something like... like this, which was
mystical and strange and so very rare.
And now Katarina was alone in the night,
naked but for a thin robe, carefully walking deeper and deeper into
the forest.
The ground beneath her feet was cool and
soft, no sharp stones or broken sticks waiting to draw blood. The
looming trees, which might have been frightening on another night,
were only beautiful in the silvery light of the moon.
But as pleasant as the forest was, her
anxiety only grew.
Before her, the trees opened up into a
pleasant woodland glade. In the daylight, it would be the sort of
place a gaggle of maidens might go to gossip and pick flowers. At
night – at least on this strange, rare night – it was somehow
mysterious and seductive, drawing Katarina to it.
She stepped out from the trees, her bare feet
enjoying the feel of the grass. Carefully, she walked to the
center, where the moon shone down.
That was when they came out of the trees.
The werewolves looked like normal wolves, but
bigger, stronger. Their eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and when
their mouths open, sharp fangs glittered within. She lost track of
them, they moved so quickly and quietly. Were there five? Six?
More?
They circled around her, and Katarina felt
her heart beating fast. It should have been terror she felt, she
knew that, but somehow... somehow it wasn't. Maybe it was the
potion they'd given her right before she left, maybe it was the
moonlight, maybe it was something else entirely. But whatever it
was, it meant that instead of fear, Katarina felt excitement.
One of the wolves passing in front of her
blurred, and then there was a man there. Tall and handsome, his
dark hair shadowing deep gray eyes, his muscles were defined and
strong like none of the men in the village – and she could see them
perfectly, because he wore nothing at all.
Katarina flushed deeply and averted her eyes.
Then she paused. Was there really a reason to look away, besides
her embarrassment? She was meant to breed with these men – these
werewolves. She ought to at least look at them.
She took a deep breath and looked up, taking
him in. All of him. His cock hung between his legs, large and real
and enough to make her draw in a quick gasp. Those gray eyes looked
back at her, steady but with a gleam of something else buried deep
within – lust? Could that be it?
Another of the wolves circling her blurred
into a man, this one with light hair, but just as attractive and
fit as the first. They'd have to be, wouldn't they, Katarina
thought distantly. If they spent their nights running in the
forest, living like wild animals, they'd naturally be in good
shape.
“ You chose a pretty one this time,” the
blond said. His voice was low, not directed toward Katarina but
toward the other man, the dark-haired one. He must be the leader of
the pack, Katarina thought. He looked to be only a few years older
than her, but that didn't matter. The wolves were immortal, dying
only by violence. That was why they could survive even with so few
mating seasons.
“ Pretty and fertile,” the leader said, his
eyes still on Katarina. “We'll breed her tonight, and there will be
a new addition to our pack before spring comes next
year.”
Katarina shivered. It all suddenly felt real.
She was here to be their mate, the mother to a new werewolf, to be
bred like an animal.
“ Are you afraid?” the leader said. His eyes
missed nothing, and he'd seen her shiver, all out of place in the
warmth of the summer night.
“ I... I don't know,” Katarina said, honest.
She should be, she knew, and some part of her was. But the rest of
her was excited, anticipatory. “I don't know what to
expect.”
The blond laughed. “They don't teach you
humans anything these days, do you?” He stepped closer, and
Katarina looked up at him. “The pack will take you tonight. One of
us will get you with child, and you'll bear a new wolf to join our
pack. Simple, isn't it?”
“ The... pack?” Katarina
A.S. Byatt
CHRISTOPHER M. COLAVITO
Jessica Gray
Elliott Kay
Larry Niven
John Lanchester
Deborah Smith
Charles Sheffield
Andrew Klavan
Gemma Halliday