Sharkbait

Emily and I left the four couples in the salon, giving Susan and the girls time to explain everything to their men. It was a good thing we had a long boat ride to and from Catalina plus Sunday because they would need every minute. Emily went up to the flying bridge to talk with Lynette, while I went to the kitchen to speak with Loretta about the party.

Loretta was going to handle all the food and drink and would hire local help as bartenders and waitresses. Given the number of people I expected, Lynette was bringing two extra crew members. “Don’t worry about anything but enjoying yourself,” Loretta told me. “I love this kind of thing. Sandwiches and snacks are the way to go since you don’t have room for everyone to sit at a table.”

“Your menu is fine,” I said. The staff would board the Good Times in Mission Beach, and Lynette would take us to the Marina just outside the base gates. The class got liberty at four and could come straight out. Linda would be there with her camera people, getting releases from those who agreed as they boarded. Once underway, we would head out of San Diego Bay and down off the Pacific side of Coronado to almost the Mexican border before we turn and head back to drop them off around midnight.

I wanted the guys to be partying and drinking just a few hundred yards from where they will be hauling logs around on Monday.

I left her to prepare breakfast and headed upstairs.

I’d linked with Kai as they were getting on board, letting him know the plan for the party. He was pretty sure most of his class would show, but less than half of them had wives or girlfriends in town. “Do you think you could help with the boy/girl ratio? It makes for a better party.”

It was Amy’s party, so I took out my phone and made a few calls. The Miesville and Three Sisters Packs had single young females friends of ours; it didn’t take much beyond “boatload of hot, single SEALs” to catch their interest. I invited a few single women from the Dojo, and a few models from Los Angeles I’d met at photoshoots. I told everyone to bring their bikinis and dancing shoes and meet at Fiddler’s Cove Marina at four. I also booked hotel rooms at the Hyatt Regency in Mission Bay for the out-of-town werewolves; they could ride back to the pier with us since they couldn’t stay in Coronado overnight.

Linda would love this; there would be lots of great party footage, with me ending up alone.

Again.

I grabbed a Diet Coke and spent the rest of the time learning about navigation and rules of the road while talking with Lynette. We anchored at Ripper’s Cove, a small inlet with a long sand beach only reachable by boat. We were lucky; since this was the off-season, no other boats were present. After lunch, we did some diving in the shallow areas before returning for dinner. The guys were taking it better than I expected; the twins finally had an explanation that made sense for the girlfriend switch. "You tell by the smell," as Noelani said.

One of the first questions that came up was whether they would become werewolves now. I’d asked the girls not to answer until we were all together; over dinner, I laid it out for them. “Changing a human into a werewolf isn’t without risk. Roughly half of the changes don’t work out, and we don’t know why.”

“We’re strong and determined, we’ll make it through anything,” Manuel said.

“And we’ve buried strong and determined mates before,” I said. “Just because your mates are here doesn’t mean you get a pass. Once bitten by her wolf, the change begins. Fevers, pain, finally the breaking of bones and reforming of your body. Hours of agony, followed by death, or a successful change.”

“What if we aren’t changed?”

“There are many pairs who do just that,” Susan said. “The bond between mates remains, but it is much weaker than between wolves. You can grow old together, have children who will be werewolves, and never have to take the chance of not making it.”

“You won’t decide now, either. I’m sure the girls explained the basics of Pack structure to you?” The three nodded at me. “Making the change isn’t the end of the process. You need to be under an Alpha to keep your wolf stable, and you need months of training in using your new form. You have to learn hunting, tracking, Pack history, government, and supernatural beings.”

“There’s more?” Ricardo’s eyes got wide.

“Emily’s a vampire, and Lynette and Loretta are mermaids,” I said. "And that's just on my boat."

“Damn,” Manuel said as Emily flashed some fang.

I focused them back on me. “There’s a whole world out there you know nothing of, guys. It can wait, though. You two have SEAL training to complete first, and you need at least three weeks of leave before we could consider a change.”

“Can we do it here,” Hammer asked.

“No. You need Pack lands to run on, and I’m not an Alpha yet.” I could see his disappointment; he didn’t have Navy commitments, unlike the twins. “This isn’t a decision you should rush to make. It’s more dangerous than your jobs are.”

“And in the meantime?”

“The girls love you, and you love them. That’s enough for now, isn’t it?”

I hoped it was.

Hammer got me alone on the transit back, pulling me out to the dining table on the fantail. “Susan doesn’t want to change me,” he said.

“I don’t blame her,” I said as I handed him a beer out of the cooler. “Did she tell you of her past?”

“Some,” he said. “Susan said she used to be a Luna of your old Pack before she lost her mate.”

“I don’t remember many of the details since I was only five and was just coming into Pack life. My Uncle Leo was Alpha until he lost his mate; Susan and her mate took over the Pack. When Leo got back in the game and formed the Miesville Pack, Susan’s mate tried to kill us. He died, and losing your mate is the worst thing that can happen to a werewolf. She had a rough couple of years, followed by another decade of being alone. She doesn’t want to lose you now.”

He leaned back and took a sip, composing his thoughts. “I understand, but it’s my job to protect Susan and our family. I can’t do that without my wolf, not the way I need to do it. I can’t take my place in the Pack, either.”

“Susan doesn’t care about that, and Leo doesn’t either.” I could see he was determined to make the change, not wanting to be weaker than his mate. They’d have to work that out between themselves. Long term, they couldn’t stay here; Susan would need her Alpha around. “Have you talked about where you will live?”

“Susan wants me to move to Minnesota to be with her Pack, while Luke wants to stay here until after he graduates,” he said. “I don’t know what she’s thinking. I’ve seen the weather reports! It’s like a hundred degrees warmer here in the winter.”

I had to laugh at that. “True, but our wolves love the snow, the forests, and the deer. Our bodies run hotter, and our wolves don’t like hot weather. It will be difficult to stay here.” I summarized what the territorial arrangement was with the Los Angeles vampire. “If you are changed, I’m sure your wolf will be dominant. You’ll be in a better place around our kind.”

He nodded to that. “We are going back over Thanksgiving. I need to decide by the end of November; the dojo lease is up at the end of the year, and it’s a year-long commitment. I’m thinking I’d be better off relocating to the Twin Cities and opening in the spring. We could live at her place until we sell both homes. We should have enough equity to buy land adjacent to Leo and build a nice place.”

I thought that would be an excellent plan. California real estate prices were much higher, so he’d do well. “Don’t worry about the four of us. We could be anywhere by the spring, and I’ve got my security team. Hell, we’ll be gone filming at least half the time anyway.” Susan came out to join us, and we spent some time just enjoying the trip back to the marina.

The next week went by quickly, as we made final preparations for the tour. Linda’s team worked closely with the Bodyglove representatives, ensuring we had flights and hotels and activities scheduled. Diving opportunities were limited, so we found local experts in each area and made arrangements to dive with them. We’d spend more time traveling and doing events than diving, though.

I was nervous as we pulled into the marina in Coronado on Friday afternoon. I had a dozen single females from the two Packs on board, all hoping that they’d find their mate among the warriors like Kai and the twins had. Some were already calling me ‘The Love Wolfy’ after all the people who had found mates around me. “Not funny,” I replied. “I think Luna is trying to piss me off with all that.”

“She owes you a good one,” Amy replied. “You have to admit this is more fun that the Scratch n Sniff. Now relax and enjoy yourself.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” I went down to the dining area by the gangplank; Linda’s camera operators were there with the release paperwork. As people came on board, the team would ask them to sign a release. If they refused, we’d take their picture so we wouldn’t show their faces in any video we used. Everyone knew we were filming a reality show, so I didn’t anticipate any problems.

A dozen beautiful young women were waiting for us on the pier, all in heels and swimsuits with cover-ups. I welcomed them all on board and let the staff take care of getting them comfortable. Music was playing upstairs, and the place was rocking by the time the guys showed up. When we pulled in lines, we had fifty-eight guests and eight crew on board.

I made sure Lynette passed as close as allowed to the Amphibious Base, ensuring the sailors got a good view of the bikini-clad women lining the rails. Kai’s classmates were having a great time getting to know the girls as we motored out of San Diego Harbor.

The food, wine, and beer were flowing as we made the turn, heading south around Coronado Island. The class was lining the rails, alternating spots with the gorgeous women as we slowly passed the beaches where they suffered through their training. I was pretty sure the guys on shore could hear the music as we cruised by. On the return trip, just after dark, we sang “Happy Birthday” to Amy as we passed it again.

The guys only had a few months of BUD/S left, and training was difficult for the two dozen men left. I wanted them to have something different to think about on that beach, or when they were paddling rafts or swimming out to sea. I wanted them to remember tonight.

We dropped most of our passengers at the dock just before midnight, taxis waiting to make sure they got home safe. It was a fun night; none of the werewolf females found their mates, but a few of the humans left with sailors they met.

The next night, our flights left for Hawaii, and the first leg of our tour.