Sapphire, A Werewolf Love Story

by Dawson, Devyn

  “He’ll be out for the next hour, we won’t have traffic to deal with so we should be able to get everything set up before he awakens,” Pru says. She has her auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail making her look like a young girl. Time is going so fast, and she’s grown up to be a strong warrior. I find it hard to believe that a few years ago she was playing with dolls and chasing her tail on our outings. She’s serious about her position in the pack, and fulfills her assignments without being coaxed.

  “Is my hair covered completely?” Pru asks. We all have masks to cover up who we really are. It was the General’s idea to have them look like the eighty’s movie Teen Wolf. We had a laugh when the masks came in from California. A master costume designer made them for five thousand each. Dolly wanted us to wear them to find the guy, but I explained it would be strange if we wore them in public. Jax reaches over and tucks a piece of Pru’s hair up under the mask.

  “Throw a glass of water at his face,” I say to Jax. We tied Pedro to a chair and placed it in the middle of the warehouse. Many years ago, this place was a bread factory. The owner ended up selling his business to a major company. Rumor has it that Dolly has their cinnamon roll recipe. “Sleeping beauty has been out long enough.” Jax fills up a bucket of water and pours it all over him.

  Pru walks over and seductively whispers his name in his ear. Pedro opens his terror filled eyes.

  “Where am I?” Pedro demands.

  Pru reaches over and grabs his earlobe between her fingernails and pinches. He flinched away but couldn’t escape the pain.

  I walk over to stand directly in front of him. “You’re about to face the most terrifying day of your life.”

  “What the fuck you talkin’ about bro?”

  I fill my lungs with air and concentrate as I exhale. Spittle flings from his mouth as I slap him hard. “Don’t call me bro asshole.”

  I concentrate on the pack members; knowing that me being violent causes their wolf to go on guard.

  “Why am I here?” Pedro is short, pale, and talks with a peculiar Mexican accent. He’s the polar opposite of what I’d expect someone named Pedro would look or sound like. “I paid Ray back.”

  The dirt bag has other enemies. My kind of criminal, one with many enemies.

  “You’re here because of what you do to women. You’re a lowlife, and I should kill you right now, but I’m not going to. No, I’m going to watch you suffer and if I feel you don’t suffer enough, I’ll do some more. First, I’ll start by removing your shirt. Isn’t this what you do to women, remove their shirt to humiliate them?”

  Pedro shakes his head back and forth. “Listen here dick, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve got the wrong person.” He looks around the room trying to convince everyone that I am wrong.

  I cock my head side to side to pop it. “Remove his shirt,” I say to Jax. In a split second, Jax has sliced the t-shirt with a pocket knife. Droplets of blood appear all the way down his chest from where the knife slit him. “Oh look, you’re bleeding,” I state the obvious. “How many girls did you leave for dead with their shirts undone?” He looks up at me with utter fear. My wolf is clawing to get at him for harming Sapphire. He sits in silence too long and I backhand him hard. “I expect an answer…HOW MANY?”

  Pedro has gone so pale he looks dead. “I didn’t hurt them. I promise, I just wanted to see their bra. I love their bras. Don’t kill me please,” he blubbers.

  “You. Have. Not. Answered. Me!”

  “Three, it was three. I promise I didn’t do anything else. I didn’t rape them or touch them in any way. I swear!”

  “You’re lying! I can hear your heart racing.”

  “I didn’t hurt them, I promise. I only did it to see their bra. I’ve always wanted to see a real girl in her bra,” his voice quivers as he talks. “Please don’t kill me. I swear I will never do it again.”

  I pop my knuckles and turn my back to walk away. “Princess, you stay here and guard him. Rip his throat out if he as much as moves an inch.”

  The guys and I go into the office for a minute to talk.

  “You can’t kill him boss,” Jax says to me.

  I look up and shake my head in disbelief. “No, I’m not going to kill him, he might wish he were dead but he won’t die today.” Everyone nods their head in approval before turning around and going back into the room.

  Pru looks pissed off as we approach the two of them.

  “He give you any trouble?” I ask.

  “Nothing I couldn’t handle. He’s a pansy though.” She crosses the room to stand with a couple of the guys. “Never mind the busted lip, but he called me a bitch for no reason. I punched him in the mouth, now he can call me a bitch.”

  “Pedro, we have decided to let you live… not before you endure the consequences for terrorizing women. It really is simple; I’m going to remove one of your testicles. Because I’m a fair man, I’m allowing you to decide which testicle you’d prefer to keep. Man to man, we have a favorite…at least I do. I’m partial to my right one. Don’t worry, I worked on a farm and we had to castrate bulls. I’m good at stitches.” I wink at him and thought he’d faint before we started. “Princess, stand guard, this might get a little bloody.” The guys snicker as we cut Pedro out of his pants.

  The amount of satisfaction for bringing justice to Sapphire’s assailant made me want to call her. I’m sure she hates me for ignoring her. I hate me for the same reasons. What I’ve done to her is worse than Pedro ever imagined doing. I betrayed her trust knowingly, which is killing me to admit. A sadistic smile crosses my face at the thought of Pedro screaming for mercy. He deserved every moment of pain times ten. I left a business card for a doctor the pack pays to be discrete. Because I’m not one hundred percent ruthless, I left a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a bottle of antibiotics to ward off infection. If Pedro had done more than want to see her bra, I wouldn’t have been so kind. His family would be shopping for a casket instead of worrying about grandkids. Although, every time he passed out from the pain, we’d wake him with smelling salts. I wanted him awake and alert and to feel the same terror he inflicted on his victims. He’ll never hurt another woman. Pru injected him with a microchip to track his movement. He’ll be on my radar for the rest of his lamentable life. If I never talk to Sapphire again, at least she’ll never be bothered by Pedro again.

  My wolf is restless, which is making me antsy. I’m not a violent person, unless needed. I don’t get pissed off if a line is too long, or suffer from road rage. I only resort to violence when the punishment fits the crime. The way I earn my reputation is by controlled leaks from the pack. We’ll send one of our guys to a bar where another pack might be socializing at and have him drunk-talk. We have many ways to leak a story to spark fear in rogues, or those that want to betray a pack. There is truth behind every story, but details may or may-not be exaggerated. I’ve heard that I’m in the top three feared werewolves in the world. It’s a title I take seriously.

  The drive back to the farm was in silence. I know Pru is reveling in the justice we brought for the victims. She’s quieter than usual, but her face gives away the victory she feels. The victims will never know about the day Pedro lost his left nut but there won’t be any additional victims in the future.

  When we get to the farm, we’ll debrief and go for a run with the entire pack. Every time I come home from teaching a lesson, I crave the togetherness of our family. The General and I’ve talked about the future and ways to keep our younger members grounded and not too full of themselves. Our rogue rate is low, maybe we lose a wolf every five years or so. We seldom open up our enrollment for new members, we prefer to recruit those that we see potential in. Dolly heads up the program and she’s great at finding the perfect fit for our group.

  My mind goes back to my weekend with Sapphire. She was game to do anything I wanted. Her spirit cried for my wolf on several occasions. Her first orgasm for me was spiritual in a way I’ve never experienced. One more reason she and I
should be together. The way she moaned and held her breath at the moment of ecstasy plays over and over in my head.

  “Hey Parker! Pay attention!” Pru shouts.

  “Huh?”

  “You almost drove over that guy on his bike, you would have if he didn’t jump the curb to get out of our way. You’re not regretting what we did to Pedro are you?”

  I reach over and pat her leg. “Nope, I was lost in thought, that’s all. Pedro deserved what he got, and no, I’ll never regret his castration.” If only she knew I have a raging hard-on. Damn, I need to run.

  Chapter 11. Depression

  SAPPHIRE

  5 DAYS POST PARKER

  “Come on sis, you can’t stay in bed forever. You have to go to work eventually,” Ruby says as she sits on the edge of my bed. I roll over to face the opposite direction.

  How can I explain to her the depth of my despair? I’m left a shell of existence without him. It was as though we merged into one person. The things he did to me, and the secrets I shared, the lies he told me…my heart aches. I knew him for eighty-seven hours, but my heart assured me I’d know him forever.

  My head is as blank as the wall I’m staring at, and my body is numb from longing for him. One man and eighty-seven hours changed my core belief. How stupid can I be to allow anyone in my heart after a short amount of time? If I could set fire to this mattress and forget everything we shared, I would. I’d rip him from my memories and live as though I never knew him. The sweetest memory of his lips touching mine, or the way he held me in his arms, is too much for me to bear. No matter if I sit or stand or lie here wallowing in my pain, I am still all alone and he is gone.

  “Phire, get up and go to dinner with us,” Ruby begged. “You can’t stay in bed and mope around forever.”

  I roll away from her and draw my legs up into the fetal position. “I’m not hungry.” The bed creaks as Ruby crawls into the bed behind me, and drapes her arm across my side. The heat of her body is warm against my back as she spoons me. The moment of compassion overwhelms me in my sorrow. I listen to her breathe, and a sob rests in my throat. “Sissy, I can’t believe I was such a fool,” the words are foreign to my ears. I’m always the reasonable one, the one that avoids drama.

  “You’re not a fool, he is! He’s missing out on a great woman.”

  “What is wrong with me? I thought he was different, but he’s not.”

  “Nothing’s wrong with you Phire, he’s mental.”

  Ruby held me for what seemed hours. We didn’t say anything, just the comfort of my sister holding me made me stronger.

  10 days post Parker

  The sound of my phone vibrating on the counter stirs me out of my thoughts. I look down at the caller I.D. and see Parker’s name like a blaring beacon.

  Normally I would pick up the phone and forgive him without questions. Not this time, this hurt too bad, and he will do it again…they all do. I see it happen with Ruby every time she breaks up, she takes him back and he shits on her again. I’ll take my memories of him and lock them away in my heart. Tomorrow, I’ll change my phone number to make sure I’m never tempted to answer his call.

  When he first left, and I didn’t know he wasn’t going to call me, I was excited to go to work and tell the crazies about him. Now, I’m a fool that fell for some great sex and a sweet talker. Lesson learned. I went back to work three days ago, no one knows about Parker, and they never will. I’ve been working at Chantilly Lace for three years. It’s a successful boutique in a small urban town named Yukon. A couple of months ago, the owner decided to move to Florida. She and I had a meeting and if I could get the funding, she wanted me to buy it from her. In the beginning, I didn’t think it was plausible. Filing for the Indian grant for small business was the equivalent to joining the FBI…or what I think joining would be like. It’s a dream come true; to be a business owner. My five employees are a handful, they’ve been working at the store for over a year and each one is certifiably crazy. There are days with so much drama it takes everything in me not to strangle each of them. Because of their boyfriend drama, I decide I won’t allow myself to become crazy like them. Not going to let Parker defeat me, not today, not ever.

  I was the first employee of the shop. When it opened, we only carried high-end lingerie, now we have some designer dresses as well as the lingerie. We had to take a loan out to afford the dresses, but it paid off big, especially since we have so many country music stars in Oklahoma. We don’t have gorgeous models that wear angel wings, or commercials to advertise for us. We’ve grown our business by word of mouth. I special order one customer’s underwear from a place in Paris. She pays over a hundred dollars for a pair of panties, and will usually buy ten pairs at a time. I’m not sure why I didn’t tell Parker about the store, now I’m happy I kept it a secret. He can’t find me here, and if he shows up at my house, he has my brother to contend with.

  40 days post Parker

  “Well? What does it say?” Ruby paced impatiently as I finish up in the bathroom.

  “It doesn’t say anything yet, it takes five minutes,” I snap as I hold the stick up and watch for the solid line. “Hold your panties on! You can quit tapping your foot, or I’ll stomp on it and you won’t go dancing.” I stare at the stick, waiting for it to confirm what we all suspect. Within the first two minutes the double line appears. In one split second, I’m catapulted into being a single parent. My deepest fear is true… I’m pregnant. I haven’t been with anyone except Parker in almost a year, and now I’m carrying his child. Fan-fucking-tastic, I get to be a poster girl for one night stands.

  Ruby flings open the door to the bathroom, and in an instant she knows why I’m upset. “Oh shit Phire, what are you going to do? Stone is going to kill that guy…I bet he’ll never show his face around here again.”

  The stinging in my eyes as tears well up, and my throat constricts as my breathing becomes labored. I stand there unsure what to do next. My tears give away the fact I’m not ready to be a mother. The walls are closing in, and my heart has now started beating so hard, I’m sure it will cease at any moment. I put my face in my hands and shake my head back and forth. “I don’t know what to do; I guess I’m having a baby. Don’t tell mom, I’ll do it after I go to the doctor. Promise me.”

  Ruby pulls me in for a hug and whispers in my ear, “Of course not. I’m here with you every step of the way. I won’t judge you if you decide to - you know…..”

  “Get an abortion? No, I wouldn’t do that…it isn’t an option.” Maybe I should call him…NO! I will not call him, he doesn’t deserve to know. I push past Ruby and run to my bed, diving head first into the covers. Ruby closes the door to my room, and says she’ll be back to check on me in a little while. Why? What’s the point? I’ll be pregnant in an hour, in a day, in a month…up until the day I give birth.

  PART TWO

  Chapter 12. Storm

  915 Days Post Parker

  SAPPHIRE

  “Mom, are you still watching Storm for me tomorrow night?” I set his bag on the kitchen counter and talk to my mom at her breakfast table. We’ve worked out a system that keeps Storm from going to daycare. We tried doing a play-date with other kids his age but it always goes wrong. He doesn’t play well with other children, he tries to play a game where they are a rabbit and he’s a dog. His active imagination shows when he draws. You’d never know a toddler was doing the drawing. I tried taking him to karate with me, up until I watched him practicing his karate chop on my friend’s baby. He’s all boy, rough and tumble attitude with a big affection for his mommy. My brother has been a great male figure for him when he needs ‘guy time.’

  She nods yes as she takes a sip of her tea. “Oh, that’s right, they moved your karate lessons to Wednesdays. Of course I’ll watch him.”

  “Great, I’m leaving you the car, so you can go to the park or whatever. It’s so nice outside, I’m taking my bike.” The shop flourished over the last two years. We were able to give a bonus to the girls and get a l
oan to expand the business. When Storm was a couple of months old, I hired Melvin to build a motorcycle for me. Ruby and I joined a local all women’s bike club and ride once a week as a group. I get tickled when my mom calls it a motorcycle gang. We’re all business women and mothers, except Ruby, she doesn’t want children. I’m not sure if working at Hot Topic in the mall rates her a business woman, but she is the manager. Stone moved out last year and bought a house with his girlfriend. A couple of the girls heard me tell the story about what happened to me at the library. They convinced me to take karate with them. I’ve been going for the last year. I’m on my last level before I get my black belt.

  Mom rolled her eyes and clucked her tongue. “You and your sister are going to get yourself killed on those bikes. A self-respecting mother wouldn’t put herself in danger like you’re doing.”

  “Mom, I’m not putting myself in danger and whoever said I want to be self-respecting? I’m trying to protect Storm and make sure to stay around to watch him grow up. Stop trying to guilt me into not riding.” I lean over where she’s sitting and kiss her on the cheek. “Mom, I love you…stop worrying.” The same argument we’ve had since I gave birth to Storm. He was born on New Year’s Day after five hours of labor. I never called Parker and changed my phone number so he couldn’t call me. Storm has my last name and sadly under the father’s name it is listed as unknown... It isn’t like I know him, we had a few days of great sex, it doesn’t make him daddy material. “I’m going to be late to work, Stormy give mommy sugar.”