Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 13:20:54 -0500
From: Vic James <vicjames2@hotmail.com>
Subject: Being Pack Chapter Three

                           Being Pack
                          By Vic James
                      vicjames2@hotmail.com
                   Copyright 2014 by Vic James
                     http://www.vicjames.com


If you enjoy this story or the other stories at Nifty, please
make a donation at: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

This story is fiction. None of the characters are based on real
people.
You can see a list of my stories at
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/authors.html#vicjames

This story takes place in the same universe as my stories Plan of
the Shusheen and Son of a Wolf. It takes place immediately after
the events in Son of a Wolf.


                              Three
    "You are not safe. If you wish to be safe or want more
information, contact me at Alpawa Pack. Dag Tuskus." Then there
was a phone number.
    "That's the name of the gay pack," Luke said.
    "I think we should call them," I said.
    "I think we should call them on the way there. Grab some
water."
    I nodded.
    I got the rest of my bottled water and took the food I'd
bought for the camping trip. Two minutes later, we were in my
SUV, heading for Texas.
    "If they knew about us, others did, too," he said.
    "Is it even safe to call?" I asked him.
    "They thought it was," Luke said.
    I handed him my cellphone. He dialed it. I felt safe, but
scared. How were we in danger? From whom?
    "Hi, this is Luke Crozier," he said. "We got the note that
was left for us."
    I realized I didn't know his last name. He didn't know mine!
    "Oh. Yes, I am. Yeah. We were planning to leave for there
tomorrow," Luke said.
    I waited, but Luke was listening. I looked at him. He gave me
a thumbs up and I felt relieved.
    "Head for the airport," Luke said to me.
    "Are you sure?"
    "Yes."
    We were going in the wrong direction. I turned us around and
we headed the other way.
    "About fifteen minutes," he said on the phone.
    He hung up.
    "What did he say?"
    "They have a chartered plane ready to take us to Texas."
    "Really?"
    "Apparently."
    "What is the danger?"
    Luke sighed.
    "Apparently, there are a lot of very old Vin-Ta desperate for
kids. Sometimes even their mate can't give them one. They think
you can."
    "Me? That's crazy!"
    "Apparently not. Do you remember the guy saying that your
mate can give you kids?"
    "Of course. I'll never forget that!"
    Luke looked at me strangely.
    "Apparently, that is always true."
    I turned and looked at him.
    "I can get pregnant?"
    "So it seems. If you are that other race, even partially, you
probably have some female plumbing inside."
    I gasped.
    "I do! I was diagnosed as intersex because of it."
    "Well, it's normal for you."
    I was suddenly happy. I could give Luke kids!
    "So they think these desperate people." I said.
    He nodded. "Will do desperate things. He said he knows. He
was one of them. He said you weren't in danger of being killed,
just of being held captive and forced to get pregnant."
    I guessed that was better! No. It was.
    "He said a Vin-Ta like you is head of the Alpawa Pack. He has
given birth twice. His father is in the pack next to them. He has
given birth, too."
    I nodded. If I was going to get pregnant, it would be nice to
be around someone who had experienced a male pregnancy.
    "I've never flown," I said.
    "Really?"
    "It always seemed so dangerous. I have a feeling you will be
sitting next to a big bush on the plane."
    He laughed.
    "I'll hold one of your branches the whole way."
    I grinned.
    "Thank you."
    A few minutes later, I asked, "Did someone see me in the
restaurant?"
    "No. The Vin-Ta guy told them about us."
    "Oh. I feel safer, then."
    "I should have told you that! I am so sorry, Tom. So that's
why you keep looking in the rearview mirror."
    "Yeah. I've been waiting for the bad guys to show up."
    "I think we are fine, for now. Even if someone saw you in the
restaurant, it would take a while to trace you to your apartment,
and we aren't going there. Someone might have intercepted my IM,
but they would still trace us to your apartment."
    I nodded. I started getting excited. It was a relief to me
that we were not driving. Eight hundred miles was a long car
trip. Then we would have to drive back to Tennessee. Of course,
little planes were the most dangerous. I decided to be realistic.
Driving sixteen hundred miles was not completely safe, either.
Despite my fear of flying, flying was probably safer. And if we
were in danger, a long car trip would scary, too.
    The cellphone rang as we were driving along the road that ran
alongside the airport. I turned into the entrance.
    Luke answered my phone.
    "We are about to park. We are in a green SUV. Yeah. That's
us. OK."
    Luke hung up.
    "Someone is waiting inside for us. They will take us to the
plane."
    "OK."
    I parked and we got out of my SUV. I reached for the food and
water. Luke grabbed it. We walked to the entrance. A man in a
suit was waiting for us, just as they said.
    "Luke Crozier and Tom Black?"
    "That's us."
    "Please follow me."
    We did. We went through security really quickly. Then we were
outside on the tarmac. We approached a small jet.
    "I didn't know you were black," Luke said.
    I laughed.
    We were led to stairs on the side of the plane. We climbed
them. There were twelve seats in the plane. A woman greeted us.
She looked a little older than us, maybe in her upper twenties.
She was not wearing a uniform, like the stewardesses wear in
movies.
    "Hi. I'll be here to get you anything you need. Sit anywhere
you like. You will be the only passengers."
    Luke picked a chair and sat. I sat next to him. He took my
hand and held it. It was still a hand, not a branch, but we were
still on the ground.
    "Would you like something to eat or drink? We have meals on
board, as well as snacks," she said.
    "Do you want anything?" Luke asked me.
    "Just a soda-a cola. I'm not picky."
    "Nothing for me," Luke said.
    "Would you like chips or nuts?"
    "Sure. How about potato chips," I said.
    "Certainly."
    She walked to the front of the plane. She opened some doors
and pulled the things out. She brought them back to us.
    "We have a full bar, if you want something stronger," she
said.
    "Thanks," Luke said. "We don't drink."
    After giving me my drink and two bags of chips, she sat
across from us.
    "I was told you are Vin-Ta," she said.
    "Uh, yes," Luke said. "We just found out. I didn't know until
I met Tom this morning."
    "You just met? How did you make it out of bed? When I met my
mate, we stayed in bed for days!" she laughed.
    "We found out we were in danger. Dag Tuskus said we would be
safe in Texas."
    "Oh, no! Well, you'll be at one of the safest places I ever
heard of. I heard Dag spent over two billion on security."
    "Billion?" Luke asked.
    She nodded.
    "Wow!"
    "Of course, that's pocket change for Dag."
    I was shocked.
    "When you get there, if you want privacy, ask for it. Any Vin-
Ta will understand. Even those without a mate, know how new mates
are. You'll find that Vin-Ta are not as uptight about sex as
humans. Some are not shy about it all. That will probably take
some getting used to. I'm not pack Vin-Ta. From what I
understand, they are even less shy about sex than us."
    "What is the difference?" Luke asked. "I thought there was
only one kind of Vin-Ta."
    "No. Pack Vin-Ta like to live together in groups run by one
male, the Alpha. He makes all the decisions for the group and
usually owns the land the pack lives on. Hephin is the Alpha of
Alpawa Pack. There is another pack next door to them, the
Techupawa Pack. The leader of that pack is Hephin's grandfather,
Alephin. He gave Hephin the land the Alpawa Pack uses, when
Hephin started his own pack."
    "How would we know which type we are?"
    "If you shift without intending to, you are pack. Non-pack
have to use a visualization technique to shift."
    "We have both shifted unintentionally."
    "You are pack, then. Your response to the Alpha will
determine whether you are allowed to join the pack. Your response
will either be submission, aggression, or disinterest."
    "I'm going to assume aggression is bad," Luke said.
    She chuckled.
    "Yes. And so is indifference. It means you won't follow the
Alpha and he would not allow you to join. It's his pack and his
land. And you may have trouble with that."
    "Both of us?" Luke asked.
    "No. Just you."
    "Why?"
    "Hephin is Alpha. You might not to submit or to recognize his
authority."
    "Of course I would," Luke said.
    "Your wolf might not."
    I looked at Luke. He shook his head.
    "So how do non-pack Vin-Ta live?" I asked.
    "Just like humans. We live in houses, with our families. We
have to move periodically, so neighbors don't notice that we
aren't aging."
    "And Vin-Ta really live up to eight hundred years?" Luke
asked.
    "The 'up to' is important. We can be killed. We're tougher
than humans, but there are lots and lots of ways to kill us, some
of them simple, like poisons. Dag told me Hephin's grandmother
died in an automobile accident. She was in her twenties. Hephin's
grandfather, Alephin lost his mate when a hunter shot her in the
head while she was a wolf. The vast majority of Vin-Ta don't live
that long. Eight hundred years ago, the world was a much more
violent place. It's still violent. You hardly ever meet anyone
over five hundred, and those are very rare."
    I nodded.
    "Will watching people have sex bother you?" she asked.
    I wasn't sure. I looked at Luke. He shrugged.
    "I don't know. Why do you ask?"
    "You'll see a lot of that in a pack. Like I said, they are
much more open about sex. If you want to have sex with your mate,
you don't have to go to do it privately, unless you want to.
Speaking of privacy, I would imagine you and your mate would like
some."
    "Yes," I said.
    I heard Luke chuckle.
    "I'm not a bit surprised."
    She pressed a button on the wall and a curtain enclosed our
seats. She was smiling. She knew what I wanted! I reached into
his lap and rubbed his erection. I reached for his zipper, then
wondered if I wanted to have sex with Luke when she was two feet
away. He lifted the armrest between us. He patted his lap. I
grinned and moved onto it. He wrapped his arms around me. I laid
my head on his shoulder. He turned his head and we kissed.
    After we stopped kissing, I whispered, "I want to have sex,
but."
    "I know. I'm not comfortable doing it here. But we can cuddle
and smooch."
    I smiled.
    "That sounds perfect."
    "I love you," I whispered in his ear.
    "I love you."
    "I want to have your baby, Luke."
    "Are you sure?"
    "Yes. Very sure."
    He smiled, shaking his head.
    "I hope my stupid wolf doesn't screw everything up by being
aggressive."
    I hoped that to. I couldn't imagine my wolf would do anything
but submit.
    "If he doesn't, we will make our own way," I said.
    He smiled and nodded.
    I slipped my hand inside his shirt and felt his chest. He
pulled my mouth to his and we kissed, again. I remembered how
good it felt when my 'dog' licked mine. I pulled on one of Luke's
while we kissed.
    "After we meet them, I am going to get us somewhere private
for an hour, or so."
    I nodded. I felt his moustache, again. I stroked his cheek
while I looked into his golden eyes. He seemed stunningly
handsome to me.
    "What are you thinking?" he asked.
    I smiled.
    "You'll get vain, if I tell you."
    He chuckled.
    "You like the way I love, mate?"
    "I love the way you look."
    "I feel so lucky, Tom. It's better than winning the lottery.
I have you and we will have a very long life, together."
    "With kids."
    He shook his head.
    "That's important to you, isn't it?" he asked.
    "You want them. What you want is.the most important thing to
me."
    "I don't want to have them if you don't want them."
    "I know. I have never thought about it, before. I never
thought I would even have sex, much less a marriage and kids. But
I want a family with you. I just have to hope our kids won't be
as odd as me."
    "If they turn out like you, they will be like my favorite
person in the world. Is that so bad?"
    I smiled.
    "I guess it isn't."
    "There is nothing bad about being odd. Uniqueness isn't bad.
Lots of people strive for it."
    "That's true."
    "Considering the fact that you were genetically-engineered by
aliens, you are amazingly normal."
    I chuckled. How could I argue with that?
    "It also explains why you are so handsome," I said.
    Luke smiled and I pressed my mouth to his for another kiss.
After we kissed, I unbuttoned his shirt. I ran my hands over the
parts of him I could reach. Luke closed his eyes. I could tell he
liked it as much as I did. I began having second thoughts about
not having sex on the plane. I needed his cock. I reached into
his pants. Fortunately, they were baggy. I wrapped my hand around
the base of his cock. He pulled me to him and we kissed, again.
    The plane bounced.
    "What was that?" I asked. Had an engine fallen off? Had we
hit a bird?
    "Just turbulence," Luke said. "Stop worrying. It happens all
the time."
    "Even on big planes?"
    "Yes. The air is not all moving in the same direction at the
same speed. When we move from an area where the air is doing one
thing, like slowly moving east, to another area where the air
might be rising, the plane moves suddenly. After the turbulence,
we would be in the area where the air is rising, and the ride
would be smooth again. If we leave that area, we might hit more
turbulence."
    "Like thermals."
    "Right. They don't go on forever. They can move and they can
appear and disappear as the ground below us heats up or cools
down."
    I felt better.
    I sighed.
    "You are tired and so am I. Do you want to take a nap?" Luke
asked.
    "That does sound nice."
    "Lay your head on my shoulder."
    I did. I kissed his neck. I think I fell asleep instantly.
    I had a weird dream. There were wolves rolling over in front
of a big statue of a wolf. I knew in the dream it was the Alpha.
I walked up to one of the wolves. It was Luke. He was on his
back. I rubbed his belly and his tongue hung out the side of his
mouth. His cock extended out of his sheath. I bent down and
started sucking it. It tasted strange and I stopped. I looked at
the statue of the wolf and watched it change into a statue of a
man. A naked man walked up to me. He was very attractive. He
looked like he was about thirty.
    "I'm Dag Tuskus. I want to fuck you," the man said.
    I heard Luke growl. I turned around and he was still on his
back. I turned back to Dag. There were a lot of naked men around
me. They all wanted to fuck me.
    "You can't fuck me. My mate has his cock inside me," I said.
Luke was standing behind me, slowly fucking me.
    The men were disappointed and walked off.
    "I think it would be best if you kept your cock inside me," I
said to Luke, in my dream.
    "OK."
    "Except when I have to go to the bathroom."
    I heard a whine. It was Luke saying "OK," again, as a wolf.
    I woke up.
    I looked at Luke. He was sleeping with his mouth open. I just
couldn't believe such an incredible, handsome, wonderful man was
mine. He was heterosexual and we were both modified by aliens. It
was so wonderful, and at the same time, odd! I wondered if I
could possibly be pregnant. It was important to me that I give
him at least one child. I didn't want him to miss out of
something he'd always wanted just because he was in love with me.
The whole idea of a male getting pregnant might have been
unbelievable to me if I didn't have ovaries in my body. I had
just assumed they were non-functional, despite having no reason
to do so. I sighed, contentedly. I was the person who could give
Luke children. That was the reason we were mates.
    I worried about what would happen when Luke met the Alpha. I
had trouble imagining Luke being submissive, despite my dream of
him on his back. Luke was big and tough. What was the Alpha like?
Bigger, tougher? Maybe not. What would we do, if Luke wasn't
submissive? Go back to Tennessee and wait for someone to kidnap
me? I lay my head back down on his shoulder. But I didn't sleep.
I sat there, worrying. How would we get back to Tennessee? I
guessed we could rent a car or take a bus. Maybe we shouldn't go
there. If we didn't go back, none of the desperate Vin-Ta would
know where we were, as long as we kept a very low profile. We
could stay hidden, or pretend to be someone else. But if I was
pregnant, how would I give birth? Show up in an ER and ask for a
C-section? I wouldn't have insurance and I couldn't explain how I
got pregnant. The place would be swarming with reporters trying
to interview the pregnant man. Maybe the desperate Vin-Ta could
be reasoned with. A person desperate to have kids was not
necessarily a monster. I wasn't any use at all to anybody dead.
My life wasn't in danger, just my freedom. At least I would have
medical care and almost certainly I would have Luke. If I lost
him. I closed my eyes. If I didn't have him anymore, I would
probably kill myself. I would be no use to a Vin-Ta, then. No
freedom, but with Luke at my side, might not be too horrible. We
could have sex all the time.
    "Wake up," Luke said.
    I opened my eyes. I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep. The
curtain was gone.
    "We are going to land in about twenty minutes," Luke said.
    I smiled at him.
    I climbed off his lap and sat next to him. I opened a bag of
chips and took one. I handed Luke the other bag. He opened it. We
ate potato chips while we waited. I wasn't scared, and I didn't
feel particularly worried.
    "You should put your seatbelts on," the woman said.
    We did. Then the plane shook.
    "What was that?" I asked. It didn't feel like turbulence.
    "Just the engines slowing us. We have to stop, you know,"
Luke said.
    I took Luke's hand and held it. I felt a jerk and then a
bump. I looked out the window and saw the ground. We had landed.
The plane slowed more and my body tried to move forward. Luke was
eating a chip, so I guessed that was supposed to happen. I tried
to relax. Suddenly, we were moving slowly. I looked out the
window and saw lots of planes.
    "Where are we?" I asked.
    "Houston. Hobby Airport," the woman said.
    I nodded.
    The plane stopped.
    "You can take off your seatbelts."
    We did.
    I heard a rumble. I turned and saw the door was opening on
the plane.
    "Please follow me."
    We got up. Luke picked up the bag with our food and water. We
walked down the steps on the plane. It was hot and humid outside.
We followed the woman into the airport and then through it. I got
more nervous with each step. Then we left the airport. We walked
outside and followed the woman to a limo. A man standing by it
opened one of the doors. Then I noticed men standing around
stiffly. If I had to guess, they were security guards. Luke
climbed into the limo. I followed him. A middle-aged man was in
the limo, sitting across from us. The door closed.
    "I'm Dag Tuskus," the man said, holding out his hand. Luke
shook it and then I did.
    He smiled at us. I liked him. He made me feel safe.
    "I'm sure you have lots of questions."
    "What if Luke isn't submissive?" I asked.
    I could feel Luke wasn't happy about my question.
    "Looking at him, I understand why you ask." He sighed. "There
are options. Are you two monogamous?"
    Luke and I both said, "Yes," at the same time.
    Dag chuckled.
    "There are two packs. Hephin's pack and Alephin's pack.
Hephin's pack is the gay one. We think Hephin's wolf will insist
on being bred by Luke to accept him into the pack. We don't know
that for certain. If so, and if you aren't willing to do that,
there is Alephin's pack. Luke, you are much more likely to be
submissive to Alephin, unless you are an Alpha yourself."
    "Is that possible?"
    "Oh, yes. You practically radiate strength. I'm not pack Vin-
Ta though, so I can't say for sure. The security isn't as tight
in Alephin's pack, but there is still a lot of security. Alephin
will want to have sex with both of you, but only once. That is
how you show submission to him."
    I felt sick. Neither of those sounded good. Maybe there
weren't any good options. I sighed. Were we going to have to
trade security for monogamy?
    "I don't like either of those options," Luke said.
    Dag nodded.
    "Your wolves might. Even though you would be safer in
Hephin's pack, you could be completely monogamous in Alephin's
pack, once you've had sex with him once. Tom, your wolf may want
Alephin to breed you. It is instinctive. You, too, Luke. If you
accept his leadership, your wolf may want to do it. It would only
be once, and you would not be making love to him."
    "But if I had sex with Hephin, once." Luke said.
    "In Hephin's pack, his members breed him all the time."
    "It doesn't sound like there is any point in meeting any of
them," Luke said.
    "No. You can go back to Tennessee and wait to be abducted by
men who would fuck Tom."
    I sighed. He was right. How would I get pregnant if they
didn't fuck me?
    "It is also possible you are an Alpha, Tom."
    I laughed. I kept laughing.
    "Tom is very submissive," Luke said.
    "So is Hephin. We think it is possible you are related to
Hephin, Tom. Hephin's grandmother was from Tennessee."
    That was interesting.
    Dag sighed.
    "Unfortunately, I know you don't like your options. I had a
mate." He sighed. "My Tara died, but when she was alive, the idea
of her getting fucked by another man would have driven me to
extreme violence."
    He was quiet for a moment.
    "I think Alephin's pack is your best bet. Do it once and get
it over with. Like I said, your wolves may like the idea. That
will get you through it. After that, the two of you can be
monogamous for the rest of your lives."
    "What if Tom is an Alpha?" Luke asked.
    "He will have several options. He can offer to give a very
wealthy Vin-Ta a child through artificial insemination. He can
charge as much as he likes. Five billion, even more." I gasped
and Dag chuckled.
    "Five billion dollars?" Luke asked.
    Dag nodded.
    "You have to understand some things about Vin-Ta. First, we
live a long time. Second, we are not as fertile as humans. That
is by design. The Shusheen who created us knew we would
overpopulate the planet quickly if we lived eight hundred years
and had a baby every year." I could understand that. "As a
result, even many mates may try for hundreds of years to have a
baby. My Tara and I were like that. We had sex many times a day
for centuries, and she never got pregnant. There are quite a few
like us. The Vin-Ta who survive as long as I have, are almost all
wealthy. They can afford to be completely safe. Five billion is
nothing for me, compared to having a child."
    "Did you get one?" I asked.
    He smiled.
    "Yes. Hephin gave me a son, Tarphin. I love both of them.
    "If you decide to go that route, I think Hephin or Alephin
would probably allow you to live on their land until you can
build yourselves a secure home."
    Luke sighed. I knew he was as relieved as I was. Giving
someone a baby through artificial insemination didn't sound bad
to me, at all.
    "How will I give birth?" I asked.
    "They just slide out. Hephin says it isn't painful at all.
Your bodies are designed to be able to do it. There isn't even an
umbilical cord. The only part Hephin doesn't like, is the month
before delivery when his mobility is restricted by the babies.
But he has had triplets each time he has given birth. With just
one, I doubt it would bother you nearly as much."
    "Will Tom produce milk?"
    "Yes, but his breasts won't get bigger."
    I was relieved about that.
    "What can you tell us about shifters who can take other
forms?" Luke asked.
    I wanted to hear the answer to that.
    Dag looked at us strangely. He sighed.
    "You are in big trouble."
    "Why?" Luke asked.
    "Shifters of the second race are invaluable to governments,
illegal cartels, and criminals of all types. Someone who can
appear to be someone else can be used as a spy, an assassin, you
name it. A simple gangster could have you take the shape of a
bank president, walk into a vault, cram all the money you could
into your pockets and leave. All they would have to do to secure
your agreement is have Luke. You would do anything to protect
your mate, Tom. I know. I had one. Have you ever shifted into
anything else in front of anyone?"
    I felt sick, but nodded.
    "Twice."
    Dag sighed.
    "That's too bad. A shifter impersonating a man trying to join
Hephin's pack was there to kidnap him. The man he was
impersonating was murdered. The poor shifter's wife was a
hostage."
    "So it happens," Luke said.
    "I witnessed it."
    Luke squeezed my hand.
    "So we can be safe or we can be monogamous," Luke said.
    "I'm afraid that's what it comes down to. Let me check
something."
    Dag pulled a laptop out from under the seat. He typed on it
for a while.
    "Someone is offering ten billion to buy a shifter of your
race," he said, after a while. "That offer is six weeks old. If
the person is desperate, I would imagine the amount offered will
increase, soon. I don't need to tell you that many people would
do anything to make that kind of money. All someone needs is a
dart gun and a couple of doses of sedative. They shoot both of
you and turn you over to the purchaser."
    I started shivering. I could tell Luke was getting angry.
    For some reason, I trusted Dag. I didn't have a reason to,
but I did.
    "What do you recommend, Dag?" I asked.
    "Join one of the packs. Do whatever you need to do, to be
safe."
    I looked at Luke. He was angry.
    "Luke, you can't fight people like that. I would be terrified
all the time. You know what would happen, then. We wouldn't be
able to have sex."
    I wiggled my eyebrows at him. He smiled and shook his head.
    "Anything, but that!" he said.
    "Maybe it will be like when your wolf ate rabbits. It didn't
appeal to you, but you did it. If Alephin wants to fuck me once
and it keeps us safe, I think I want him to fuck me. It's not
perfect, but it is much better than the alternatives."
    Luke sighed. "You are right. The idea of someone fucking me
makes me sick, but I don't want to spend every moment of a long
life worrying about you."
    "You have to worry about yourself, too, Luke. If you were
captured, they would automatically get Tom," Dag said.
    Luke nodded.
    "OK! We will let Alephin fuck us," Luke said.
    Dag smiled.
    "You just need to hope both of you are submissive to him."
    "You seem to be ruling out Hephin," I said.
    "I think he would want Luke to breed him more than once. All
the other pack members do it every day. But he hasn't had a pack
long enough to say for sure. We just don't know. In either pack,
you will have to adjust to public sex. In the canteen at
Alephin's pack-that the pack restaurant, you'll see people having
sex all the time. They have it on the grass next to the sidewalk,
at the lake, in the woods. Mated Vin-Ta like a lot of sex, and
you can't stay in your house all the time. It was an adjustment
for me, but I got into the spirit." Dag grinned. "Now I love it."
    I could understand that.
    "Can we get jobs at Alephin's pack?" Luke asked.
    "There are jobs. You can make minimum wage, if you want. Or
you can get pregnant for someone and become very wealthy. It's up
to you. That is what I would recommend, though. You will both
have one hundred percent of your time with each other. It's hard
to leave your mate to go to work. It was for me, anyway."
    I looked at Luke. He shrugged.
    "If you decide you are going to get pregnant for hire,
Alephin will probably want some of the money. He will probably
want to increase security. You'll be a target. But whether you
give him money to increase security or spend the money yourself
on security, it comes out the same. I would plan on setting aside
twenty percent of whatever you charge. If you charge five
billion, you'll still have four billion left. Maybe you can live
on that."
    I laughed.
    "Can you?" I asked Luke.
    "As long as I don't have to buy my own rabbits," he said.
    I laughed.
    "Would we be the only gay couple in Alephin's pack?"
    "There is a lot of bisexuality. I don't know how many gay
mated couples there are. There is at least one, but there could
be more. You'll see men having sex together, but not often. Most
young, single Vin-Ta males have sex with anyone willing. Man or
woman. They date men or women, too. You will see Alephin having
sex with men all the time, especially young men. He has sex with
the young women, too."
    "Is it against their will?" Luke asked.
    "No! Good grief. Of course, not. Alephin's horny, they are
horny, so they have sex. Alephin is an attractive, powerful,
charismatic man. People chase him, not the other way around. I
didn't like him, at first. I thought he was greedy, but he's just
looking out for his pack. When you aren't pack, you don't have a
feel for pack life and what it involves. Running a pack is
expensive. I was surprised how much he spends each year. He would
be quite wealthy if he lived alone. But his pack is his family.
He is the father. He provides free medical care to his pack
members who need it. That is expensive. He feeds members who are
unemployed. He told me he has quite a few underachievers in his
pack. They basically get a free ride--free food, free medical
care, and free housing. I would boot them out, but I'm not an
Alpha. There is one other thing you will need to adjust to. That
is incest. Incest is common among Vin-Ta. I had a friend whose
mate was his mother."
    I gulped.
    "I've known mates who were siblings. Vin-Ta never deny their
mate. If your mate is your parent, you just have incredible sex
with someone you already love. Hephin has sex with his father, an
uncle, and his grandfather every day. Alephin has had sex with
all his kids. Alephin's mate is his son, Rince, who is Hephin's
father."
    "Alephin is gay?" I asked.
    "Alephin is bisexual, like most Vin-Ta males, including me.
Since we were designed, not evolved, children from incestuous
relationships are always perfectly healthy. How do you feel about
incest?"
    "I never gave it much thought," Luke said.
    "Does the idea horrify you?"
    "No."
    "How about you, Tom?"
    I thought about it. I was like Luke. I had never given it any
thought. The idea didn't horrify me, though. I thought it was
odd. Like me.
    "It seems surprising, but not horrifying."
    Dag nodded.
    "Good."
    "Are the aliens still around?" Luke asked.
    "No. They were explorers and they left to explore other
worlds long, long ago. We were designed back when there were
Neanderthals. In fact, Vin-Ta are genetically-engineered
Neanderthals. It's one of the reasons Vin-Ta males are usually
hairy."
    "I'm not," I said.
    "You have a lot of the other race in you," Dag said.
    "How do I get pregnant?" I asked.
    "I assume you are like Hephin. He just has to want it while
he is getting fucked."
    "I may be pregnant, then."
    Dag nodded.
    I looked at Luke. He smiled at me.
    "If you are willing to carry twins, you could still get
impregnated with another child. If you are sure you want to be a
surrogate, you can get it over with right away."
    "I like that idea," I said.
    "Is it OK with you?" I asked Luke.
    "It's fine with me."
    I studied his face.
    "Are you sure?"
    He smiled.
    "Yes, I'm sure. It's your body. I don't think it would be
right of me to tell you what to do. There's nothing shameful
about being a surrogate. If it pays that well, and you are
helping someone, I say do it. But it's your body. You should
decide."
    "I want to," I said to Dag.
    "Do you want me to arrange it?"
    "How much would we have to pay you for that?"
    Dag smiled.
    "I'm a trillionaire." I gasped. "I don't need any more
money."
    "Why is Hephin's father Alephin's mate?"
    "Rince is his second mate. His first was a woman. She was
shot and killed. Some powerful Alphas can manipulate mating
bonds. Alephin knew his son was in love with him. Since Rince
could give him pups--babies, he took him as his mate."
    "Oh. So Hephin's father can give birth, too."
    Dag nodded.
    "You two are desperate to get into each other's pants." I
laughed. "I left an orgy to come pick you up. If you want to have
sex, go right ahead. I can tell you from experience, that you'll
be happier once you've lost your inhibitions."
    An orgy?
    I climbed on Luke's lap. I kissed him. I had a feeling I
would need to push Luke a little. Otherwise, we would never fit
in. I was glad when I felt Luke grope me. I didn't want to have
sex with anyone else, but I loved the idea that Luke and I could
have sex whenever we wanted, and that we didn't have to pretend
we were straight. If we wanted to have sex outside, we could, and
we didn't have to hide. If the Alpha's mate was a man, no one
would think anything at all about us. I was proud of my mate. I
wanted people to see (but not touch) him.
    "I want your cock inside me," I said.
    "Why are you whispering?"
    I laughed.
    "Habit."
    He grinned.
    "I've had public sex, Tom."
    "Oh, yeah!"
    I forgot about the park.
    Luke started undressing. I did, too. When we were both naked,
I knelt in front of him and began sucking him. When his cock was
thoroughly wet, I climbed back on his lap and sat slowly on his
dick. He groaned as I slid down it. I turned my head to see what
Dag was doing. He was looking at his laptop. I guessed compared
to an orgy, we were kind of boring.
    "Does Hephin fuck you?" I asked.
    Dag burst out laughing.
    "What an idea! I will tell him you asked that. He will get a
laugh out of it."
    "Why?"
    "Because Hephin is a bottom. Always. I told you he was
submissive."
    "How can he be Alpha, then? It sounds like he is the opposite
of an Alpha."
    "I suppose you can think of it that way. He may be the
opposite, but he has just as much power over his pack."
    Luke put his hands on my waist. He lifted, while I used my
legs, too. I rose and fell on his cock. It felt wonderful. I
wondered if I should wish for a baby. If I was already pregnant,
and wished for another, and then got inseminated as a surrogate,
I would end up with triplets. I wondered if that was what had
happened with Hephin. I decided to hold off on wishing, again.
Maybe I could get a pregnancy test, first. I put my hands on
Luke's shoulders. He pulled my mouth to his, and we kissed. I
stopped bouncing. After the kiss was over, I began. His breathing
grew shallower. I wondered if he was close. Then he groaned. I
smiled at the expression on his face. I felt his cock pulse
inside me. I stopped moving. His eyes had been closed. He opened
them and smiled. I laughed.
    "Happy?" he asked me.
    "I am. I'm so glad I met you."
    I pulled off him. I sat and Luke leaned over and began
sucking me.
    "How did you two meet?" Dag asked.
    "Tom was camping at the park where I was living as a wolf. My
wolf smelled him and-"
    "I thought it was a dog and he really seemed to like me," I
said.
    Luke and Dag laughed.
    "Did you try.as a wolf?" Dag asked.
    "Yes. Despite the fact that he was a dog, or a wolf, I was
really excited by him. I thought I had become so sort of pervert.
I didn't know anything about werewolves, or Vin-Ta or
shapeshifters. I learned all that today."
    I was strange getting my dick sucked while holding a
conversation with Dag. There was something about Dag, though. I
knew that I could trust him. It was just a feeling, but I felt
certain.
    Luke let go of my dick.
    "We just met. We've been together less than twenty-four
hours."
    Dag smiled. "I'm happy for you. You will see a lot of envious
wolves in Alephin's pack. Hephin's pack is much, much smaller.
Most Vin-Ta give up on meeting their mate and get married to
someone they love. But they all know about the sex between mates.
Their relationships are not nearly as intense or rewarding."
    Dag looked at his computer.
    "I just received a response from a couple who are willing to
pay you four billion."
    I looked at Luke and he laughed.
    "That's not nearly enough billions!" he said, laughing.
    I laughed, too.
    "I bet if we live modestly, we can get by for whole year on
that!"
    I turned to Dag.
    "Is there a way to find out if I'm already pregnant?" I asked
him.
    "Alephin thinks he can tell. He noticed a smell that both
Hephin and Rince had when they were pregnant. He could try
sniffing you. But it is so early in the pregnancy, that it might
not mean anything if he doesn't smell it."
    I nodded.
    "Do you know anything about the couple?" I asked.
    "Yes. I met the man. I don't remember if I met his mate. It
was decades ago."
    "Are they nice people? It seems like a bad idea to give a
baby to people who aren't."
    "Yes. I assumed you wanted it to have a good home. It's your
child, after all. As far as how nice he is, I'm not sure. I do
know he has a reputation for being honest and I haven't heard
anything bad about him. He is old and that means no one hated him
enough to try to kill him. More than that-you would just have to
meet him and decide yourself." I nodded. "In a business
arrangement, I would trust the man."
    I tried to decide what to do. I wanted to be safe more than
anything but Luke. This money could keep us safe. Four billion
was certainly enough. We didn't need five billion. Then it
occurred to me how long we would live. How long these wealthy Vin-
Ta had lived. If I invested that money, how much would I have in
six hundred years? I had no idea, but it would be a lot! That was
how Dag got to be a trillionaire, I was sure.
    "Dag, I want to be safe. Would accepting this off from them,
now, help?"
    "I would wait to see if you can get accepted in Hephin's
pack. If you are, you won't need to worry about security or
money. Each person who is accepted receives ten million dollars."
    I couldn't believe it! Everyone in Texas seemed to be rich.
Except us. But we would be!
    "Are we the only poor Vin-Ta?" I asked.
    Dag laughed.
    "No. If you join Hephin's pack, you may still want to be a
surrogate, but there won't be a hurry. If you aren't accepted in
Hephin's pack, or you don't like the requirements, then I would
say do it sooner, rather than later. If you join Alephin's pack,
you will need the money to make the area where you will live very
secure. Alephin's pack land is enormous. It has two lakes on it.
It has security, but with so many square miles of land, the kind
of security measures we have for Hephin wouldn't work. Just as an
example, parachutists could land on Alephan's land. Hephin's land
is covered. But he has very little land, so it wasn't difficult
to cover it. If you aren't accepted in either pack, you will need
the money very badly."
    "Why do you trust us?" Luke asked, suddenly.
    "I'm a good judge of character. I can smell deception, and I
don't mean that figuratively. You two are an open book. I had
your backgrounds checked. I was a little worried about you, Luke.
The information on you dried up when you left your apartment. But
once I met you, I knew you were just as honest as Tom. Why do you
trust me?"
    I looked at Luke. Luke shrugged.
    "We had to trust someone. Tom and I know nothing of Vin-Ta.
We need knowledge most of all."
    "I don't know if I can change into other things. I can become
a wolf or a bush," I told Dag. "I tried to change into a woman,
but nothing happened."
    "If you can change into something that isn't a wolf, you
aren't pure Vin-Ta and the only other kind of shifter is the
other race."
    I nodded.
    "He's a very attractive bush," Luke said.
    I laughed.
    "I would cost a couple of hundred dollars at Home Depot," I
said.
    Dag and Luke laughed.
    "Will you show me?"
    I looked at Luke. He nodded.
    I concentrated on the danger we faced. What would happen if
Luke was kidnapped? If I was kidnapped? What if Alephin didn't
allow us into his pack?
    My vision changed. I looked at Dag. His mouth was open. He
shook his head.
    "Amazing!" he said. His voice sounded odd, but obviously my
ears were different.
    I changed back.
    "I've never heard of such a thing. I can't imagine why you
can become that, and not a woman. A woman would be so simple, by
comparison. But I may be able to help you, there."
    I nodded.
    "Can you see and hear in that shape?"
    "Yes. Both are affected, but they work."
    Dag shook his head, grinning.
    "Amazing!"
    Luke was hard. I reached over and began stroking him. Dag
smiled at me, and then went back to his computer. Luke sighed. He
leaned over and kissed me. I stopped stroking him, but he moved
my hand on his cock. I got the idea, and stroked him while we
kissed. After we kissed, I sat back down, but I continued to
stroke him.
    "I really hope you two join our pack," Dag said.
    "Which one is that?"
    "Oh. I thought I told you that. I'm in Hephin's pack. It's
small, and except for the three girl babies, all of us are men."
    "I don't think I'm an orgy person," I said.
    "You might be surprised. You might enjoy having sex with your
mate even more when everyone else is having sex. The scent of
lust makes most Vin-Tas hard and there is plenty of it in the
air. It could very well intensify your sex, together. Would both
of you be comfortable having sex in front of women?"
    I looked at Luke. He shrugged. I wasn't sure about me.
    "I don't know. It leaves me feeling a little queasy," I said.
    "Do you feel queasy in front of me?"
    "No. Not at all. In fact, I feel strangely comfortable. I've
always had trouble talking to people, except for on old friend of
mine, Luke, and now you."
    "That's not unusual, Tom. You are different from humans. I've
known other Vin-Ta who discovered they were Vin-Ta after they
were adults. They had trouble fitting in. Socialization in Vin-Ta
is different than in humans, especially in pack in-Ta. Pack Vin-
Ta prefer to live with other pack Vin-Ta. It's why they are
'pack'. You are partly the second race. That probably made it
worse."
    I sighed. Suddenly, everything made sense. Of course I was
odd compared to humans. I was genetically-engineered, and a
hybrid, at that. Had Bob been my pack? Would I now have friends?
    We turned, and I could tell we were on a rough road. Gravel,
from the sound of it.
    "We are at Hephin's house."
    I reached for my shirt.
    "You don't need to dress, unless you want to. You won't be
the only naked wolves in the house. Besides, you probably want to
have sex, again, after you meet Hephin."
    Luke took my pants.
    "When in Rome." he said.
    I nodded.
    We picked our clothes up as the door to the limo opened. Dag
got out first, then us.
    There were quite a few smiling men on the front-it was too
big for a porch, maybe a veranda. The house was enormous and
looked brand new.
    Dag walked up to a short guy. He bent down and kissed him.
Dag laughed. He stood up and the short guy had unzipped Dag's
pants and pulled out a very large, erect cock. Dag was big! The
short one began jacking Dag off.
    "Hephin, this is Luke and Tom."
    "I'm happy to meet you," the short one said.
    He didn't look like an Alpha, but we had been told he was
submissive.
    "Thanks for letting us come here," I said.
    I walked up to him and held out my hand. He let go of Dag and
hugged me, instead. It was really nice. Much, much better than a
handshake.
    Hephin hugged Luke, too. Then Hephin flicked Luke's soft dick
with a finger. Luke flinched, but Hephin ignored it, then. It was
too minor to get even a little upset about it. I wondered if Luke
would have to have sex with Hephin. It sounded like it was a
condition of being accepted into the pack.
    "This is my mate, Elepan," Hephin said.
    I shook the hand of a handsome guy. He was just wearing
shorts and he was as hairy as Luke.
    "How long have you been mates?" Elepan asked.
    "Since this morning," Luke said.
    Everyone began congratulating us. Luke put his arm around me.
I looked at all the faces. They all seemed happy. No one looked
like they would prefer we weren't there. I did feel comfortable,
and not only were these strangers, but I was naked. It was
overwhelming, though.
    "Elepan and Dag, I would like you to join me in the study
while I speak to Tom and Luke, privately."
    Luke and I followed them inside the house. It was really
nice. I looked around so much that Luke had to pull my hand to
keep up with the others. We walked into a room. It seemed more
like a den than a study.
    "Please sit," Hephin said.
    Luke and I sat on a leather sofa. I sunk into it, but it also
supported my body.
    "Oh, god, this is comfortable!" I said.
    Hephin grinned.
    "Courtesy of Dag. He built this house for us. We used to live
in Alephin's pack. When it became obvious that I was an Alpha, my
grandfather gave us this land for my pack. It's just a few acres,
but there aren't many of us.
    "Will you change into a bush for me?" Hephin asked.
    "I'll try. I have to be terrified to do it, so I have to
imagine I am."
    I closed my eyes. I tried to picture the rednecks at the door
of this house. 'I found the faggots, Clyde! Let's blow the house
up.'
    I felt different. I was changing. I opened my eyes.
    Hephin and Elepan were staring at me. They looked very
strange, so I knew I was a shrub.
    "This is my mate, Mr. Bush," Luke said.
    All three of the others laughed. I did, too, but there was no
sound. I tried to change back. I looked down and watched branches
coalesce into legs. It was kind of creepy.
    "I haven't told anyone this, and I don't want any of you
repeating this, but I dreamed I turned into a bush just like that
when I was being chased," Hephin said. "In the dream, I could see
myself, and that was how I looked. And by the same, I mean my
leaves looked exactly like that. Even now, I can remember that,
and that was months ago.
    "We have to be relatives," Hephin said to me.
    "You do resemble each other a little," Elepan said.
    "Do you know if that is true?" Hephin asked me.
    "I was adopted," I said. "I asked my parents once about my
birth mother. She said they told her and my father I was left at
a police station when I was at most two days old. So we don't
know anything."
    Hephin nodded.
    "I wonder if a man gave birth to you," Hephin said.
    "Boy, that never occurred to me!"
    They all laughed.
    "It's a shame. We don't know any information about my
father's mother. Just that her family was from Tennessee."
    "Personally, I think it is likely you two are related," Dag
said. "You both smell similar to me. Elepan, what do you think?"
    Elepan walked over. I bent my neck over, but he smelled my
crotch.
    "There is a similarity."
    "I think we should go on the assumption that we are related.
I want the two of you to change into your wolves. I need to see
how my wolf responds to you."
    Both Luke and I stood.
    I concentrated on being a wolf and found myself changing. I
saw Hephin. He was a wolf. I walked over to him. I sniffed him
and then my wolf began licking his snout. It wasn't my idea. I
didn't know if that was good or not. I looked at my mate. He was
a much bigger wolf. He walked over and smelled Hephin's butt.
Then he began licking it. He licked it for about thirty seconds.
I didn't know if that was good, either. He stopped and walked
over to me. He sat next to me. My wolf rubbed against him.
    Hephin changed back, so I did, too. Luke stood and held out
his hand. I took it and stood.
    Luke put his arm around me. I was very nervous.
    "My wolf likes both of you. Especially you, Tom. He was a
little disappointed that Luke didn't mount him. But he likes,
you, too. You are welcome to join my pack."
    I hugged Luke. Then I hugged Hephin.
    "I was so worried! I changed into a bush in a crowded
restaurant this morning."
    "Oh, no!" Hephin said, laughing.
    "Then when Dag told us how many people wanted to kidnap a
shifter, I was even more scared."
    "Oh, I understand. We've been through an attempted kidnapping
of my babies and of me."
    "Hephin, I have a major concern," Luke said. "I was really
hoping Tom and I could be monogamous."
    "Yes. I assumed that when your wolf licked me, but didn't
mount me. Regardless of that, though, I think you belong here, if
only because Tom is a relative. Even if my wolf ends up annoyed
that you won't fuck him, I will still think that. I would like it
if you two did participate in our.uh."
    "Orgies?" Dag suggested.
    Hephin laughed. "I was trying to be classier than that!"
    Elepan laughed.
    "Sex is what holds this pack together, and I want you to be
part of it, even if you only have sex with each other."
    "I think that's fine," Luke said. "We had sex in front of
Dag." Luke looked at me. "Isn't it?"
    "Yes, it's fine," I said.
    "Good! I am going to tell the rest of the pack not to
proposition either of you. If you two ever decide you want to
participate more, let me know."
    "We will," Luke said.
    "I would like you to participate in other group activities,
too. Eating, playing, picnicking, etc. I know you just found each
other and you will want to spend most of your time alone for a
while. But I really don't want you to just be people who live
here. We are a family. We have children in the pack. You are
either a part of the family, or unwanted visitors."
    "I think both of us will be happy to participate. We may be
having a child, and I want to learn all I can about kids," Luke
said. "Helping to take care of yours will be good training."
    "Tom wished he could have Luke's baby when they had sex," Dag
said.
    "You probably are pregnant, then," Hephin said to me. "That
seems to be all it takes."
    "Dag, do you think I should still get pregnant for hire?" I
asked.
    "Are you willing to do that?" Hephin asked.
    "Yes."
    Hephin grinned.
    "You are definitely in the right pack!" Hephin said. "Hmm."
    I could see he was thinking.
    "Elepan, will you show Luke and Tom the empty rooms in the
house, and also the apartments in back? I want to talk to Dag
about Tom's pregnancy." Hephin turned to me. "I'm not deciding
anything without your consent, but we have different options and
I want to know which are the most.uh, beneficial to the pack.
Once we decide, I will make proposals to you."
    "OK. That's fine. I trust you and Dag."
    Hephin smiled.
    "Come along. I'll show you where you can live."
    We followed Elepan. We walked past a room when a guy was on
his knees, sucking another man. I stopped to watch, before
catching up. The guy he was sucking was even taller than Luke.
    Elepan showed us an enormous bedroom, with a huge bed.
    "This bed is even bigger than mine," I said to Luke.
    Luke laughed. He turned to Elepan.
    "Tom had one twin bed in his apartment."
    "Really? That's not very optimistic."
    Luke laughed.
    "I never went on a date," I said. "I didn't even think I
liked sex until I met Luke."
    Elepan nodded.
    "I've known a couple of Vin-Ta like you. Personally, I had
all the sex I could, until I met my mate. Then I had more!"
Elepan said.
    Luke chuckled.
    "That's me! Is it difficult, being an Alpha's mate?"
    Elepan sighed.
    "It's wonderful and sometimes painful. I'm used to it, now.
But it was tough, at first. Hephin wasn't an Alpha when he became
my mate. His wolf slowly grew more confident, until it became
obvious. But I grew up watching Alephin fuck everyone, and his
mate just accepted it as part of being an Alpha's mate. That was
his first mate, Maria. He and Maria would be eating in the
canteen. Alephin would join a woman at another table and begin
fucking her. I used to watch the expressions on Maria's face when
that happened. She would get angry and it would turn to eye-
rolling and finally acceptance. I don't roll my eyes-" I laughed.
"And I'm past the angry stage, not that I was ever angry at
Hephin. It was the circumstances."
    We looked around the room. There was a huge video screen on
the wall. I guessed it was eighty inches, at least. There was a
coffee maker, a microwave oven, a stereo, two computers, and
more. Then Elepan showed us the bathroom. There were two shower
stalls and a hot tub. The bathroom was bigger than my bedroom in
my apartment. There was a door onto a balcony. It looked out into
pine forest. I liked the room. Elepan pointed.
    "There is an apartment building back there. You can see part
of it over there. If you want to live completely alone, you can
take an apartment there. No one else lives in that building, so
the whole thing would be yours. Do you need forty-eight
kitchens?"
    Luke and I laughed.
    "Do you want to see the apartment?"
    I looked at Luke.
    "I think Hephin would prefer if we lived in the house. He
wants us involved," Luke said.
    "I agree. This room is wonderful. And we can both get in the
bed at the same time."
    Luke and Elepan laughed.
    "Elepan, we didn't bring anything with us. We got Dag's note
that we were in danger and just left. No clothes, no underwear,
no toothbrushes, nothing!" Luke said.
    "There's a store in Alephin's pack. We can get someone to
take you over there. I don't think you should plan on leaving the
pack lands until we know if anyone is after you."
    I nodded, relieved.
    "Is it safe to call my parents?" I asked.
    "Don't ask me, ask Dag. He is the security expert. It sounds
like it would be fine, but."
    "I'll ask," Luke said. "Don't forget you need to call work
and quit."
    "Oh, yeah. I can do that by email, though," I said.
    "Can one of us get a job until I get paid for my pregnancy?"
    "There is no need. Everyone who joins Alapawa Pack gets ten
million dollars. You two joined, so you have twenty million
between you."
    "Dag mentioned that," Luke said. "It's just so hard to
believe!"
    Elepan nodded.
    "It's all Dag's money. None of us had any at all. Hephin bore
Dag a child. Rather than paying Hephin, he put up the money for
Hephin to start his own pack. You are receiving the money from
Hephin, who got it from Dag, as a sort of thank you gift for
giving him a son. Hephin has much more than ten million, being
Alpha. You may end up incredibly wealthy if you bear kids for
rich, old farts."
    Luke and I laughed.
    "That's what Dag said. We don't need the money, but I am
still willing. I want to contribute something to the pack."
    Elepan nodded.
    Once again, I had no trouble talking to Elepan. I just
trusted him. I didn't have a reason. I just did. I shook my head.
    "What is it?" Elepan asked me.
    "I have always had trouble talking to people. I only had one
friend, until I met Luke last night. I always just froze when
people talked to me."
    "You mean humans?"
    I nodded.
    "They terrify me. Hephin's father, Rince used to make fun of
me. 'Look out Elepan! It's a human! One of the real little ones!
Maybe a three year-old. They're the deadliest!'" Luke laughed and
I tried not to. "I never could read them. To me, it seemed like
they all had masks on their faces, hiding what they were
thinking. Dag told me it was because I was using scent to
determine people's emotions, and it only worked with Vin-Ta. That
was a revelation to me. Dag knows more than the rest of us
combined and multiplied by a thousand. But you get really wise by
the time you are seven hundred. Anyway, I was never uncomfortable
about strange Vin-Ta, but humans? They still give me the creeps."
    I nodded. I took Luke's hand and smiled at him. He bent down
and kissed me.


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