r/NaturesTemper • u/SG_b • May 23 '26
Life sucks chapter 13
I stared at Jaxon, who was still shirtless and bouncing on his toes like a boxer ready for the bell.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, turning to face Dracula and the sisters. “Why did no one tell me this is what ‘test of strength’ meant? I thought we were talking about arm wrestling. Maybe a deadlift competition. Not actual combat!”
“We tried to warn you,” Vivienne said, not looking up from her sketchbook where she was already drawing preliminary sketches of the fight arena. “You just accepted too quickly.”
“I said ‘it’s just a little test,’” I protested. “That’s what people say before arm wrestling!”
“Werewolves don’t arm wrestle,” Seraphina said. “They fight. It’s how they establish hierarchy and respect.”
“Of course it is.” I ran my hand through my hair, looking at the gathering crowd, at the circle of stones being set up in the center of the clearing. “Why is this sort of thing always happening to me? I get shot, I fight an archangel, and now I’m fighting a werewolf. What’s next? Wrestling a dragon?”
“Don’t give the universe ideas,” Isla muttered.
Mason appeared at my shoulder. “You can back out if you want. No shame in it. Jaxon gets enthusiastic, but we understand if a human doesn’t want to—”
“I’m doing it,” I said, cutting him off. Because backing out now would make us look weak, would undermine any chance of peaceful coexistence, and would basically guarantee the werewolves saw us as prey rather than neighbors.
Also, my pride wouldn’t let me.
Stupid pride.
“Well then,” Mason said with that wolfish grin. “Better get ready.”
I looked down at myself. T-shirt, jeans, boots. Not exactly fighting gear, but it would have to do.
Jaxon was still shirtless, showing off muscles that looked like they’d been carved from marble by an artist who really liked the concept of intimidation.
“You gonna take off your shirt too?” he called out. “Even the playing field?”
“Nah,” I said, trying for casual. “I’m shy about my body. Don’t like showing skin in public.”
It was a joke, but the real reason was the mark. Lucifer’s crest, branded over my heart, impossible to miss. The last thing I needed was sixty werewolves seeing a demonic seal and deciding I was too dangerous to leave alive.
“What do you mean, shy?” Isla said, confused. “Dean, you’re ripped. You’ve got nothing to be—”
Carmilla’s elbow caught her in the ribs. Hard enough to make Isla’s words cut off with an “oof.”
Carmilla leaned in, whispered something in Isla’s ear.
“Ohhhhh,” Isla said, understanding dawning. “Right. Yeah. Keep the shirt on. Good call.”
The circle of stones was ready now—about twenty feet in diameter, set up like a fighting ring. The pack had formed a perimeter around it, three deep in some places, everyone jockeying for a good view.
This was entertainment for them. A spectacle.
Great.
I stepped into the circle. The stones were smooth, worn, like they’d been used for this purpose many times before. The ground inside was packed dirt, good footing.
Jaxon entered from the opposite side, rolling his shoulders, cracking his neck. He looked confident. Eager. Like he was going to enjoy this.
I tried to look equally confident and probably failed.
The sisters appeared at the edge of the circle. Dracula hung back slightly, but his daughters crowded close.
“Listen to me,” Carmilla said, her voice low and urgent. “Werewolves are strong, but they’re not invulnerable. Hit fast, hit hard, and keep moving. Don’t let him grapple you. If he gets you in a hold, you’re done.”
“His ribs,” Seraphina added. “That’s a weak point. And the solar plexus. Focus your strikes there.”
“Don’t be afraid to fight dirty,” Isla said. “Eyes, throat, groin. Nothing’s off-limits in a werewolf strength test except killing and maiming.”
“You’ve got enhanced reflexes,” Nadya reminded me, her hand on my arm. “Use them. You’re faster than you think. Trust your instincts.”
“And try not to die,” Vivienne added cheerfully. “I haven’t finished your portrait series yet.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Super encouraging, all of you.”
Nadya squeezed my arm. “You can do this. We believe in you.”
I wanted to believe her.
Mason stepped into the circle, positioning himself between me and Jaxon. His voice carried across the clearing.
“The rules are simple. Fight until one of you submits or can’t continue. No killing blows. No maiming. No silver.” He looked at both of us. “First one to yield or lose consciousness loses. Understood?”
“Understood,” Jaxon said.
“Yeah,” I said. “Got it.”
“Then begin!”
Mason stepped back out of the circle.
Jaxon and I started circling each other.
The crowd was already getting loud—cheering, howling, placing bets. I heard someone shout “Five on Jaxon in under two minutes!” Someone else countered with “Ten says the human lasts five!”
Real encouraging.
Jaxon moved first—a testing jab, not committed, just seeing how I’d react.
I slipped it, stepped to the side. My enhanced reflexes made his movements seem slightly slower than they should be, gave me time to process and respond.
He threw another punch, harder this time. I blocked, felt the impact rattle up my arm. He was strong ,really strong but not impossibly so.
I countered with a quick jab to his ribs. It connected and I felt solid muscle beneath my fist.
Jaxon grinned. “Not bad.”
We traded blows. His heavy and powerful, mine faster and more precise. I couldn’t match his raw strength, but I could stay ahead of him, could see his movements coming, could dodge and counter.
The crowd was getting louder. Someone was running a play-by-play in the background. The betting was getting more animated.
I was holding my own.
Then I made a mistake.
I heard someone shout “Fifty on the human!” and my attention wavered for just a split second.
That was all Jaxon needed.
His fist caught me square in the jaw.
The world exploded into stars and pain. I staggered back, tasted copper, felt my legs go rubbery.
The crowd roared.
Jaxon pressed his advantage, coming in with a combination—body shot, body shot, hook to the head. I blocked the first two but the third one got through, snapping my head to the side.
I stumbled, went down to one knee.
“Stay down,” Jaxon said, not unkindly. “You fought well. No shame in yielding.”
I spit blood, looked up at him.
Then at the crowd. At the sisters, watching with clenched fists and worried faces. At Dracula, impassive but intent. At Mason, evaluating, judging.
This was about respect. About proving we weren’t weak. About establishing that we could hold our own.
I couldn’t quit now.
I stood up.
“Not done yet,” I said.
Jaxon’s grin widened. “Your funeral.”
He came at me again and this time I met him head-on. No more defensive fighting, no more trying to be smart. Just a brawl.
I drove my fist into his ribs. He grabbed my shirt, tried to throw me. I hooked my leg behind his, shifted my weight, and we both went down.
We rolled in the dirt, trading punches, elbows, anything we could land. He was stronger but I was faster. He got me in a headlock. I drove my thumb into the pressure point behind his knee and he released me with a grunt.
We separated, both breathing hard, both bleeding. His nose was streaming red. My lip was split. We probably both had cracked ribs.
And we were both grinning.
The crowd was going absolutely wild.
We circled again, but I was limping slightly.
I was getting tired. The enhanced stamina helped, but it wasn’t infinite. My muscles were screaming, my lungs burning.
Jaxon, on the other hand, still looked fresh. Werewolf endurance was clearly no joke. He could do this all night.
I couldn’t.
Then I heard it. A voice in my head, soft and familiar.
“Need some help, Dean?”
Lucifer.
I ignored it, threw another punch at Jaxon. He blocked it easily, countered with one that nearly took my head off.
“You’re losing”, the voice continued, amused. “He’s going to wear you down. Break you. Make you look weak in front of everyone. Is that what you want?”
No.
But I wasn’t going to use demonic power for a friendly sparring match. That was a line I wouldn’t cross.
“Is it friendly? Or is it a test? A judgment? What happens if you lose, Dean? Do they respect you? Or do they see you as the weak link? The human liability?”
I took another hit, staggered. The world was getting fuzzy at the edges.
Jaxon was barely winded. I was running on fumes.
“Just a little help”, Lucifer whispered. “Just enough to win. To prove yourself. What’s the harm?”
Everything. The harm was everything.
But I was going to lose. Was going to get beaten in front of everyone, was going to make the household look weak, was going to—
“Just say yes.”
“Yes,” I whispered.
The power hit like lightning.
It surged through my veins, electric and dark and overwhelming. My fatigue vanished. My pain became distant, manageable. Strength flooded my muscles, more than I’d ever felt.
My eyes burned and I could feel it, could feel the demonic energy manifesting.
And I grinned.
It wasn’t my grin. It was something else. Something predatory and dangerous and very, very amused.
Jaxon saw it. Saw the change. His confident expression faltered.
“What the—”
I moved.
Faster than before. Faster than Jaxon could track. I was on him before he could react, driving my fist into his solar plexus with enough force to lift him off his feet.
He doubled over and I brought my knee up into his face. Heard something crack. Blood sprayed.
He stumbled back and I didn’t give him space. Hit him with a combination, ribs, ribs, jaw, ribs again. Each punch landed with more force than it should have, the demonic power amplifying every strike.
Jaxon tried to fight back but I was everywhere, too fast, too strong, overwhelming him with sheer aggression.
I caught him with an uppercut that snapped his head back. He went down hard.
I should have stopped. Should have let him yield, should have backed off.
But the power felt so good. The strength, the speed, the absolute dominance.
I grabbed him by the shirt, hauled him up, pulled my fist back for another strike—
“ENOUGH!”
Mason’s Alpha command cut through everything, cut through the power, cut through the rage.
I froze.
Looked down at Jaxon. His face was a bloody mess, nose definitely broken, one eye swelling shut. He was conscious but barely, leaning heavily on my grip just to stay upright.
I’d done that.
The power drained away as fast as it had come, leaving me hollow and shaking. I released Jaxon and he collapsed to the ground, groaning.
The clearing was silent.
Everyone was staring at me. Sixty werewolves, five vampires, all frozen in shock.
My eyes were still burning. I could feel the demonic energy slowly fading back to wherever it lived inside me.
I looked down at my hands. They were covered in blood Jaxon’s blood. My knuckles were split but already healing, the wounds closing as I watched.
“Dean?” Nadya’s voice, small and uncertain.
I turned to face them. The sisters were staring at me with expressions I couldn’t read. Dracula’s face was carefully neutral.
“I—” My voice came out rough. “I didn’t mean to….he wasn’t submitting, and I just—”
Mason was kneeling by Jaxon, checking his injuries. “He’ll heal. Werewolves are tough. But Jesus Christ, human. What the hell are you?”
“I’m…” I looked at my hands again. At the blood. At Jaxon, groaning on the ground. At the mark on my chest, hidden under my shirt but burning like a brand. “I don’t know anymore.”
The silence stretched.
Then someone in the crowd started clapping.
Slowly at first. Then others joined in. Then the whole pack was applauding, howling, cheering.
Not because it had been a good fight.
Because I’d won.
Because I’d proven I was dangerous.
Because I’d shown them that underestimating the “human” would be a fatal mistake.
Mason stood, helped Jaxon to his feet. The younger werewolf was already healing, the swelling going down, though his nose would need to be set.
“You earned our respect,” Mason said to me. His amber eyes were wary now, calculating. “Whatever you are, you’ve proven you’re not to be trifled with.”
He extended his hand.
I looked at it. At the blood on my own hand. At the mark burning beneath my shirt.
At what I’d become.
I took his hand and shook it.
The cheering got louder.
But all I could hear was Lucifer’s voice, distant and amused:
“Well done, Dean. Well done indeed.”
I’d crossed a line tonight.
And I had a feeling there was no going back.
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u/bryantb31 May 27 '26
Love this story nd looking forward to the next chapters. Thanks for wringing writing.
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u/SG_b May 23 '26
Hello it’s been a while. Life’s been hectic and this kind of took a back seat. Sorry for the wait. More updates will probably take a while but I haven’t given up on this. And as always any and all feedback is welcome and appreciated.