POV: Destiny

I fumbled around in my purse while following my brother, Zoan. I knew I had my ID in there somewhere. When I found it, I looked back toward Zoan. I was falling behind but he didn't say anything. One of my other twenty brothers would have, so I was happy Zoan was the one chosen to come with me. I was going to be choosing my mate soon so I wanted one more getaway. One more trip before I became Mrs. Whoever.

I watched Zoan point ahead toward the conductor. He would be in that location while I went toward the inspection area.

I took a seat next to another woman. She was about the same age, eighteen or so, and probably doing the same thing I had been doing. Escaping for just a little while before settling down with a guy and having gobs of cubs.

Oh, mated. That was the word for when you promised yourself to one guy and had many children. Always having to 'do our part for the species'. Constantly having children until one girl was born, it wasn't a life I had been looking forward to. Women were more than baby makers, but our planet didn't think so. We were just rare and precious, a sight to behold. There weren't many female werewolves anymore.

For centuries humans had hunted werewolves down once they were discovered among them. They eventually learned how to detect them, and they focused on eliminating the females specifically.

About a hundred years ago, way before I was born, they finally got some respect for each other. If that's what you want to call it.

I call it taking the werewolves down enough that they had to start thinking humanely. All the actual shifting werewolves were gone, the only ones that remained were the ones who couldn't shift.

In fact, some of them didn't even know. I think my great grandma was pretty surprised when she found out she was 65% werewolf. Anyone above 2% werewolf DNA got moved to a chain of islands 'humanity gifted us' for 'peace'.

There was no war. No meeting each other, only diplomatic people talking between. Decisions were made together to just live separately. We weren't even allowed to use their satellite signals for our televisions. We had to get our own.

In exchange of staying away from their civilization, we were free to live however we wanted.

I guess that should be the happy ending, but I didn't see it that way. It was just an unfinished ending.

Meanwhile, now the ladies like me are these treasures that are protected too much for my taste. I'm not even allowed to get on planes, only certain water trains with a guardian (my brother). Dang it, there were so many things I could do if I were a boy. For one, I wouldn't have to be getting mated. Sure it would be the biggest and best and richest guy out there in my pool of admirers I'd probably choose. But?

Still.

Oh, I was making myself all anxious again. There was no way to stop it so I should be relaxing. It's my last vacation. So, that's it, no more thinking about it. "How long is the line?" I asked the other woman.

"There are four more in front of us," she said.

Four women? That meant I'd be here for some time. Oh, I just wanted to be on vacation already. Anything to get my mind off . . . a mate. Shoot! It didn't matter how much I tried not to think about it, the thought kept creeping across so I might as well succumb.

Should I choose for money? That would secure my whole family and I would live in bliss never thinking about wanting anything again. Whatever I wished or desired would be served to me with no questions. I already had to wear nice clothes every day lest some man actually saw me in normal wear. Ha ha. I'd wear only the finest gowns and stroll down hallways lined with sculptures and masterpieces of the finest quality. Hm, yeah, spend out the rest of my days in a mansion. I'd also receive nanny help, something I would need after the first two children or so.

Then again, the more money, the more those kinds of mates tended to use it to increase their chances of success. They would put me on fertility treatments. Wanting to speed up the chances, I would have at least twelve kids at a time, sometimes up to twenty. I felt myself seethe just thinking about that.

Money versus hundreds of children. Hmm. At least the guys with less money wouldn't be able to do that?

Oh yeah, and then there were the strong ones. The courageous ones who were winning the chance to be beside me because of their bravery and skill. Only thing was I had not met any of them. Guys had to pay to even meet me, and those kind of guys didn't have money. Should I risk promising myself to someone who will only meet me once before mating?

The 'eh' guys with money I've known since I was 12, or a strapping hero I've never met before?

Perhaps I could choose from the famous. A couple of mini-celebrities had been wooing me too, but they thought they were the treasure. Yes, they were a master of the arts, but they were not masters of knowing how to treat women.

Choosing blindly one of the brave souls, choosing one of the rich for money, or the celebrities that thought the prize was themselves? Which would give me more happiness?

Heh, happiness! What a concept. I was only a prize to every man. If I had been born a man, I'd have no problems in the world. I could be free on the Wolf Islands, walk around freely, and choose what I wanted to do in my life. Be single with no children for life? No problem.

Feeling the heat, I brought out a small fan from my purse and unclipped it, swishing it back and forth. I crossed my legs, hearing the slight scratch of my gown. Going on vacation, I had chosen a more primitive material than silk, and I was beginning to regret that decision.

"So, my names Cindy," the woman next to me said. "What's yours?"

Oh, we would be here awhile. She was actually making small conversation. "Destiny." It was actually Destinyoftheages, but I prefered my short name.

"Destiny." She nodded. "Last trip?"

Obviously. "Yeah, you?"

"Yeah." Cindy tapped her leg. "I think I'm going to go for a brave one. At least they don't have the money like the others. I'd rather give birth several times than have several each time, you know?"

She was thinking of the same thing I had been. Well, I didn't blame her. She wanted to hear her choice out loud. "I don't know who I'll pick," I admitted.

"I want to pick being born a hundred more years in the future," she answered. "That's when they say technology will be able to change sexes of babies. Then we can get the DNA higher, and start shifting again. That would be epic."

Everyone said that. Truth was we put way too much into finding ways to keep going like that. I simply shook my fan back and forth again. Our small talk was over and I heard a woman inspector call my name. I stood up and went over.

What a pain. I had to show proof of identification with three different ID's. I had to have my body examined by five different people. I had to take three different kinds of preventative pills, as well as take ten shots. Prodded and poked, if I were meat, I'd be considered overdone. You'd think I would be going to a foreign planet, not just to another island in the wolf islands.

It was a grueling hour before I was done. I hurried to the conductor area but my mouth dropped. I held my hands up and yelled to wait but the train was taking off. My chance at my last freedom was disappearing along with my brother, Zoan.

A woman with no brother around to guard her spelled trouble. I quickly ran past the conductor and hit the tracks. I didn't have long before the train would go full speed.

I waved my arm and yelled for my brother, trying to catch his attention. Didn't he even know I never boarded? If he didn't slow down soon, I would never get close enough before the train went too fast. I called out one last time, straining my voice while my body was being physically pushed to the brink.

Finally, the train slowed down and came to a complete stop. I sighed and held onto my purse as I walked toward it. My breathing was heavy and my attitude wouldn't be pleasant. How could Zoan forget me like that? Much farther and it would have started to go into the water.

I stepped into the train and swung my purse into a chair. Finally, I could relax as I headed to a window. Zoan had scheduled a first class train so there should even be a bed in the other room if I got tired. "Glad you finally stopped for your sister Destiny," I yelled in the train, still not happy about running after it. "Honestly, I can't believe you let the conductor let it go without me." I waited for a response, but I heard none. Zoan was still hiding in the back room. Embarrassment? No, that wasn't like Zoan, he'd own up to something he'd done wrong. "Zoan?"

As the door creaked, I realized why Zoan had left me behind.

It wasn't Zoan.

His eyes were dark blue, and his hair was a wavy black. He was definitely my age but his clothing was odd. Usually guys wore the latest more expensive fashions. He wore a regular unruly shirt and had not even poked the shirt into his pants. I wanted to believe that, perhaps, he was one of the brave guys of mine, and they were romantically breaking the rules to see me to improve chances?

My mouth opened and then closed. We watched each other, neither of us saying a word. This was definitely not a brave match, I could feel it! Our breath had both been getting rugged though, and eventually one of us would make the first move.