be alarmed as the men in their wolf come close to you. They are not going to hurt you. They need to smell your essence and taste you to decide if you are the best mate for them.
We all gasped. “Taste us … what?” Kaitlyn asked stunned.
“What do you mean?” Shelby demanded to know.
Caleb waved his hands dismissing our protests. “Relax, ladies. They will just lick and explore your skin. They will not bite or hurt you in any way. They do this best in their wolf. Please be clear, to keep the harmony and peace within the pack, all decisions made at this community meeting are final. Any violations of this will be subject to punishment by pack council.”
It was hard not to stare at the wolves. They were frightening, massive creatures with beefy limbs and razor-sharp fangs, yet despite the fear they evoked in me, they were also very beautiful.
Caleb rubbed the top of one of the wolf’s heads. “No, they are not going to hurt you,” he said, trying to soothe us.
But his words were of little comfort. The beasts were eyeballing us hungrily, their long, raspy tongues licking their mouths, revealing their sharp, pointed canines and incisors. Ears perked up and tails held high, Markus and Dorian advanced towards us first. The other wolves had flattened their ears and pulled their bushy tails closer to their bodies. They seemed to be hanging back; it looked as though they were letting Markus and Dorian make their selections first.
I couldn’t help but feel shock and dread at the same time. I knew that most of the beasts would probably head for Beverly, after all, she was slim and though I hated to admit it, the prettiest of us here. It didn’t hurt that her perky breasts were barely concealed by her white tank. But deep down, I hoped one of them would pick me. It was almost like I was back in grade school, hoping not to get picked last when we chose teams in gym. But I always was. I have never been athletic. And, even though some of the kids were probably even less coordinated than I, because they were skinny and I was bigger, they just looked like they could hit the ball harder or run faster. I squeezed my eyes tightly as the wolves got closer. This was just totally insane. What was I thinking? Why did I care if a wolf chose me?
“Helpppp meeee!”
Hearing a scream, I opened my eyes again. It was the frail, dark haired girl Lisa from Camp Minnehawk. She shrieked again and made a dash towards the cabin door. A burly, black and white wolf quickly darted after her. Using his powerful fangs he bit into her blue jeans. I almost expected him to bite her but with surprising tenderness he gently pulled her back to the group, dropping her lightly on her rump in front of Caleb.
Caleb gave her an icy stare. “Lisa, if you try that again,” he said gesturing towards the brawny wolf, “Michael may not be so nice with you next time. Go stand next to Shelby and Kaitlyn now ,” he said forcefully, pointing towards the two other Camp Minniehawk counselors.
“Let’s try this again,” Caleb said, motioning to the wolves and commandeering them to advance toward us.
Within seconds, Markus was at my side, licking my