Dolly and I run for an hour before heading back to the farm.
Meet me by the pool after you get dressed.
Will do, I reply. Wolves have a way of communicating when we’re in wolf form, we can’t read minds, which is good. If they only knew what I was thinking half the time, they wouldn’t invite me to play in werewolf games.
Dolly is the kindest woman I’ve ever known. She took me in and accepted me regardless of my heritage. She’s always the one to temper a situation; her easy going attitude catches other weres off-guard after a battle. She can whip half the guys in our pack with her eyes closed. Last year she went on a hunting expedition with me and a couple from the Dallas pack. I thought their alpha was going to crap himself when he watched Dolly take a rogue and flip him upside down and take a hunting knife to his throat. She means business.
She is sitting at the patio table with two unopened beers. I sit on one of the wrought iron chairs and Dolly slides a beer over to me. “Thanks,” I say, and take the bottle opener from her to pop the top off carefully. The last time I did it too fast; the top of the bottle neck broke off, leaving me covered in beer. “Look Dolly, I know you’re going to sit there and tell me how the General has my best interest in mind. It doesn’t matter, it isn’t her best interest. Being a werewolf your entire life is one thing, but biting a human to satisfy your own needs is not acceptable.”
She looks at me with sadness in her eyes. “Parker, no…I’m not going to tell you those things, you know the truth. If it makes anything better, most humans do well with being bitten. We can better care for her out at the farm if you change your mind.”
“No! Not happening! What don’t you understand about I’m not biting her?” I shout louder than I intended.
“Watch yourself Beta!” A voice behind me says.
I turn around to see the General approaching from the house. He’s right, I can’t talk to her in a tone I use when angry. I lower my eyes and tell Dolly I’m sorry.
“Spend a week courting this girl; if after a week you still don’t want to turn her, you will have to walk away.” The General says as he takes Dolly’s hand and pulls her to him.
~~~~~~
What do I do now? I’m not biting her, now or ever. She’s too important to me to shatter her world. A tapping on my bedroom door brings me back to reality. “What do you need Oakley?”
I slide my leather bound journal into my desk drawer as the door opens. Oakley is the pretty boy of the pack. His chiseled features and expensive wardrobe make him look like a magazine advertisement. He’s a good sport about the relentless teasing we do of his primping time in the bathroom.
“Rumor has it that you found your mate. How did I miss out?” He sits down in one of the two corduroy lounge chairs in my sitting area of the room. The fancy pillows that go with the chairs were Dolly’s idea, I toss them in the corner most of the time. I don’t understand the reason to have pillows that serve no purpose. Dolly swears it brings out my softer side. It isn’t as though I care about my softer side when I’m sitting around reading a book.
“You didn’t miss anything.”
Oakley picks up the Art of War book off the ottoman. I read it last week and forgot to toss it in my book donation box. “What’s going on Parker, you’re not usually this quiet about your conquests.”
My wolf growls at the comment. “She’s not a conquest. It doesn’t matter anyway, I refuse to turn her.” I pull my cleaning kit out for my rifle.
“You’re not planning on doing something with that do you?”
I shake my head back and forth. “Yeah, I do. I’m going hunting with the General tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry…I mean, I know you’re pissed off.”
“Do you have a reason to be in here, or are you doing Dolly a favor?”
Oakley stares at me for a second before answering in his southern twang. “You can be a dick sometimes. Despite your dick-attude, I’m here man if you want to talk. I can’t say what my decision would be if I fell for a human too. If you feel like running later, let me know.” He crosses the room and lets himself out. Shit! I think to myself.
My phone vibrates in my pocket.
I HOPE YOU MADE IT HOME OKAY. I HAD A GOOD TIME THIS WEEKEND. XOXO S
I stare at the message, my heart tightening in my chest at the thought of never seeing her again. One week? I’m not going to turn her, so do I continue to see her despite the fact we’ll never be together? I should let her hate me now, if I spend much more time with her, I’ll give in to my wolf. It goes against every fiber of my being, and for that, I won’t drag her any further into the lie.
“FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!” I yell and throw The Art of War at the wall.
Chapter 10. Bike
SAPPHIRE
Tuesday evening
“What happened around here?” Ruby asks as she plops her duffel bag next to the washing machine. “Did you kill someone or something? It smells like you bleached the place down.” Her Converse shoes make a squeaky sound as she walks into the kitchen. “You totally did something naughty around here. You’ve never cleaned this well for no reason. Tell me!”
I try to quit smiling but can’t, no matter how hard I try. “We had fun.” I tear my chicken finger in half to cool it off. “You can stare at me with those puppy-dog eyes, but I’m not telling you anything. You’ll have to judge him yourself.”
Stone’s footsteps on the stairs remind me that my brother is in hearing distance. “What’s going on in here? You both look guilty as hell.” It’s not as though he hasn’t heard us talk about boys before, but this is different.
I fiddle with the rhinestone belt I bought last week. “Brother, some things you don’t want to know…trust me,” I say and glance up at his face. “You’re a lovely shade of red.”
“Our pure-as-snow sister here had a boy stay over while we were gone,” Ruby announces.
I hide my embarrassment by fidgeting with my phone volume; it isn’t as if I’m not old enough for an overnight visitor. Mom would object though. Twenty-two is still a child in her eyes. “Both of you - stop, it’s my business. When I’m ready to introduce him to mom, I’ll have him come over and you can judge for yourself.
A loud rumbling noise outside gets our attention. “Squee! It’s here! Ya’ll are going to die, come outside and I’ll show you.” Ruby jumps around in excitement. She’s always been full of life, the one to demand attention when she enters a room.
We follow Ruby through the garage to the driveway. Parked in middle of the driveway is a candy-apple-red motorcycle and a leather clad man.
Ruby’s face lights up as she runs over and gives the guy a hug. “Everyone, this is Melvin, he built this bike for me!”
“What the hell?” Stone says as he walks over to the bike.
“Holy shit Mel, it turned out gorgeous.” Ruby rubs her hand along the sleek red chopper. “The paint job is wicked awesome!”
The bike is painted with smokey looking skulls with wisps along the tank. “Wow! When did you buy a motorcycle?” I ask trying to hide the sarcasm that is lingering at the tip of my tongue. The chrome pipes and spokes are sparkling in the sunlight. I can’t help but be reminded she borrowed fifty bucks from me last week, and she can afford to buy a bike?
“Mel and I worked out a deal. I’m going to model for his shop at all the bike conventions; in turn he built me a bike. He’s taken me out riding a few times - ohhhhhh, I’m freaking out!”
“You’re going to ride this bike? Mom is going to have a cow when she sees her baby girl on a motorcycle,” I say and shake Melvin’s hand. An SUV pulls up, rock music blaring through the rolled down windows.
“I’m nineteen and pay my own bills; I can decide what I drive. Hey Jack and Junior,” she yells out to the SUV.
I stay around until things die down outside. As Stone and Ruby take turns riding the bike through the neighborhood, I sit and think about Parker. I can’t get him off my mind, every moment we had keeps running like water through
my brain. The memories bring a smile to my lips and a tingling between my legs. The touch of his strong hands running down the length of my body or the way he made me scream with pleasure. I’ve never gone out with anyone that has sparked so much attention from my soul.
Surely it won’t hurt to send him a text telling him our time together was hypnotic and I look forward to another night soon. I check my phone a dozen times before I go to bed, the very bed I was tied to twenty-four hours ago…no reply.
A few days have gone by, and no texts from Parker made me realize that I was just a one night stand. In our case, a three night stand. How do I always fall for the wrong guy? I’ve never had a serious relationship; I’ve never met a guy I’d want one with. How fucking dumb of me to believe we had something on a deeper level. Aren’t I freakin’ good enough for anyone? I’m turning into the girl I said I’d never be…desperate.
KNOCK KNOCK
I sent the text after a couple of drinks. I swear I should have given my phone to Ruby to hold before I started drinking. Drunk texting is so degrading…but there I was… Mother F R what the hell!
It’s been three days since Parker left the house and my heart has shattered into shards of glass. Ruby went so far as to have the shaman from our tribe come out and talk with me. I don’t believe in all that paranormal stuff. She tells me a long drawn-out story about him having secrets and I should steer clear from. Don’t we all? The fact is, I believed a man when he promised me his heart. Like the town idiot, I sit in waiting for his reply to a stupid text message. How incredibly stupid.
~~~~~~
3 days post Sapphire
PARKER
1:00 am Saturday morning
My phone buzzes on my nightstand alerting me to a text message. KNOCK KNOCK
I sit up in bed and stare at my phone…two words, one meaning, and I’m sure she is second guessing everything I said about not being a one-night stand. The tightness in my chest is almost too much to bear. I throw my head back and bang it against my headboard hard enough to make it smack into the wall.
7:00 am
When I was at Sapphire’s house, I had a chance to find the bag with her clothes from the night she was attacked. I cut a small swatch from the shirt she had on that night. The General agreed to let me focus on finding the man, and bringing justice to right the wrong he did to her. In five minutes I’m meeting up with five pack members to help me find the guy.
Down the hall towards the family room I hear whispers about the meeting and how I’ve been an ass for a couple of days. Yeah, I’ve been an ass…because I don’t want the love of my life to be a werewolf…so I gave her freedom.
The family room is equipped with a pool table, big screen TV and a bar loaded with sodas and alcohol. Pru is at the pool table practicing her combination shot. She’s a nice girl with Irish looks. She might be nice and sweet, but she can kick some serious ass. Like her mother, she’s protected within the pack. Some werewolves have a special gift, unlike the rest of us who are only weres. Pru is a shaman and has lucid dream walks. Not everyone knows about the extent of her gifts, but they’re all aware they must watch out for her. It pisses her off that we’re all so protective, but lately she’s been more mature about us watching out for her. In my opinion, she’s our best tracker, and will be one of the fiercest werewolves in the country before she’s old enough to drink.
“Hey everyone, stop gossiping and let’s get down to business.” I look around the room, to assure I have everyone’s attention. “I have a swatch of fabric from a human that was attacked and left in the middle of a parking lot unconscious. The General has given me forty-eight hours to dedicate to this hunt. We’re going to split into two teams. When you find this person, I want you to contact me and take him to the warehouse.” We have a place for interrogations in downtown Oklahoma City. “I have maps for everyone up here.” I take a stack of papers and wave them in the air. “He must be alive and alert; you’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. No one is to go wolf on him.” Going wolf is shifting and scaring the person to death. “Pru, you’re with me. Everyone else, I want you to figure out your team leader. You’ll visit businesses, residential areas, and walk or drive, whatever it takes. I have two items of the girl’s so you can distinguish the difference. This guy is a predator and as far as we know, he’ll be armed and dangerous. Don’t touch the fabric - I have them in a bag so you can sniff it and pass it around. I don’t want any misunderstandings. Pru, here, smell this,” I say as I hand her the two plastic bags. “Oakley, while we’re out, I want you to be in command here at the farm. You’ll be in charge. If anyone has an issue, take it up with Oak. Can I take your truck Oakley?”
Oakley reaches in his front pocket of his jeans and pulls out a set of keys and tosses them to me. Pru and I unlock the gun cabinet and issue out handguns to all of the guys going out with us.
“No witnesses!” Pru yells out. “Parker, what’s this all about?” Pru says as she loads her revolver, leaving one chamber empty. “Who’s the victim? Does she know about us or something?”
I shake my head back and forth. “It’s a friend of mine that was attacked, that’s all you need to know.”
She rolls her eyes and slides her gun into the holster under her skirt. “You can be such an asshole sometimes. I was just asking. It isn’t as though rumors haven’t already been flying all over the farm. You’re asking us to put our life and reputation on the line. We try to police supernaturals, not humans. This could go sour and put us into trouble the Phelan Pack doesn’t need. So don’t play coy with me asshat!”
“We’ll talk in the truck; bring clothes in case we don’t come back tonight. I need to find this guy as soon as humanly possible.”
“Humanly….ha ha,” Pru replies and tucks her hair behind her ear. I once thought I saw a tattoo there, but she was twelve and I’m sure it was a fake one.
“Park, for crying out loud, I’m a wolf, I need to eat. We’ve been at this for seven hours straight and I can’t smell anything but dinner.” Pru complained as she climbed into the truck. “A girl needs a burger now and then.”
No matter how much I wanted to deny myself food until we located the asshole, I couldn’t deny the alpha’s daughter. A hungry wolf is dangerous. As humans half the time, we’re able to control our urges, but we have to keep our blood sugar steady. “Burgers it is…send a text to everyone and have them meet us at Sander’s Burgers.”
The parking lot is bare; the dinner crowds are already gone for the night. It’s fine by me, we will be able talk more openly without an audience. We draw attention when we walk in as a group.
Pru’s hand is on the door when she comes to a stop and turns around to me. “Get back beta,” Pru growls.
No sooner were the words out of her mouth and it hit me. The scent is undeniable and is lingering everywhere. He has been here, multiple times. “Prudence, move out of my way.” Her hands go up to my chest as she pushes me back. “I’m not playing with you, step aside.”
“I told you to get back. Don’t make me pull rank on you.” Pru says through gritted teeth. “Let me go in and check it out. You’re too pissed to be rational.”
“Find him,” I demand. I stretch my neck to the side to pop it and crack my fingers to loosen up my hands. He’s going to fry. My wolf has stirred and he’s clawing to come out. I head over to the truck to get supplies for securing him in one of the cars. Pru must have sent out a text because everyone pulled into the parking lot like their ass was on fire.
Jax comes running over to me to find out what the plan is. “Do you want us to go in and grab him and bring him out here?”
He is smaller than me but he’s fast, strong and crazy as hell. “We’ll go in together. Pru is casing the place for us. You and I will check the employee parking lot to figure out if his scent is prevalent back there.” His stench is everywhere. There are three cars in the back lot. We close in on a red ninety’s model Honda.
“He works here boss. You want me to grab the guy
s and we can wait for him to get off work?” Jax asks as he fidgets from foot to foot.
As luck would have it, the back door opens and one of the cooks steps out with his cigarette dangling from him mouth. I flash a knowing look to Jax and he looks up and sees a camera. Without hesitation he pulls out a 9mm and shoots the camera. The cook didn’t even flinch. Even a deaf person would be able to feel the vibration. I zero in on him and realize why he didn’t jump, he has earphones jammed in his ears.
“What a dumbass,” Jax says and shakes his head.
The guy doesn’t notice us as we approach the door. Just about the time we’re going to sneak in behind his back he sees me. I hold my finger up to keep him from screaming. The fear in his eyes made me feel a little guilty, not enough to stop me, but guilty. I reach over and pull his ear-bud out of his ear, “don’t scream, we’re not robbing the place. Where’s the guy that drives that Honda?”
“Ah…hem, ahhhh well… he’s wa washing the da da dishes,” the guy stutters.
“Send him a text and tell him to come out back to show him something in the parking lot. Don’t say why.” I watch him send the text out. “What’s his name?”
“Pedro.”
“Good, now go smoke around the corner and everything will be fine.” I know he won’t say anything to anyone. I smell the pot he has in his pocket which means he doesn’t want to talk to the law. “If I find out you post this on Facebook or contact anyone, I’ll be here for you next time.”
“Ya ah yes sir.”
“Park, you want me to shoot him when he comes out?” Jax asks.
“No, we’re taking him with us. Another thing, don’t call me Park or I’ll castrate you.”
Jax looks at me like I’ve lost my mind but doesn’t say anything. Through the door that’s propped open by a brick, I hear someone rapping as they approach. We’ll see how good his mood is once he’s faced with a pack of werewolves. There’s only one set of footsteps which will make our job easier. The less human involvement the better. Oakley’s truck pulls up to the door at the same time Pedro steps outside. Jax grabs him from behind with his arm around his neck. Pru hops out of the truck and walks over with a syringe and sticks it in his arm. Within seconds he is limp and unable to stand. We lift him up and get him in the bed of the truck. Oakley has a leather cover over the bed to help with gas mileage, it will also hide Pedro from being seen.
Sapphire, A Werewolf Love Story Page 6
