Can't Fake That

Eugene, Oregon

Three Weeks Later

I checked myself in the mirror one last time; the Bodyglove-designed evening wear was beautiful on me. Inspired by the waters of Monterey Bay, the green strips resembled a kelp forest that swayed as I moved. The deep sea-blue by my hips got lighter as it moved up my body, ending in fake diamonds surrounding the bust and back representing the surface. My shoulders were bare, the thin straps doing just enough to hold everything in place. I topped it off with shark earrings and a beautiful diamond necklace Leo gave me for my sixteenth birthday, one that originally belonged to his first mate.

“Let’s make sure you are ready,” I said as I pulled Amy forward. Her dress was a shimmering white, like the moon on a winter’s night. It clung to her curves like paint and set off the black hair of her wig. Her diamond choker matched the engagement ring she wore on her left hand. “Kai is not going to be able to speak when he sees you,” I teased.

She moved her hand along her side. “I wish I could see, but it’s all fuzzy. I can see blobs where we are, but no detail.” Her vision was very slowly improving; her doctors said it could be years before enough of her brain rewired itself so she could see again. In the meantime, we rejoiced in every improvement she made. “I can almost imagine what this dress looks like from the feel.”

“Those Bodyglove designers went all out for you,” I said. The weekend after my Hawaii trip was the shark tagging event at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It was the first public event for Amy since the attack. She was nervous, but we had her back. Well, us and Kai’s twin sisters, Makani (‘wind’ in Hawaiian) and Noelani (‘heavenly mist’). The pair worked with a local service dog training center to get certified as a seeing-eye dog while Amy was in the hospital. The vest and harness allowed them to go everywhere with Amy now, and since they were twins, they could alternate off fur time so each could get a break.

The fans loved her. They had heard my story, but Amy’s determination to see and dive again was inspiring. We sold every poster we had of the two of us, and she posed for hundreds of pictures.

Mercedes was impressed. I’d convinced the Bodyglove CEO she was worth a contract, and Mercedes was there to find out. Over dinner, she offered Amy ten thousand dollars to do a test shoot the next day. Amy wasn’t sure it would work, because she didn’t see how beautiful she was. The injury took her hair, but the rest of her body was hotter than mine.

The next day, we were on the rocky and wave-tossed Oregon coast. The makeup girls handled Amy like an old friend, making her comfortable as they used different makeup and wigs on her. She looked great in the swimsuits, and better in the wetsuits. It was during a morning break that the photographer spotted them.

Kai and Amy had walked off together, her ‘dog’ by her side. The photographer hid behind boulders as they came back, catching the loving couple as they enjoyed the day. “These are dynamite,” he said after they noticed him. “Is he under contract?” Mercedes said no. “Get him a contract. You can’t fake what I just saw. I HAVE to capture this.”

“I don’t know if I can sign a contract, I’m in the Naval Reserve,” Kai said.

“Take them anyway,” Mercedes said. “We’ll work it out when I’m not freezing.” And so they did. The rest of the shoot was of the two of them, modeling an entire line of Bodyglove products. They were freezing by the time the day finished. When they reviewed the shots on Monday, Mercedes was begging to get them both under contract.

It turned out that Kai couldn’t sign a contract due to his Navy commitments, but he COULD sign a release allowing them to use the photos. He did so gladly after Amy signed a one-year contract like mine. We celebrated late into that night; not only did the contract help with the young couple’s finances, it meant the two of us could make appearances together. Amy and Kai got to keep everything they modeled, and a shipment of other clothes soon followed. Amy could lose money if she got photographed in another brand of clothes, so she had a new wardrobe. That included the new design Bodyglove formalwear we wore tonight.

I heard a knock on the door, and Makani came in with Noelani dressed as the seeing-eye dog. “Time to go,” Makani said. She led us out down the stairs to where Kai and Jason King, my date tonight, waited in their full-dress Navy choker-white uniforms.

We stopped a few steps from the bottom and waited for their jaws to close. “Wow,” was all Kai could say. Jason managed to recover and greet me with a big smile. “Ladies, your chariot awaits,” he said as he bowed to us.

Amy put her arm in Kai’s as they led our group out of the Pack condo and to the waiting limo. Noelani ran ahead and jumped in the limo after my friends, and Jason helped me as I sat across from him. Makani was in her formal gown, as her date to tonights Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Spring Ball would meet her there. Tonight’s ball was to celebrate the seniors who would soon be graduating.

After the Hawaii disaster, it took a lot to talk me into another blind date with a human. Kai vouched for Jason, who was his second in command in their unit’s Midshipmen structure. I found him to be a pleasant date and a gentleman. Jason was a Mechanical Engineering major, headed for Nuclear Power School, then the attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783).

We arrived to find a waiting mob of photographers, reporters, and students curious to see me. My fame showed no sign of slacking, and word of our attendance had been all over social media. Makani exited first, her date, a freshman, leading her towards the stairs. Noelani ran out and sat next to the door, as Kai helped Amy step out. She kept one hand in his arm and the other on the dog’s harness as they smiled for the cameras. When they’d had their moment, Jason stepped out and helped me out to the cheers of the crowd. I waved at them and smiled; I was thrilled to be here at a military ball with my best friend.

We made our way up the stairs to the ballroom to the flashes of cameras. I walked next to Jason through an arch of upraised swords, then to a reception line where we met the officers and distinguished guests. Since Kai and Jason were the senior Midshipmen, we joined the line as the other guests came in.

There was a short speech by Admiral Connor Kincade, and then the dancing began. Our parents made sure Amy and I knew how to ballroom dance as young girls, and Jason was surprisingly good as a lead. We had a great time, but he wasn’t my mate.

Amy was over the moon. In Kai's arms, she didn’t need to see; she followed his confident lead as they waltzed around the dance floor. They were such a great pair, and my heart filled with joy at seeing her this happy.

My wolf and I had gotten past the rejection; both of us glad we never bonded with Alpha Nutless. Adrienne had filled me in on the latest with the Killington Pack before I left for the airport. The Luna had stepped forward to lead the Pack after Theodore’s execution. She didn’t have a lot of help; Traci was her highest-ranking wolf now, and she had problems of her own. Many blamed her for the situation they were in; if she had stepped aside for Timothy’s fated mate, they would have had a dominant pair as Alpha heirs. Luna had not favored them since. Instead, Timothy received his first set of twenty lashes with the silver-infused whip and would remain imprisoned until he got the second. Adrienne said two Alpha-blood and two Beta-blood males had filed challenges with the Council to take on the Killington Luna or her champion, her son.

Yes, he’d been castrated, flogged, and imprisoned, but Timothy still had an Alpha mantle. He would not go down without a fight. The Council would have the contenders fight each other, with the winner getting a shot at the Killington Alpha position. There were no guarantees, but many, including me, hoped that new leadership would save that Pack. The Council had even asked me to file a challenge, and I laughed in their face. Life was doing enough to punish the mate who rejected me, and I didn’t need those headaches.

One good piece of news had come our way. We both received our compensation ordered by the Council a few days ago. I’d heard Killington had to liquidate investments and sell some properties to pay it, which was another blow to the once-successful Pack. With their finances drained and half the Pack leaving for others, Adrienne didn’t think Traci would last at Killington long enough for their child to become Alpha.

Yes, Traci got knocked up by the man she stole from me. It was even possible that I witnessed the conception just before the Summit’s Scratch and Sniff. It would be their only child, and would never hold the Alpha mantle unless they could find and kill Monique’s son. Adrienne assured me that would never happen.

I was on the dance floor until my feet ached; Jason tried a lot, but every male in the room wanted a dance with the Sharkbabe. I danced with everyone from plebes (first year NROTC midshipmen) to Admiral Kincade and took a bunch of pictures with them. Mercedes would be pleased, as social media would fill up with me in the Bodyglove design dress.

It was nearly midnight when Kai let Jason know it was time to go. We said our goodbyes, then left to climb into the limo. Kai and Amy were lost in each other, while I leaned into Jason’s chest and Makani looked out the window.

“Can we keep the night going,” Jason asked. “I know a place we can get some food and talk,” he said.

I cupped his cheek, leaning forward to kiss him. He tried to deepen it, but I pulled back. “You’re a nice man, Jason, and I enjoyed my night. You just aren’t the man for me. I can’t lead you on by telling you otherwise,” I said.

The ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ didn’t go over well, but he nodded. “I enjoyed the night as well. I hope we can be friends.”

“I would like that. My best friend is engaged to your buddy; we might see each other again.” I gave him a goodnight kiss when we returned to the condo, and he walked to his car to head back to his apartment. I had my heels off as soon as I crossed the threshold.

Kai led Amy to their room, and they wouldn’t be out until late morning. Noelani shifted, pulling on a long shirt and pair of shorts she’d left by the door. “I’m having ice cream,” she said.

“I’m in,” I quickly added. The hors d’oeuvres weren’t near enough for me, and I wanted to sit for a while. I went up to my room, hanging up the dress and removing the jewelry before coming down in sweats. I had a great time with Kai’s younger sisters as we watched movies, ate lots of snacks, and gossiped. The males who Luna matched with them would be blessed.

“How do you like dating humans, knowing your mate isn’t out there,” Noelani asked quietly.

Makani looked at me and joined in. “Yeah, I didn’t mind dating that human because I know my mate is out there, but you?”

I took a drink as I composed my thoughts. “I’ve only had a few dates since it happened, and you saw the one in Hawaii, right?” They nodded, the video had gone viral. “My wolf has zero interest now in males. I went out with Jason as a favor to Kai, and so I could be there with Amy at her first adult formal. I’d be just fine if I never dated again, but my bosses at Bodyglove want to see me out and about.”

“Are you going to visit Packs, or wait for the Scratch and Sniffs,” Makani asked.

“By Luna, I never want to go to one of THOSE again,” I said. “The Council will make me, though. I’m going to fly in, let the males parade through, then head for the airport again. They can make me come, but they can’t make me stay.”

“Was it that bad?”

“Worst time of my life. Finding my mate while he was balls-deep in another woman, standing next to her as his seed was still on her thighs, then the rejection? It hurt. It hurt a lot. With time, my wolf and I realized how lucky we were it happened that way. I mean, can you imagine what could have happened? If we had claimed each other that night, I would have woken to a jealous, pregnant girlfriend, then find out he’d raped and impregnated another woman! I don’t need that shit. I’d rather be off Australia diving with the sharks.” Their eyes were wide. “I’m the exception to the rule. Look at Kai, that man is so in love it’s sickening.”

“Do you want to find a mate,” Makani continued.

“I’m not waiting around for a man to make my life complete,” I said. “I’ve got my plan, and I’m going to carry it out. If Luna wants to toss a werewolf male, or even a human male, in my path, she’ll have to do the work.”

“A human?”

“It can happen. My Mom was human when Brent found her. Terry Foster found his mate in a human female with a son.” I smiled as I grabbed another beef stick off the tray. “For both of them, their wolves knew who she was as soon as they caught a sniff of her. I’ll wait for my wolf to tell me my mate is here. Until then, I need a man like a submarine needs a screen door.”

“I want a mate,” Makani said, “But I don’t want to be away from Noelani, and I don’t want to leave this Pack.”

“Luna has plans she won’t tell you,” I said. “Just don’t give your neck to a man who isn’t worthy of it.”