This is part six in the Sheppard's seed series:
We are lions.
Life seems so much different now. Something has changed inside of me. I look at the people that I encounter during the course of my regular day, but now they don't seem the same to me as they did only a few months before.
Other people have noticed the change in me as well. Women in my office who rarely spoke to me before, are now trying their best to get my attention by openly flirting with me. I once found them very attractive but they wouldn't give me a second look. They had their sights set for men with money. Now I look at them now and wonder why I ever thought of them as desirable at all. They seem so inferior.
I look at these women as lesser beasts, greedily clamoring for the scraps of life that fall off the table where their masters eat. They couldn't even stand in the same room as a woman like Rose.
I continue to attend the frequent gatherings that Rose and my new friends have. I realize now that they use these gatherings to satisfy their inner desire to be among their own kind. I now feel much more comfortable in their company than I do in the rest of the outside world.
When we gather I feel as if we were a pride of lions, just returned from a successful hunt. When we get together, we ignore the outside world and give our attentions only to each other.
"You seem distracted tonight," Rose said as she walked up to me.
I didn't reply right away, I was still thinking about the changes in my life. I looked a Rose. She was five months pregnant now and her belly was getting very large. I placed my hand on her belly and stroked it softly while remembering the night I planted my seed into her. She was as beautiful as ever. Her breasts were beginning to grow larger from her pregnancy, and her whole body seemed to give off a wonderful, healthy glow. In a pride of lions Rose would be a superior female.
"How are you tonight?" I asked her, still looking at her belly.
Rose looked down at her belly and placed her hands on each side of it, "I'm doing great. I'm getting excited about having our baby," She replied with a gorgeous smile.
"Is there anything you need?" I asked.
"Rose looked at me with a knowing grin and placed her hand on my cheek, "God Sheppard, you've become so much more than I imagined you would."
I saw tears in her eyes.
I took it as a compliment because I knew what she meant. Rose saw a potential in me, so she drew me into her world. Once I entered her world I grew beyond both our expectations. I don't know how it happened, but it did.
"Thank you," I said, "But is there anything you need, for you or our baby?" I asked, taking her back to my question.
"No, everything's just fine. Me, Stewart, and the baby are doing great," She reassured me.
Rose changed the subject, "I have someone I would like you to meet."
I already knew what that meant. There was another woman who wanted me to breed her. The look on my face must have betrayed my feelings.
"What's the matter Sheppard?" She asked.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about something you once told me, about us being like lions among sheep," I said.
"You're beginning to feel it, aren't you? You're feeling the chains that society has put on your masculinity, fall away. Your inner strength is beginning to assert itself," Rose said to me in almost a whisper.
She took my hand and kissed it, "Don't fight it Sheppard, let it happen."
"Why do you ask me to breed inferior females?" I asked.
Rose pulled herself close to me, "To keep us strong," She said in a serious tone.
Rose looked at me questioningly, "I think you're beginning to understand that what we ask of you is no trivial matter. That's it, isn't it?"
She kissed me lightly.
I didn't reply, but I thought about the pride of lions again.
"You want something more don't you?" Rose asked.
"I can feel it, like a hunger inside of me. It's like I eat, but I can never get full. Does that make sense to you?" I asked.
Rose kissed me on the cheek, "Yes Sheppard, it makes perfect sense to me," She looked me in the eyes and said, "That's how I felt before I met Stewart."
"But why are you having my baby instead of his?" I asked.
"Because Stewart asked me to," She said.
This revelation confused me even more, "I thought it was your idea," I said.
"Stewart saw something in you. He knew that first night that you had a potential that was worth encouraging. He's very good at seeing into people. That's what he does for a living. He's a psychiatrist, and a very good one. He knew you would be a perfect match to me."
I looked at her rather puzzled still, "Selective breeding?" I asked, "That's what Stewart is doing?"
Rose grinned at me, "Do you remember what I told you that first night, about where the power came from?"
I thought for a moment before realizing what she meant. Power came from the sub, she told me.
I looked at her again, "Stewart" I said.
"Yes," She said, "He's been controlling events in order to bring you into our pride, as it were," She said, motioning toward the people mingling in the other room.
I shook my head in acknowledgment, "Now I understand," I told her, "Is Stewart also picking the women for me to breed?"
"Not entirely. He asks for my input about who I think would be appropriate. We respect each others opinion," She told me.
"He wants to grow and strengthen the pride," I said.
"You can think of it like that," She said, "Stewart looks out for the group. Just like you're feeling protective about me and the baby, he feels protective about all of us," Rose said.
"What about the women and their husbands? Do they get a choice about who breeds them?"
Rose laughed, "Of course they do. The women and their husbands both must to agree to it in advance. I only connect you with people who have requested it. They understand the importance of making the group stronger. The woman I want you to meet tonight has been waiting very patiently for her turn."
She took me into her arms and held me close. I could feel her belly pressing into mine, "I know this all must feel very strange to you. But in time, it will make perfect sense."
"I'm not confused by that, I get it. I'm surprised that I understand it, but I do. What I don't understand is why do I still feel so unfulfilled inside. What's missing?" I asked.
"A mate," She said flatly.
I didn't say anything in response. I wondered for a moment who she would recommend to me, or was she thinking of herself?
"Don't worry Sheppard you won't have to look for her, she'll find you. She'll find you when you least expect it," She said with a wink.
"Do you know something? Have you and Stewart got someone in mind for me?"
"No, we wouldn't meddle in things like that. It will be entirely between you and the woman you meet, whether you wish to become mates. Just be very careful about it Sheppard. Pay close attention to the chemistry between you and other women. People like us, tend to mate for life. If Stewart and I ever became separated, each of us would find it very difficult to go on living. People like us are different. Our connections to each other run much deeper than ordinary people," Rose put a hand on her belly, "Stewart and I love each other that deeply. Deep enough that I'm carrying your baby because he asked me too. That's how it feels to have a mate."
Rose kissed me again, "I'm talking about a much deeper commitment than the usual, I do and wear the ring thing."
"Yeah, I think I know what you mean," I said.
"Good, now come with me. I have someone I want you to meet.
Monica's smile captured me in an instant.
"I'm very pleased to meet you," She said, after Rose's introduction.
Monica stood five foot ten, with piercing green eyes. Her waist long, blond hair was gathered into a very precise French braid. She struck me as a woman who was always in control, and never lost her composure.
"You're very beautiful," I told her.
"Thank you," She replied.
I had a purpose in mind when I gave her that compliment. I wanted to see how she would react to it. Her head dipped, in a slightly submissive move, but her eyes never broke contact with mine. This told me that she possessed a great amount of self confidence. Her simple but polite response showed a great deal of style on her part.
"And look at you, you're so beautiful and radiant tonight," Monica said, turning to Rose.
Monica put her hand on Rose's enlarged belly, "God, I'm so jealous of you," She said.
"Well, tonight could be your nite," Rose said with a wink.
There was a movement to my left that caught my eye. I looked and saw a woman staring at me as she moved slowly through the crowd in the middle of the room. She was tall and slender, with raven black hair and intense blue eyes. The dark makeup around her eyes gave her a slightly menacing look.
I watched as she navigated the crowded room effortlessly, without ever taking her eyes off of me. Her stride was smooth and powerful, like a gymnast or perhaps even a tigress. I felt like I was in a trance as I watched her. All my senses were focused on her, it felt as if time was moving in slow motion. The woman reminded me of a predator stalking it's prey. The look in her eyes made me feel a little uneasy.
"Isn't that right Sheppard?" Rose's question snapped me out of my trance.
I looked at Rose, then back to the other room where the Raven haired woman had been but she was gone.
"Sheppard?" Rose asked.
I quickly refocused my attention to Rose and Monica, "Yes, I believe so," I replied, but I think I'll get a drink and step outside for some fresh air first," A thought came to my head, and I quickly added, "Monica, would you like to join me?"
"Great save," I thought to myself. I didn't want Monica to feel like I was rejecting her, or somehow not taking our upcoming liaison seriously.
"I would love to," She replied.
We got our drinks and went out to the back yard. I looked up at the starry night sky for a few moments before I spoke.
"I wanted to have a chance to get to know you better," I told her.
I think that's a great idea. What would you like to know?" Monica asked.
"Tell me what you think I should know," I said.
I was just stalling for time. I needed time to think about the things Rose told me.
