Sharkbait Down Under Ch. 11-20

"I can't help but worry," I said. "When I was five, I was living with my grandmother and my Mom. My biological father was the werewolf who got my Mom pregnant, and they didn't know what I was. Leo was the one who found me and brought me into Pack life." I snuggled back into him as I talked. "Mom was in the same situation as these wives are now. As a human, she would have to decide if she loved Brent enough to risk the coin flip of death. The attack took the choice from her, but I think she would have made it anyway. His love was that strong."

"The lucky ones in this Pack are the ones who didn't marry," Nicholas replied. "I'm glad I didn't allow myself to fall in love with a human. I'm finally seeing the wisdom of how our female wolves lived, rarely taking a mate, and only getting pregnant on random hookups they'd never see again. They are the ones who get to find their mates without entanglements, and experience what I have now."

"I've been praying for the humans in our Pack," I said. His arms on my body set my skin ablaze, and my desire for him was rising by the moment. I wanted him. "Let's go inside for a bit and have some fun," I said huskily.

"Let's shift and run as wolves," he said. "We haven't done that yet." He pulled my shirt off, setting it over a branch, then started to strip himself. A minute later, our clothes were hanging out, and we were rubbing our faces together as wolves. His wolf was slightly bigger than mine, the result of the Alpha mantle he now had. His glossy black fur was a contrast to my silver and white. "Our pups could have all kinds of interesting patterns," I thought out loud to him.

"Blacktip reef sharks?"

I chuffed at the thought, then shook my head. It wasn't the time for puppy dreaming. "I could use a good run," I told him.

Ch. 18

"We can't go off our property in the daytime, but there's a good trail away from the neighbors." He took off slowly, then as we warmed up, he accelerated to a sprint. He was in good shape, but I had no trouble pacing him. He took me down the trails, up and around the low hills and scrub, as we ran the property. I saw a creek on our right, and we followed it until it widened into a deep pool. Nicholas didn't slow as we ran side by side. "Let's swim," he said, both of us leaping into the air at the edge of the pool and shifting in midair.

I didn't know how deep it was, so I turned the jump into a shallow dive, landing a good five yards from the bank. The water was cold and deep, more than I could touch as I started to tread water. I shook my hair out and moved into Nicholas' arms. "Nice," I said.

"This was always my favorite spot as a kid," he said as he pulled me towards a smooth rock below the surface, one he must have known about because you couldn't see it. I ended up straddling his waist as he pulled me close. "I dreamed of this moment."

"You dreamed of me?"

"I dreamed I'd get to show this place to the woman I loved, and I dreamed we would bring our children here to swim and play as wolves." I moved forward, my arms pulling him close as my body molded to his. "This is better than a dream."

The cold water couldn't cool his arousal, and I could feel him swelling between our bodies. I wanted him just as much; shifting in his lap, I started rubbing my sex along his length, making him groan in pleasure. We kissed deeply as his hands cupped my ass, and he moved me up until his tip was at my entrance. "Please," I asked.

The contrast between the cold water and his warm shaft made me hypersensitive to his movements. I moaned as the broad tip pushed inside; I wanted it all, but he was taking it slow. He eased me down, sometimes lifting me slightly before lowering me to take another inch. I wrapped my legs around his waist, trying to pull him further. Finally, I moaned into his mouth as he bottomed out. "So good," he said.

"Take me," I begged him. He started moving me up and down his shaft, making me feel every ridge, every vein along the way. "MORE!"

Holding me tight, he stood up, bringing our hips out of the water. He kept a grip on my ass, but now he started to pound up into me as I held on. "YEAH, TAKE ME," I yelled out as I held on for dear life. I came hard, screaming my release to the wilderness, then came once more before he stopped. He pulled me off him, setting me on my feet and turning me around.

"Hold on to the rock," he said.

I bent over, finding the surface below the water just before his big cock slammed into me from behind. I moaned in pleasure as he pounded into me, pushing me into an even stronger release. I could feel him building to his own, and that's when I realized the problem.

We were unprotected.

"Wait," I said, making him stop. I turned around, sinking to my knees. "Let me finish you this way."

I took his throbbing member into my mouth, tasting my juices and the creek water. He was close to the edge, and I knew just how to push him over. I used a hand to start jacking his shaft at the base while I moved the tip around in my mouth. I could feel him tense, and his balls pulled up, and his cock swelled, a moment before the explosion came.

"YES," he yelled as I took him deep into my throat, letting the pulses of his hot cum go right to my stomach. When I released him, he fell backward into the cold water. I licked my lips and watched as he floated on his back; this man was MINE, and I loved him.

I did have to be more careful about birth control, though. My human side wanted to wait until things settled down, while my wolf wanted it all now. Having a pup was the natural result of finding your mate, and her instincts drove her to get pregnant. It was for that reason that we hadn't made love in wolf form yet, as I wasn't on birth control, and you couldn't put a condom on with your paws. If he had mounted me on our run, we'd be on the train to Pupsville before his knot disengaged.

I didn't worry about that now, but I resolved to talk to Mom about other options. We relaxed for a few minutes in the water, letting our bodies recover.

"Alphas, lunch will be served soon," Fiona sent to us.

"We're coming, thank you," Nicholas replied.

"We just did," I laughed as I stood up.

My stomach growled, making him laugh too. "Let's feed you before you waste away to nothing." I could feel his eyes on me as I walked out. I wasn't shy about my body; I was a swimsuit model, so I was used to people looking at me with lust in their eyes. This look was different; I could feel his emotions as we shook off the water. He couldn't believe how blessed he was by our mating, and I felt the same. I wanted him all the time, and circumstances didn't allow it. He could feel my regret at getting out. "Make the most of the time together, because that's all we can do until we're never apart."

I had to agree. My modeling contract had been my big break, and I loved my work, but I hated that it would be taking me away from Nicholas and the home we'd build. We shifted and ran back to where our clothes were, getting back to the house right as the line was opening. The barbies were going, and thin steaks were coming off. "Line up and eat," Fiona called out as she set buns and cut vegetables out.

Lunch was steak sandwiches, mine topped with mushrooms and ground horseradish, along with chips and dipping veggies. We took our food over to one of the outside tables, and I watched as the rest of the Pack lined up. Most of the jockeying for position was over, so it went smoothly. I could see everyone glancing towards the hot tub, where three people were in the grip of the fevers. Olivia and Leo were over there, and they would need to eat. I finished my food, washed up, and went to relieve them. "Go eat. Fiona can't eat until you do," I said.

"We're charting their temperatures, next set is due in ten minutes," Olivia said as she pointed to the infrared thermometer and clipboard. I looked as they walked over to the food line, and no one above a hundred and two yet. It would get a lot worse.

Nicholas and I stayed with the three for the rest of the night. There wasn't the same sense of dread in the Pack as when Margaret was changing. Now, they knew it could be different than a painful death.

Hammer was the first to make it through, and his wolf was heavily muscled, with fur a mix of black, white, and sand. His dominance level was below ours, but not by much. He was a dominant Beta, perhaps as strong as a non-mantled Alpha blood, and a good match in power to Susan. The pair was easily strong enough to lead a Pack if they chose.

We had to revive Louise once after her heart stopped, but both of them made it through the change. Their wolves were a little below average size, fitting for their Omega level of dominance. Their husbands quickly claimed them as their own, taking them to a bedroom to rest.

We only had five hours of sleep before we had to get up to go to the airport. Nicholas was going with me to Perth, but then he would return to Port Lincoln to help with the tuna farming. We said our goodbyes, as the families were returning that day to their homes. I had contact information for everyone now, and I promised to keep in touch.

Leaving them was hard. We were taking a late flight, catching up with the rest of the group in Perth, who traveled in the morning. Mom stayed with the Pack, while Fiona and Carly traveled with us as our security. As the plane took off from Melbourne Airport and headed west, I kept looking back towards Bonnie Doon. "How do we do all this," I asked Nicholas as we flew over the Southern Ocean. "I can't be a student, a wife, a celebrity, a producer, AND lead our family."

"And I can't be a husband, a student, a fisherman, and a leader either," he said. "It hasn't been a week since our paths crossed. We haven't had a chance to talk about what is important to us now."

"Do you still want to be a doctor?"

He closed his eyes and thought about it. "I don't know. I have until March to decide."

"I think I'm going to drop out of college, at least for now," I said. "I already dropped to half credits, and I haven't thought about it for a week. In all my priorities, it's the lowest. I'm also going to ask Mercedes about ending or at least reducing my Bodyglove commitments after this tour. I can't keep up this travel, and I don't need the money." I started thinking about all the things coming up after the beginning of the year. "I've got a yacht in San Diego I won't be there to live on, and a research boat in Louisiana I don't know what to do with."

"One thing at a time. Finish your world tour, then Mom expects you for Christmas."

He was right. I'd have at least three weeks off when the tour wrapped up, and we could figure it out then.

Deep down, I knew I would have to change a lot of things in my life for the good of the Pack.

Ch. 19

We'd spent the rest of the flight talking about living together after my tour ended. Since Nicholas hadn't left home yet and I had money, we could do almost anything.

The fancy yacht life wasn't going to happen, though. Bringing it to Australia and renting a berth could happen, but would it be worth it? I already paid $200k upfront for the year lease, and the buy price was another $1.9 million. That kind of money could buy a station, what we would call a farm or ranch, here in Australia. We could get a spread like the one at Bonnie Doon, with plenty of room to run. The Sharkbait Foundation also had the Sea Scout, so I wasn't going to be using my boat for my production company. I explained the situation to Nicholas to get his advice.

"The lease is a sunk cost unless you can get some of it refunded," he said. "Amy, Noelani, and Makani are living there now, right?" I nodded. "They can pick up the cost of the berthing space and other fees, and that gives them six months or so to find another place to live."

"That makes sense. I can't imagine I'll be using it, since I'm spending Christmas here, and I'll only stay in the States long enough to film the shows. I don't want to be away from you that long."

"The girls can get a place to live on short notice if they need to. If you let the owner know you aren't picking up the buy option, he can get it listed again. Maybe if he sells it, you can get some of your lease money back? You could ask him."

That's one of the things I loved about Nicholas; he listened, and he thought out all the angles. I thanked Luna that my accountant had talked me into the 'lease with the option to buy' deal. The yacht seemed like a good idea at the time, and I loved it, but it wasn't practical for me now. He was right; I sent a group text to the girls, letting them know what I wanted to do, thanks to the internet capability on the aircraft. They thanked me for letting them continue to use it until the yacht sold or the lease expired. With their agreement, I forwarded the note to my accountant and lawyer with instructions to get me out of it.

The next thing we talked about was my schedule. Before mating an Aussie, I didn't mind a flight from San Diego to Miami or the East Coast to join the Sea Scout for two weeks. Now, a thirty-hour flight wasn't something I wanted to do often. I sent a note to Linda, Loretta, and the Sharkbait Foundation board explaining my problem and asking for ideas.

It wasn't long before Loretta, the Sea Scout's Master, replied to me. "The locations you set out are only a day or two apart at the speeds the Scout can reach. Its design allows for sprints between work locations, after all. Only the ship's crew has to stay for the transit, and supplies can be brought on board when we disembark or embark. Loadout with supplies and the film crew and leave port, transit to dive location, ten days filming, then drop the film crew at the nearest port. They get a couple of days off and fly into the next town while I drive the Scout to the next port, then we start again."

"Can we do that?"

"I'll need to bring another Master on board since we will be transiting more than twelve hours in a day, but I can find someone. Most mariners prefer working several months straight like this; it won't be a problem. You'll also have to skip the northern areas, as we'd be done filming in March or April. There's plenty of spots in the Gulf and Caribbean, though. By doing it this way, you fly over once, spend 8-10 weeks filming, then fly back to your man. Once it is over, we take it back to the yard for a maintenance window, and go from there."

I had to admit that it sounded good. "Work with Linda to draft a schedule, and then we'll talk. Thank you," I sent back.

Nicholas had been looking over my shoulder as I talked. "What are you going to do with the Sea Scout after the filming season ends?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I can travel, but it's a little more daunting to move it. I thought it wasn't worth the transit to Hawaii, much less Australia."

"Probably for the best. It would do all right in the Great Barrier Reef area, but the Southern Ocean can get a bit rough for a design like that."

I enjoyed visiting Brisbane, but the heat and humidity just got worse as you kept going north. I couldn't imagine a wolf living comfortably in the tropics, which is why we weren't considering anything in the northern half of the continent. That left us plenty of choices. Looking at a map on my tablet, we drew a line just north of Perth on the west coast, crossing the continent to Port Macquarie on the east coast. The line left the major cities of Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney in play, along with Hobart in Tasmania.

I drew another line away from the coast. "I don't want to live more than an hour from the ocean."

"I don't blame you; you can afford a lot more land, but it gets pretty hot and dry in some parts of the Outback. That's why almost everyone lives near the coast."

"It doesn't make sense to move away from your extended family if we want to centralize in one area," I said. I had him mark on the map all the locations where his family members lived. That narrowed things down, knocking out Perth and all of Western Australia, Canberra, and anywhere north of Sydney.

"I don't want to be too far from a university," I told him. "You should continue your studies, and I want to study Business and Marine Biology. The members of our Pack are going to want to go to college too."

"That knocks out Port Lincoln; it's way too far. Adelaide works, as do Melbourne and Sydney. Heck, even Tasmania has a university with a medical school." I leaned my head against his shoulder, frustrated because there were so many decisions to make! He squeezed my hand. "Is it that important to figure everything out right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Take the yacht. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but a few months later, your life changed. It's no longer the right answer. You've tossed a bunch of money into something you can't even use now."

"I know."

He let out a sigh. "Yes, we have to decide where to live, but nothing is forcing us to do that now. You aren't going to school right away, but if I do, we need to be around Adelaide for two more years. After that, we could go anywhere. You've barely seen the country, and you've only seen one of the homes of a Pack member. You don't know enough to make a good decision right now."

He was right. "So, what should we do?"

"I'll look for a place we can rent in Adelaide. When you come back for Christmas, we'll spend some time traveling. We'll visit all our Pack members, and you can see each area and how much you like it. I bet if you left them with a list of what we are looking for, they could keep an eye out for anything in that area coming on the market."

He was right. We landed in Perth, and a driver brought us to our hotel. We met the boat at nine for the ride out to the West End of Rottnest Island, a jagged expanse of rock and heavy surf about ten miles out from Fremantle. The location was one of the best we'd done; the layered rock formations, coves, and breaking waves made a perfect backdrop for the four of us in our swimsuits and diving gear. I especially liked the clear waters of Fishhook Cove. The visibility was outstanding, making for good filming with all the sea life and natural formations. We got in some great free-diving before heading back for the appearance at the surf shop. Nicholas went to do some other stuff, arriving back towards the end of our event.

We ended up at a beachfront restaurant in Fremantle called Bather's Beach House, with fantastic views from the patio looking west into the Indian Ocean. Linda must have liked the ambiance because she was filming us as we sat around the table. The sun was just setting over the water, and the cool offshore breeze was light. After we ordered, Nicholas got up, but instead of walking off, he dropped down to a knee. "Vicki, I've loved you since our eyes first met at the airport. I want you in my life forever." I looked down at his fingers, where he was holding a white gold engagement ring, with a deep ocean-blue sapphire surrounded by smaller diamonds. I was frozen, unable to breathe, with only the tears from my eyes showing anything. "Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?"

I looked from the ring to his face, seeing the love for me, and I snapped back to life. "YES! Of course, I will marry you!" He slid the ring on, then stood up and kissed me while the entire restaurant applauded.

When we finally came apart, we accepted congratulations as Linda kept filming. I could see other phones out; the Internet would soon explode with the video of the Sharkbabe getting engaged to a man she'd known less than a week. I didn't care; they would never understand that our mating was a far stronger bond than any religious or civil ceremony. I knew we'd have to get married so I could get resident status in Australia, but I didn't expect it this soon.