Deacon

by Nicholas Bella

  “May I show him to Elliot and Royce?” I asked. It was odd asking for so much permission from the women in the room regarding my own child, but this was woman’s work and I felt it best to defer to them. No way would I want to put my child in danger if he wasn’t strong enough for such social gatherings. He was, after all, mainly human, and would need all of the protection I could give him.

  Agnes giggled. “You may show him off, Deacon. But not for too long, he needs to eat and rest.”

  I nodded and walked out of the room to show my closest friends my pride and joy.

  “My my, my, what a strapping boy,” Royce said, grinning at me and patting me on the back. “Precious indeed, and what a wonderful father to raise him.”

  I smiled. “He will make this pack proud, I promise.”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Royce said.

  “Handsome fella,” Elliot said as he played with my son’s tiny fingers. “Beautiful son, Sir.”

  “Thank you,” I said, still smiling as if I’d given birth to him myself.

  “So, how big is his cock? Did you check yet, Sir?” Elliot asked.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Royce laughed, then he pursed his lips. “Well, did you?”

  “Not yet.” I decided to take a peek. I unfolded the blanket and we three males checked out my son’s cock. “Oh yeah, he’ll be pleasing the ladies or boys just like his daddy.”

  “Impressive,” Royce said with a nod.

  “I can’t really tell if it’s going to stay that size or grow larger at this age, Sir,” Elliot said.

  I laughed and shook my head. “You’re the one who wanted to see it.”

  “Like you weren’t curious,” Royce teased.

  “What father isn’t. Gentlemen, we need to celebrate tonight as the women tend to Charlene. I need a drink and a smoke,” I said.

  “The tavern is calling our names, Sirs,” Elliot said.

  My baby cooed and twisted in my arms and I laughed again. “Not yet, Drake… you’re not old enough to go where daddy is going.”

  “Drake, that’s a good name,” Royce said. Elliot nodded in agreement.

  “Thank you.” I kissed my son once more, then returned him to his mother and she promptly placed a nipple into his mouth. Instinctually, he began to suck on his mother’s milk and I stood there watching the miracle of life in action.

  “Congratulations,” Julie said, then she leaned over and kissed Charlene on her forehead. “I must return home. You rest, all right? You may be a wolf and are healing fast, but giving birth is never easy.”

  “I will, and thank you, my dear friend,” Charlene said.

  “I’ll stay a bit longer. I heard the celebration you menfolk are planning. Go, have fun,” Agnes said. “Make sure Royce doesn’t drink too much for I may want to have a bit of fun with my husband later.”

  I laughed. “I’m sure he heard you loud and clear.” I kissed my son, then both of my wives before leaving to celebrate the birth of my first child. The drinks kept coming and I’d taken to enjoying the strong flavor of cigars. Elliot ended up fucking a pretty boy from the bar, but I was in no mood to be with anyone else at the moment. Charlene had earned my full attention for the time being. Her and Sanese. Instead, I drank myself into a stupor, puked in the alley, and Royce sent me home with Elliot, whom I did end up puking on inside of the carriage.

  “Really, Sir?” Elliot said in disgust as he brushed my vomit off his leg.

  “I’m… I’m so… sorry,” I managed to say. “The swaying… of the carriage.”

  “The inability to hold one’s liquor is more like it, Sir,” Elliot said, then rolled his eyes.

  I was far too drunk to chastise him for his comment. Besides, he may be correct, perhaps I was a lightweight. I laid my head on his huge arm and drifted off to sleep. Today was the best day of my life.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  A Machiavellian Plan

  My first son was born in the spring of eighteen-fifty-eight, marking one of the best days of my life. My second son, Anton, was born twenty-two years later. Again, Charlene gifted me with a bundle of joy. Then, thirty-six years after Anton was born, my third son, Matthew, came into this world. Charlene named him after her own father. The wolves of the pack were surprised by how fruitful my bounty was when it came to bringing the very rare natural-born wolves into the pack. Not to mention, all boys… not that I was opposed to having girls. But boys, male wolves made the pack, and if that wasn’t impressive enough, Charlene gave birth to my fourth son, Rene, who was currently four years old.

  Over the decades, our pack had continued to grow and evolve. So much had changed, the year was nineteen fifty-four, and I had just purchased another television for our home. I loved watching television and all the tv shows that were broadcasted. I also loved how we had moved from horse and carriage to automobiles. I owned three Cadillacs and a Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe. It was a pretty penny, but I had to have it. My businesses were doing very well. I owned three restaurants, a construction business, and a hotel with a casino. The home I had raised a great deal of my children in was razed and replaced with a more modern mansion.

  I now had a three-story estate with fifteen bedrooms, and an indoor and outdoor pool. A garden and the forest were still on my property. The house was fully furnished with all the modern luxuries and my favorites, electricity and indoor plumbing. My youngest son would never know the struggle of having to heat up water gathered at a stream or well in order to bathe. My home was never empty, for Elliot lived with me, as did my sons. Drake was married with two wives, Michelle and Lisa, and had his own children and two grandkids, making Charlene and I great grandparents. My entire family was revered for how fruitful we were.

  I had also been busy recruiting for our pack. We still weren’t very large, only a little over two-hundred and seventy wolves. I was responsible for at least forty-five of those new wolves. Powerful, smart, and strong, each one of them, both males and females, an asset to our pack. Still, even with all of these accomplishments, I was only a Capo. The rank given to me the day I had become a full wolf by our old pack Alpha, Connor. I had long since began to resent Julie and her rule. It was time I did something. I needed to confront her. Consequences be damned.

  “Is that the guy?” Elliot asked me.

  I blinked because I’d been stuck in my own thoughts, wondering what I was going to say to Julie when I presented her this new human to turn. I looked at the young, black male who was currently bussing a table of which the white couple who’d been eating there had left him no tip. That was another thing that had been going on. The Civil War freed the slaves along with Lincoln’s Emancipation. But then Blacks in this country had to deal with Jim Crow laws, lynching, and other injustices. My pitch to many of them was that becoming pack made sure they never had to fear any human ever again. I found it easier to bring wolves into the pack when they were willing. You got less whining that way. But sometimes, when you found a worthy human and they couldn’t be coaxed, you just had to turn them against their will. Then show no mercy while training them and breaking them. Eventually, they learned and adjusted, but it was just extra work.

  “It’s him, Malcom Brown. My son claimed he’s quite bright, if not the brightest in his class,” I said.

  “I don’t know about that, Sir. I just like that plump ass of his. Want to fuck it,” Elliot said.

  I tossed him a sideways glance. “Heel, big boy, let me give him the pitch first.”

  “Want me to make the introduction, Sir?”

  “Would you please?”

  Elliot rose from his chair, we had enjoyed a steak dinner, rare, with baked potatoes and broccoli. The food was pretty tasty, but not on par with my high-end restaurant, The Drake, named after my first son. My other two restaurants had patrons of all kinds, but only the Drake catered to those who could afford to eat there. That counted for wolves within our pack too, some couldn’t afford to eat there. But my other restaurants, Roadhouse and Sanese’s Café, were v
ery popular because they were more affordable to the average American.

  I watched Elliot approach the young man, who froze a bit at the sight of Elliot. It was understandable. Elliot was huge, muscled, and his height cowered many a man and wolf. Elliot leaned closer to the man and whispered something in his ear. There was a lot of chatter throughout the restaurant, but I could still zero in and listen to what he was saying to the man.

  “You have the sexiest ass I’ve ever seen,” Elliot was saying.

  I rolled my eyes, but just shook my head. That was Elliot’s style.

  “Do you see that impeccably dressed man over there?” Elliot asked him when the man only recoiled at the comment about his ass.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “You need to go talk to him when your shift is over. We have an opportunity that you’ll want to accept,” Elliot said.

  “A business opportunity?” the man asked.

  “A once in a lifetime opportunity,” Elliot corrected.

  The man looked at me again, then back to Elliot and nodded. “I have to get back to work now.”

  “Of course,” Elliot said, then he slipped some money into the boy’s vest pocket. “Don’t disappoint us.” With that, Elliot walked back to our table and sat down.

  “I don’t think he’s queer, Elliot,” I said, laughing.

  Elliot scoffed. “Like I give a fuck. If I want to put my dick in his ass, I’m going to put my dick in his ass, Sir.”

  “I’m sure,” I said, then took a sip of my brandy. It was quickly becoming my favorite of all the liquors. I rotated my tumbler and watched the amber liquid swirl around in the glass. “So much has changed over this past century, yet so much remains the same.”

  “Oh, going into retrospection, Sir?” Elliot asked me, then chuckled.

  “I’m going to confront Julie tonight. I want to know why she continues to pass me up for Beta Capo. If Connor was still Alpha, I would have been elevated the moment we arrived in America. At the very least, the moment Drake was born,” I said.

  “Maybe, Sir,” Elliot said, shrugging. “Maybe the reason why you hadn’t been promoted before the war was because she was influencing Connor.”

  “You have a point,” I said, thinking back on my frustration at that time, wondering why I was still a Capo. I had expected Connor to elevate me, seeing as I’d brought him his mate.

  Elliot sighed. “I support whatever your decisions are. I do hope you get answers, Sir.”

  I nodded, then changed the subject to speak about other things going on. The last influx of wolves we converted were World War two veterans; soldiers were always good stock. I spoke with Elliot for another hour until the young man’s shift ended. He motioned for us to meet him out back, so we did.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not allowed to use the front door,” he said. “What kind of opportunity do you have?”

  “How do you feel about being told that you aren’t good enough to walk through the front door, Malcom?” I asked him.

  He flinched and looked around as if afraid to speak his mind, especially to two white men. Both with fading British accents. I could admit, my accent wasn’t as thick as it was when I first came to these shores. I even got used to using America phrasing, slang, and curses. But I digressed, this young black man was starting to fear us and whatever we were going to offer.

  “How do you know my name?” he asked.

  “I’ve taken an interest in you. So, how about answering my question?”

  “I… it won’t always be this way. Times are changing,” he said.

  “Indeed, they are. However, how would you like to not fear any human ever again. To know that if they dared to touch you, they would regret it?” I asked him.

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  I tossed a glance at Elliot and he moved in behind the young man, grabbing his arms and holding him against his chest. The man panicked. “Hey! Let me go!”

  I palmed his chin, forcing him to keep his mouth shut. “Quiet. Don’t draw attention, we’re not going to hurt you,” I said.

  “What do you want with me?” he asked when I loosened my grip.

  “For you to pay attention,” I snapped, then I flashed my eyes, letting the golden glow show in my irises.

  “Oh, my God,” he gasped as his eyes widened. “What are you?”

  “What you can be, a werewolf. I am immortal and powerful and no human is ever a threat to me. I am offering you the chance to join our pack, to be stronger than anything you could imagine.”

  I could see the wheels in his mind spinning, he was really thinking about what I was offering. When one lived in fear for their entire lives, a promise of power was always tempting.

  “Why me?” he asked. “Why offer this to me?”

  I nodded at Elliot and he released the man. I knew he wasn’t going to run.

  “Hey, what the hell is going on here?” asked a cop as he flashed his light in our faces. He and his partner approached us and I stop shielding my eyes from the light so he could see who I was. “Oh, Mr. Gables, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I… umm… we’re sorry.”

  “Leave,” I snapped.

  And both cops nodded and hurried out of the alley. I returned my attention to the young man and his mouth was agape. “How did you do that?”

  “Fuck those human cops. They ought to be glad I didn’t rip their throats out. They know that I am a very powerful man. They don’t know that I am a werewolf, but they do know that I will kill them if the mood suits me. And when you’re a part of my pack, they will never dare to harass you again,” I said.

  “Does it hurt?” he asked.

  Oh yeah, I had him on the hook now. I nodded. “The bite hurts. And you have to be able to survive the transformation, which is why we like to pick humans who are strong enough to have a good chance to pull through. But once you have transformed, you will be untouchable.”

  “Can I kill anyone who pisses me off?” he asked, and I liked him already.

  I smirked. “To a point. We do need humans to serve us. But if they try to… say… lynch you, which seems to be a sport down south, they would regret that mistake.”

  The smile that spread across his face let me know he needed no more convincing. He wanted the power and was willing to take the chance to obtain it. “When?”

  “How about tonight?” I began walking away, and Elliot nudged the man forward and the three of us walked back to my very nice Cadillac. He climbed in behind the wheel and we drove to Julie’s mansion. She had married Graham and they lived together with other Beta Capos in her large estate. Even if she had offered me a room in her home, I wouldn’t have taken it. I loved having my own home, I didn’t need her protection. As we drove there, I explained more about the life of a werewolf to Malcom.

  “As to why you, well, why not you?” I asked him.

  “I’m…”

  “Worthy and according to my son, extremely smart. The pack can use someone who has vision like you. The only way we evolve is if we bring in humans who can make our pack richer and more powerful,” I said.

  “Your son, sir?” Malcom asked.

  “Anton, your business economics teacher,” I said.

  “Oh, wow… he is a werewolf too?”

  I nodded. “Who is much older than he looks. He was born in the year of eighteen eighty.”

  Again, Malcom’s mouth dropped open. He was a handsome boy and I was sure, by the way Elliot was eyeing him, he’d be getting fucked by my friend soon enough. “You really are immortal?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I’m over three hundred and seventy years old,” I said.

  “Thank you, sir,” Malcom said.

  I looked at him. “Why are you thanking me?”

  “For choosing me.”

  “Ahh, yes… well, then, you’re welcome.”

  ~*~

  “I take it my Capo, Deacon, explained everything to you?” Julie asked Malcom. She was sitting in what looked like a throne. A handcrafted ornate chair
that actually had real jewels in it. When Elias died in the war with the dragons, his entire fortune went to Julie, because Connor and Patricia were both dead. A life of luxury, no matter how excessive, was how Julie chose to spend that money.

  Her home was twice the size of mine with thirty bedrooms and fifteen bathrooms. There was also a forest attached to the property where we all gathered to hunt. Basically, my estate could fit inside hers, only difference was, I’d earned the privilege, whereas she just got lucky to have been chosen by fate. I spoke only when necessary as Malcom and Julie conversed. I’d done my part, which was recruiting a promising young human. It was up to her to decide if she wanted to turn him.

  Satisfied with my choice, she gave Malcom the brand, oath, and bite and sent him off with his new trainer to ensure that he’d survive the transformation. With Malcom out of the room and Elliot waiting in my car, it left Julie and I alone. It was time.

  “Alpha, if I may, I do have an issue I’d like to discuss with you,” I said. I leaned forward, clasping my hands together as to not seem like a threat.

  Julie arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  I swallowed. “Yes, see, I have recruited a lot of wolves for the pack, great soldiers who have served you well.”

  “Get to the point, Deacon,” Julie snapped.

  I couldn’t help but think back to the day she and Charlene were in my office, begging for me to take them as whores. And now she felt so emboldened to speak to me with such disrespect. I had to bite my tongue in order to keep in place.

  “Very well, I want to know, why have you not made me Beta Capo yet? Why instead do you promote wolves who do not have my accomplishments, Alpha?” I asked, getting the point as she’d demanded.

  She smirked. “Because, I don’t feel you are worthy.”

  Hearing those words leave her mouth made me want to rip her throat open. I had to suppress my growl of rage and warning. “Come again?” was all I could say.

  “You forget your place, Deacon. See, I know of your ascension to Capo. A position my dear, late husband gave to you because he felt you’d earned it simply because you fucked a boy into his pockets. Elias realized that you are a snake, a man who will do whatever it takes to rise in power. Be happy that I have not adjourned you from the pack. It is only because Charlene is my dear friend that you still live.”