by C. J. Ayers
"Our anniversary is coming up soon," Sabrina's mother chimed in between mouthfuls of veal.
"Yes. I know," Sabrina clipped back.
"Will you be coming?" Sabrina's father asked. She smiled at her father, feeling slightly warmer towards him than her mother. He'd been ill lately, and despite Sabrina's dislike of their lifestyle, he was still her father.
"Yes," Sabrina sighed. There was no way around it.
"Wonderful!" Her mother clapped her hands together. "You can go with Walter."
Sabrina shot Walter a look. He was beaming stupidly at her.
"No!" Sabrina yelled. Walter's brow furrowed. Her mother scowled, it made her look like an octopus. "I mean," Sabrina gulped. She didn't want to go with anyone, let alone the idiot sitting across from her. "I already have a date."
Sabrina's mother raised her eyebrows, clearly she did not believe her. "Who?" she demanded.
"Jakob Moore." Sabrina regretted it as soon as she said it. Everyone around the table laughed.
"What?" Sabrina said, feeling the heat rise in her chest. "Don't you believe I could get a date?"
"Of course," Sabrina's mother said, "but Jakob Moore?"
"What?" Sabrina asked, feeling like the butt of a joke. "Who is Jakob Moore?" That was a great question. One Sabrina hoped to answer on their date tomorrow.
"Only one of the richest men in the world," her mother said, looking at Sabrina with pity.
Walter handed Sabrina his cellphone. A picture of Jakob blazed across a website, the caption above it read: TOP TEN RICHEST BACHELORS. Number one was Jakob Moore. She quickly scanned the article and learned that Jakob was not only one of the riches bachelors in the world, but also one of the top ten richest men period. It showed a picture of Jakob with a very stern, almost scary looking man standing next to him. She wondered if that was one of his brothers.
"It's a different Jakob Moore," Sabrina said, handing the phone back to Walter.
***
Monday at work was rough. Sabrina couldn't believe her dumb, stupid luck. Of all the guys to fall for, why did it have to be one of the richest men in the world?
It's just a crush. It will pass. But she wasn't sure she believed her inner voice this time.
She spent the day at work trying to listen to her clients, but gave up halfway through the day. They were all rehashing the same stuff anyways. He cheated. She cheated. They cheated. It was a great big circle.
At the end of the day Sabrina rushed home, eager for the promise of a perfect date with Jakob. She hoped it was a picnic in the park where he'd first kissed her the other night. Or maybe watching old movies at his house and eating popcorn from the same bowl, so their fingers could touch every time they went for more.
When Jakob finally knocked on her door, she was dressed in dark blue jeans and a green blouse that hung low on her chest and made her eyes sparkle.
Jakob's jaw dropped open when he saw her. "You look beautiful," he said, and handed her a large box with a giant bow wrapped around it.
"A present?" she asked, excited.
"Something for tonight." Jakob smiled, certain he'd gotten things right this time. "Open it."
Sabrina ripped the box open and her face fell. The dress inside was beautiful. Sequined, glittering like diamonds. The tag still on it said Christian Dior. Five thousand dollars.
"I thought we were keeping it casual tonight," Sabrina said.
"Yes. But we still need to eat. Would you rather we go to McDonald's?"
"No, but there's a wide range of places between McDonald's and Christian Dior!"
"You're upset." Jakob was stunned.
"Damn right I am. You just don't get it. I... this isn't me." She pushed the dress back towards Jakob. His eyes shimmered in the glow of the early evening.
"Well I don't know how I'm supposed to please you if you insist on acting like a crazy person. Most women would kill for a dress like this."
"I'm not most women." They stood in Sabrina's hallway, glaring at each other. "Why would you bring me this after the other night?" she demanded.
"I thought that you felt out of place the other night."
Sabrina turned her eyes to him. "I did."
"And that if you had a dress even better than what those other women, who weren't even half as beautiful as you, were wearing, you'd feel more comfortable. You deserve the very best. I don't know why you won't let me give it to you."
Sabrina couldn't stop her lips from turning up in a soft smile. Jakob didn't understand, but his intentions were very sweet in their way. She couldn't help but be flattered.
Jakob watched her face. Even when he was angry with her, she was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. He relented. "Why don't you tell me where would you like to go tonight?"
Chapter 8
They sat on a bench, packed in like sardines, while the home team hit a baseball into the stands and the crowd roared. Sabrina stuffed a hot dog into her mouth while Jakob cringed as the man next to him sloshed beer on his Italian leather shoes.
"Would you try to relax?" Sabrina said.
Jakob sighed. There was no winning with this woman. He gave her Dior and she wanted hot dogs. He laughed to himself. Of all the women to mate with, why someone so different from himself? Because she challenges you in a way no one else does.
His breath choked in his chest. My God, that was true. In his day to day life, he was surrounded mostly by yes men. Even his pack, who he relied on for everything, rarely contradicted him. Sabrina challenged him on everything. She completed a part of his life he hadn't, until now, realized he was missing.
"I love you," he said.
"What?" she screamed against the sudden roar of the crowd.
"I LOVE YOU!"
Sabrina's jaw dropped. Love? That couldn't be true. They'd just met. They were wrong for each other in every way. The guys behind them snickered. An older woman to Sabrina's right shoved her hard. Sabrina looked at her.
"What are ya? Stupid or something? Go on and kiss him honey," the woman said.
Sabrina laughed, she couldn't help it. This whole thing with Jakob made no sense, but she thought, no she knew, that she loved him too. She leaned towards Jakob and did as the woman suggested.
When her lips landed on his, the world felt right, and the passion that burned in her could not be quenched. Not now, not in a thousand years. She wrapped her arms around him and somewhere a flash went off.
***
The game turned out to be fun. Sabrina loved baseball, and Jakob, once he relaxed, enjoyed himself too. Sabrina was right. Not everything they did had to cost a lot of money. He smiled at her across the table in the late night restaurant she'd insisted upon, picked up his beer, and threw another peanut shell on the floor.
"Where'd you ever find this place?" he asked.
She laughed. "It's a very popular restaurant. You know, for us low class folks."
Jakob scowled. "There is nothing low class about you Sabrina."
He was always so intense, Sabrina found her cheeks flushing and wasn't even quite sure why. "I love you," he said again. She didn't doubt him.
She smiled, certain but still tentative. "I... I love you too."
He leaned across the table and kissed her. The electric surge between them felt like a physical hammering in Sabrina's chest. He took her hand in his and held it tight. His hands, so large, swallowed hers up. "Marry me."
Sabrina almost spit out her beer. "What?"
"You heard me," he said. His eyes were incandescent in the low light of the restaurant. Peanuts crunched under feet as people moved around. Sabrina stared at Jakob, searching his face to see if he was joking. His skin began to glow like a firefly. His eyes burned. She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed.
"Jakob... you're glowing."
His eyes immediately darkened. It was like he'd flicked off some internal light switch. "Sometimes I have a hard time controlling myself around you," he said.
"What's going on?" she asked. "
That wasn't just a trick of the light. You really were glowing."
He smiled a crooked smile and cocked his head. "You're right." Sabrina waited, but he just kept smiling. "You haven't answered my question," he said.
"You haven't answered mine," she replied. Sabrina felt her nerves jump. Jakob wasn't going to let this go. But marry him? She couldn't... could she?
"I... don't know. I need to think." It sounded kinda lame but she didn't have anything better.
"What is there to think about? You're my mate. Don't you feel it?"
Her pulse throbbed in her chest. "Yes."
"Then what is it?"
"I just... A thousand things," she spit out, exasperated. "I don't believe in marriage. There's no such thing as happily ever after. We only just met. How can you be so certain?"
His eyes were hypnotizing and Sabrina wondered if they would start to glow again. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Won't you tell me what's going on with you?"
"Yes. But not here."
Jakob paid their bill and they took a cab to the park where they'd first kissed. The night had started off all wrong, but had ended so right. They were back at the very place Sabrina loved most, because it would forever remind her of Jakob.
They paused on the bridge where they'd kissed. "I'm going to show you something," Jakob said. "Don't be scared.
The moon was almost full and it shown so brightly against Jakob's skin, he almost seemed effervescent. Jakob began undressing. Sabrina's eyes bulged and she turned her head. "What are you doing?"
"It's necessary," Jakob said. She refused to look, but couldn't resist a peek or two. His muscles, already impossibly huge, were even bigger once his shirt was off. Her eyes trailed over his body, down... down... until they stopped at the mass he kept hidden in his pants. It was just as large as the rest of him. She blushed and averted her eyes, but then caught that strange glow coming off him again. As she watched, his eyes changed color. Their normal blue turned lighter and lighter, almost white. His face began to shimmer, and his fingers and toes began to grow.
Sabrina's jaw dropped open. She started to scream, but then his eyes caught hers and held her. They were different, yet the same. The gentleness... the love he felt for her, it was still there. This was still her Jakob. Hair sprouted all over his body, and Jakob dropped to the ground. She reached out a hand, uncertain if he was in pain. Then, almost too fast to see what had happened, Jakob turned into a wolf.
Chapter 9
He sat there panting, like any hound might do.
"What the—" Sabrina's voice failed her. She watched as Jakob stood on his two hind legs and licked her face. She gasped, then broke into a wide grin.
"Are you kidding me?" she squealed. "You're a freaking werewolf? That's awesome!"
Jakob licked her face again. Sabrina dug her hand into his fur, a deep brownish black. His gaze held steady against hers and Sabrina felt like he was trying to communicate. She closed her eyes and listened. Very faint, in the back of her head, she could hear him. Only hear wasn't the right word. Feel. It was like a gentle tugging at the nape of her neck, pulling her senses from her and using them to signal her brain. Jakob wanted to run.
Sabrina wasn't much of a runner, but she'd do the best she could. "What about your clothes?" she asked. He looked towards a tree and Sabrina nodded. She gathered them up and placed them behind a tree hidden in shadows. When she turned back, Jakob was sprinting ahead of her.
"Wait for me!" she squealed, and ran after him. He was just out of her range of vision when two men stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Hello pretty lady," one man said, his hair long and dark.
"Do you always run through parks alone at night?" asked his freckled companion. His hair was red with wild waves of blonde running through it. He was holding something in his hand. It shimmered in the moonlight, and Sabrina recognized the outline of a knife.
"Why don't you come over here?" the dark man said. "Make it easy on yourself."
Sabrina tried to scream, but it caught in her throat. The two men advanced towards her, not wasting time. Sabrina turned to run. Just then, the wolf appeared. His lips drew back, revealing fangs that could puncture a brick.
"Whoa, easy pup," the freckled man said, holding up his knife.
Jakob had no intention of easing up. The desire to protect his mate was too primal, Jakob leapt at them. The blade of the knife was short, but it dug into Jakob's shoulder as he jumped at the man. Jakob let out a whimper, but that did not stop him from digging his teeth into the man's arm. The freckled man raged and flailed.
Sabrina watched, horrified. There was nothing she could do. She hated feeling helpless. The dark man jumped at Jakob, but when Jakob turned his attention to him the man fled. The freckled man tried to limp away but Jakob ripped his thigh apart and let him drop, then ran after the other one. They were too far off for Sabrina to see. All she could do was listen. The human screams vs the wolfen howls. It seemed like an eternity. Please be okay please be okay. Finally Jakob staggered back into sight. He ran to her, licking her face with his bloodied muzzle, then transformed back into a human.
Sabrina threw her arms around him, and Jakob held her tight.
***
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sabrina asked for the thirtieth time.
Jakob was touched by her alarm but assured her that he was fine. She eyed him distrustfully, but had to admit that the wounds he'd suffered were nearly gone. It had only been one hour since the attack.
"What about you?" Jakob asked. She handed him coffee and nuzzled next to him on her couch.
"Me? I'm fine. Because of you." She reached out her hand and let it rest in his. He intertwined his fingers with hers.
"You're not at all upset by the shifting?"
"Hell no!" Sabrina sat up and looked hard at him. "I think it's amazing. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it. How did it happen? Were you bitten?"
Jakob thought Sabrina looked especially cute when she got excited like this. "No. I wasn't bitten, but my great-great-grandfather was. The trait has since passed down."
"That's amazing! Do your brothers have it to? What about your mom? Can girls be werewolves?"
"It's much rarer to find a female shifter who has wolf abilities, but not unheard of. My brothers are brothers not in the human sense, but that we all belong to the same pack."
"Can I meet them?"
"Of course. Once we're married, you'll be a part of our family. You already are, in many ways. An alpha's mate is almost as important as he is."
Sabrina was quiet. Jakob wished he could read her mind. With his pack, he nearly could. Not always, but when it was important he could pluck their thoughts from their head. Sabrina's lips formed a slight pout; the red from earlier this evening had faded to a solid pink that Jakob found delicious. He leaned across Sabrina's couch to taste her but she put one hand on his chest, preventing him.
"I can't marry you," she said. "I mean, not yet. Maybe... maybe one day." Just saying referring to marriage as a possibility at all was enough for Sabrina to hyperventilate.
"But why wait? Nothing will change. I'll always love you. At least consider it."
Sabrina nodded to appease him, but in her heart she didn't think she could do it. Jakob just didn't get it. He may be her mate, but everything in her life had taught her not to trust love. If he knew her parents, he might feel differently. She bolted upright on the couch and threw her hands out to the side, smacking Jakob's nose.
"Ouch," he said.
"I'm sorry. I just remembered..." The look of horror on her face alarmed Jakob. His wolf senses immediately rushed into overdrive, alert for any sign of danger.
"What is it?" he asked, standing and searching her small apartment.
"I... I told my parents you were my date for their anniversary party." Jakob turned and stared at her, she was almost hyperventilating.
"Of course. I would love to meet your parents," Jakob said, thinking that woul
d calm her.
"Oh God," she moaned, almost like she was sick. "It's gonna be a nightmare."
Chapter 10
Sabrina's phone started buzzing around nine. She had just walked into her office and was greeting the day with a white chocolate latte and cinnamon roll. She glanced down and saw her mother's phone number. There was no reason to talk to her mother so early in the day. That was the last thing she needed after last night.
Jakob had sat on the couch with her for a while after agreeing to go to her parent's party, but Sabrina couldn't enjoy herself. Jakob's touch sent sweet murmurs over her arms and up her neck, but the sweetness was tainted by the rising panic in her throat. What was she going to tell her parents? And what was she going to tell Jakob? She'd promised to think about marriage, but she could hardly take the idea seriously.
She sat in her office and waited for her first couple to enter, so she could begin the routine of convincing them they still had a chance at happiness.
***
Jakob stood across from Blake; Mark, Randall, and Tony just behind him. Only William seemed to be horrified at the idea Blake had just put forth. The rest of the pack stood back to watch.
"What do you mean you don't think Jakob should be alpha?" William's lips drew back and a growl rose in his throat like a thunderstorm.
Jakob was calmer. He'd had all night to think about it. Arriving home from Sabrina's, his thoughts of her luscious curves and sweet scent had been interrupted by a stray thought from Blake. Jakob had caught it, like picking a feather out of the air. Blake wanted alpha status. Jakob had sensed it coming, and perhaps if he hadn't been so involved with Sabrina these last few days, he would have been able to prevent it before it got to this point.
"You think you're better than me?" Jakob asked, exposing nothing but a cool tone. His eyes, however, dared Blake to cross a line. Jakob stepped closer. Mark and Tony stepped back. Blake stood his ground, inching his head higher towards the ceiling.
