Author's note: This is my first time, please be gentle. @)-,-'-
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Chapter 1: Fate.
Michelle always knew she was a special girl, her grades excelled her teachers' expectations and with graduating from university at the same age, everybody usually graduated high school; a long story short, she was a genius. Now, at twenty-five, she devoted her life to saving endangered species from extinction by cloning and freezing the embryos, she had no time for frivolous activities, such as socialising of finding a boyfriend, she did not care for clubbing or dinner parties with her colleagues, she cared only for the helpless organisms at her species' mercy.
Her logical mind focused on the re-sequencing of a strand of D.N.A. from a thylacine, one of the many unfortunate creatures that crossed paths with humans. Although, technically, she only worked with endangered organisms and not the extinct variety, but she indulged occasionally to help a man she had met during her time at the University, Dr. Michael Paterson, a geneticist with a passion for bringing extinct species back to life, providing they were the result of human intervention, so no dinosaurs for him. But Michael was more than a friend to Michelle, she loved him and she was sure that he loved her too, only he did not want a romance to get in the way of his research, well, that's what she kept telling herself.
For a scientist, Michael was different, his passion for extinct animals was not unusual, but his free time resembled that of a millionaire playboy, with what Michelle had learned about him, he was the eldest son of a wealthy family and holidayed in exotic locations around the world. She heard of many women who graced his bed, but that was from the grad-students who gossiped over everything, so she could not believe it. Chastising herself for letting her mind wander from the important task monitoring the gene sequencing.
"You're still here?" Michael asked as he entered with two cups of hot espresso, "Not that I'm upset about it, but, don't you have a life outside this lab?"
Michelle laughed as she examined the tissue sample she had under the microscope, "This is my life."
"What do you do when you're not here?" he asked, trying to draw her into a conversation.
"Sleep," her one syllable answer mildly annoyed him. "Oh, and occasionally I go to the supermarket."
Michael chuckled at her response, "that's it?"
"Yes," she leaned back from the microscope, "Do you know what time it is?" she asked, stretching out her sore and tired back.
Dr. Paterson checked his watch, "almost seven," he informed her. Michelle nodded and stood up, "You know we're going to be late."
"For what?" she asked, stretching again, "Is there a convention I wasn't told about?"
"No," he grinned at her, flashing his bleached teeth at her, "Our dinner reservation at Leandro's."
Michelle looked at him, cocking her head to the side in the way Michael found adorable, she was his mate and he loved her; ever since her first day on campus. "Why would we have a table booked at the most romantic restaurant in town? Anyway, it has to be booked months in advance, what could warrant such attentions to be dished out on me?"
He tried not to sigh aloud, for an intelligent and beautiful wolf; she definitely missed the more subtle things in life. "It's your birthday," he told her in disbelief.
"Is it?" she checked her digital diary, "huh, so it is, I didn't realise," she laughed, walking off to the showers. Michael took a deep breath, inhaling her scent, she was coming into heat for the first time and finally, he could claim her after twelve years of waiting, she would finally be his. When he first saw her all those years ago, she was considered a child prodigy and through the years, he watched her become a mother to all the endangered animals in the world. He watched her clone and raise a mouse in an artificial womb; his pride for her grew with each achievement.
He heard the shower begin and decided to followed suit, showering and dressing in a formal suit. He moved to the foyer to see Michelle in a pair of tight black jeans, a tour t-shirt for Rammstein and black combat boots.
"I never picked you for a metal chick," Michael observed, offering his arm to her.
She sent him an amused smirk, "You know, Chivalry died at the Battle of Agincourt," she countered, avoiding his arm smoothly, "Do I have time to change?"
Michael checked his watch, "Not really," he looked down to her; she had tied her hair back in a simple ponytail; his heart melted, "You look fine."
Slapping his arm, she chuckled, "You're just saying that." With her hands in her pockets, she followed Michael to his car (she did not know what type of car it was, nor did she care). Taking her seat next to Michael, he drove her to the five-star Leandro's Classic Italian Restaurant. "You should know, the dress code there is very strict; I probably won't be allowed in." Michelle looked more pleased with the fact rather than disappointed.
"Nonsense," he chirped, "I happen to know the owner and I am sure he could give his old friend Mike a little leeway for his surprised date."
"Mike?" she laughed, "You hate being called that!"
"We were cub buddies when we were young," he shrugged, "And he owes me more than he cares to admit," Michael laughed as he added the last bit, remembering the many situations they ended up in and Michael would take the blame to save his friend.
"I can see you being a trouble maker," she quipped, "like not warning me of this birthday celebration, it just drips with mischief."
"Is it truly wrong to take a colleague out to celebrate their birthday?"
Michelle rolled her eyes, "I'm not your typical date, now am I?" he knew where she was going with this, "your typical prey is usually thinner, taller and fairer than I. Or have you dropped your standards?" she said this with a sarcastic tint. "I'm only kidding; I know we're friends and if you wish to celebrate my birthday in such an extravagant way, who am I to stop you?"
Michael felt hurt from her last statement, as if she were only doing it for him, as a friend. "When was the last time someone did anything nice for you?"
She paused to think, it took longer than he anticipated for him. "The Vicar of Castleton Parish, he and his wife helped me when my Dad died eleven years ago, well he wasn't my real Dad; he was a journalist in Africa and was killed by guerrillas on assignment when I was a baby. Mum married Gary, my step Dad, but she died from a bear attack whilst hiking with friends in some park when I was about ten. Gary raised me until he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, I don't think I need to fill in the rest." She turned to look out the window, "I've kept to myself ever since."
"Don't you get lonely?"
