Sharkbait Down Under Ch. 11-20

"Is Nicholas moving to the United States with you," another asked.

I blushed. "We haven't decided. It's a unique situation because there is no Pack or Alpha in Australia yet, and Nicholas has school and family here." Nicholas smiled and reached for my hand as I continued. "Do you know how your wolves can talk to other closer family members in your minds?" The wolves nodded. "That is the family link, but it fades out with relatives that aren't close, which is why you don't have it with everyone here even though you all descend from the same person. The next kind of link is the Mate link, which Nicholas and I formed when we claimed each other by biting necks. It is the strongest and most powerful of all links; not only can you talk, but you can feel each other's emotions, even project images and memories across it with practice. The Pack Link is a broader version of the family link; once the Alpha brings you into the Pack, you can communicate mentally with any other member of the Pack who is nearby, whether related by blood or not. Having that communication allows the Pack to coordinate efforts and work together despite the numbers involved." I used my mate link to get Nicholas's permission for the next part.

Leo continued. "To demonstrate how this happens, I am going to bring these four ladies and Nicholas into the Miesville Pack. Alpha Steven has already agreed to the transfer." With that, he did the short ceremony and brought the five of us in. "Welcome to the Pack," he sent us.

"Wow," Nicholas said. He tested the link with all of us, then individually. "It's true; I can link to all five of them now instead of just Vicki."

"Do we HAVE to join a Pack?"

"No. There are pack-less wolves, and we call them rogues. Some were kicked out of Packs and not accepted into others, while others choose not to accept an Alpha. It isn't normal or healthy for a wolf to live this way; they end up going feral, and Packs have to hunt and eliminate them before humans get hurt. The stories the humans have about bloodthirsty werewolves come from such rogues. A rogue is also killed on contact if they enter Pack lands."

"That explains a few things," Ian said. "We don't do well away from our families. A few have headed into the Outback and never returned."

"The natural place for a wolf is in the Pack structure. It's how we are to live," Leo said. We talked and answered questions for another hour before Leo offered up the chance to join his Pack. Three families left, along with a few more married couples. For the rest, it was like an altar call you'd see television evangelists do; a line of people heading up, Leo laying his hand on them, and they walk away happy and crying. Not everyone chose to do it yet, but three dozen did.

I left Nicholas in the classes and went to see how Margaret was doing. She was in a swimsuit in the tub, with ice covering the top. "How is her temperature?"

"Hundred and two," Mom said. "The first wave is just starting."

I pulled Craig away to talk to him. "How are YOU doing," I asked. These events had all had to be a shock to him.

"I'm barely holding it together," he confessed. "I'm mad at Dad for dumping Mom, but then I wonder how I can be mad at him for finding his mate? I can tell how much he loves her, how his WOLF loves her while he just put up with Mom. I look at Nicholas and see how happy he is with you, and my wolf wants HIS mate too."

"There will be time for that, I promise you. We need to help your Mum pull through." She'd need something to hold onto when things got bad, and Joseph wasn't it now.

"I know." I helped him carry another Esky from the garage before going to help with lunch. They were doing burgers and chips, so I volunteered to work the grill. Leo and I alternated teaching through the day, and by the end of dinner, another ten wolves had joined the Pack. One of them was Joseph.

Not everything went smoothly. With all the wolves descended from a Beta rank, the Pack didn't have the spread of dominance you'd have in other Packs. The wolves started to jockey for position, and challenges not won with stares and intimidation turned to tooth and claw. Leo officiated many a battle as wolves found their place in the hierarchy.

Only one thought to challenge Nicholas, and others thinking about it changed their minds after his shift. Nicholas' wolf was half again as large as they were now, and dominance rolled off him in waves as he stalked towards a distant cousin. Wisely, that wolf rolled on his back and exposed his neck. With a grasp of his neck, Nicholas had won his spot in the Pack below Leo.

The girls and I had to be back in Melbourne tonight, but I couldn't leave until Margaret's fate was known. She'd made it through the fevers and was now on a blanket suffering through the bone breaks of her first shift. Her family gathered around for support as she screamed in pain with each one. "She's lasted longer than anyone I've seen before. Previous bites haven't survived the fevers," Ian said over the Pack link.

"Her wolf is there, and Leo is calling it out," I said. "That's the difference; without an Alpha, the human and the wolf fight each other until both die."

It wasn't easy, but two hours later, a small black and white wolf lay on the blanket, panting to catch her breath. Leo brought her into the Pack, and we all welcomed her while she recovered. I had Craig feed her some raw steaks he'd cut up for her as he scratched her ears.

I was happy as we drove back to town, knowing the death penalty for Fiona was off the table. I promised Margaret that I'd help her find her mate while her divorce was going through. She didn't want to stay in Melbourne; she wanted to see the world. Her mate was likely to be older, perhaps widowed, and that narrowed down the possibilities.

It had been a long day, I thought, as I fell asleep in my mate's arms.

Ch. 13

Nicholas found out pretty quick that wake-up sex just wasn't going to happen. When I woke to an alarm, I looked a mess and felt worse. I pushed his arm away, stumbling my way to the bathroom. I glanced at the dried drool on my cheek and my unruly hair before washing my face and pulling the hair into a ponytail.

I traded places with him and dressed in my running clothes. The four of us needed to keep up the cardio training, so it was an early-morning run before we had to leave for the television studio. With Fiona unavailable, Nicholas was my primary security, with Carly watching from the car. I'd keep him close, treating him like a new boyfriend for the cameras. No human would know we were more than married already.

The twins had asked about a running course, loading it into their watches before leaving. They set a good pace, and we finished the ten-kilometer run before the sun came up. I was impressed; Nicholas kept up with us, and the girls were in far better shape than at the beginning of the summer.

I ran into the shower first when we got back to our room. I'd just finished my hair when my mate opened the curtain and stepped in with me. He looked bright and chipper while I was still yawning. "We got up at four-thirty in the morning. How can you be so awake?"

"Doctors and fishermen both start their days before sunrise," he said.

"Models and television personalities don't," I said, moaning as he started massaging my shoulders from behind. "That feels so good." He continued down my back as I stretched to loosen up after the run. It wasn't just the bond telling me he wanted to go back to bed, but if we did, we'd miss breakfast.

I NEVER missed breakfast. I'd get up, eat, and go back to bed if I needed more sleep.

We got dressed and met the rest of our team downstairs for breakfast. I was heading to the Channel 7 studio for The Morning Show, a national talk show like Good Morning America in the States. Amy was going on two local news programs. The twins were staying at the hotel, calling into a half-dozen radio morning shows to hype our appearances at SeaLife Aquarium Melbourne and two surf shops.

We loaded into the limo for the short drive to the downtown studio. Along the way, Mercedes briefed me on the morning show personalities and what the topics would likely be. She had a dress in a garment bag for me and handed Nicholas a memory stick. "This is from your Brisbane appearances," she told us. "Thirty seconds of you guys on the beach and meeting fans, and a few minutes Linda did underwater on your dives. They may or may not play it depending on where they want the interview to go. They are entertainers, not hard news, so I doubt they plan to ambush you."

I changed in the dressing room before the makeup and hair people descended on me. While they worked, Lucy Stefanovic came to do some show prep. She was well-briefed on my foundation and my production company, so she asked good leading questions. "Things are pretty boring today, and the viewers will love you," she said. "In the first segment, we'll cover your television and conservation efforts, and talk briefly about shark conservation in Australia. In the second, we'd like to have some fun and play a game."

"What kind of game?"

"Don't worry; it will be fun. I'll see you out there." The first segment came about after the national news, weather, and sports. She did show the video from Brisbane in the background as we talked about my foundation, shark tracking, and the two documentaries I'd been part of. "I understand you're planning to produce content now," she said.

"That's right," I said. "I have camera operators following my group on tour for Bodyglove, and we're diving at every stop we can. It's going to be a reality show about the four of us and our adventures."

"Reality show?" Lucy looked shocked.

"Not like THOSE reality shows," I said with a laugh. "Amy is married to a Navy man, and the rest of us have serious boyfriends, so there will be no drugs, cops, or bed-hopping. Instead, we'll be letting people into our lives and dives as we travel the world."

"Lives and dives, I like that," Lucy said. "Is this young man be your boyfriend?" The producer put up a video, probably purchased from the paparazzi, of Nicholas and I boogie-boarding in Brisbane.

"He is," I said proudly. "We're working through the language barrier. He's Australian, you know."

That got her to laugh. "More with model and television personality Vicki Lawrence after the break." Once we were in commercial, Lucy laughed and patted my hand. "You're a great interview," she said. "Would you mind if your boyfriend joined us for the next segment?"

I looked over at Nicholas in the studio audience; he was all right with it, so they quickly got him a microphone as a makeup girl dusted his face to knock down the glare from his forehead. She had Nicholas sit in a chair on Lucy's opposite side, while she checked to make sure the game was ready on her computer.

The director counted in after the break, and the studio audience clapped as Lucy started up again. "We are back with American television personality Vicki Lawrence and her new Aussie boyfriend. Joining us is Nicholas Corcoran, a medical student from Port Lincoln."

"Nice to be here," Nicholas said.

"When we saw you two arrive this morning, I knew we had to have some fun, so we're going to play a game. I will give each of you five words or phrases; for Vicki, they will be in Australian slang, and for Nicholas, they will be Minnesotan. As an incentive, for each correct answer, we will donate a hundred dollars to the Sharkbait Foundation for ocean research. Sound good?"

"It's a fair dinkum game," Nicholas said. "No helping each other out, let's play fair."

"Ya sure, ya betcha," I said with a smile. We didn't talk like that in Miesville, but after Fargo came out decades ago, it was just assumed anyone from Minnesota sounded that way.

"First phrase goes to Vicki," Lucy started. "Arvo."

"Afternoon!"

"Correct. Nicholas, here's your phrase. "For Pete's sake."

He looked confused, then got a smile. "Can't believe it."

"Also correct!" She turned back to me. "Bluey."

I'd heard this in Brisbane. "A Jellyfish!"

"Correct. We also would have accepted a cattle dog or a heavy wool jacket."

"No wonder it's so confusing when you have the same word for three things! I told Nicholas I was going to buy an Aussie-English Dictionary." I laughed; this was fun.

"Back to speaking Minnesotan. Hot Dish."

Nicholas was clueless. "A frying pan?"

"Sorry," Lucy said. "A baked casserole. Vicki, have a biscuit."

"A cookie! I love my desserts," I said with a smile

"Correct! Back to Nicholas. Minnesota State Bird."

He shook his head. "A duck?"

"Sorry, that is the Mosquito, or a Loon if you're literal. Vicki, your word is Mozzie."

I had no idea. "Someone from Melbourne?" This answer got the audience laughing.

"Sorry, that is ALSO a mosquito." Crap. "Nicholas, your word is Skol."

He was thinking hard. "Someone said that at the party. Cheers?"

"Correct! Vicki, your last word is Pash."

I smiled at this one. "A kiss?"

"Correct! Last one for Nicholas. Have a bar."

He closed his eyes. "Chocolate?"

"Sorry, it means a pan cookie or brownie," Lucy said.

"This is why communication is so difficult," I said with a laugh. "I'm learning fast, though. I love Australia!"

"And Australia loves you. You also earned six hundred dollars for your Foundation; the screen is showing the information for the Sharkbait Foundation if anyone else would like to donate. Where can people meet you today?" I talked through our scheduled appearances, thanked her, and then it was off to commercial.

"That was great!" I got up and hugged Nicholas. "I can't believe you got three of five!"

"I've been doing research too," he said.

"Thank you for having us, Lucy."

"My pleasure. I'd like to interview you again if you're back in Australia again."

I looked at Nicholas and smiled. "I'm sure that will happen. No matter what, I have your contact information, and maybe we can do something when the shows are coming out featuring Australia?"

"That would be lovely."

The aquarium appearance was pretty standard, but it was fun meeting the kids and signing photos with the other girls. The two appearances were well-attended, and Mercedes was pleased. It had been a good day, and we were tired by the time we left the second store.

Our day was far from done, though. We had a conference call with Leo, Steven, and the others right after dinner, and I was hungry. We found a barbecue restaurant on the South Bank called San Anton by Bludsoe's BBQ, and it was pretty good. It served American-style barbecue with ribs and brisket, but the sauces had a unique Aussie twist to them. I was curious and spent some time talking to the owner about my second-favorite subject after sharks.

I was relaxing in my meat coma on the way back to the hotel when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number; it was in New York State. Few people had my personal phone number. "Hello?"

A woman's voice answered. "Vicki, it's Bonnie Carver. I hear congratulations are in order."

"Luna Carver?" Bonnie was the mate of Leland Carver, Chairman of the North American Council. "I'm sorry, but about what?"

"Finding your mate, of course! It was good thinking with the whole 'cut my shoulder on a rock' bit, but he's sporting a matching bite under that shirt of his if you look carefully. He's a strong and handsome young man; you're a lucky girl!"

"Thank you, ma'am." My mind was racing; thanks to all the paparazzi, hiding my mating bite didn't work as I hoped. I wasn't ready for this conversation at all.

"I was hoping to learn more about his family, but there is no Nicholas Corcoran on any of our Pack rosters. Is he a human? A rogue? Are you changing him without permission?"

Oh. Shit. "My leaders are fully aware of the circumstances, Luna. Thank you for calling, and you're right. I'm a lucky girl who cannot talk of this now because I have no privacy."

"We'll talk later, then. Leland has questions of his own."

"Goodnight, Luna." I hung up and immediately called Leo, informing him about what just happened.

I'd hoped we would have months to settle things down with the Corcoran family before the Council got involved, and I hadn't wanted to announce my mating until the Council Summit.

Poof.

There went THOSE plans.

Ch. 14

Nicholas and I hurried up to our room, where my Mom and Amy joined us for the conference call. I saw Alpha Steven and Luna Carolyn on one camera, Adrienne was on the second, and the third had Unky Leo and Ian Corcoran. "Hi everyone," I said. "Did the Council call?"

"I got a call from Chairman Carver about two minutes after I got the message from Leo," Alpha Steven said. "He said he was disappointed that he had to learn about the mating of a Mantled Alpha Heir from wolves watching social media instead of from her Alpha."

"How did you handle that?" Bosses hated looking bad when they didn't have information.

"I told them that you had requested privacy due to your unique situation. After all, you are halfway around the world in a high-profile job among humans. You barely had time to complete the mating before rushing off to your next commitment. I may have promised a party to celebrate at a later time once you return to the United States." That seemed fair. "After that, he was questioning whether you would continue in my Pack or return to Miesville. I told him you only changed because you were living with Amy and Kai's younger sisters; if you moved out on your own with your new mate, you'd likely go back to Miesville. That seemed to satisfy him for now,"

"I can live with that. Thank you, Alpha. I'm glad I left the political stuff to you." The last thing I wanted was a bunch of Werewolf Council poking around in my business. It was far too early to expose Nicholas' family to the other Packs.

"It's not going to be that easy," Leo said with a sigh. "I got a call from the Chairman next. He knows Nicholas isn't on any Pack roster with the American or European Councils. No Corcorans are active in any Pack, including in Ireland. He's not on the list of known rogues, and he wants me to find out why."

"How long can you hold him off," Adrienne said.

Leo shrugged. "A few days?"

"You may not have that long," she replied. "One phone call and I was able to find Philip Corcoran in the European Pack Archives. Someone is going to say that if he's not in the archives, maybe his father or grandfather was. It's all electronic, and if they ask the same archivist? They'll find out that I found out the answers first, and didn't say anything."

"If they start pulling strings, we are screwed," Ian said. "They don't even have to come here. They can use public records in Australia to trace our families and identify every Corcoran back to Colonial times."

"We can't allow the Council to take over down here," I said with panic in my voice. "You know what they think about humans who know our secret! They'll want them killed, or forced to complete the change!"

"The Council can have investigators and enforcers down there in a day," Adrienne said. "Hell, they might already be on the way. By the time they arrive, they'll have names and addresses of every relative to Nicholas Corcoran they can find. A rental car and a few days, and they'll know two things. One, there are a lot of humans among them, and two, most of them are in the Miesville Pack. That fact places both groups under the authority of the North American Council."

Ian looked confused. "Our ancestor hailed from Ireland, so shouldn't it be the European Pack that has authority?"

Adrienne shook her head, no. "They would like to claim credit, and if they had found the Corcorans before Sharkbait did, that would have been the case. The problem is that there was no Alpha in Australia, and the Corcorans never formed a Pack structure. Legally, the Wicklow Pack ceased to exist centuries ago."