Moon Desire

CHAPTER ONE ?

Sapphire

"This week, go back to where you came from, b***h!" screamed one of the Mustangs speeding by. Sapphire's gaze was drawn to the candy apple mustang and its occupants as it began to fade into the distance.

Her lips let forth a deep grunt.

Just ignore it…

Just ignore them… Sapphire…

Sapphire reasoned. She urgently attempted to calm her inner wolf, at least enough so that she didn't want to track them down and tear them to bits. But one thing for sure, she can’t do that. She’s weak.

She was able to unclench her fists after a few minutes. Sapphire despised this. She despised having to continuously tame the beast within her because others found it entertaining to mock her. While her human half had moved on, scarcely caring what others thought, her wolf half despised the idea that anybody would dare to cross her.

But she couldn't do anything about it.

Sapphire strolled down the side of the road, heading towards home. It was a little more than a mile from her residence to school and back. It wasn't a particularly lengthy walk when she could shift into a fast-running, stamina-crazed beast, but it was a touch slower in her human form.

The clump of trees that began a few feet down the slope followed her on her journey home. There were trees everywhere in their little village. Every street corner, every front yard There were more traces of nature than humans here.

Sapphire was unconcerned. She, in fact, adored nature. It had become a part of her, a part of her home. She adored the way the birds sang in the early morning. Nature never slept—always generating wonderful noises and crafting magnificent melodies even in the dead of night.

What she loved the most, though, was the earth itself. When she ran and played, the soil popped up slightly beneath her paws. When she trod on the twigs, they broke and shattered. Even in the morning, she enjoyed the coolness of the earth before the sun rose and heated everything up.

"Sister!" Her seven-year-old brother, Charlie, shouted as she stepped through their front door. Charlie had struggled to pronounce her name correctly as he grew older. It had been so long that the term had become ingrained. She actually liked it a little bit.

Her brother is far far away from her color and to her face. Charlie is so pale while she has the right amount of white on her body. You can tell that they are not blood related by looking at them.

Sapphire looks more asian while Charlie looks American.

He charged towards her with all the power a little, not-yet-shifted werewolf could muster. Fortunately, she was prepared, as she was every day when she got home from school. Sapphire beamed at her adoptive brother as she easily caught him.

"Take note, you missed it! Jamie and I painted before playing with playdoh!" Charlie exclaimed, giddy with delight.

“I wonder where my brother, Sapphire, is.”

“One thing for sure, he’s alive.” Sapphire smiled.

Clara, her mother, already told her about what happened to his son. He is on his father's side. Aside from that Clara never tells anything. The only thing she knew was that her supposed brother was named. DAWN.

"Is that correct?" Sapphire questioned quietly before taking Charlie into the kitchen, turning on the little living room lights.

"Tell her, ‘THANK YOU’, Jamie.”

Charlie's mouth formed a little round 'o.'

She laughed.

"That's exactly what I thought."

Sapphire gently pulled him in the direction of Jamie, his nanny, who was washing dishes in their rusted sink at the time.

Charlie rushed up to Jamie and put his arms around her. He barely reached her waist because to his lesser Omega size. “Thank you very much, Jamie."

With a strained groin, the elderly lady looked down at Charlie. "Of course, I'll do anything for you."

The air in the kitchen became heavier and more tense. Sapphire could almost sense Jamie's struggle to keep herself together.

"Charlie, could you just do me a favor and allow Sapphire and me a moment to talk?" Jamie asked.

Sapphire confirmed this with a nod from her brother. Charlie reluctantly consented and dragged his feet up to his room. Jamie and Sapphire didn't start conversing until they heard the click of Charlie's bedroom door.

Jamie cleaned her hands with a rage and anger Sapphire had never seen from her before. Granted, the graying-haired lady wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, but she wasn't a horror either. She, as a pack elder, has been keeping an eye on Charlie for their family for quite some time. Sapphire had never anticipated such a significant issue.

"Is everything fine?" Sapphire's brows furrowed with anxiety.

"No, I can't do it," Jamie said as she ran her palm over her face. I can't do it any longer. I've been keeping everything in, expecting that the following day would be better, but it just gets worse. "I'm done."

Sapphire's stomach sank. "Surely you're not talking about resigning."

"That's precisely what I mean. I can't stand it any longer!"

"But, Jamie, Charlie's a wonderful child, and I know he can be a handful at times."

"It's not about Charlie. It's all about you and your parents." Jamie was now enraged.

"I can't sit there all day watching that youngster. I'm meant to be the helper, not his parent."

"But,"

"I am the babysitter." She plunged her thumb into her chest.

"I babysit Charlie for a few hours, clean the house, get paid, and go home. That simple. You and your folks don't seem to get it. Services aren't cheap over here, Sapphire."

“When was the last time Jamie got paid?”

“Jamie, if you'd just let me speak to Carter and Marie, I'm sure I can make sure anything like this never occurs again," Sapphire stated.

"It won't happen again because I won't be here to see it. I gave up." She huffed and pulled her handbag and keys off the table. She took firm steps toward the door.

"Wait a minute, Jamie!" Sapphire followed her to the front door.

"Can't we simply figure this out?" Please?"

"I always remember my sister here,"

"Sister??"

"Yes, Blue. My younger sister. So let's stay for a while? Please?"

"Not a chance. It is too dangerous."

"Could you please, Jamie?" Sapphire's tone became urgent.

"You're our final hope here." Jamie threw open the door and took one step outside before turning around.

"You Omegas aren't good enough for this pack anyhow. It's evident in Charlie's demeanor. None of you listen to directions properly, and you never pay money to support the pack. I hope my resignation teaches you all a lesson: you can't take advantage of a pack member."

Jamie took a confident stride down the decaying porch stairs and into her gleaming Volvo. Sapphire shut the door gently, cringing as it creaked. She could hear Jamie's vehicle thunder down the block. She let out a trembling sigh, resting her brow against the door and closing her eyes. Dammit it, damn it, damn it. Even if she wanted to, she didn't have any money to compensate Jamie for her assistance. Could things be much worse?

"Fire?" Charlie's little voice asked. His tone shook, as if he was holding back tears.

"Fire, I'm sorry for disappointing you.

I apologize to Jamie..."

Sapphire looked in her younger brother as he walked down the stairs, her gaze fixed on his trembling bottom lip. She lost no time in taking up the kid and held him close, absorbing his warm and comforting aroma.

"It's not your fault, Charlie. Jamie was just not the ideal babysitter for us. She has a short fuse."