Sapphire Bones

Sapphires

"Hey!" I yelled over to her but the small girl ignored my protest and proceeded to open the rest of the curtains around the room. "I had those closed for a reason, Ethel."

"It's time to wake up. You get no sympathy from me, she did the same to me and Allison," Damien huffed from inside my closet. "Alpha Tyler from Sapphire is coming today to talk peace between our packs. He'll be here in an hour." I rolled my eyes and fell back onto my bed with just my legs dangling over the side. Sapphire's Alpha since his father stepped down, Tyler, shared too many of his father's traits. I had zero desire to negotiate with a spoiled rich kid intent on getting his way but without Alej here to fight the Alpha battles for me, I was forced to stand alone and face Tyler myself.

"Send him home. I don't want to deal with his bullshit today." I grabbed the nearest pillow and smothered myself with it, the air in my lungs depleting with each passing second. "You know the last time him and his father were here Tyler insisted on having his own chef come in and replace Erin? He said cooking from Emerald didn't compare to Sapphire's?" I used a mockingly similar voice to Tyler's but ultimately my siblings didn't catch the reference.

"Corvo!" Ethel growled and pulled the pillow off. Ethel climbed onto the other side of the bed and sat cross-legged behind my head. "No time to off yourself right now. You need to get your ass in something other than boxers and the same shirt you've worn for the past four days, and welcome your guest with open arms." She clapped the tops of my shoulders until the stinging from her palm forced me to sit up in bed. Damien returned shortly with a pair of dark slacks and a black button-down over his arm. "And anyway, Tyler isn't a stuck-up snob like his father was – he's kinda sweet." The twinkle in her eye could hardly be ignored. I sent a fitting glare to wipe her iris' clean of any admiration for the visiting Alpha. Damien and I both froze, eyes narrowed at Ethel's endearment.

"Tyler is from a well-off family and will appreciate the luxurious gesture." Damien tossed the clothing next to me. I huffed and grabbed the pants, slipping them on as I stood. "And no," he pointed to our sister. "You are not allowed to find him 'sweet'" he said.

"You mean he's a rich boy who's had everything handed down to him?" I laughed, allowing Damien to take the reins on the whole brotherly defense of our sister's innocence.

"Tyler just took over as Alpha, same as you, and its time for Emerald and Sapphire to end the stalemate." Ethel snorted. "Neither of you are allowed to tell me who and who I can't see in my free time."

"Dad started it." I hissed and buttoned the shirt up, tucking it under the waistband of the matching pants. Damien tossed a belt my way and I secured it with a slight tug. "He and Josef hated each other after that whole deal went south."

"Did he ever tell you what that whole ordeal was about?" Damien asked from next to the nightstand while Ethel continued trying to dress me. I shooed her hands away from me but her insistence caused me to drop my resistance and drop my hands to my sides.

"Only that it involved another pack but he never said which one," I shrugged.

"Which is why," Ethel started, straightening the tie she shoved over my head. She pulled it tight, my Adam's apple struggling. I coughed. The thin smile on the edges of her lips was barely noticeable. "You need to be on your best behavior and get along with each other."

"Where'd you learn how to tie a tie?" I loosened the knot she secured around my neck and shoved Ethel away from me to grab shoes from my closet. "You just want Tyler to visit more." I hissed back her way, quiet enough that the comment would pass without retaliation from either her or my younger brother. "What's your fixation with him anyway?"

"And fix your hair! Mom's going to flip if she comes back from Florida and you look like a Yeti!" Ethel barked out orders before retreating toward the door. I poked my head from around the corner with brows raised. She completely ignored my question and went for the door leaving Damien behind to pick up the pieces of her intrusion.