ainsleycal-who‌:

“Well, good on them then. I hope they have a bit of fun.” In all honesty, the alphas’… activities weren’t of much interest to Ainsley in this moment. Though she liked to think of others’ happiness most of the time, right now her mind couldn’t focus on it, and certainly she didn’t want to think of what could be going on beyond dinner. No, her focus was entirely on Cara and what she was saying, the feelings flowing between them. The words she offered – it would’ve been quick – did nothing to reassure and the color visibly left Ainsley’s face as she stared at Cara. Her fingers clutched Cara’s like a vice, though she hardly noticed her lack of strength control in her worry. Like her mate, she was aware enough of Cara’s previous life to know that it was likely a trained killer wouldn’t be kept out if they wanted in. Athena was here, wasn’t she? And had she gone through with the contract she’d been given in the first place… A strangled sound escaped Ainsley at the thought and she shook her head, a few strands of dark hair escaping her braid as she did so. “I might’ve lost you,” she whispered, the words barely audible but for their enhanced senses. “I’ve only just barely had you. Cara…” Green eyes closed and Ainsley swallowed hard, trying to keep from panicking. Cara wasn’t dead, no one was after them. It could be fine, would be fine. “You’ll tell me, if… if they find something? I can protect you too. I’d protect you with my life.”

Cara only nodded in response, too caught up in the swell of emotions echoing between them. She didn’t mind the tightening of Ainsley’s hand, needed that intense connection actually. “Hey, you didn’t lose me,” she assured, reaching up to stroke her hair, her cheek. “I’m right here. The biggest threat is gone. We’re okay.” She squeezed her own fingers tighter, both of them now white at the knuckles. “Yes, of course I will. I promise.” She leaned closer and pressed a kiss between Ainsley’s furrowed brows. “I know you would, my love. My very own fierce wolf,” she murmured, lips still brushing skin as they curved into a small smile. “Just as I would protect you with mine.” She loosened her grip slightly and brought Ainsley’s hand to her lips, pressing kisses to the knuckles. “Come to bed with me?” she asked softly against her fingers. It wasn’t an overwhelming passion that she felt in the moment (though that might still manifest later; it often did with them), more of a need to prove to both of them she was still alive, they were both alive, and had so much to live for. She’d come out of a darkness so vast and all-consuming, and into a light named Ainsley, her love, her wife, her life. She would never go back. 

ainsleycal-who‌:

The quiet intimacy of their reuniting lifted what felt like two tons of worry and stress from her shoulders. She could feel Cara relaxing into their privacy and it had her relaxing as well, at least somewhat, though she was still anxious to know what was going on and why they had to keep the gate locked. Despite that, she maintained her silence the entire walk back into the lodge, knowing full well that Cara would fill her in as soon as she felt she was capable. They settled on one of the front couches and Ainsley stayed close, her hand reaching out to slide onto Cara’s thigh the moment her mate sat beside her. There was worry again as she studied her posture, the way she sat right on the edge of the cushions and gripped her own knees so tightly that Ainsley thought she might bruise. 

Cara explained, as Ainsley knew she would, and the entire time the newer wolf held her tongue to absorb the details. The emotion of it flashed across her face – shock and worry and uncertainty and fear – but still she was silent as she absorbed exactly what it was Cara was telling her. It was frightening and frustrating. Cara was trying so hard to leave all of that life behind her and still it followed. Ainsley had never been pleased with that particular bit of Cara’s past, though she’d long ago accepted it as part of the woman she loved, and had wished it gone from their lives after the last of her dealings with the people in that circle. The last time Cara had gotten involved, a man had been murdered somewhere on their property. A man who’d surely deserved his fate, but it nonetheless hadn’t settled well inside of her. And now this, now… She blinked at the additional news that this second assassin had asked out Chey, not quite expecting something so human (so to speak) from something so dark. “I’m sure Cheyenne was pleased,” she murmured, a barely there smile ticking up one corner of her mouth before the expression faded again into fear, worry. She’d nearly lost her mate. She’d nearly lost her after only having gotten her and none of them would have been aware until it was done. The idea of it had her inhaling sharply, the breath shaky and stuttering. Her heart leaped in her chest, seemed to press into her throat to choke her. “Cara, you might have been– if you had–” Ainsley lifted a hand and pressed it over her racing heart, the other reaching, groping, until ti wrapped tightly around Cara’s. She didn’t know what would’ve become of her had her love been taken from this world. She wasn’t sure she’d have survived it. “They say there’s no danger now? You’re safe?”

Cara could see the emotion on Ainsley’s face, and could feel them rushing through her one after the other. Some passed quickly, others seemed to rise and settle into an amalgamated hum of worry. They were the same ones Cara herself had gone through, along with a fair bout of the shakes before they’d left the motel parking lot. “Yeah, she’s uh. I think she’s just doing it to say thanks to her for looking out for me. But I also think she’s kind of attracted. Or...I don’t know, really. Chey does what she wants.” Athena was only here for a couple of days, they might as well make the most of it, if that’s what ended up happening. Ainsley’s expression shifted again and Cara took her hand. Part of her wanted to blow it all off, to reassure Ainsley that nothing was wrong, it would all be fine. But she’d know, sooner or later, if it wasn’t. She swallowed thickly and nodded. “I know. The only up side is I know it would have been quick.” Okay, probably not the right thing to say, but it was still some measure of reassurance she could take. “They haven’t seen anything yet, and it’s been a couple months at least. For now, yes, as far as we know, I’m safe. And they’re going to keep monitoring his comms and let me know if anything comes up. We’ll figure out how to better monitor strangers coming into town, try to find a way to flag anyone that seems suspicious.” Cara kept to herself that it would probably be a moot point, that people like her were trained to get into places they’d never been, to fit in where they needed to get close to a mark. Short of shutting the borders to Baldwin entirely - something she was sure Cheyenne would vote for, at least temporarily - they couldn’t really know. “We have people looking out for us, my love,” she said, trying the reassuring route once more. “Strangers stand out. The pack will keep watch. We’ll keep the gates closed if we need to. But honestly, as much as he might have hated me and wanted me dead, I don’t think I warranted a secondary contract.” Gods how she hoped that was true. 

ainsleycal-who‌:

Just dinner. Right. Easy for Cara to say, she thought with a grimace, manipulating the bike easily through the turns on the way to Ridgeline. She wasn’t the one who had to suffer through the whole thing, though Chey supposed there was a chance the night would end a bit more fun than it would start so there was always that. Not like Athena was hard to look at, though Chey wasn’t sure what she thought of the idea of potentially sleeping with another alpha. Felt weird. They pulled up and Chey watched, bike idling, as the gates opened. Dark eyes flitted between the entrance and her beta, focused there again as she absorbed Cara’s words with some discomfort. “Yeah, whatever,” she said, waving the words away. “I get it. You think I’m awesome, and you’re right.” She smirked, fought to keep the smug expression in place at Cara’s parting words. “I like fighting,” she shot back before spinning the bike with spitting dirt and gravel, peeling back down the way she’d come.

Ainsley waited anxiously just inside the gates during the whole exchange, her arms opening a moment before Cara turned to face her. Instantly they were locked together and Ainsley burrowed in, relief flooding her as she breathed in the scent of her mate, safe and whole and hers. Their lips met and Ainsley sighed, fingers smoothing over Cara’s cheeks. “Yes, alright. Whatever you think is best.” But she leaned in again, kissed her slowly because she could. The whole evening had been a roller coaster ride of emotion and being away from Cara while she experienced it all had left her feeling extremely strained. 

The whole bonding thing was still new enough that Cara forgot just how much Ainsley could feel of her emotions, even at a distance. She’d attributed the nerves she’d felt to her own processing of what Athena had told them, and to Cheyenne’s agitation, also acutely felt. Here behind the locked gates of her home, with her love, she could finally breathe easy for the first time since Chey had pulled up the drive earlier in the evening. She nuzzled against Ainsley’s nose with her own, slipped her arm around Ainsley’s waist and held her close as they walked into the main hall. She considered going to the kitchen for a bottle of...something, she wasn’t sure what, but decided against it. Instead she led Ainsley to the sofa, gave her another kiss and bade her to sit, taking the cushion next to her, perched on the edge. She didn’t want to go upstairs yet; she didn’t want what she had to say to taint the peace of that space. 

“I um, I was right about Athena. About her not being a threat,” she started off. “Not sure Cheyenne’s convinced of that yet, but I think that’s more an alpha thing and Chey being protective and territorial. She did have a message for me though, information really.” She wiped her palms on her thighs and gripped her knees. Cara tried to keep her voice steady and calm as she continued. “She and I had the same handler. He sent her a contract - for me. Lucky for me Athena questioned it, did some research and found out a lot of crazy stuff about the handler. So instead of coming for me, she went after him. That’s where she got her alpha status,” she explained evenly. She’d had her moment with Chey where the weight of it felt like it might crush her, and she might have more as the realization continued to sink in. But for now she could relay it with a cool clarity. “She’s keeping an eye on things. Athena I mean. Chey too, but Athena and her team, they’ve hacked into the handler’s stuff and watching to see if anything else comes up.” She let go of her knees, not realizing how tightly she’d been gripping them. Her shoulders lifted and fell as she sat back into the cushion. “And she asked Chey to dinner tomorrow,” she added, propping her head on a fist, elbow seated against the back of the sofa. 

i-aint-chey‌:

The reminder of Athena’s witch had Chey’s expression shifting, a thoughtful frown tilting her lips. Right, the witch. Athena’s witch called Rhys, who Chey was pretty sure had been living in this town for something like half a year at the very least. Cheyenne considered mentioning it to Cara and then changed her mind. No need to compound her stress, not tonight, when it was something Chey could look into herself. So instead she said, “Maybe. We’ll look into it,” and left it at that. Her thoughts shifted briefly away from the witch at the continued conversation and Chey snorted out a breath. “Wish she’d take off a little sooner,” she grumbled. “But I owe her, so dinner is… whatever.” She let the matter drop as they wound their way up the road to Ridgeline, skidding to a stop outside the locked gates. Before she could suggest that Cara call her wife, however, she could see the new wolf already hurrying towards them. “Put it aside for tonight,” she suggested quietly to Cara, her eyes on Ainsley’s approaching figure. “Be with your wife. Keep the gates locked and forget about it. I’ll handle the rest for now.”

It felt like she was missing something, something that should have been obvious, something she could do or check, but she was suddenly so very tired her mind wasn’t working quite properly. It’ll come to me in the morning, she thought as she nodded behind Chey. “It’s just dinner. Go and have a good time,” she encouraged. They pulled up to Ridgeline and the gates started to swing open. Cara slid from the back of the bike and stood there, brows furrowed as the gate slid slowly open behind her. She wasn’t sure how much she could set aside, still needing to explain things to Ainsley. Still, she nodded her assent. “I’ll try. Thank you, Chey. I know this wasn’t exactly what you planned, taking on a pack and all, any more than I ever thought I’d be joining one. But you’re better at this than you think. There’s no one I’d rather have my back with something like this than you.” She started backing toward the gate where she could feel Ainsley’s presence waiting for her. “Have fun tomorrow,” she added with a faint smile of encouragement. “No fighting in the restaurant.” 

She gave a wave and turned, taking Ainsley in her arms when she reached the gate. She held tightly, soaking up every ounce of familiarity and comfort she could. Another wave of relief washed through her and she let out a long, slow breath. She found Ainsley’s lips and gave her a soft kiss. “Let’s lock up, just for tonight. I’ll explain inside,” she said.

i-aint-chey‌:

A shoulder lifted and fell, dismissing the idea of it in a blase way that wasn’t even close to genuine. She worried still, though less so than before, and she’d be pissed as fuck if it ended up that someone else had Cara’s name written down on a list somewhere. “Well if there was, now we’ve got advanced warning. We’ll keep an eye out for strangers, make sure they’re reported. No one gets by.” The alpha waited restlessly as Cara climbed onto the bike behind her, waited only a moment for the other wolf to secure herself before she kicked the bike into action and sped from the lot. “I said what I always say,” she replied, knowing that Cara’s keen ears would be able to hear her over the roar of the bike and the whip of the air going by their heads. “That I don’t date.” Her romantic history didn’t much lend itself to things like that and she had no interest in it in any case. The one venture she’d taken into commitment hadn’t gone well and since the untimely death of her miserable prick of a husband, Cheyenne hadn’t bothered trying. One night stands were good enough. Sometimes she had repeats – hard to avoid in a small town – but nothing close to commitment. There had been the fiasco with Isabel and that hadn’t turned out great. Oh, and she supposed she was still legally married to Erin, but whatever. That wasn’t a real relationship… thing. She still forgot about it more than half the time. So nah, Cheyenne wasn’t looking to date, even if the person doing the asking was a woman who’d leave again soon enough. “We’re having dinner tomorrow,” she added, still scowling over the fact she’d been backed into that, “But it’s not a date.”

Cara nodded, knowing that the moment they let Erin know about it, security at the entries would be tightened, the people coming in more highly scrutinized. “Maybe Athena’s witch could help with that. If they have access to the handler’s files, she should have information on who worked for him too. Names don’t help, we all know how to make aliases. But faces, he should have those on file,” she mused. She’d sort it out tomorrow. Right now she just wanted to get home. Chey’s response was the usual, the same she always said, even after being married - twice, in fact - and whatever the unresolved feelings were between she and Isabel. Cara smiled behind her alpha’s back. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re getting out. Besides, she’s only here for a couple of days anyway so it’s not like dating’s actually an option. Not that you’d do it if it were.” She tried to imagine the two of them, initial animosity aside. What she knew of Cheyenne and the little she knew of Athena from their handful of talks outside of a job she thought maybe they’d actually hit it off, even with the whole alpha thing going on now. 

i-aint-chey‌:

She was annoyed and… flustered was a stupid fucking word, she wasn’t flustered. Being flustered was for women like Ainsley, or even women like Callie, but not her. She wasn’t flustered, no, just thrown off and super fucking pissed about it. At Cara’s words, though, some of the irritation melted away, lost to that same revelation for the moment. “Yeah,” she mumbled, still frowning to herself as she started the bike, eyes moving to the door of the hotel room. That much Chey was grateful for, and couldn’t really repay no matter how many dinner outings this woman dragged her on. Cara asked what she’d said and Chey’s scowl returned, her hand twisting the handle of her bike so that the engine roared to life. “She asked me out,” Cheyenne grumbled, almost reluctant to admit it. “Get on so I can take you home, Maitland.”

Chey understood. She knew, not just from what Athena had said, but from what Cara had told her months before about the situation. If anyone else had been given that job, she’d be gone. The small town, the pack, Ridgeline, none of it would have mattered if the situation were reversed and Cara was the one doing the hit. It just would have taken more advance work and planning, that’s all. But it would have happened. “Fingers crossed there wasn’t a secondary contract,” she said, trusting that Athena would have found evidence of it already if there were, but still having that sliver of doubt creep in. Cheyenne’s reply pulled her from the deepening thoughts of her own mortality. “Oh? And you said...?” she asked as she swung a leg over the seat and settled in behind Chey. She hoped Cheyenne agreed, that she saw that the animosity and bravado weren’t needed anymore, that Athena wasn’t the enemy. And she wanted something nice for Chey after the recent romantic debacles she’d been through. 

athena-campos‌:

i-aint-chey‌:

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Cheyenne corrected through gritted teeth, arms folding across her chest now as she glared at the wolf. She was gonna consider this dinner payback for the keeping Cara alive crap because Jesus Christ, the woman was pushy. Chey wasn’t used to being pushed. Most people were too intimidated by her to pull that shit. Paint her clothes on. The image Athena created dragged Chey’s eyes unwittingly downward so that they raked over her form before lifting again. Okay yeah, that wouldn’t be too hard to look at. “I don’t have to gear up. I’m not interested so I don’t need to put in any effort, do I?” Chey smirked, trying to ease back into her usual cocksure attitude. She couldn’t let Athena throw her off for this long again. “I’ll meet you there, seven.” And with that, she turned away and moved through the door, shutting it behind her. Chey moved to her bike, smirk lost to brooding as she glared across at Cara. “Your friend is goddamn annoying,” she muttered, swinging over the seat.

Athena smirked, fingers still tucked in her back pockets, shoulders pulled back to accentuate her forward features. She sidled Chey’s direction, stopping very close. “Nothing at all?” she asked, her voice a low rasp as she leaned even closer. “Good to know.” She reveled in the once-over Chey had given her, all part of the fun. She took a step back and made a more obvious show of looking Chey up and down. “Nah, you’re good. Very good, in fact,” she added as her tongue rolled between her lips. Very good, indeed. “See you at seven. Looking forward to it.” She lifted a hand and wiggled her fingers as Chey walked out. 

Cara had needed the cool air and the time to let everything sink in. She could have listened to the conversation if she’d wanted to but she was fully in her own head and paying no attention to Cheyenne and Athena. She felt the buzz of her phone in her pocket and returned Lisa’s text, letting her know things were fine and she’d explain more later. Lisa, Ainsley, Austen, Sloane, Chey, the pack. All of it, all of them, I could have lost it all. I could have been killed. If not for Athena, I would be dead. A shiver tumbled down her spine despite the innate warmth she carried with her. Boots on gravel got her attention and she turned toward her alpha as she approached. In Cara’s book Athena could be as annoying as she wanted to be. “I owe her my life, Chey,” she said quietly, the revelation hitting her once again and nearly stealing her breath away. “She’s...what did she say to you?” she asked, curious, only just realizing she’d been out here alone for a few minutes, leaving the two of them together.

ainsleycal-who‌:

It relieved her to know that Cheyenne would be going at the very least. Though Ainsley knew perfectly well that Cara was capable of looking after herself, she knew it was different with alphas. They had some sort of control over other wolves, some sort of leverage, and though again Ainsley was certain that Cara was right in her conclusions about this new woman – she was almost always right – she wouldn’t bet her life on it. Besides all that, she could feel Cara’s mixed feelings inside of her as if they were her own and the fact she had even the smallest bit of concern was enough to keep Ainsley worried. “I can do that,” she agreed softly, her hands resting softly now along Cara’s face and neck. Keeping her close, just for a moment. “You worry that the news she brings might still be an issue,” she guessed, her lips curving downward in a slight frown. So even if the woman herself was not a threat, she might have brought news of one? A warning maybe, or something of the like. Or maybe she simply wanted to catch up with an old friend. Ainsley hoped it was that, and that whatever news she brought was not something that would rattle their lives yet again. Ainsley closed her eyes briefly as their foreheads leaned together, taking in the scents and sounds of her love, matching her breaths to steady herself.  She managed a smile again at Cara’s parting words and her eyes opened again, met and held the dark ones of the woman who was her complete match in every way. “I think Cheyenne is only looking for an excuse to do so,” she agreed with a quiet laugh. At last she leaned in, laying her lips softly on Cara’s. Only moments ago and their kisses had held a bit more promise, but they’d find their way there again soon enough. They always did, and quite often. “Please take care of my wife, Mrs. Maitland,” she breathed, nudging their noses together. “She means a great deal to me.”

If there was a down side to the bond they shared - before and after Ainsley became a wolf - Cara had yet to find it. She found a comfort in what they shared physically and emotionally, in how Ainsley could read her. There was a freedom in it she never would have imagined. It wasn’t mind reading per se, but it was close enough, and she nodded at the assessment. “Yeah, I do. Given our connection, I’m not exactly sure what to expect. Chey said something about her having information. Maybe it’s just that, nothing threatening. I honestly don’t know what it could be,” she said with a small shrug. She stayed close, drawing strength from this woman that was everything to her, the woman she would do anything to protect from harm. “I don’t think Chey looks very hard for excuses to do things like that,” she answered, only half-joking. She returned the kiss, the taste and feel sweet and familiar, and smiled at the endearment. “Cross my heart,” she promised in reply. “She’s got a lot to live for, including a beautiful bride she loves with everything she has in her.” Another lingering kiss and Cara reluctantly pulled away. “Lock up tight. I’ll be back soon.” 

She left her softness at the top of the stairs, steeling herself as she descended and crossed the main hall. She met Cheyenne as the killer she once was, her gaze steely as mind working through the myriad of possibilities ahead. “Let’s go see what she wants,” she said coolly as she tapped out a message to her niece. Athena was an alpha, according to Chey, and between them they could likely take her if it came down to it, but it never hurt to have backup in case the rest of her team was lingering around somewhere. 

ainsleycal-who‌:

Chey still didn’t like it, and that showed clearly in her face. She didn’t really know all too much about Cara’s past life, but she knew enough to get it. And more, she understood people like this, people who were strays just out there doing what had to get done, even if society didn’t see them favorably. “Unless it’s an ambush,” Cheyenne pointed out, still frowning as she brought her bottle up. She waved off the thanks as she usually did, eyes shifting to the ceiling and back again. “Go, talk. I’ll just wait down here. Keep it to just talking, Maitland, we don’t got time to waste here.”

Upstairs, Ainsley sat curled on the couch, knees brought to her chest as she frowned at the television. She didn’t look up until Cara spoke, green eyes flickering over her face. Her own expression held lines of worry, and though she smiled in return, the expression was weak. “I was trying not to listen,” she said in return, fingers tangled together against the front of her legs. “But it’s hard not to hear.” Ainsley was still trying to master her senses, to tune out what she didn’t want to hear and to focus elsewhere. It was easier when Cara was with her because often she used her mate’s heartbeat as a focus, or else her breaths or her voice or just the sight of her, as her presence tended to draw Ainsley’s senses to her almost reflexively. It made it harder, then, when it was Cara she was trying not to listen to, because she was so attuned to her now. “I’m not really sure… Cheyenne’s right, you shouldn’t go alone.  I could go with you? Or Cheyenne, at the very least.” She unfolded herself from the couch and stood, moving forward until she could smooth her fingertips over the crease in Cara’s brow. “You worry still, though you tried to reassure Chey. Why?”

Cara had never made excuses for who she’d been, for what she’d done. She’d never asked forgiveness, only for those who knew to take her as she was, as the person before them. She’d been exceptionally fortunate that, so far, the ones that knew had done just that. It’s what she’d done, not who she was, and they seemed to accept that about her, even if they found it distasteful. Cara nodded, acknowledging she didn’t need to explain it all again. “I won’t go alone. I’m pretty sure Chey wouldn’t let me go near Athena without her next to me.” She shook her head slowly as Ainsley stood. “I’d rather you stay here and close the gate behind us. Keep yourself and the others here safe.” Her arms slipped around Ainsley’s waist and held her close, smiling at the reassuring touch, taking a moment to catch the rhythm of her heartbeat, strong and steady. “Cheyenne is being protective, she’s being a good alpha. I reassured her because I honestly don’t think Athena’s a threat, not the way she’s come here. I worry because there’s still a chance, slim as it may be. None of this fits what I know of her professionally. But Chey’s right, maybe things have changed since she became an alpha. And I have no idea what it is she could possibly have to tell me, what’s so important that she’d figure out where I am and come here.” She reached up and curled her fingers around Ainsley’s wrist, holding her hand and kissing her palm, offering a more reassuring smile as she leaned her forehead against Ainsley’s. “Stay here, my love. Lock up like we do during the moons. Chey and I will go see what she has to say. I’ll call Lisa and Sloane and ask them to back us up, yeah? Not that they’d have to do anything. If she has so much as a hair out of place, I’m pretty sure Cheyenne will tear her head off.” 

i-aint-chey‌:

Cheyenne didn’t know how much help she was gonna be on thinking things through since she hadn’t known this bitch before tonight, but she fell silent and let Cara talk as she sipped from her second bottle. Her eyes trained on her beta as she listened, contemplating and still not drawing and particularly good conclusions. There were very few reasons for a woman like Athena to be here and none of them that Chey could think of were good. Cara circled and Chey’s eyes followed, backside finally leaning against the table as she forced herself to stay still. “Maybe she told them to fuck off with her status change,” Cheyenne said with a shrug. Not the first time power went to someone’s head, had them fucking over their friends. Wouldn’t be the last. “If it’s not a job, why else would she be here? Doesn’t sound like y’all were close friends or whatever the fuck.” Chey scowled, thinking of her pack, the people in this town who didn’t know what they could be up again. Baldwin wasn’t exactly a hotbed of crime. Most of these people had never seen anything like the people Cara ran with before. “Yeah, she wants to talk. Said she was at the shitty inn off main – guessing she means Inglewood Inn.” Her expression flickered with annoyance and she brought the bottle to her lips. “You’re not going to her alone, no way.”

Cara fell into a chair and slouched down. Her knee bounced, belying the lingering apprehension that clung to her. She shook her head slowly. “That would be unusual. People in my...that line of work, they have a style, they stick with it. It’s how the handlers know who to send on whatever jobs,” she explained. “A football coach doesn’t put a quarterback in at tackle, or a kicker in as a receiver.” She rubbed at her temple. “It’s possible, I suppose, but I still think it’s unlikely. They’ll separate for a while between jobs, sure, but for a contract? They work as a team. And no, we weren’t exactly close. We hung out some on a couple of jobs we were on together, got along pretty well. I usually worked alone, but they did some advance stuff for me on a couple of hits.” She let her hand fall to her lap and sighed, a shoulder lifting and falling. “Maybe she’s here for exactly what she says: she’s got information about something, something she thinks I should know. No idea what it might be, but apparently it’s important enough for her to be here, presumably alone, announcing herself. Kinda shitty way to pull off a hit, yeah?” she asked, brows lifting with the question. She’d mostly convinced herself of her own argument, though she knew Chey probably wouldn’t see it that way, not now, not ever. It’s what made her a good alpha, and a good friend. “No, I’m not going alone,” she agreed with a faint smile. “I know better than to argue with you on that point. Thank you, by the way. You’re one of the few people that know enough to be paranoid.” She sat forward then stood. She’d like to be able to send Chey back to the bar and go back upstairs to Ainsley, but she knew she’d be restless until she found Athena and heard whatever it was she had to say. She also knew Chey would be on edge as well. "Give me a minute, let me talk to Ainsley, let her know what’s going on.” Ainsley likely would have heard everything anyway, if she’d been listening. She climbed the stairs, still mulling over the potential threat and what she needed to do to keep the people she loved safe. “Hey,” she said softly, trying a smile, knowing the worry lines still creased on her brow. “How much did you hear?”

i-aint-chey‌:

Oh man, she really didn’t like that this was news to Cara. Being an alpha, becoming an alpha, was no small thing. And the fact Cara hadn’t known? That had the potential to be a real threat to them. Cheyenne didn’t like threats. They pissed her off. “She definitely is,” Cheyenne corrected, clearly not happy about the revelation. “I could sense it almost the second she walked into my place. She isn’t good at hiding it, not yet, so it’s fresh on her, but she’s definitely an alpha.” She watched her beta with sharp, knowing eyes. Yes, she knew Cara’s past very well. And she knew what her past could bring to Baldwin, if anyone cared to look. Not like it was hard to find her. A town this size? Likely Athena would’ve run into her at the minimart the next day without even trying if Cheyenne hadn’t decided to deliver the message herself this very night. “No one else was new, Maitland. I’d have known. It was just her. And if she’s an alpha now, could be her way of running shit has changed. Lots of alphas prefer to work alone if they aren’t doing the pack thing.” Her shoulders jerked up in a shrug and she polished off her beer, dropping the empty into an available slot in the packaging before taking another. “I don’t like it, or her. She ordered a sangria.” Cheyenne’s nose crinkled in distaste, as if that said all she needed to know about the new arrival.

This was an interesting development, one that may complicate things more than if Athena was still just another wolf. She held up a hand, palm down, waving it slightly up and down. “Try to calm down, help me think this through,” she asked, trying to get her own alpha to dial it back just a notch or two. “Athena’s always worked with a small crew, same folks every time. They all came up together. She was never a solo shot,” she explained as she walked a slow circle. “Even if she got alpha off someone, I don’t think she’d cut them off just like that. It’s now how she operates. That, and the fact that she announced herself, makes me think this isn’t a job.” She walked herself through her own logic again and again, trying to poke holes in it, trying to be careful. There was too much at stake if she were wrong, too many people that could be hurt - most obviously herself. Fuck, we should have gone after my handler by now. I got complacent. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the sangria comment. “She got hooked on it on a job in Spain. She had me try it once. Couldn’t stand the stuff. That’s definitely her though.” She stopped her pacing and finished her beer. “So she wants to talk, yeah? She say where she’s at or is she waiting for you to get back with a message or something?” 

i-aint-chey‌:

The way Cara went stiff in response to the name did nothing to improve Cheyenne’s agitation. A sound like a growl rumbled in her chest as she paced in wider circles, gulping down more of the beer before setting the bottle on the table beside the rest of the pack. Like Cara, her ears and senses were focused beyond the walls of the lodge, taking in every twig snap and gust of wind in an attempt to identify foreign sounds. Athena’s presence here could only mean trouble, and the fact she was also an alpha only served to further Cheyenne’s certainty of that. “Said that she heard you’d settled here, wanted to check in and catch up or some shit. Said she has news you might be interested in.” Cheyenne turned to face Cara directly at last, dark eyes sharp and glinting. “I don’t like having some alpha sniffing around my town asking about my beta, Maitland. Not with your history of friends. No offense.”

The more Cheyenne told her, the less it made sense. She took a long drink of her beer and rolled the bottle between her hands as she tried to sort through the information. She didn’t think this was a threat, not really, but it still confused her. “So she’s got information of some sort,” she mused, then blinked in surprise at the next piece of the puzzle. “Wait, alpha? She’s not...I mean, she wasn’t the last time I saw her, but that was a few years ago.” She waved the bottle vaguely before taking another drink. “None taken. You know my past, you know what it could mean if someone shows up here. But I don’t think...” It wasn’t how ops worked, it wasn’t how she knew Athena worked. “She always works with a team. Was anyone else with her? Couple of other wolves, or a witch?”

i-aint-chey‌:

The nice thing about having Cara around was that she was reliable. It never mattered what Cheyenne was interrupting – Cara was always willing to greet her, and almost every time came with a six-pack. She looked up as her beta entered the room, already pacing in the entryway with all the nervous energy built up inside of her. She shrugged off her own words – as if she ever thought before she spoke – and moved to the table to grab one of the beers. She cracked the top off with practiced ease and sat, taking a long pull from the bottle. And then just as soon as she’d sat, she was up again and prowling, her eyes flashing over the lodge for signs that anyone else was present besides the newest Maitland bride. Nothing, no one. Cheyenne flickered her eyes back towards Cara and drank again, one hand shoved into her pocket, twisting her lighter around and around. “Someone came into the bar looking for you. Stranger called Athena.” She drank again, hand reemerging to pick at the label. “Know her?”

Cara perched on the arm of a chair, not yet ready to settle in with Chey prowling about this agitated. “Looking for me?” Cara answered, brows lifting in surprise. The name rang bells for her, but it took her a few moments of searching her memory to place it. When it fell into place she understood why Chey was so tense. She felt her own body stiffen slightly. “Maybe, yeah. Not exactly a common name, so if it’s who I think it is...” Her mind raced through possibilities - why the assassin might be here, how much danger she might be in, how much danger Ainsley and Cheyenne might be in, how quickly she could pick up and run if she needed to, or if she might need to stand and fight this time. All of this and more and her brows knitted. Athena was a pro. It didn’t make sense. “Did she say what she wanted?” She tried to relax, took a sip of her beer, and listened beyond the doors and walls. Cheyenne meant well, and she was concerned and protective - and could very well have led Athena here without realizing she was being followed.

i-aint-chey‌:

In the wake of the stranger alpha’s visit, Cheyenne was able to stay at the bar another ten minutes before her irritation grew too much and she called her secondary bartender in to cover. That alpha had stirred shit up and Chey’s mind wasn’t going to be quiet until she’d settled this goddamned thing. She went upstairs, grabbed her coat, keys, and cigarettes, and then left again. She paced beside her bike, sucking down a cigarette as she shot out a text to Cara. coming over have close on for crist sake there in 15 Then she hopped on her bike, roaring away from The Pub at her usual breakneck speed.

The trip to Cara’s felt like it took forever, and Cheyenne found she was worried as well as pissed. What the alpha had said was true. Anyone in this town could be killed before anyone else knew, and though she knew Cara was alive and well — very very well right now — she didn’t like that strangers were coming into town looking for her. Not when Cara has the past she did. Finally she pulled up next to the main lodge, smoking another cigarette before going inside. “Maitland, front and center,” she called out, dropping her jacket over a chair without much thought.

Cara and Ainsley were on the sofa with a home makeover design show of some sort on the television. With their house nearly finished, Ainsley was on the hunt for ideas (and, if she was honest, Cara didn’t mind the shows most of the time, but mostly trusted Ainsley to decorate however she wanted). Cara was doing her best to distract Ainsley from the show and had started having some success when her phone chirped with the text from Cheyenne. She’d felt the agitation, but was able to dismiss it as likely to be something going on in the bar, something that would resolve itself in short order. When she actually reached out she could tell that the immediacy of the moment had passed but Chey was still unsettled - enough to come up to talk. With a sigh she gave Ainsley a lingering kiss, told her Chey was on her way, and she’d be back upstairs as soon as possible. 

Cara heard the motorcycle pull in and emerged from the kitchen with a cold six-pack of beer when Chey came in. She arched a brow as she neared and offered a bottle. “Front and center?” she echoed as she took a bottle for herself and set the rest on a table. “Sit. Drink. Tell me what’s had you all balled up for the last hour or so.” She’d felt it, and now she could see it. It wasn’t just the usual frustration and anger; Cheyenne was worried about something. Worried enough to come here before the bar closed. Dark eyes followed the restless alpha as she sipped from her own bottle. 

i-aint-chey:

Cheyenne already regretted the direction of this conversation. Celebratory drinking was becoming sullen, pissed off, want to murder something drinking again, as it always did when the vampires were brought up. Still, Cheyenne tried to focus on the words being said, tried to respond genuinely without her personal feelings getting in the way. “I don’t know how likely Isabel would be to talk on our behalf at this point,” she said rather dryly. “She isn’t particularly happy with me either, that self-righteous bitch.” Okay, maybe a few of her personal feelings were gonna slip through, whatever. “I think Renee’s too smart to start an all-out war.” That was the conclusion she’d come to recently anyway, and one she wanted to believe was right. “But she wants payment of some kind, so eyes stay on your niece-in-law for now until we figure out what angle she’s gonna come for.” Cheyenne couldn’t say she was really surprised that the pair had gone and gotten hitched while they were away. Something quiet, something intimate, seemed more them really. Cara wasn’t really the all-attention-on-me type and from what Cheyenne knew of Ainsley, she wasn’t really that type either. No, eloping suited them down to the ground. In her year of friendship with Cara, she could understand at least that much about her. “Yeah, let the kids have the big, flashy wedding. Low key suits you. You look happy,” she added. “And you feel… I don’t know… lighter, I guess. Like some weight’s lifted off of you. It’s good, Maitland. Real good. I wanna see pictures.” She didn’t really care that much, but she figured it was an important thing for them, and she could be a good friend. She could, if she put a little effort into it. “See, you say you’re good with free rein now, but what’re you gonna do when you come home one day and she’s knitting booties? She seems like the type who can knit,” Cheyenne grumbled, drinking more. “I don’t know if people still knit booties, but she would. She snorted out a laugh at the mention of yet another niece, tilted her face towards Cara with a look of disbelief. “Another one? Jesus, I hope she’s less sulky than the last. I swear there’s just a factory somewhere that pops your family members out. She joining the pack then?” Another Maitland. They’d have to rename the town after them soon, making up half the population as they were.

Cara was keeping up with the drinking, enjoying the relaxing time, appreciating Chey coming to celebrate with her in Chey’s distinct way. Even the topic of vampires didn’t put her off. “It’s not on our behalf, though,” Cara countered. “It’s on behalf of the town itself. Isabel admitted she was partially at fault for the bite thing, yeah? Okay, so, both sides were at least partly to blame, call it a wash,” she said, hands smoothing the air before falling to her lap again. “Renee’s got issues with the pack existing. But we’ve been here for how long now and haven’t shown a single tick of aggression - because that’s not our intent. We did this for us, for the town, not to try to overpower anyone else. What if I talked to Isabel and tried to figure out where they stood on things? Maybe we’re suspicious for no reason here.” At the mention of Sloane, Cara held the drink she’d taken an extra moment in her mouth before swallowing. “Maybe I can let Isabel also know that they should think very hard about the ramifications of any kind of retaliation,” she said evenly. “But I’ll let Sloane and Lisa know to stay vigilant. They’re a little more vulnerable in town until their place gets done here. Maybe have the pack keep an eye on things at the shop for a while until we know for certain she’s in the clear. Just, you know, suggest they drive by now and then, few times a day.” It would be partially to watch out for Sloane, and also a show of solidarity. They look out for each other, have each other’s backs. At least the talk of the weddings was lighter, the one past and the one to come. “They’re welcome to it. I’m good with the simple stuff.” She thought a moment, smiling as she nodded. “Yeah, I am. Happy and lighter both. First time in a long time I feel like I’ve actually made a step forward and knew there was solid ground under my feet. We’ll get pictures in a week or so, I think she said. I’ll show you if you want. It’s okay if you don’t,” she teased, knowing the photos were more for the two of them than anyone else, though Lisa and Sloane had already poured over the ones they’d taken on their phones. Cheyenne was different, but Cara appreciated the gesture. “You know, I don’t know if she knits either. But it wouldn’t surprise me,” she said with a laugh. She took another drink, noticed she was about halfway through the bottle and grinned. “Yep, another one. Lisa’s age, but a generation up in the tree. Danielle is her name. She’s kind of the opposite of Austin, actually. Austin is trying desperately to get me to turn her, wants to be a wolf so much, thinks it’ll solve all of her problems. Dani, on the other hand, never wanted it, still doesn’t particularly like it. Says she feels like celebrating being a wolf, especially us triggered ones, is like celebrating the murder we committed to become one. Lots of guilt, that one. Hopefully we can show her that it’s okay to embrace it. Can’t change the past, you know?” She knew Chey knew, even if their trigger stories were wildly different. Chey’s was survival, pure and simple. Cara and Dani were accidents, flukes of fate, and Lisa’s self-defense. All different flavors that got them in the same pot. “Not sure if she’ll join  up. Eventually, maybe, if she loosens up a bit and starts to like it. As for the rest, you should have seen the family gathering. Even though some moved away, I swear it gets bigger every year. So far, just the three of us that’ve been turned, that I know of. But then I didn’t know about Dani, so I guess there could be others.” She shrugged and grinned. “C’mon, you love us. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t want another dozen of us up here,” she joked, poking the cushion Chey was sitting on with her toe. 

i-aint-chey:

“Years of practice,” Cheyenne agreed, still smirking. She waved off the suggestion of glasses with a scoff and twisted open the whiskey. Glasses were for bars, not drunken celebrations. “I think we’d be stupid to relax,” she said, the words slow and measured, surprisingly thoughtful for how Cheyenne typically was. “Vamps have longevity on their side, and Renee especially is patient and has a long memory. I doubt she’s going to let this go.” Maybe Cheyenne was wrong. Maybe Renee had already dismissed it as the actions of a foolish new wolf and an equally foolish and stubborn vampire. Maybe she’d finally seen some fucking reason and knew it was just as much on Isabel as it was on Sloane. But who knew with vamps. They’d just have to wait and see. Cheyenne drank from the bottle she held, eyebrows winging up as she observed the ring Cara now flashed. She leaned forward to look at it, made a small sound of surprise. “That’s a wedding ring,” she observed. “Didn’t expect you to come back already hitched. You continue to surprise me, Maitland. Congrats.” She lifted the bottle in toast and downed more whiskey. “How’s your bride doing? Bet she’s just a puddle of domestic goo about now. Wait ‘til that house is up. Then the real nesting will start.” Cheyenne snorted out a laugh. “She seems like the nesting type. Should I be calling you Calhoun now?” she added curiously. “Or did she join the Maitland brigade? Or everything still the same?”

Cara nodded as she listened, agreeing even as she wondered why someone would hold on to that kind of grudge for so long. Then again, she thought, she’d made a career out of those kinds of grudges. “If we can’t talk her off the ledge, could her progeny?” she wondered. “She’s got her biases against us, which, okay, comes with the territory. And I get being protective, I think we’re all agreed on that point.” She took another long drink as she tried to get her thoughts to coalesce. “But this kind of tension doesn’t serve anyone, and a flat out war is even worse. She’s been around here as long as you have, yeah? She got to know something like that would be the worst thing for this town, and there’s no reason it has to go that far, other than some personal vendetta on her part.” That didn’t mean the vampire would back down, or see things that way. Maybe she was that selfish; or maybe she felt the attack on her progeny was so egregious a personal affront she had no choice but to retaliate in some way and the greater fallout be damned. Cara wiggled her fingers, grinning as she looked at the band there. “It is. And thanks,” she replied, lifting her own bottle in response and taking another long drink. “Took me long enough to propose, by the time we got through it neither one of us really wanted to wait,” she explained with a laugh. “Plus it gives Lisa and Sloane free reign to plan their wedding. Mostly we just didn’t want to wait.” Cara smiled at the thought of Ainsley, how beautiful she looked on the cliff top, the waves of pure unadulterated joy winding between them that day. “She’s good. Finishing up the studio, planning the grand opening. She’s got the go ahead to do whatever she wants with the house, nesting or otherwise,” she added with a chuckle. Another drink and Cara shook her head. “She’s coming to the dark side. More paperwork to file, but I’m sure she’s all over it. Maitlands galore up here now, between that and another niece coming in. Hadn’t seen her in about twenty years. Found out why at the family gathering. She got turned and didn’t want anyone to know. Her father, my brother, isn’t a fan of the whole wolf thing we got going on,” she explained. 

i-aint-chey‌:

Cheyenne flashed a smirk in Cara’s direction when she appeared, nudging the door shut again with a foot. “I like to make a good entrance,” she said, and juggled the bag a little so bottled clinked together. “Brought a good portion of it. Tequila, whiskey, beer. Figured that’s all we needed. She allowed the hug, though she crinkled her nose at it and didn’t really return the gesture. Her arms were full anyway and it was as good an excuse as any. She moved to the sofa and dropped the bag in front of her, began digging into it and pulling out bottles that she sat on the long coffee table. “No trouble. Still feels…” A brief frown flickered as she tried to pinpoint the feeling. Nothing had happened, but she hadn’t relaxed even a little. “Tense, I guess. Like we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop.” She glanced towards Cara, dismissed that with a wave. “Not here for that. Here for you. How’d it go?”

“You’re a master of that, for sure,” Cara answered with a laugh. Nodding at the list, she leaned forward. “Do I need to get glasses are are we going native on this stuff?” she asked, pretty sure of the answer as Chey lined up the bottles. “As in you still think the vamps are up to something?” She’d hoped that had passed, that time and proving Sloane and the others weren’t a threat had eased the tensions. Wishful thinking, it seemed. She grabbed the bottle of tequila, opened it and took a long swig as she sat back. “I’d say it went pretty well,” she said with a smirk, lifting her left hand to show the simple platinum band on her finger.