"Are you really going to the club?" Eline asked her friend disbelievingly, from the door.
"Yes," Was all Ismena answered as she stood before the old mirror and sampled another dress.
Eline was sad watching her friend who has been trying to find 'an appropriate dress' for a while now. She'd been cooking in the kitchen when Ismena walked into the house with tears in her eyes, her shoulders drawn in defeatedly.
She'd asked, and the human female had told her that she confirmed with the Alpha King. Indeed, she is his mate, but he rejected her.
Eline had expected to hear that, but still it made her sad hearing it. She consoled Ismena as the human female cried her heart out.
Then, all of a sudden, the woman wiped her tears and declared that she'll be going to the club.
"The Club!? I'm not sure that is such a good idea, Ismena." It is in fact a bad idea, for a lot of reasons.
She'd tried explaining those reasons, but Ismena wouldn't hear of them.
"If he doesn't want to mate with me, that's fine. I know I'm beautiful." She'd stated, raising her wet chin proudly, "I will find another changeling who will be happy to mate with me."
"But, it doesn't always work like that in every cases, Ismena! You're highly-very highly-compatible with the Alpha King, so he is your mat-"
"I don't care." Ismena cut her off rising from the old couch, she wiped her wet cheeks, "Even if I don't find a mate, I'm going to have fun while I wait for my own death. No way I'm staying here wallowing in self-pity, or crying for a man that hates me."
"But---"
"Are you going to come with me?" Ismena doesn't mind going alone, but she needed her friend with her in such a strange place surrounded by strange people.Especially because most of them have hatred for her and her kind.
Eline bit her lips. She hasn't gone to the club in ages, she does want to leave the house a bit because she will only worry herself to death about Alphose and how he's faring.
Also, she has to look out for Ismena too. The woman is hurt enough for one day. "Okay, I will go with you."
Ismena had given her a smile of gratitude. "Thanks, my friend. Yayy! Let's go and have fun!" She'd hailed, wiping her cheeks dry again.
Now, Ismena picked up yet another dress, placed it in front of her body, and watched the slightly-blurry old mirror. "Shit. I can't seem to find something so clubby here, Eline."
Eline snorted, "Everything there is so clubby. This is not the non-changeling world, Ismena. We hardly go half-naked in order to attract our males, even in the club. Well, some of us do dress like that," she conceded, "but mostly, you will see gowns that covered the whole body. Just that instead of loose gowns, they wear very tight-fitting gowns, hugging the whole body and showing off your...uhm...feminine asserts."
"Those are the clothes I'm looking for. I can't seem to find anything relatively resembling that description here." She lamented, waving her hands around in frustration.
Eline worried her lips. She has clothes like that, but she's hesitant to show them to Ismena.
What if the Alpha King beheads her in rage because of this? She's already in trouble for agreeing to go to the club with her.
"Eline, pleeeease?"
The cougar female sighed in defeat, "Alright," she mumbled, "Follow me."
Ismena grinned at her retreating back, "You're a sweetheart."
"No, I'm not, but I'll humor you. Heaven knows that the Alpha King will have my head for this."
"No, he wouldn't. The man doesn't care one bit if I go naked on the road or have a hot session with ten men in the club." Ismena added firmly. A pang in her chest.
Eline scoffed, speechless.
Then, she shook her head. Ismena truly doesn't know about Alpha Changelings.
Yes, the Alpha King doesn't want to mate with her, but Eline refused to believe that he does not care about who touches her. She refused to believe that he does not care THAT much.
"Here it is," she announced, opening the wardrobe of the new bedroom she'd led Ismena to. She stepped aside to allow the human female to come forward.
"Woah." Ismena gasped, staring at all sorts of beautiful shiny dresses she would never have thought the 'proper' cougar female will ever have. "Wooooah...!" She swiveled her head and spared Eline a shocked glance.
The woman shrugged, "Well, I was once a rebellious teenager."
Ismena grinned, arching her brow. She began sorting through the clothes enthusiastically likes a child in the midst of Christmas presents.
The scent of the Alpha King clung too much to her skin, Eline wondered if the human female is really aware of how much she smells like her mate already?
No changeling will come near to her at the club. No one who values his life, that is.
***************
"Who knows, I might find another changeling male who I'm compatible with, who I can start fucking and it'll keep me alive. But even if I don't find another compatible mate, it doesn't matter. I'm still going to fuck around and fulfill my list while I wait for my death. I'm going to the club tonight."
Wolfariane realized his hands has balled into fists. Again.
For the hundredth time, he unfisted and flexed those fingers. He stood at the window of his bedroom, staring out to the wildness that surrounded his tower.
He has a good night vision even without the eyes of the wolf or the mountain lion, so he can see each tree of the forest, each grass, each pathway. Head raised, he glanced at the sky.
The stars clustered around the half-moon, looking so beautiful and shiny. A shooting star went off, separating itself from the crowd while twinkling stars stood out from the rest. It is indeed a beautiful night.
She is in the club.
Those males are leering at her.
Their eyes are devouring her.
Their eyes are ravishing what belongs to him.
Pain shot through his palms, cutting the raging invading thoughts off instantly. He raised his hands and looked at them.
Blood tripled from his palm. Shit, His hands have balled into fists again and this time around, his claws had slipped out and he cut himself.
Taking a deep breath, he willed his claws to retract and he surveyed his bloodied palm.
It's been hours since Ismena left his tower. Her parting shots had made him restless and placed him in a very bad mood which only get worse as time crawls by. Which gets even worse each time his head processes what she meant by those words.
He'd tried not to think of them. He has no intentions of stopping Ismena from clubbing and being with other men, after all, he'd told her clearly that he doesn't want to be with her. He wasn't an unreasonable man and he most definitely isn't one of those Alphas that does irrational things because of Mate.
So, he will respect her decision. That is exactly what he planned to do after she'd walked away.
But then again, as time passed, it gets harder to 'respect her decision.' It gets harder to just ignore.
After the mind-blowing orgasm she'd given him, he was supposed to be at his calmest for the rest of the day but he was no more calm than a violent tornado warning.
To keep himself occupied, he'd spent the rest of the evening working behind his desk, in between checking up on Alphose and Nalaila. Then, he'd tried sleeping, but that part was not an easy feat.
Now, as his eyes traced each shooting star, he was doing his very best to control himself. He was trying his damnest not to think of another man crawling towards her, touching her body in a dance, kissing her.
A deep growl tore from his throat. His claws unsheathed again.
"Hell." He muttered. No, this is not helping.
He has to go for a run to calm himself. If he exhausts himself in a run, he wouldn't have to think about the gray-eyed brave, and beautiful woman.
Every unmated Changeling male in the club knew when she entered the club. How wouldn't they know?
The woman is smoking hot.
She was dressed in what can be termed 'the skimpiest gown' in Naturiah standard, but the very normal gown in the non-changeling world. The gown stopped two inches above her knees, showing off a bit of that white creamy skin of her thighs that has every male either licking their lips, swallowing tightly, or whistling under their breaths in reverence.
Sexy legs in a high heel-a rarity in Naturiah-walked elegantly inside the club and a wild blonde hair like scourging fire rested behind her back which made most of their hands itch to touch that untamable mass of hair.
She was walking beside a very beautiful Eline too, but then again, they all know the 'prim and proper' cougar sentinel, so, they know better than to gawk at the woman. Instead, they all devoured the human female with their eyes. Damn, the woman is extremely beautiful.
Some of these men already began preparing themselves to go to her once she's seated and make a pass at her.
Some of them already imagined taking the small woman home, spread her out on their bed, and fuck her all night.
Some of them imagined prepositioning her and fucking her in the restroom of the club.
Some of them already prepared themselves on how they will fight their fellow male for her, defeat that male, and claim the woman.
But, as the woman passed them in that elegant steps of hers towards the counter, each of their faces changed dramatically because of the scent she carried.
Some faces mirrored shock, some disappointment...surprise...envy...dismay.
The Alpha King's woman. His mate!
Their eyes were filled with questions.
What is she doing in a club!?
What kind of set-up is this?
With a regretful sigh, they all focused on other women. Those drinking faced their drinks again.
They all value their lives.
No way they are risking their lives like that.
No man is coming to her.
Thirty minutes in the club, Ismena came to that realization as she sipped her margaritas in sheer frustration.
Few couples were dancing on the floor, while some were even making out around the corner, while some others were just idle. But none of them were looking at her. Not even a single male.
If Ismena didn't know better, she will think that someone tattooed 'STAY OFF, SHE HAS AIDS!' on her back.
But she knows way better. And that only has her more frustrated, especially since her friend Eline is busy having fun.
Her eyes found Eline on the dance floor. The woman is on her third dance with another changeling male. The third dance!
Yet, no man has even propositioned her for a dance. Every female in this club has gotten one. She wondered what was going on as she sat there sullenly, drinking.
Why isn't any man coming to her?
Then, the answer came when one man walked into the club, his eyes searched appreciatingly for the females and when his eyes found hers, it flashed with attraction.
As the man made his way towards her, Ismena noted that he's a small man, a little taller than her but he oozed power. No problem, he'll do.
But then, something happened.
The man got close to her and stopped suddenly like he hit a wall. He sniffed the air...twice. His eyes widened in shock and fear.
Then, he turned and almost ran like his feet were on fire just to get away from her.
I smell like him! A gasp tore from her mouth as it dawned on her.
"Oh my God! That motherfucking frowning ape!" She raged, slamming her drink on the table with so much force, the wooden cup rattled badly.
She tried not to think of him all evening. The thought of sleeping with another man doesn't sit well with her, but she was trying her best to make peace with it since the man she wanted-the man her body craves so badly-does not want her.
The taste of him was still on her tongue. She licked her lips occasionally just to taste a bit of him. But, at the same time, she's also trying to put him away from her thoughts and focus on having fun.
Yet, she can't even have fun because of him.
"Aaah! I'm having so much fun! I'm glad we came here!" Eline shouted above the music, hurrying towards her with a wild grin on her face.
"Well, at least one of us is having fun!" Ismena screamed above the music too. Angrily, she downed her drink in one shot and stretched out the empty cup to the pointed-ear bartender.
Eline touched her arm, "Tune it down girl, so you don't get drunk."
Ismena wanted to get drunk, maybe that will ease her frustration a bit. Already, she can feel the drink getting to her head.
"I saw when Admus was coming to ask you out on a drink. Poor Rat sentinel. He must have realized what a bad idea that is when he got close to you."
"It's his scent, right!? I'm carrying his scent, right?"
Eline nodded, her eyes held pity and amusement. "Like second skin."
"Mother-fucking-fucker!" She hissed, raising the drink to her mouth again and downing it again in one shot.
"Can I have this dance?"
A deep voice behind them made the two women turn to see a very handsome male. He was grinning at Eline.
"Kaine! It's been so long!" She threw her arms around the male's neck and he lifted her off her feet and whirled her around. "When did you come back!?"
"Yesterday." The wolf changeling works for Naturiah's Agricultural And Livestock Company. NAALC. He has been away, in the non-changeling world, for more than seven years now.
"I'm so glad to see you again!" Eline enthused.
"Let's dance, shall we?"
"Of course!"
As the man whisked her away back to the dance floor, Ismena watched her friend with surprise and wishfulness. Surprise because she has never seen Eline so happy and wishful because she longs to have this fun Eline is having.
Time passed. Ismena ordered more drinks repeatedly.
When she turned and couldn't find Eline again, she only shook her head and continued drinking. Her friend might already be making out with that man in one of the restrooms. Well, at least one of them is having fun.
"Hi, beauty. What are you doing here sitting all alone by yourself?" A deep voice groaned behind her.
Ismena turned and was surprised to see the man directed the question at her. "Me?"
"I can't see any other beauty around here." The male drawled, charmingly.
"I am Ismena." She stretched out her hand into his. The male is very handsome and he has a kind smile.
He took it gently, "I'm Donas. I'm a Dog Changeling. Can I have a dance with you?"
"Yes, of course." Ismena couldn't believe her good fortune. A man actually asked her out for a dance!
She teetered on her feet-shit, she'd drank too much-as he led her to the floor. He placed a hand on her shoulder, the other one on her waist, and began making dance moves.
Ismena joined him, barely resisting the urge to shake his hands off her body. You need a man for a one-night-stand remember? You can't do that.
Donas, the dog changeling has what the non-changeling doctors will call Anosmia, which means the partial or full loss of smell.
In Donas' case, he has a full loss of smell. He had an accident in his changeling form ten years ago which caused him to lose his sense of smell. Because of that he can't scent a thing.
But it's a weakness no one but his packmates know. Changelings do not let people know their weakness unless it's absolutely necessary.
The other changelings watched him dance with the human female, their jaws dropped in horror. Does the dog male have a death-wish!? Most of them wondered.
In the dance floor, Donas danced with the very beautiful woman so happily. He cannot believe his good fortune, to have met such beauty alone in the club.
As the music changed, most couples on the floor kissed their partners.
Donas kissed her too.
Before Ismena could process what was happening, her dance partner was kissing her fully on the lips. Her head is all mushed up from the drink she had. She didn't kiss him back, but she didn't push him away either.
Finally, the kiss ended, even though he didn't want to end it. Donas is already spotting a hard-on he was trying to hide in his pants. Damn, the woman is on fire.
The male leaned closer and whispered to her ear, "What do you say we go somewhere...private?" He has to get her alone, or he will embarrass himself here in the dance floor.
"Uhm..." Ismena was distracted by the kiss she didn't expect. Not only that, Donas' hand crept from her waist down to her ass. He squeezed softly.
"Damn, you are a beautiful female. What do you say we go away from here?." His breath was hot around her neck. "I will make you feel so good..."
"Uhm..."
He kneaded her ass again, grinding his chest to her breasts. "We dogs can bite really well. I will bite every inch of you in a way that'll live you quivering for more if you let me..."
Suddenly, the music stopped. It just stopped.
Silence descended in the club.
For a place that was so noisy that everybody had to shout before they can hear each other before, it was suddenly so quiet like a tomb.
Everybody's eyes were at the door of the club. Every single person, including the bartender, the DJ, and even the slutty dancers.
Ismena's back prickled in dread...and fear. Why?
She turned to see who everybody was looking at.
The Alpha King stood at the door of the club, his eyes pinned on her...and on Donas.