Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
She couldn’t publish her findings, at least not about werewolves, but with Tiernan having published articles and books on wolves, she doubted he would mind if she published articles that would help the preserve flourish. So, the job here would be a good step for her to take in her career, not so relationship-wise. So, what then did she do?
With no clear answer, she decided to lose herself in her assignment. She did not stop for lunch, though she did stop to make a pot of tea for herself and sneak a cookie or two.
She sat in thought as she sipped her tea, thinking about the heart of her assignment… what was the sexual appetites of werewolves? To start she had provided information on wolves, a relative of the werewolf, but the heart of the piece was basically about a werewolf’s sexual appetite. But just like humans, were all werewolves equal when it came to sex? Did their sexual appetite lessen as they aged?
She laughed. If Tiernan was any indication, then the answer would be a resounding no.
Her brow wrinkled as a thought hit her and she placed her mug back on the tray, stood, and went to pace in front of the fireplace, her mind busy with thought.
“What troubles you, Olivia?”
Olivia stopped and turned to Tiernan, who was turning on the lamps in the library, the room having grown dark with the evening falling.
“How many werewolves do you have here, Tiernan?” she asked.
“Quite a few.”
“That’s not an answer, though if I were to take a guess, I would say not as many as I would expect for all the years the preserve has existed, which means you are losing werewolves. With humans being the biggest threat to wolves, causing them to lose their habitat and food supply, I’d say that is not a problem for the preserve. That would lead me to believe the loss has something to do with the werewolves’ genetic material. After careful thought, I also think that your younger wolves are finding the preserve too isolated and wish to explore beyond the preserve, possibly live a life beyond it. Though knowing the strong connection, a wolf has to its pack, I wonder if they would eventually return. You’re too intelligent not to have seen this coming and must have made plans for it, but it is the genetic problem that worries you and you want it solved before you make the necessary changes. And I would guess that the genetic problem is with the younger ones.”
“You’re right on all accounts. Through the years some werewolves left the preserve with disastrous results, and those who did return warned others to cling to their pack that the outside world was not made for them. So, rules were made and enforced, fearing the harm werewolves could suffer or, worse become extinct. But I knew it was only a matter of time that the young ones would take it upon themselves and leave. So, I devised a plan for a leave of absence so to speak, but before I could implement it, an illness struck, and we lost more werewolves than I care to admit. After that was when the younger werewolves weren’t living as long as their elders and I didn’t want them to leave and fall ill away from the preserve and their family and accidentally shapeshift.”
She went and sat on the couch when he pointed to it, knowing he wished to continue to talk. “Has this ever happened before to the werewolves?”
“It did a long time ago.”
“Before science existed?”
“Aye, way before then,” he said.
“Something must have happened to stop it since you’re still here.”
“It did.”
“What was it?” she asked anxiously.
“A werewolf mated with a human and they had children, and those children strengthened the bloodline. More werewolves mated with humans after that for several years until our bloodline was stronger than it ever was, leaving many of us to live longer than usual… until now. Our bloodline needs another infusion.”
She stared at him. “You can’t mean—”
“Think about it, Olivia, and you will see the truth for yourself. Only then will you be able to decide.”
CHAPTER 11
Olivia sat alone in the library lost in her thoughts, Tiernan having left right after he told her to think about it. Was he really suggesting they mate and have children? Was she nothing more than a solution to the werewolf problem? If this was the puzzling mystery to solve, how did it help make her decision easier?
Her arrival here a few days ago held such promise. Now it held nothing but confusion, and she was stuck here. Yet with all the confusion, she still wasn’t ready to leave… Tiernan. It all came down to Tiernan and how she felt about him, but how did he feel about her? Or did he feel no more than an attraction for her? Where she, however, had fallen in love with him. Did he feel as strongly or was it his concern for the pack that took priority and the reason for the job offer?