Betrayal & Redemption

The Fight

Jackson's POV

I tilted my head to the left and right, cracking my neck loudly as I sat on the couch, still tired. The girl's face still burned into my mind- big sea green eyes and red hair that looked so soft you just wanted to reach out and run your fingers through it. There was another woman in my dream, but the girl's face was etched into my memory, taking up a permanent spot. 

I rubbed a hand over my face and stood up to take a shower. This place wasn't the smallest I had ever stayed in, but it might be the second. I could reach out and turn the shower on from my couch bed. I undressed myself and unwillingly looked at my reflection in the mirror. Even though almost every inch of my chest, arms, and upper back were tattooed, you could still see the scars marred my skin. Some of them had been new, but there were many I had earned prior to what I did now. I hopped in the shower and washed quickly- the hot water wasn't going to last longer than a minute. As I rubbed myself down, my mind wandered to the girl again, and I couldn't help wondering what she was doing right now. 

"Probably not thinking about some dipshit freezing his fuckin ass off in a shower. Let's go, jackass, it's cold as f**k in here," Arlo grumbled, interrupting my thoughts. I had been so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed. This girl shouldn't have a hold on me like this. I thought back to my dream- I could hardly remember much of it, but then again I could hardly remember much of anything.I laughed to myself at my own little joke. Her fear was tangible, though, and that set me on edge. Even if I hadn't been in the line of work I was in, I knew I still would have wanted to protect her at all costs.

I threw on a pair of sweats and a matching t shirt from a sports team I had researched lately. If anyone were to ask, I had a favorite player, a signed jersey, and watched every game. I knew stats off the top of my head and kept up on local events for the areas I was hired in. I got in my car and started her up. It wasn't inconspicuous but it was the only thing I wouldn't budge on- a 1969 GTO. I would change almost anything else about myself and hid my tattoos regularly- but Katya wasn't negotiable. I patted her dashboard and checked the gas tank- plenty of gas, besides it wasn't a warm day. I could roll the windows down and turn her off when parked. This place was nothing like Phoenix where I had to wear only black shirts so my sweat wouldn't show my tattoos through my shirts. I drove off through town and stopped at a small mom n pop diner, the pretty waitress was outside with my usual- a stack of chocolate strawberry pancakes with chocolate syrup and a small coffee, black. I tipped her and pretended not to notice when she purposely dipped the front of her uniform down, giving me an eye of ample cleavage. I hadn't been with a woman at all- or at least not that I could remember. Since this girl's face had been haunting my dreams, I didn't even want to get close to anyone. I could appreciate how a woman looked, though, and did just that as the petite waitress turned and went back inside. Her scent lingered in the vehicle- werewolves don't wear perfumes or anything like that, and this was a town that had only werewolves. 

I inhaled deeply, appreciating the smell the pancakes as I sprayed masking spray on the side of the car to hide that girl's scent. Nobody ruined Katya's smell of leather and gasoline. I masked my own scent often, too, not wanting to attract unwanted attention- and all attention was unwanted. When I got to my post, I parked beneath a tree and put on sunglasses and a baseball cap. I slid my seat back and opened up my food, hungry as can be. I took a few bites, savoring the taste in my mouth, and to keep myself from thinking of that dream, I pulled out the paperwork for the most recent target. Her name was redacted as she was just a teenager, but she was set to turn 18 tomorrow. Her scent had been getting stronger, and with the BloodMoon pack close by, unmated males terrorized this town and would take girls before they even got their wolves. 20 girls had "disappeared" in the past 3 months. The thought of what they did to them made my blood boil. I knew what BloodMoon males smelled like and my job was quite simple- I would stay out here and if the smell of any of them came  near, I killed them. The pay was handsome and it was much less gruesome than what I normally did. I shoved the last bite of pancake in my mouth and downed the coffee. I scanned over a few of the faces of the other missing girls- I printed out the missing posters that offered a reward, and even some that didn't. I may be a heartless bastard but even I wasn't that bad. Soon an urgency hit that I couldn't ignore. I jotted down in my notebook that I was going to run a perimeter and the time, then got out to take a piss. Before I could even shake my d**k, a car screeched around the corner and blew a stop sign. I watched it keep going and put my pants back in place. I flexed my feet against the tree, grabbed the masking spray and let her loose one last time before I locked the car and went for a jog. There was a dense woods behind the school, and once I got there, I quickly undressed and seamlessly switched from two legs to four before bounding off through the woods. I arched around the back of the school, my eyes and nose on alert. I smelled nothing out of the ordinary so I circled back to where my clothes were. Surrounding the base of the tree were three wolves. Scrawny and skinny looking, I had to let out wolfy chuckle. They couldn't be serious. Two of them circled around the other one and myself. I let out a snarl that stopped the circling two in their tracks. I hadn't acknowledged it yet- but I was an Alpha at some point. Where and to whom, I had no idea, but these wolves would submit or die. I let out a warning growl, eyeing the brave soul standing in front of me. He held my gaze for a few beats and then lowered his head. It wasn't enough for Arlo, though, and he took over and lunged at the wolf, snapping his neck in an instant. He dropped the limp thing at our feet and snarled at the other two who showed me their necks before they tucked tail and ran. Arlo snuffed at the two of them and I transitioned back to two feet. My f*****g clothes reeked of those f***s so I ran back to Katya and grabbed the masking spray again, all but bathing in it. 

"f*****g disgusting," I said aloud, taking a few sniffs to make sure I got it all. 

A bell rang suddenly in the school and I dove into the front seat of my car, pulling the hat and glasses back on and scanning the area for my mark. She exited the school and descended the stairs to a blue sports car. I was to wait until she was in the car and the car had pulled away from the school and then I was free. As it exited the parking lot and sped off into the sunset, I turned the key to my own steed and headed back towards my "apartment". Total joke. It was like a broom closet with plumbing- but oh well. I was only here for 2 more days and then it was on to the next assignment. I dressed in similar clothes as before but ones I actually liked, and headed off to a bar downtown. Sure it was only 1pm, but the girl's face from last night was still haunting me. I thought a few stiff drinks and some food might push her out of the forefront of my mind. 

I walked into the dungeon of a dive bar and headed for my favorite stool. I wouldn't call myself a regular at this establishment, but I had been here enough to have my favorite spot. The bartender set 3 shots and a beer in front of me without my asking. Okay. I am a regular. I downed the shots and took a deep pull from my beer. 

"Keep those coming," I told Lacey, the skinny blonde with a push up bra that was manning the bar. 

"Tough day?" She asked me. I didn't divulge in much but she could tell when I was agitated and when I wasn't. 

"You could say that," I told her nonchalantly. She set down another 3 shots in front of me. 

"Wouldn't have anything to do with the BloodMoon douche they found dead in the woods, would it?" She asked eyeing me. I looked her in the eye as I downed the last shot and she smiled kindly at me.