A Jewel in the Ruff Chapter 10
#10 of A Jewel In the Ruff
It's time for Alex to confront her abuser.
This is the final chapter in this story. It was harder to write than my other series, and it was because of self-doubt with the characters at times. For better or worse, I stuck to my original vision of them and how they fit in the small world I've been making over the year. I don't have immediate plans for Jewel and Alex in the near future, but the future is fleeting so who knows?
I hope you enjoyed reading this series regardless.
She remembered these steps well. How could she forget? That day when Phyllis took her in, each step to her porch felt like another inch closer to salvation. Cold and hungry, she would have accepted anything that day. Alex didn't know what Phyllis was going to teach her back then, and she couldn't tell if she should have. Or she kept pretending to be ignorant, to let her feel more like a justified victim in all of this.
The wolf shook her head, casting out the anxiety building up in her. She was a victim. A victim of abuse her whole life, and Phyllis was only the most recent monster who pretended to care about her. Her hands shivered, almost letting loose the envelope she held. Inside it was court summons, a trial to finally let the world see the kind of monster the mink was.
"Are you ok?" Jewel asked, her soft hand resting on the wolf's shoulder. Alex nodded, she had to be. Why else would she demand to deliver the letter in person, dressed in the girliest dress they'd bought for her? She had to be ok, to be strong and tell that damn rich bitch that she would not just take any more of her abuse, but would punish her for it.
But she couldn't move. Eyes frozen down on the steps, with her paws nailed to the floor by spikes of anxiety. Ears drooped, her tail between her legs, Alex couldn't help but imagine the twisted smile of her former mistress staring down on her, laughing at how pathetic the wolf was.
Another hand braced her shoulder, "We're here for you," said Amethyst. Alex blinked, staring deep into the vole's indigo eyes before looking behind her to see Helga and Rebecca watching on. They'd all driven here together, all supporting her decision to stand up. Turning back now would be an insult to them.
Did that make her a terrible person? They gave so much support, and she still couldn't do it? Holding back her tears, Alex gulped and commanded her legs to move. They didn't, letting her guilt swell further as panicked thoughts of her new friend's complaints drilled into her mind.
A soft paw held hers. "You can do this," Jewel said, "And we won't think less of you if you don't."
Blood rushed to the wolf's face. Heart beating profusely, Alex ripped the mental nails out from her feet and stomped up the steps. Her legs rattling with each step until she made it to the front door and pressed that doorbell hard enough for her finger to hurt. When no one came, she rang it again, and again, repeating until the doorknob twitched. Her heart skipped, but she stood tall, doing her best not to crumple the court order in her fist. Putting on her bravest face, she smiled, ready to finally face Phyllis.
Phyllis didn't answer the door. A Leopard in a red sports jacket took the front of the hall, giving Alex an intense smile akin to a TV Advertisement star. "Hello," she said, holding out her hand, "I wasn't expecting a group until 3:15, but I'm not against starting things early."
"E-Excuse me?" Alex asked, her eyes fidgeting as she tried to peer behind the leopard.
"Well, you are interested in buying the house, yes?" She asked, though judging from her confused look, the leopard figured that Alex seemed a little young to be making such an investment for a house like this. She stepped aside, making her way to Helga and giving Alex free reign to wander in.
And wander she did, practically bursting through the front hall and scanning the place with desperate eyes. The furniture was gone. The paintings, decorations, and all the trappings that indicated Phyllis was here had all vanished. Their traces still existed, specs of dust and markings formed over years of still objects blanketed the living room.
No. No, she didn't.
Booking it upstairs with little care for how dress impeded her, the wolf found only more empty rooms. The closets were absent of any clothes, even the masculine articles she'd been forced to wear throughout her years in the mink's collar. Doors collided against walls as she swung them open, the force enough to echo through the hallway while she looked for something to rummage.
There's no way. Not her. She couldn't have.
Blitzing past Jewel, Alex raced down the stairs. Avoiding the panicked realtor, the wolf made her way to Phyllis's office, or what remained of it. The damned desk was gone, with four marks in the hardwood floor being the only hint it ever existed. The bookcase, oh how she smiled at the sight of that blasted bookcase. Still filled, but the actual contents didn't matter, not when she gleefully tossed them aside and pulled the hidden lever. There's no way Phyllis could have removed this room, the final proof of her abuse.
The room was still there, but barren save for the mirrored walls. Alex's smile dropped, each step into the room felt like a knife into her chest, until she fell to her knees in the middle.
"You...you bitch..." She muttered between tears. "You...you left me. You put your tail between your legs and ran...you abandoned me before I could...I could..." Slamming her fists into the ground, she screamed in emotional agony. "You couldn't even let me have this, could you?!" The wolf shrieked, "I finally had the courage to face you, and you fucking abandon me. I figured some narcissist like you would have stayed a little longer, just to plan your revenge. But instead you just fucking left me like...like..." Her tears hit the floor as she choked on her words.
She should be happy that the bitch was gone. Alex had finally found people who liked and accepted her for who she wanted to be, people who didn't make her feel worthless for wanting to wear some silly skirt or dress. But she couldn't. All she felt was rage and despair building up. Her victory snatched away by a woman who never saw her as more than a living dildo.
Jewel hugged her from behind, nestling her snout against the wolf's back, "It's ok. She's gone." She whispered.
"She got away," The wolf cried softly, "I had her. I finally fucking had her, and she got away."
"Is there a problem?" The realtor asked, knocking against the door before stepping into the room, "I'll admit, without furniture it's difficult to get an idea of how things will look. But the previous owner was in a hurry and-"
Shooting up from the floor, Alex grabbed the leopard by her coat collar, "Where is she?" She growled, "The previous tenant, where did she go? When did she move?"
"Get your hands off of me!" The leopard roared, pushing Alex's hands away before brushing herself off, "Of all the customers, I get the crazies first." Sighing, she said, "I was just told I had a new house on the market. Neighbors said that several trucks came a few days ago and moved faster than they'd ever seen. If I had to guess, the previous tenant wanted out of town as soon as possible."
"T-That's not possible," Alex muttered, "I've only been free of her for a few days. There's no way she moved that quickly." Looking around the room, she couldn't find anything to support her claim. Furniture had been taken, clothes and other belongings gone. Alex wasn't even sure if she had anything of hers left in this home if Phyllis hadn't thrown it out during her years under her.
There was no villain to defeat. No evil to finally confront. Alex ran that knowledge over and over in her head, how she'd been denied this important victory to her. "It's not fair..." she muttered, hugging herself tight, "I prepared myself for this. I had a speech and everything." Tears matted her cheeks. Turning herself away from the realtor, she found Jewel hugging her yet again, with the badger's hand brushing through her headfur.
"It's ok." She whispered in comfort.
She continued to cry, letting the realtor leave them be as Helga and the others took the leopard out to explain what they could. Jewel took Alex over to the back porch, where they both rested on a brick wall overlooking the backyard.
"Every single part of this house is a bad experience." Alex said, hands over her knees as her muscle memory kicked in, "Even now I can feel my knees being sore from resting against the gravel. Having been a fucking footrest for her when she wanted to read in good weather. It's not fair...she gets to leave while I stay here, unable to let go of it all."
"You will, in time." Jewel said, resting her head against Alex's shoulder, "And we'll be there for you."
"Don't promise that," She spat, "You'll leave me one day. It's just what happens naturally. It might even be on good terms, but it'll happen."
"And maybe you'll be the one to leave me." Jewel whispered, "But until then, let's be there for each other."
Looking up to the partially clouded sky, Alex sniffed, "I don't know what I can do now. I guess...I guess to try and get my papers set up so I can be a person."
"You always were one, but yeah, we should probably get that taken care of." The badger said, giving that beautiful smile Alex fell for the first time she saw it. Sure, it'd been when Alex was on her knees, and the badger had been stepping on her cock, but the wolf didn't remember hating Jewel for it.
"Church," Alex said. Jewel's confused blink made her smile, "My last name." She said, holding out her hand to the badger, "My name is Alex Church. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss..."
"Packard," Jewel said, shaking the wolf's hand, "Jewel Packard. And the pleasure is all mine."
***
"That'll be seventy dollars and twenty-eight cents." Alex said in her positive customer happy voice. The bull across the counter nodded, pulling out his card for her to swipe. One ping from the register later, and the bull was practically skipping out the door with his bag of assorted dildos and lube.
A few months had passed since Phyllis left town, with no sign of her ever returning. While getting her old life before the mink had proven difficult, Alex was able to make her own living thanks to a recommendation from a few friends. While the 'Leather Den' wasn't what the wolf found the most comfortable place to work at, at first. Seeing normal people walk in and buy their sex toys and gear over a month or so had made her more comfortable around it all. Even if she had no real desire to wear any such gear again.
"I wonder if you'd get as many requests for help if they knew about your cock," Franny said. Alex smiled but rolled her eyes at her manager's comment. The ocelot drag queen she had for a manager had a habit of playfully poking everyone's buttons, but Alex learned quickly how to tune it out. Then how to play along, "Is that how you lost all of your requests?"
Franny smirked, "No, I'm just bad at lying and Tom didn't like how blunt I was to some customers. Course, it stopped being fun when he stopped giving me harsher spankings for it."
"That's 'cause it was funishment, and your lover is trying to run a business."
"Master, sweetums." Franny corrected. Alex shrugged, having seen the word used so often she just had a habit of avoiding it when possible. Instead, she took a deep breath of the latex and leather scent indoors. Her years under Phyllis had made her accustomed to it, but something about this place didn't bring back harsh memories. Maybe it was that, at the end of the day, she'd get to leave it.
The entry bell rang. Glancing over to the clock, the wolf smiled to find her shift just ended. "Hey, Dakota," She said, waving to the pink headfurred bunny dressed in a black miniskirt and pretty pink crop top entered the store, "How's Lily?"
The cutie smiled, "She's busy studying. Her next test has her stressed, but it's made me all the happier when I can get her to smile." He said. Alex remembered the first time she saw Dakota, figuring that the adorable short bun had to be like her with how androgynous he was. Turns out he was more like Franny, except nicer.
"Dakota!" The ocelot shouted with glee from her office, "How's my favorite trap doing?"
"Fine, Franny, just fine." He said, shifting past Alex as the wolf made her leave. Grabbing her purse, she waved her coworkers' goodbye for the evening, letting the store bell ring with her exit. Jewel had already parked, waving from behind the window while Alex strutted over.
"How was class?" She asked, sitting in on the passenger side.
The badger shrugged, "The usual. Boring, unfocused, but I was able to pull through. Might involve some heavy note-taking later."
They continued talking on their drive back to the apartment. Jewel had housed Alex in her dorm for a month before they made plans to find a place, and were lucky enough to get such a deal. Sure, it cost more and involved a commute, but they had more space to enjoy themselves than the small little closet that functioned as the badger's college home.
"So," Alex asked, stepping out of the car, "Has your mom picked a date to do her homecoming for us?"
"Next weekend," Jewel said, sighing as she walked up to the front door and fiddled with her keys, "I am so not ready to have you meet her."
"Why? You embarrassed of me?" Alex jested.
"No, she's just embarrassing. She uses anime-speak in public with me because it 'makes us closer' or something."
"Is that so, Jewel-Chan?" Alex asked, earning herself an intense groan from the badger. She giggled, following her girlfriend inside their single bedroom apartment. Carpeted floors picked clean of any trash, a tiled kitchen with a crockpot set out, and a blank wall that Jewel had hoped to get a flat screen setup on soon. First, they needed to buy one.
"Oh, by the way," Jewel tossed her purse to the couch, "Amethyst asked me if you wanted to do a double date later this week. You, me, her, Helga, and Rebecca."
"Seems like more than a double date," The wolf said, "And just a date, right? They aren't going to try and pull some kinky shit on us?"
"I mean, do they ever?"
"Rebecca tends to 'ask' about it whenever we hang out." She said, resting her hands on Jewel's shoulders, "She's an imaginative one."
Jewel lost her response thanks to the subtle shoulder massage from Alex. Catching herself on the couches armrest, she muttered something about Rebecca and short leashes while Alex nibbled her ear.
"I'm not against the date," she whispered, "Just as long as it's a normal date. So long as Helga doesn't bring out actual leashes for her girls or makes them kiss her boots in public, I'd be happy to." Her erection tented against her skirt, grinding against her lover's backside.
Jewel nodded along, biting her lip to the wolf's touch. "She won't. They just suggested something like bowling. And you're the one with the dayjob, so why are you giving me the massage?"
"Because you're bad at them." Alex whispered, softly biting in the badger's neck, "And I can't massage your stressed brain."
"How can I get any better if you don't let me practice?"
Alex smiled, "Well, maybe I want more than just a massage?" She said, leaning against Jewel until they drifted to the couch, "Maybe I want a little fun before I cook dinner."
"You could always ask directly." Jewel said, turning her head and receiving a light kiss from her girlfriend.
Alex smirked, "Where's the fun in that? And I feel too selfish when I ask without giving."
Pulling her in closer, the badger shared a loving embrace with her mate. The warmth of their bodies clashed, each pounding off the beats of their hearts as they lie against the couch. Taking her hand, Jewel led Alex from the living room to their shared bed, each casually discarding their clothes until they were bare. Alex's cock bounced like a happy tail with its erection. She used to hate it, how obvious her cock was to the rest of the world. Figuring it'd be all anyone cared about. But now, laying against their bed and watching Jewel pull out her feeldoe, Alex could care less about how hard she'd become.
"You ready?" The pudgy badger asked, climbing onto the bed after lathering the purple dildo with vaginal lube. Alex answered by spreading her legs, letting Jewel climb on top of her in missionary. Her lover's body pressed the wolf's bulging cock against her stomach as she pushed the strap-on inside. Given her erection and her own biology, Jewel couldn't push too deep into Alex without hurting.
It didn't matter to the wolf. Biting her lips, she locked her legs around the badger's hips, holding her steady with each small thrust into her cavern. Gasps and moans escaped her lips, her cock twitching and knot expanding over the grinding between their stomachs. A soft and gentle pounding, with their hands locked tightly together as they kissed.
Breaking away, Alex smiled and whispered, "You can stop now. Time to switch." Jewel smiled and pulled out with a pop, eagerly ditching her strap-on and revealing the moist cunt underneath. The wolf had been close to her orgasm, but she didn't want it yet. Curling her finger, the wolf motioned her girlfriend to prop herself up against her cock.
"You can always eat me out," Jewel said, hovering an inch over that red rod.
Alex nodded, "I could, but I actually like fucking you. If I was a full girl, I'd be the one with the strap-on."
"You're girl enough," The badger said, biting her lip and inching down. Taking a deep breath, Alex's fingers gun into their bed. The tight and warm snatch enveloping her cock so slowly, firing off all those precious nerves. That feeling had made her cry in the past, but now she smiled. The woman she loved made it all the better.
"W-We need to invest in a double dildo," Jewel muttered out, filling her quivering hole.
"I'll pick one up next time there's a sale." Alex said, grabbing her partner's hands and pushing deeper into her. The sudden surprise did little to ruin Jewel's mood, smiling wide as Alex began her rhythmic thrusts. One hand escaped her grasp, reaching over to squeeze the wolf's nipples atop her flat breasts. Leaning down, their tongues tangled again, filling their ears with the sound of suction, and the creaking bed.
"Knot me, baby." Jewel demanded. Alex obliged, pushing her knot past those folds and locking them together. With a final cry, they orgasmed, their sweaty bodies lying atop each other as their breaths filled the room.
"You know it's going to take a while before I can pull out," Alex said, "So dinner's going to be late."
"That's fine," Jewel said, nestling up against the wolf, "It's worth that wait."