They couldn't possibly...? If she could smell her blood, then...
She slapped her hands to her mouth in mortification. “Oh. My. God.” A high-pitched moan escaped between her fingers, and she clenched her eyes shut as she took a moment to overcome her chagrin.
No one spoke until she stuttered, “So... um... okay. Now I know that nothing about my body is private anymore, which by the way is very embarrassing,” she laughed uncomfortably. “Umm, why else is that a problem? I mean I'm not the only woman who bleeds,” she whispered, biting on her tongue afterwards. “Right?” She turned to the other two who looked at her hesitantly. They were suspiciously quiet.
“Not every month,” Kenna said.
Alf shuffled as if the topic of female ovulation was uncomfortable for him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Jaz smirked.
“Weres are a bit like canines, particularly wolves,” Kenna explained. “Our period cycles are closer to humans than wolves but, like wolves, we get a similar sensation to being in heat. On average it happens every few months, sometimes more.”
Jaz glanced at Nik, hoping to see him looking as uncomfortable as Alf but he was standing there, listening, his eyes focused on Kenna whenever Jaz looked his way.
Kenna told her that Weres had periods about every two months so their chances of getting pregnant were about half of what humans were. But Weres had the advantage of being able to get pregnant quickly, usually within the first attempt; something about the sperm being super efficient- which made Jaz blush.
Once the child was conceived, they were born two months earlier than an average human baby -which made Jaz think that at seven months along, Lora's unborn child must have been fully developed. She swallowed back the bile in her throat, peering at Nik.
Kenna briefly explained the anatomy of Weres, making Jaz feel even more uncomfortable knowing she bled like a normal human, and becoming anxious by the second as she wondered if any of them knew this, if their scent is supposed to be that sharp and maybe that's what they were hinting at.
“Your scent is strong,” Kelda said. “Much stronger than normal.”
Jaz flinched, feeling exposed. “Normal?” she whispered. Now she was convinced they knew something was wrong with her.
“What she means,” Alf cut in, giving Kelda a slicing look, “is that a lot can be read in the scent of blood. Sometimes, certain females have a much more noticeable scent than others.”
“Like... in a bad way?”
Alf flushed but had the decency to answer. “Your smell isn't bad. We don't smell scents that way. I'm sure you've noticed.”
She had. Bad scents became more interesting and layered and complex with her new nose. You could pick up so much from a pile of faeces or a dead animal. Where it came from. What the animal had eaten before death. What was in the faeces. How old they were. Though it still smelt disgusting.
So what could the smell of blood teach a Were? She'd never tried to 'read' the scent of her blood. To her, it wasn't that strong. Just more noticeable than it used to be.
“Male Weres tend to have a sharper sense of smell than females,” Nik spoke for the first time since he'd announced to her that she wasn't coming.
She clenched her fists.
“Female Weres usually have either better sight or hearing. Sometimes both, like Tyra. My point is, if you're sitting in an arena full of male Weres, carrying that scent, whilst you're bleeding, well... they may learn a lot about you very quickly.”
Jaz gnawed her bottom lip. “Stop making me ask,” she grunted.
Without blinking he said, “Most of them will pick up you're a possible alpha female from your strong scent. Some female Weres carry off a strong, almost intoxicating scent that even the weaker noses can pick up.”
“And not just a potential alpha female,” Alf added, gazing at her gently. “Any female and even a few males can have that stronger scent on various levels. Skye, Tyra, Maria, a few others you may know have it, though honestly, not quite the same as you do.”
“Why?”
He just shrugged. “Why do you have green eyes? Why am I blond?”
Jaz gazed at Alf thoughtfully.
“It's just in the genes I guess. But the scent of a Pack Leader's mate always becomes more perfumed when their mateship is consummated. It is very distinct, sort of earthy and flowery but unique to each person- and is more noticeable than other female Weres', so we know who she is. And that she's taken. It's a gift -and a curse- for her.” Alf and Nik exchanged looks.
Jaz chewed on her lip, not sure whether to ask her next question. “She also becomes more attractive to others?” She'd only just realized why there'd been an increase in male attention since coming here.