Sharkbait Down Under

Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort

Gold Coast, Australia

“This is a hell of a place for a wedding,” Nicholas said as we walked across the boardwalk at the hotel pool towards Mirage Beach.

“I’m amazed the hotel could put everything together this quickly,” I replied. I was jealous of Susan; she’d found a way to have her big day without months of planning hell. We found the wedding party near the lifeguard tower, with Linda herding them for the different shots she would need.

“Ah, good, you’re here,” Linda said as she spied me. “Join the family for a few shots.” I reluctantly let go of Nicholas’ hand and put on a big smile as I joined Susan, Hammer, Amy, and Luke on the sand near the crashing surf. “I’m sorry this is taking a little longer, but I’m doing some short video segments as well as still photos,” she explained as she moved me to stand with Amy.

“It’s fine,” I said. Linda got some still pics after the twins joined us, with and without our wraps, and that attracted a little attention. Hotel security worked with Fiona to keep the crowd behind the rope barrier set up for the ceremony. There was a flower-covered arch stuck into the sand, and a dozen white folding chairs arranged in front of them. Speakers on posts flanked the arch and softly played Susan’s classic rock playlist. Linda started taking some video of the people arriving as Amy and Susan headed back inside to wait for the service to begin.

“What’s going on,” Makani sent to me as I snuggled into Nicholas’ side while we walked down the beach. We had about ten minutes before we had to be back, and I wanted to be alone with him.

“What do you mean,” I answered innocently.

“You’re looking at him like a slab of Grade-A Prime Man-Meat coming off your smoker,” Noelani said. “You’re drooling. I take it your date is going well?”

“Fantastic,” I said back. “Nicholas is studying to be a Doctor, AND he’s been diving since he was a boy.”

“You can’t fool us, Vicki. We know you.”

“Later.” I stopped, pulling Nicholas around before wrapping my arms around his waist and leaning my head back for a kiss. “We shouldn’t go too far,” I said.

“Not until I get you back to my room,” he replied.

“Don’t,” I said. “Everyone is going to smell my arousal.”

He just laughed. “You’ll be apples. Me crackin’ a fat will show on video in these bathers. I can’t swim with those shark biscuits, so give me a minute to get my donger down.”

I looked up at him and raised my eyebrow. “Do I need to pull up Google Translate on my phone?”

“You’re going to be fine, but I’ve got to lose my erection because it will show on camera, and I can’t swim out and hide with the new surfers. I can turn the Bogan twang off for work, but it’s fun watching you try and figure out what we say in plain English.” He looked out at the waves breaking onto the shoreline in front of us. “Back home, I’d walk into the cold Southern Ocean, and it would shrink right down. Here the waters are too warm.”

I turned him around and led him on a slow walk through the wet sand. It felt so good just to be with him. “You should come with me on my tour,” I said. “Can your family spare you for a few weeks? I’ve got events in two more cities, and we’re filming a dive on the Great Barrier Reef the day after tomorrow’s Bodyglove event.”

He looked off. “Dad said, and I quote, ‘Mom will be mad as a cut snake if this Sheila isn’t home for Chrissie with us.’ We’re mates, love, and my human side is just figuring out what that means. My wolf doesn’t have any doubt; you are mine, and I am yours. I can’t leave you alone.”

“We both have commitments,” I said as I looked out at the ocean. “You have your family business, your school. You can’t just walk away from everything.”

“We will figure it out, just like you’ll figure out what I’m saying after a few days.”

“Maybe,” I said with a laugh. We took our time, talking about what my schedule was like for the next month. We were going to continue working our way west in the Southern Hemisphere. After Melbourne and Perth, it was up to Singapore for a big fashion show. After that, a photoshoot in the Maldives, then to Capetown, South Africa. After a few days diving with Great Whites, we would fly across the South Atlantic to Rio, then north to Rio de Janeiro, Jamaica, and Cancun. The tour ends in Acapulco, Mexico, on Friday, December 23rd. “After that, I planned to be back home until we start filming in the Gulf of Mexico in mid-January.”

“And now?”

“Home is a flexible idea,” I said as we crossed the rope into the private beach area.

Ian and Dorothy were waving for us from chairs in the front row. We sat down on the chairs a few minutes before Hammer and Luke walked down the aisle to stand at the right side of the arch. Both were in white swim trunks with flower print Bodyglove shirts. Pachebel’s Canon in D started, and we all stood and turned to the hotel.

Amy walked out first, looking lovely in her white bikini with a sheer flower-pattern beach coverup. Linda was moving around, recording the video while also live-streaming it to our Packs. When the music changed to Wagner’s Bridal Chorus, we finally saw her.

Susan appeared in the walkway, but it was her escort that had my jaw drop. UNKY LEO? What the HELL? How did they keep THIS secret?

Susan looked radiant; her white bikini visible under her sheer white wrap, a white veil, and white sandals. Leo was barefoot, with gray trunks and a Bodyglove print shirt with different shark species on it. As the music played, the two made their way down the beach until they stopped just before the flower-covered arch. The music stopped, and the minister began. “We gather here today to witness one of life’s great moments, the joining together of two souls in the bonds of marriage. Who gives this woman in marriage?”

“I do,” Leo said. He kissed her cheek and handed her to Hammer, shaking his hand before turning to sit by me.

“I can’t believe you’re here!”

“Later,” he said.

The wedding ceremony was pretty standard, but the people and the scenery made it memorable. The couple had written their vows, and there wasn’t a dry eye watching by the time they exchanged the rings. “You may now kiss the bride,” the minister said.

“About time,” Hammer whispered as he pulled Susan to him. Lifting her veil, he drew her into his body and kissed her for a long time. She was flushed when they broke apart.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Ted Northridge.”

He was the Hammer, and she was his Nail. It had been a beautiful ceremony, and I was clapping as they walked back up the beach. As soon as we got off the sand, I jumped into Leo’s big arms and hugged him.

Nicholas growled and pulled me back to him.

“It’s all right,” I said before Leo could react. “Nicholas Corcoran, this is my Uncle, Leo Volkov. Leo is Alpha of the Miesville Pack and is like a father to me.”

I could sense Nicholas’ wolf coming forward, but Leo was a Mantled Alpha, and it didn’t last long. Ian was just as affected, so Leo pulled his wolf back and focused on Nicholas. “It is good to meet a friend of my niece. How long have you known our Vicki?”

“Long enough to know that she is MINE,” he replied.

“Nicholas, this is Susan’s day. We aren’t going to talk about that!” I was a little mad, but a new mate was possessive and didn’t like me showing affection to other males.

“But we WILL talk later,” Leo promised. I took Leo in my other hand, introducing him to everyone else in attendance as we gathered in a private room for the reception. The place was decorated beautifully, the two-tier cake near the windows looking out over the pool. So much had happened so quickly for us; it was great to be able to celebrate Susan and Hammer’s union.

We danced, partied, and swam well into the night. When Susan left for their room with her husband, everyone gathered around Nicholas and me. “Spill,” Makani said as she pulled the doors closed.

“Nicholas and I are mates,” I said. “I didn’t want to say anything before the wedding because this isn’t my day, it’s Susan’s. I love Nicholas already, and we are going to mate tonight.”

“Are you going to his Pack, or is he coming to Three Sisters? Or Miesville?” Noelani and the others were already trying to figure out answers to questions I hadn’t asked yet.

“We need help, Uncle Leo,” I said. “There is no Pack down under. There are about seven dozen werewolves and human spouses, in family groups of up to ten, scattered in small towns along the Southern Ocean. Everyone in Nicholas’ family descended from a single Beta wolf two centuries ago; they had no idea what an Alpha or a Pack was until I told them.”

Leo sat heavily into a chair. “That’s unheard of,” he said.

“That’s why I need help. When we mate, Nicholas gains the power of a Mantled Alpha. The two of us will instantly become Alphas of the Australian Pack, but forming that Pack and turning it into a cohesive unit is going to be difficult.”

Leo was working through things in his mind. “I need to bring Adrienne into this conversation,” he finally said. “This raises all kinds of issues beyond just you and your mate.”

I could imagine. “Let’s go to your hotel room and set up a call. My parents and Alpha Steven need to be part of this too.”

“No,” Leo said to my surprise. “The Pack and these problems will still be here in the morning. You two need to mate before the pheromones you’re putting out drive us all nuts. I’m sure your parents would appreciate knowing before you claim each other, even if it’s only by a few minutes.” I blushed, but he was right. I could barely sit here talking while my wolf wanted to claim her mate. “Ian, I assume you can speak to the status of the wolves here?”

“They are all family, so yes,” he said.

“Fine. Join me in my room for a nightcap, and we’ll make this call tonight. Maybe we can figure a few things out before they emerge in the morning.”