Wolf's Pet Ch. 30

"Ah, I'm very sorry Doctor. You and she obviously would not be included then. And since she is in a coma, the full moon won't affect her."

"The full moon? Why would it affect someone who hasn't been turned? And affect her how?" Jeff was leaning forward, glaring at the newcomer.

"Maybe I should explain several things first. The reason I stepped down as a Council Member and took the role of Archivist was so I could safeguard the surviving Vlkolak. One of the things I did was destroy many of the historical accounts regarding the pack and the females." He saw the shocked looks on Rhys and Jószef's faces. "I know, for an Archivist that is a sin, more than a sin. But I had to do it. I couldn't let anyone know the truth."

Now all of them were leaning forward, intent on the words from this foreign Were they'd never met before today.

Carr spoke first. "And what is the truth?" He somehow had a feeling he would have to be the voice of reason in this meeting. He was the only one not directly affected by whatever Guillame had to say.

"First of all, a Vlkolak female who has found her mate but not physically joined with him will be unable to stop herself at the Wolf Moon. She would even go so far as to rape her mate if need be if he didn't acquiesce to mate with her." He stopped to let the bizarre fact sink in. He saw the stunned looks on their faces. This was unheard of. "If she hasn't felt the mating pull, then it won't affect her. She could be surrounded by males and have no interest. But if she has found her true mate, the animal instincts will kick in and she will be powerless to stop the urges. If this were any other full moon it wouldn't happen."

The unmated males exchanged glances around the room. Cole was thinking he was almost sorry Karen and he had mated so soon. The idea of her practically jumping him to mate was kind of tempting. Well, she kind of did jump him at the time.

"Think of the difference in mating instinct between dogs and cats. The female dog does nothing more than wave her scent around the male. But the female cat will call out and writhe on the ground and scream to get the attention of a potential mate. Multiply that by twenty fold and you have the Vlkolak female. The Werepanther genes are very strong in these women."

"What else have the panther genes done to them?" Alistair needed to know.

Guillame smiled at the head of the Council. He had heard much about Alistair while in Europe. His reputation was unblemished. Guillame had no doubts he would be able to trust Alistair even with his own life if need be. And if the European Council decided to take further action once they learned what he'd done he might have to.

"Mind you, I am not a geneticist, but I have consulted with your own Council Member Xylon Lukos. The panther genes have been transmitted female to female on the "X" chromosome. They apparently have to match with a Werewolf "X" chromosome in order to be active. Since the males only have one "X", it deactivates the panther genes and they cannot be passed on by his descendents. So only direct female line descendents will carry the panther characteristics."

Jeff nodded his head, remembering back to genetics classes in medical school. The rest appeared lost.

"The Werewolf/Werepanther hybrid females had a strange ability to dream the future, some more vividly than others. There was one particular line of descendents whose dreams were more like prophecy than just a dream. That line was descended from the Alpha pair's third daughter, Marika. Most only dream of positive things. Occasionally a female will be born that dreams of the negative, the dark side of the future. Those poor souls usually have committed suicide. They can't take the constant pain they see, the destruction." At that moment, his face took on a haunted visage.

He looked up and saw the males staring at him. "My mate's twin was one of those. She threw herself off a cliff when she was barely twenty years old. Just a baby. But she couldn't take it anymore! Thankfully that is rare. Much more common are those that dream of their own futures, their mates, their cubs. Some can project their dreams to others." Guillame noticed the interest in Alistair's face. "Ah, so your mate can project her dreams? I am not surprised Alistair."

Trey and Troy exchanged confused looks. "So why is it we have to mate by tomorrow?"

"The Wolf Moon has a bizarre affect on their genes. What causes it? I have no idea. Magnetism from the moon maybe? A Vlkolak female who mates for the first time under the Wolf Moon will not become a wolf when she shifts. She will become a panther."

Rhys dropped the glass of water he was bringing to his mouth. A panther?

Brett and Bryant exchanged surprised looks. What the hell was going on? They strained to listen and put their ears closer to the thick doors. They wouldn't be able to hear simple conversation, even with Were hearing, but if there was a fight they thought they could make it out. Nothing. They shrugged their shoulders and resumed their positions.

"I'm sure that was one of the reasons Gary had chosen these women. Also because of their ages, close to human menopause, they will go into heat at their first shift which will be that very night. Can you imagine if Gary had managed to have fifty women turned to panthers and bred? Any Werepanthers are more apt to have multiple births. So if he'd bred them yearly at the Wolf Moon he would have produced an army within a few years."

"I thought the cubs grew up to become killers. If so, why have Alistair and Rhys mate on that night?" Carr's head injury hadn't affected his memory.

Guillame had a smug look on his face and hesitated for just a moment. "I made that up."

"Made it up?" Rhys couldn't believe his ears. "Made it up? Then why was the pack killed?" Now Rhys was confused. If they weren't killers, why would they have exterminated them?

"The members of the Council at the time were afraid that the wolves would be over run with panthers, that our race would be wiped out. They were fearful of change, of adaptation. So they voted to exterminate them like they were vermin. I couldn't let that happen." He tried to hold back the tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

Rhys stood and put a hand on Guillame's shoulder. "That's why you smuggled them out. Why you sent your own mate away, and why you couldn't go with her."

Guillame nodded almost imperceptibly. "I couldn't take the chance that they would be found. I needed to do all I could to hide them. I knew I could trust you and the American Council Rhys. That's why I asked you to track them for me." He smiled up at the massive male standing next to him. Up until this moment he had held back so much. He'd never told anyone the entire truth. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Alistair was leaning against a wall. He was so tired. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "One last question Guillame. Why do you want Rhys and me to turn our mates into panthers?"

Guillame looked at Alistair, then at Rhys. "Because my mate told me it was meant to be. She saw it the day I sent her away. She said our seed would spread and join with the leaders of the North American packs. It would happen in the year 2012, and I would be there to see it. The future has been written. It can't be changed."