Sharkbait Ch. 01-05

School of Environmental Studies (Zoo School)

Apple Valley, Minnesota

February 14^th, 2033

I closed my locker, ignoring the streamers and decorations my friends had put on the outside for my eighteenth birthday. I was now eighteen, and I was no longer able to use my youth to escape destiny.

I had barely turned around before Amy had her arm around me. "Ready to go? We've to a lot to do before the party."

Amy Miller was three months older than me, and the second of three children from Beta Susan. Her older sister, Siena, had met her mate at the Scratch 'n Sniff two years ago and was now living with her Beta Heir mate in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Her brother Luke was a sophomore at Eastview High School, not that far south of the Minnesota Zoo property, where our school sat on ten acres of land. We met after her family came to the Miesville Pack with most of the defunct Welch Pack. We had been best friends and swim buddies ever since. "It's no big deal, Amy. Besides, we have to hit the pool first."

Amy and I had spent as much time in the water as possible as we grew up, most of it in the pool at Alpha Leo's home. Our parents had suffered through early morning swim practices, day-long swim meets, school teams, and state tournaments. We both swam for Eastview since the Zoo School only had four hundred students, all juniors and seniors. We'd both wanted to attend since I was in middle school, and I'd pretty much forced our parents to move into the district so I'd have a better chance to enroll in the program. It was open to enrollment to people outside the Rosemount/Apple Valley/Eagan school district if there was room, and we couldn't take that chance.

Amy's Mom sold their house in the country and bought a big townhouse in Apple Valley shortly after the merger. My mother and stepfather, Liv and Brent, had lived with my Uncle Leo and Aunt Adrienne until I was twelve. I had two younger brothers now, Mark and Chance, who were twelve and ten. When our family outgrew the apartment above the garage at Leo's place, I'd begged them to move into the right district. We'd moved to a suburban home in Apple Valley, about a twenty-minute drive northwest. We still spent a lot of time in Miesville on weekends, spending time with our Pack friends and running in the woods in our wolf forms. If we go more than a few weeks without shifting, our wolves start acting up.

We reached Amy's Honda Accord and tossed our bags in the back. I started going through the messages I'd received for my birthday on my phone as she pulled out of the parking lot. My heart almost stopped when I read one from Ocean Ramsey, the famous shark conservationist, former model, and free-diver. "OH MY GOD," I yelled as I read it.

"Damn, Vicki, there wasn't anything wrong with my ears until THAT," she said.

I *might* have been a little loud in the enclosed space. "Ocean sent me a birthday greeting! She said that now that I'm a legal adult, I can free dive with her without her insurance people objecting!"

"That's fantastic! When?"

"I don't know yet, but whenever it is, I'm on it like a duck on a June bug! Maui over spring break? We could film some promotional videos for my project!" I'd been a fan of Ocean Ramsey ever since we found her videos on YouTube, showing her swimming with Great White Sharks. For my sixth birthday, my parents had a photo of her swimming next to Deep Blue, a 20-foot pregnant Great White, turned into a mural for my wall. On the wall by my bed was a signed poster from when I first met her in San Diego at age eight. She'd taken an interest in the little blonde girl who loved sharks, and we'd kept in touch ever since. "Do you want to go with?"

"Sure, if I can, but I'm not swimming with THOSE things. Sharks are your thing; I prefer dolphins. Smarter, faster, and they won't bite a chunk out of your ass."

"Yet we're still friends," I teased. "You did a great job with the write-in campaign to bring them back." Dolphins had been a mainstay at the Zoo its first 35 years, but when maintenance closed the exhibit, the remaining dolphins were re-homed. The beluga whales were long gone as well, sent in 1987 to San Diego after the male of the pair developed a bad infection. Discovery Bay now had a pod of four Pacific Whiteside dolphins, thanks to the lobbying of the Legislature to fund their return in the last round of Zoo upgrades. As seniors in our last semester, we got to focus on our favorite part of the Zoo for an apprenticeship-like experience. Amy was helping train the dolphins, while I worked with the sharks. The Zoo was the only place left to see them in Minnesota after SeaLife went bankrupt following the Covid-19 shutdowns of 2020 and 2021.

We talked about our projects and homework during the short drive to Falcon Ridge Middle School, where the pool was. Since our high school season was over in the fall, we had to work out when we could. It was available for only thirty minutes between the time the pool emptied, and when the middle school team practice started. Thanks to the earlier end time of their school, we would have about four minutes to change and shower before we were losing time.

Both of us had changed into our suits under our clothes in the break before the last class, so when we hit the locker room, we just had to remove our street clothes and hit the shower. We waved to Coach Sullivan as we entered the pool area and put our gear on. Mask, snorkel, weight belt, and extra-long free diving fins went on before we slipped into the water.

As soon as the boys were out, Coach whistled at us and held up his hand. "SIX," he yelled before he tossed the diving rings into random locations in the 25-meter-long, ten-lane pool. It was our training game, one he designed to push us to swim farther and longer underwater. We had to retrieve them all before coming up for a breath.

We did our breathing exercises, calming out bodies before starting our stopwatches and slipping quietly under the water. I went left, and Amy went right. The long fins and porpoising swim motion helped me move through the water with minimal effort, conserving the oxygen in my muscles. My best time underwater was four minutes and twelve seconds; Ocean Ramsey could stay under for six and a half minutes.

I spotted the first ring and grabbed it as I caught the location of the second. The third ring took a little more searching, but I found it near the swim platforms. I caught up to Amy, who had two and was looking for the last one. It took us another thirty seconds to find it. By the time we breached the surface by Coach, we'd been underwater for nearly three minutes. Both of us hung off the edge as we breathed deeply, making up for the lost time. "Not bad, girls," our old swim coach said. "Now that you're warmed up, we'll try eight." He tossed the rings in while we continued to breathe.

We did the drills until there were only three minutes left. "Finish it strong, out and back as fast as you can," Coach said as the boys started lining up by the pool for their practice. The High School Boy's Swimming season was almost over, with Regionals on Friday and the State Tournament at the end of the month. I could feel them watching my ass as I moved like a torpedo underwater. I did a kick-turn and powered back to the other end, touching three seconds before Amy did.

"You look good as a mermaid," Josh Spencer said as he reached a hand down for me. I let him haul me out of the water, then turned aside before his hand could smack my ass. We'd been friends for years and even dated for a bit sophomore year, but it didn't work out. He wanted to screw anything that moved, and I was saving myself. We ended it amicably and were still good friends. "Happy Birthday, Sharkbait."

"Thanks, Josh." I sat on the starting block to remove my fins. "Good luck this weekend."

"I'm having a party after the meet, and I'd love to see you there."

"I can't; I have to go out of town this weekend." Coach blew his whistle, and he turned to go. "Swim fast," I told him as I packed my gear. I walked into the girl's locker room with Amy, which was empty. We put our suits in the dryer then hit the shower. "I wish we had a seriously deep pool to swim in," I said as I rinsed out my long blonde hair. "We can hold our breath as long as we want, but it's not the same as getting down thirty or forty feet."

"They aren't building pools that deep anymore," Amy said. "Fucking lawyers and insurance companies have gotten rid of high dives and platforms, and springboard doesn't need more than twelve." It sucked. "Are you excited? You could be turning in your V-card tonight!"

"Don't start with me," I said. "The party is for our Pack and a few others. I've already met all the boys coming; if there is a mate bond there, we would have sensed it, don't you think?"

"Probably," she said. "Maybe you could 'work out' with Josh if you don't find a wolfyboy who gets you all hot and bothered," she teased.

I turned the shower off and grabbed my towel. "I've come this far, and I'm not giving my body away to scratch an itch," I said.

"I don't know, that itch is awful damn fun to scratch if you find a guy with the right equipment who knows what he is doing." Amy lost her virginity at 15 at a youth camp with a pack in Wyoming. Despite a bad first experience with a 'two-pump chump,' she started dating older boys and found a few good ones along the way. Amy hooked up with dozens of humans and werewolves since, but none since before she came of age. The last thing she needed was to find her mate and have the smell of another man on her. "Maybe we'll both find our guys this weekend."

"I hope to Luna that I don't," I said. "I know what happens to girls who find their mates as soon as they came of age. Look at your sister! She just turned twenty and has a six-month-old baby and another on the way. Remember when she talked about going to college and studying architecture?" I shook my head as I dried my hair. "All her hopes and dreams, gone with a single look from her mate. No, thanks. I want to have a life of my own first."

"Siena is happy, Vicki. She loves her mate and her baby, and wouldn't change a thing." I pulled on my jeans as she dried off. "Don't ever say never. Anything can happen at a scratch 'n sniff."

"Fucking Council. For fifty years, the Summit has been the second Sunday in February. I'd miss it by ONE day, and have another year before I'd have to go. But NOOOOO! Miss Alpha Mantle has to be in the parade, so they push the meeting back a week this year!"

Amy came over and hugged me. "If we both strikeout, we'll head to the beach." The Summit was near Pensacola, Florida, this year.

"We'll go diving," I said. "I already looked, we can rent gear from a dive boat since we're both open water qualified." Both of us had been PADI Junior SCUBA qualified since we were allowed to test at age 10, and fully qualified open-water at fifteen.

"Deal." We dressed quickly and got out of there; there was a lot to do to help Adrienne prepare the Alpha house for the big party.

Ch. 2

Alpha Home, Miesville, Minnesota

"Vicki, take this over to the snack table," my Mom said from the crowded kitchen. A dozen women were furiously heating, cooking, and prepping the mountains of food needed for the party. I grabbed the large metal serving pan full of Buffalo wings and took it to the side table where the warmers were ready. I slotted it into the holder, then lit the warming flame underneath.

I took one look around before going back. The dining room was all tables stacked with food now, and more was downstairs at the kitchen down there. You could feed an army with what they were putting out! Folding chairs were everywhere, and bulky furniture moved out to make more room. Banners, streamers, and balloons were everywhere. I must have looked overwhelmed because my Dad came up and hugged me from behind. "Nervous?"

I nodded, relaxing back into Brent's chest. He'd mated my Mom when I was five, and he was my Dad in every way except by DNA. I'd always called him that, saving "father" for my bio-dad. He'd be here too, along with some of the Stillwater Pack. "It's so... MUCH. You know me, I'd have been happy with a candle and a piece of cheesecake at Wiederholt's with the family."

"Your coming of age is a big deal, Sharkbait. Your whole life could change tonight." I tensed up, and he felt it. "What's wrong?"

I just shook my head, which didn't stop him. He knew me too well. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the alcove leading up to the upstairs apartment where we first lived with Uncle Leo. He sat me on the stairs and sat next to me, his knees popping as he did so. "Ow, that sounds like it hurt," I said.

"Getting old sucks, and getting old as a construction worker sucks more." Dad had joined Volkov Construction shortly after mating Mom and had worked his way around all the trades before becoming a Site Foreman four years ago. "Now spill."

I pulled an envelope out of my pocket. "I got this in the mail today." I handed him my acceptance letter to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, to their Marine Biology program. I bit my lip as I watched him read it.

"You've worked so hard for this, Vicki. What is this now, four acceptance letters?"

I nodded. "University of Minnesota, Duke, Oregon State and now this. Amy got one too. It's where we both want to go; they have a dolphin studies program, and it's right on the Gulf of Mexico. Year-round diving."

He froze as he realized the problem. "There's no Pack that far south."

I nodded as he thought through what I'd already figured out. The University of Minnesota I could commute to from home, while Duke and OSU had friendly packs nearby. In the Tampa Bay area, we'd be on our own. "That's why Amy and I would room together." Alpha Leo would never allow me to be so exposed alone, and even with Amy along, it would be a stretch.

He looked at me as I took the letter back and put it in my pocket. I could see his face as he realized the problem. "The only way this works is if the two of you don't find your mates in the next four years," he said softly.

"It's going to be hard enough convincing the Alphas and our parents of this, Dad. Add in a hormonal, overprotective mate, and my dreams are over. There's no way I go to Florida for college if I find my mate this week. Even if I don't, if I find him in a year? I'd have to transfer to another college if he even lets me go to school. I'll end up here or at his Pack, and everything will take a backseat to him, our pups, and my stupid mantle."

Dad put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. "Finding your mate is not a bad thing, Vicki. It was one of the best moments of my life, even though she was clueless, and I had to suffer through her change for her to recognize it." Mom had been human when Dad came to Leo's and recognized her as his mate. "Your mother was in school, and she finished her degree and went on to get her Master's. It wasn't easy, but she had her family and her Pack to help her with you and the babies."

"She would have been so much better off if she'd never gotten pregnant. She struggled so much before we met you."

"She wouldn't trade what happened for anything. She got both of us out of the deal, so it was worth it." He pulled me up off the stairs and into his lap as I hugged him and laid my head on his shoulder. "You're an amazing young lady, Vicki. Smart, driven, beautiful, a natural leader. Don't be afraid of your destiny."

"What if I want to choose my destiny for myself?"

"The Goddess laughs at your attempts to tell her what to do. Trust that she has your best interest at heart, and be open to what she gives you." He looked at his watch. "You did a good job of hiding, but you better go change and get ready for the party. I'll send Amy up after you." He pushed me up to my feet again.

"Thanks, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, Sharkbait. It's going to be all right." He walked back into the dining room as I wiped the tears from my face before going upstairs. I changed into my dress and put some light makeup on, then went back down to the dining room.

"There you are," Luna Adrienne said. "Come over here." She led me to the entryway, where a long table sat along the wall. "You'll be greeting guests as Jenna takes care of the jackets. We've got plenty of room for boots on the mats. Set the presents on the table and send them inside where your parents will meet them in the living room."

"I can't mingle?"

"Not until everyone is here, or people will keep trying to find you. Let the younger ones know the downstairs is open; Beta Susan is in charge down there, and Amy said she'd 'handle the music for me.' Whatever that means." It was almost six, and the first cars were coming in the driveway. She turned to my parents. "Mike is handling the bar, and Anita is your go-to for food and drink issues. Point out the bathrooms to the visitors. Any questions?" We all shook our heads, no. "Great! It's going to fun, Vicki. All the unmated males will take a good sniff when they come in, so smile and make the best of it."

"If a stray hand grabs my ass, they might lose it," I said. Beta Mike made sure all the Pack females knew how to defend themselves, and I'd become quite good at it. It helped keep the human boys in line too.

"Just try not to break the furniture or get blood on your clothes. Happy birthday, Vicki! We're so proud of you!" I gave her a big hug before she ran back to the kitchen to supervise the last-minute preparations.

Despite my fears, the party was a big success. One hundred and sixty-two people came in before Adrienne said I needed to eat something and mingle before the cake, and none were my mate. I saw a lot of disappointed faces as they moved on in the reception line, and only once did I have to put a guy in an arm-bar when he tried to grab my breast. I ate a plate of food while talking with the adults, then grabbed a bunch of wings and ribs and headed downstairs to be with my friends. There were about twenty people near my age, and thirty or so younger kids. We took over the man cave while the younger kids and their babysitters watched a movie in the theater room.

I loved Leo's man cave. On one side was a long bar and a shuffleboard table, while the other had arcade machines and a three-by-five-by-twenty-five-foot long aquarium. Dad and Leo built it in time for my seventh birthday; it was a monster, over twenty-seven-hundred gallons. It originally had hundreds of tropical fish and four sharks, but they had grown quite a bit since then. Now, it had a stable population of about a hundred fish, including two horned sharks, one coral catshark, and an epaulette shark. I still did maintenance on the tank every weekend, but Leo got the aquarium bug too. He now had a live coral reef tank in his office upstairs, which requires daily maintenance but is beautiful.

The tables had been moved to one side of the room with the food, leaving a small dance floor at the other end. I was having a great time dancing with the guys when Alpha Leo called everyone to gather upstairs for cake.

The sheet cake was HUGE, and I gasped at the decoration. A free diver, who looked like me, was swimming over a coral reef with sharks all around me. "HAPPY 18^TH BIRTHDAY SHARKBAIT" was the title, and eighteen candles blazed away on top. Flashes popped as I stood by it. "Make a wish, Vicki," Mom said.

I took a breath and blew the candles out. After cake, those who wanted to followed the Alphas on a Pack Run. Pack members had purchased much of the surrounding land, so we had a longer run than when I was a pup. The party went until midnight downstairs, and I was exhausted by the time we left. Tomorrow was another school day, and on Friday, we would fly out for the Alpha Summit.