Werewolf Boyfriend: Konni #2 (complete)

I decide to stay in Hearthway Hollow for the time being. I was planning on taking a vacation anyway, so my schedule isn’t too messed up. I can take the risk, I figure, staying in this strange town full of its werewolf customs. I’ve already stumbled into one of the pitfalls that this town is infamous for. 

I met Jess-Belle when she was cleaning for my moms. She’s working on getting her degree in bioengineering and is an intern under Dr. Evalstropp at the college here. It was one of those instant and strange things. It was like a movie, only tangible and actually real. There was a pull at first, which left me breathless, sweaty, anxious, but happy and excited all at the same time. Now it’s become a sort of puppy craze where I miss her all the time when I don’t see her. I feel pouty and listless until I see her or get to talk to her, then I forget all about that as I become excited all over again. I want more than anything to be there for her and help her out, even though I never really was that type of person. I was always the selfish type, not a romantic at all. I’m used to loving and leaving before any sort of feelings spring up, but Jess-Belle makes me feel like a lovesick idiot. 

I lucked out in getting an apartment across from hers, so I’m able to see her often. We hang out quite a bit too, which is great. She teaches me a lot about Hearthway Hollow, showing me the best places to get things to eat, where to shop, that sort of thing. 

“You’re a big, fancy celebrity, though,” she says one day as we stand outside a shopping center. “You probably get the best of the best given to you for free just so people will see you wearing it.” Her freckled cheeks blossom bright pink - one of my favorite sights.

“Back in Germany,” I start, “we really had nothing. Mama Anna and Mama Mimi had to work their fingers to the bone to provide for Rudi and me, and for whatever other kids in the village needed help. They really took care of everybody, which was great, but it was a struggle to even get us into clothes, and we were growing boys with no signs of stopping.”

Jess-Belle giggles softly.

“I’m serious. Mama Anna threatened to break our legs so we would stop growing!” I grin down at her. “I remember hand-me-downs, I remember having nothing.” I shrug. “But, sure! Yes, I do have a closet full of free clothes I’ll probably never wear,” I chuckle.

“Any purses?” Jess-Belle gasps then reels back. “Sorry,” she chuckles. “I know it’s so silly, but ever since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of owning a Prada bag.”

I smile down at her. “Not silly at all. I think it’s sweet.”

Jess-Belle looks down at the messenger bag she uses for everything. It’s worn out, patched up in places, and the strap on it is made from an old belt. “Everything I’ve got has gone into school since I was little. Prada bags are that girly little thing you stalk on social media, but my dream job takes the front seat.”

“You don’t gotta explain that to me,” I say with a grin. “You know I admire what you do so much. You’re the coolest person I know.”

Her face turns redder, and I so wish to kiss her. “Oh, come on!” she laughs as she playfully punches me. “You work with celebrities, designers, models! How the hell can I even be half as cool as that?”

“Exactly, I work with them.” I reach down, taking hold of the hand she doesn’t keep hidden from me. “You’re different, unique to me. That is special.”

Jess-Belle squeezes my hand tight to hide her trembling. “Well,” she gulps, “you’re the coolest person I have ever met.” She steps aside so we aren’t directly in front of the shopping center door. “I’m glad I get to hang out with you so much.”

“Me too.” I lace my fingers with hers. “I just hope I’m not distracting you from all your hard work.”

“It’s a good distraction,” Jess-Belle chuckles. “I’m going to miss you when you have to go back to Austria.” She peers up at me as a cold wind blows around us. “We can still talk then, right?”

My heart aches at these words. All I want to do is spend every moment of my time with Jess-Belle no matter what we’re doing. I nod at her. “Of course.”

That evening, I contact my assistant back in Austria. I give them explicit instructions on what to do, where to go, and what to get from my closet. I have a whole section of things I’ve been given or have been left to me that I may never use, PR boxes full of all sorts of swag that I planned on donating or giving away as gifts. I have my assistant package up everything I asked for to send to me in Hearthway Hollow, overnight if need be.

In a couple of days, the packages arrive. Inside them is clothing, makeup, and the most important thing of all - the Prada bag. It’s blush-colored, just like Jess-Belle’s cheeks. It is big too, so she’d be able to carry a lot in it. I got it ages ago to carry supplies in and just never used it. My spoiled and extravagant spending habits have finally paid off, as will the courtship rituals of Hearthway Hollow. I wrap the purse back up in its box, fill the box with other treats, and then leave it in front of her door. 

I wait excitedly, knowing she is going to be leaving that morning to head to school. After a while, I hear a knock on my door.

“Open up right now!” Jess-Belle shouts. “You’ve got some explaining to do!” She bangs rapidly on the door, and then switches to beating on my chest when I open it.

“Hey, Jess, what’s up?” I ask, trying to act smooth.

She thrusts the bag up at me. “What is this?”

“It looks like a purse, Jess,” I reply with a smirk. “All your fancy education and you never learned that?”

There are small tears in her eyes as she looks up at me. “It’s. A. Prada. Bag!” She beats me with the purse.

“Hey, hey,” I grab hold of her wrists. “I know that. Be easy on it. That’s Italian leather.”

“There was Tiffany jewelry in that box too! Earrings! I don’t even have my ears pierced-” she drops the bag on the ground and grabs the sides of my head, pulling me down to her level as she kisses me. 

I’m shocked. I had planned on many more gifts in hopes of spoiling her, and I never expected a kiss right off the bat. I place my hands on her arms, moving them down to her waist as the kiss intensifies.

Jess-Belle breaks it, pulling back and gazing up at me as a few tears roll down her cheeks. She sniffles.

“So you can’t wear earrings,” I try to catch my breath. “You can wear them as pins.”

Jess-Belle bends down and picks up the bag. She hugs it tightly to her chest. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“Hey,” I kneel down beside her. “I really wanted to.” I cup her cheek in my hand. “I wanted to surprise you a bit, see you smile, make you happy.”

Jess-Belle’s grey eyes flicker up to me. “You could have done that just by holding my hand or spending the day with me. This is a Prada bag!” she gasps.

I sigh. “I’m not good with… grand romantic gestures, let alone the little ones,” I grumble. “And I heard here that there is a way to go about these things, and I-” I quickly cut myself off. Jess-Belle doesn’t know about the ritual, let alone the fact that the town is swarming with werewolves. If she knew that, she might lose her mind. The poor thing is terrified of dogs.

“It’s so pretty,” Jess-Belle murmurs. “How can I ever pay you back for this?”

“I don’t want any payback,” I tell her. “That kiss was…” I chuckle as my heart speeds towards oblivion. “Just… keep doing that every once in a while.”

Jess-Belle kisses me again, making me fall onto my backside as she moves into my lap. She cups my cheek, then runs her fingers through my hair. “You’re so pretty,” she whispers. “Why would someone like you even notice me?”

I take hold of both her hands and kiss her palms. “You’re beautiful to me, Jess,” I whisper. “No one else in the world is you, so there’s no one who can compete.”

Jess-Belle blinks more tears from her eyes. She touches me again, rubbing her hand down my neck. “Your vitiligo,” she murmurs, “does it go all over?”

I break into a big grin. “You trying to seduce me?” I ask. “Is Jess-Belle really short for Jezebel?”

Jess-Belle giggles and sputters, swatting at me as I tease her. “No! No! I’ve been so curious and was too afraid to ask!” she cackles.

I tug up my t-shirt, letting her see my stomach and chest. Her eyes go wide and I’m pleased when her pupils dilate so large. “It’s so pretty,” she murmurs. She runs her fingers down my chest, letting them linger on my happy trail.

“I bet under your shirt is prettier,” I tease.

She shoves me backwards with a smirk. “I’m not…” She stops and looks sadly away. She then gazes back up at me. “There are so many scars.”

I kiss her cheek then nuzzle her hair. “You don’t have to show me until you’re ready, Jess,” I whisper. “But I’ll show you me whenever you want.”

Jess-Belle kisses me again. “You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever met, Konni. I feel like ever since you came here, I’ve never been so happy.”

I slam my fist against my chest over my heart. “You killed me. That’s the bullet that did it.”

Jess-Belle grins from ear to ear. “Even without the bag,” she murmurs, “that would have always been true.”

I kiss her temple. “I want to make you happy. I don’t know what it is, but ever since I met you, there has been this drive and I can’t satisfy it.” I look at her and my heart explodes again. “I don’t want to be that guy who says it but… it was like love at first sight.”

“I thought you were just some weird guy who crashed on Mimi and Anna’s couch,” Jess-Belle snorts.

“Oh, I was, I am.” I wrap her up in a tight hug. “I’m glad you like me despite that.”

That night when Jess-Belle comes home from school, I’ve left another gift. In Hearthway Hollow, the old tradition is to leave dead animals for your intended mate to show you can provide for them. Each time the kill is supposed to get bigger, more imposing, to impress them further and show your strength. I don’t much care for hunting and Jess-Belle is a social meat-eater, as well as living on the top floor of an apartment building. Leaving dead animals like that would have been bad and awkward at the least.

Instead, I continue to give her luxury gifts like the Prada bag. On her door, I hang a garment bag with a dress inside I had stolen from a photoshoot, simply because its color reminded me of home. It was the same shade as the wallpaper in our old house, so it brought back the warmth of home with the glamour of haute couture. I kept it in my closet all these years, not knowing what its purpose was until now. I even went to Charlie, the local clothier, and had her tailor it for Jess-Belle.

I am waiting in my apartment with dinner, knowing Jess-Belle will come banging on my door as soon as she sees the garment bag. I am right, but when I answer the door, she has not opened it up to see the dress inside. 

“No!” She huffs at me.

“No?” I balk. “You haven’t even seen the dress yet!”

“You don’t need to keep giving me all these gifts, Konni!” She then peers into my apartment, seeing the table set with candles and wine. “Oh, Konni,” she murmurs.

I lead her inside, taking the garment bag. “I have all these things that I have kept or collected for some stupid reason or another,” I scoff. “And now I realize I’ve hoarded them because I was waiting for you.”

Jess-Belle sniffles. “You don’t have to keep leaving me these gifts,” she murmurs. “Konni, I don’t...” She hesitates, trembling a bit.

“Then I’ll give them all to you now,” I tell her. “I even bought you tickets so you could come visit me in Austria whenever you want!”

She looks up at me with big, wide eyes. She takes a shuddering breath, then looks at the floor. “I need you to be honest with me,” she starts off shakily. “These gifts, these offerings-” She pulls away from me when I try to touch her. “Are you-” She looks up at me, and I realize she’s afraid.

“Jess,” I whisper softly. I swallow back the fear that’s building like bile on the back of my tongue. “What’s wrong?”

“I know,” she quivers. “I know about Hearthway Hollow. I know what-” She blinks big tears from her eyes. 

I’ve never felt such fear before. I can’t imagine what Jess-Belle is going through. “Who told you?” I gasp.

She shakes her head and steps away from me again. “I suspected it,” she whimpers. “But I didn’t want to accept it! After I found out, I tried to block it from my mind. I was so scared, but I… Everyone here is so kind, how could I be afraid?” Tears run down her cheeks. “But then you,” she laughs sadly. 

“Jess,” I say again, softer, more tenderly. “I care so much about you.” I lay my hand across my chest. “I will say anything you want me to.”

“Tell me,” she whispers. “Are you a werewolf?”

I open my mouth to argue, but I close it tight just the same. I bow my head down and take in the most painful breath of my life, even more painful than when I broke a rib. “I am.” I look back up at her. “I’m a werewolf, Jess.” I nod towards her. “But-”

She held up her hand. “I can’t. I...” she turns, leaving my apartment and racing into hers. 

I nearly collapse where I stand. I can’t breathe. The world is ending. My phone starts to ring, but I ignore it. After it rings a third time, I see that it is Jess-Belle calling me. I answer it and hear her sobbing on the other end.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I wish I wasn’t what I am, but I-”

“No, don’t,” she whispers. “I want to tell you everything. I want to, I do. But right now… I’m so scared. All my fight-or-flight instincts are making me feel crazy, but it’s you. I want to run away from you and towards you at the same time.” She lets out a hard sob. “It’s not your fault. I wish I was the one who was different, but Konni-”

“You were hurt,” I whisper. 

“I have tried all my life to get over this fear,” she whimpers. “But every time I see a dog, I just see the one that attacked me. I remember how afraid I was. All that fear, all that pain, all the screaming, and it just-” she whimpers. “The PTSD… It’s like being alone in a theatre, sitting there by myself in the dark with all the screens screaming at me. All the doors are closed, the exits are gone. I just have to sit there, and endure it all.”

I want so badly to hold her and comfort her, but I know I will only terrify her now that she knows the truth.

“Losing my arm...” Her voice trembles. “I remember it was like a crack of lightning in my body. I was just a kid. I was still in kindergarten.” She blows her nose. “I don’t know what to do!” she blurts out, sobbing all over again.

I close my eyes and take a very deep breath. “I can go home.”

“No,” she whispers.

“It’ll be best,” I huff. “I’ll go home, back to Austria, back to my work-” I feel like I am killing myself slowly, drowning while I watch the bubbles rise to the surface. “I care about you so much. I would do anything to make you feel safe and happy, Jess.”

“But I don’t want that!” Jess-Belle cries.

“Maybe if I’m away, and we can just talk… It’ll be okay,” I whisper. “You can feel safe in Hearthway Hollow, you can go on not knowing who is who and continue your education. If I’m here...” My voice chokes off. “I don’t want to hinder your dream, Jess.”

“Can’t we go back to this morning?” She whispers. “When I first saw the bag and when I knew deep in my heart how much I felt for you.”

I steady my breath as I begin to speak. “You told me that I didn’t have to give you anything to make you happy,” I whisper. “All I had to do was hold your hand or simply spend time with you.” The tears dribble down my cheeks as I speak. “Now-” My whole body feels like it is caving in. “Now, if I hold your hand, would it make you happy?”

Jess-Belle is silent for a long time. I can hear my pulse in my ears as I sit there, waiting for her to answer me.

“I don’t know.” Her voice breaks.

“Goodbye then,” I whimper. 

“No! No! No! Konni! Wa-” I turn off my phone completely. I start packing up my things, and leave as soon as I have everything together. I place the box with all the intended gifts outside her door, thinking at least she would have them, and maybe even love them one day.

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I was in a panic, but I couldn’t leave my room. I sat there in the middle of the floor sobbing, even when I heard Konni leave his apartment. He shut his door so quietly, but I could still hear him moving around outside. I cried harder, feeling as if my lungs were going to burst and my ribs were going to shatter. I loved him - so much - and yet I was letting him run away because I was also so terrified of him. I didn’t want to be. I prayed to whoever would listen to take my terror away, but the trauma still lingered.

I let him run, and I decided to hide away. Maybe he was right, and this would be the best way for us. Of course I would go and fall in love with a werewolf! My life has been all about falling at the wrong moments. I have tripped and stumbled my whole life. Why would anything change now, when it really and truly mattered to me?

Oh, well. All I can do is go on. I attend school and continue my work, but it is so hard. I have always been able to focus and throw myself into my studies, but not now. I look at the beautiful bag that Konni gave me and my heart breaks all over again, but I cannot simply tuck it into the back of my closet. 

I still haven’t opened the box he left at my door. I’m not strong enough for that yet. I haven’t even taken the dress out of the garment bag that started all of this. I wish I had just ignored everything, that I had taken the warning about Hearthway Hollow as a fairy tale and utter nonsense. I wish I had just pretended Konni was just the beautiful and amazing man I knew him as.

One day, while I am moping over a bucket of ice cream, there is a knock at the door. I answer to find Rudolf standing there with a strange look on his face.

“He left?” he blurts.

Cheslie comes up the stairs behind him, wheezing. “You run too fast!” She clings to his sweater to keep herself standing.

“Yeah,” I hang my head. “You want to come in?”

Rudolf and Cheslie follow me inside, then glance at the big box sitting by my pile of shoes. “Jess, are you ok?” Rudolf asks.

“Yeah.” My voice squeaks and breaks all at the same time.

Rudolf lets his shoulders sag. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay...” I whine. I then find myself in Cheslie’s arms as I sob into her chest.

“My moms have tried calling him over and over. Have you?” Rudolf asks.

Cheslie rubs my back and sways with me. “I’m sure she has.”

I shake my head. “I haven’t,” I whimper. “I’ve been so afraid to.” I lift my head and Cheslie wipes my cheeks.

“Just try,” Rudolf murmurs. “My moms told me what happened to you, and I am so sorry. I don’t blame you at all. But Konni-”

“I know!” I shout at him. “I know Konni would never hurt me! I know he’s not some vicious dog off his leash!” I step back and clasp my head in my hands. “But it doesn’t matter. My head twists everything up. The trauma, the PTSD, it all makes me think he’s threat.”

Cheslie sits down with me on the sofa. “Nothing is good about this situation,” she murmurs. “Neither one of you want this.”

“No,” I whimper. I then take my phone from the coffee table. I take in a deep breath, sniffling back my tears so I can get out a sentence without my voice cracking. “Okay. I’ll try.” I dial his number and wait while the phone rings.

There is a click, and I open my mouth to speak, but a strange voice starts speaking. “You have reached the Vienna Salon of Konstantin Schmetterling, world-renowned hair stylist and beautician. I'm very busy right now working my new Spring collection, which I’m very excited about! Unfortunately, I'm too busy to answer the phone-"

I hang up the phone and let it drop to the floor.

The voice is Konni’s, but it sounds so strange, so fake. It isn’t the Konni I got to know and love, it was some facade he used to present himself, the one he showed off to the world. That scared me more than anything.

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I drove away that night, leaving Hearthway Hollow behind me and my heart in pieces. As I reached the town limits, I pulled over to the side of the road and stayed there sobbing for the longest time. After that, everything was a blur. I got to the airport, caught a flight home, and then… that was it. I was just back in Austria, trying to act like nothing had changed. But I felt wounded and raw all the time. Every breath raked my nerves, causing me to remember that I wasn’t alright. No matter what kind of fake smile I put on, or carefree attitude I tried to exude, I was still watching the bubbles rise above me as I held myself underwater.

I avoid calls from my Moms, from Rudi, and from Cheslie. Every now and again, I receive a text from Jess-Belle. I keep them all unread, saving them for a day I feel I can look at them and know I made the right decision by leaving. I can’t bear knowing that the woman I loved, that I cared for more than anything, would have nothing but fear and pain from me. It is better this way. I just have to get to the point where I believe that.

One day when I am coming into work, I hear a commotion at the entrance. My assistant is shaking her head, looking beyond annoyed.

“What’s going on?” I ask her.

“There’s some girl at the front trying to get in,” she scoffs. “She keeps trying to force her way inside, so I left some of the girls out there to keep her in the waiting room until she gets bored.”

I furrow my brow. “Why is she trying to get in?”

“I don’t know. Probably just wants clout with her followers or whatever.” She rolls her eyes. “All freckles like she is?” My assistant laughs. “She’d be so lucky.”

Every hair on my body stands on end. “Freckles?”

I hear screaming as the door bursts open. The girl in question fights her way through some of my employees before slamming the door shut and bracing her back against it. She looks up. Her hair is disheveled, and she looks like she hasn’t slept in weeks, but hers is a face I have been aching to see for so long.

“You!” my assistant barks. “I am going to call the cops!”

“Konni!” Jess-Belle gasps.

I smack the phone from my assistant’s hand, then race over to her. I wrap her up in my arms, holding her tight. “What the hell are you doing here?”

She whimpers against my chest. “I had to see you,” she sobs. “You wouldn’t answer me at all!” She clasps my face between her hands. “The ticket was in the box. I didn’t know what else to do.”

I move in to kiss her, but stop myself. She closes the distance, kissing me softly. “If it’s you,” she whispers, “I won’t be afraid.”

I hug her tight again. “I’m so happy to see you.”

“Konstantin!” my assistant snaps. “What the hell is going on?”

I stand up, holding Jess-Belle’s hand tight in mine. “Cancel my appointments for today.” I grin down at Jess-Belle. “I’ll be using the suite for now. If I am disturbed at all, I will fire you.”

She gapes at me in shock as I take Jess-Belle to the suite, a special room for my most elite clients. I bring Jess-Belle over to the sink and have her sit down in the chair.

“What’re you doing?” Jess-Belle asks.

“I’m going to do your hair, so we can talk,” I tell her.

“Why?” She lays back and I place her hair into the sink.

“It’ll be easier this way.” I test the water then run it through her hair. I massage her scalp as I lather up the shampoo. “I’m still in shock. It’s actually you.”

“If you had answered my texts at all, you would know,” she huffs. “I have been so miserable. I didn’t know what to do with myself.”

“I know,” I rinse out her hair. “I’ve been living in a fog all this time, like I’m a ghost stuck between worlds.” I work the conditioner into her hair. “But I thought it was all for the best. I didn’t want you to be afraid of me.”

“I’m not, I-” Jess-Belle whimpers. “I am working on it. I’m going to therapy, I’m working these things out. I stopped when I moved to Hearthway Hollow, and that was stupid.” She looks up at me as I rinse her hair out again. “I want to be with you.”

I wrap a towel around her head, kissing her as she sits up. “I love you,” I whisper to her. “I would do anything, whatever it is, to make sure you were happy.”

“Then come back,” she sniffles. “Even if it’s for a week, come back home.” She clutches my hands tight. “Answer my texts, call me, facetime. Whatever it takes.” She shudders, moving to take off her shirt. She shows me her chest, the faint pink scars that cover her, especially along her arm where the prosthetic starts. She grabs my hand and places my palm on her chest.

“Jess,” I shake my head. “I’m so sorry.” I trace my fingertips along the scars. I place soft kisses over them, running to her shoulder.

“Nothing to be sorry for.” Jess-Belle cups my face in her palm. “I wanted to share this with you.”

I move her over to the chair and take the towel off her head. “I’m glad.” I lay the cape around her shoulders,  comb out her hair and fluff it up a bit. “Now,” I murmur. “Do you trust me?”

Jess-Belle nods. “Completely.”

I take the scissors to her hair, cutting it in a style that will show off her features best. I trim up her bangs and remove all the split ends. I give her a soft bob, curling the ends to make her look sweet and angelic. I dye it, making it going from dark at the roots to a sort of milk tea color at the ends. It makes her gray eyes radiant, and her freckles much cuter. 

“Oh, wow,” Jess-Belle gasps as she looks in the mirror.

“Do you like it?” I ask quietly.

She beams up at me, giving me another long kiss. “I love it.” 

During her trip in Austria, we spend every second together. We make up for lost time and times that will be taken once she goes back home. Just before she leaves, we decide to do a quick test. At my house, Jess-Belle sits down on the sofa and I slowly transform while she watches. I move towards her as a wolf, and I can see the fear in her eyes. She tenses up all over, her fists clenching over her knees. I sit down before her, lowering my head.

Jess-Belle takes a few deep breaths and stands up. She shakily stretches her hand out towards me, placing it on my fur. I keep still, not moving, barely breathing. Jess-Belle then retracts her hand and holds it to her chest.

“You’re so soft,” she whispers.

I look up at her and she reaches out to pet me again. This is all she can do for now, which is better than either of us expected.

When she has to head home, I don’t want her to leave, but at least this time it doesn’t feel like an open wound. I simply pout and whine to my coworkers. But I make plans to return to Hearthway Hollow. I make plans to do it every month, so I can spend every fourth week with Jess-Belle and my family.

On my first trip back, Jess-belle tackles me at the airport. Once we get back to her place, we don’t leave all day. That afternoon, as my phone continues to ring with calls from my Moms and brother, Jess-Belle lifts her head off my chest. 

“Are you ready to share me yet?” I chuckle.

She smiles softly and lays her head back down. “Five more minutes.” She traces the patches of my vitiligo along my chest. She softly kisses my skin and sighs softly. “Let me be spoiled a little longer.”

I kiss the top of her head. “You’re always going to be spoiled with me,” I chuckle. 

Jess-Belle looks up at me. “What do you mean?”

I motion down to my bags. “Go open up the green bag and see what I mean.”

Jess-Belle hops off the bed and unzips the bag. Inside, she finds a new Prada bag. This time, it’s the same color as the dye job I gave her. There’s even a special keychain I had made that matches my fur as a werewolf, a cream puffball with hints of golden patches. 

“I told you I don’t need any more gifts!” She hugs the bag and the keychain to her chest. She then climbs back in bed and kisses me. “I just want you.”

I take hold of her hand, lacing our fingers together. “Why not both?”