The Pack and The Ruffian

Unusual Ally

Ava stood with a cup of coffee in her hand, watching Gina run a drill with their guards. They hadn’t needed to fight since she’d created the safe space they now call home. And since she’d found peace with herself and her life. She knew that Sam still saw her as a threat, and she kept that illusion going, it kept her people safe. When she’d decided to create Beta, and take people who’d been treated unfairly, she’d thought that one day she’d take her army and take out Sam. But as the time passed and she and Gina settled down, her need for revenge had diminished. Now all she cared about was keeping her people safe and happy. She wondered, not for the first time, how long they’d be able to keep their home a secret. With the new market that sold herbs that they grew on their land, word about them would spread. Especially under the witches and shamans who flocked to their markets. She’d been to a few. And she’d witnessed just how much what they did here, meant to those on the outside. And to those selling their herbs and candles. When they’d started, she’d agreed that it could be a nice income for their home. But now the market has grown from just five stalls to around twenty. The big beer tent going up now for those who work in the stalls, and for the townspeople just wanting to take a break and relax outside the perimeter. Ava had to admit the tent was fun. She and Gina had gone and had a drink with everyone. The live music and festive mood made it the perfect place to unwind. They kept the outsiders out by posting a guard. And that has worked so far. But Brock, her barman, had told her that a stranger had made it inside. And now she worried about what that outsider could have seen. Gina said she shouldn’t worry too much. Tory thought she was being paranoid. But she still had to think about keeping everyone safe. Even if they were convinced that the stranger didn’t think anything of the strange beer tent. She had to think ahead. To the, in case. And then, what if?

Gina looked up and smiled at her and she smiled back. Ava couldn’t help it. The woman still affected her the same way she did from the very beginning. Gina was her soul mate, the one that grounded her. And ultimately, it changed the way she saw life, and the direction they took with Beta. Somewhere along their path, things had changed for them, and they’d decided to be a haven for the people she’d promised a better life. She placed her cup on the table at the window and answered her phone.

“Yes?” She knew something was wrong before Tory spoke.

“We have trouble in the beer tent. Brock says they want to speak to you.”

“Who are they?” She lifted a hand to get Gina’s attention, then turned to their bed and sat down. “Did they say what they wanted?”

“He says it’s the same one that was there last time. But this time she has others with her.” Tory sounded troubled.

Ava knew how she felt. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes. Tell him to keep them there.” She looked up when Gina walked in.

“Trouble?” She mouthed. Ava nodded and Gina sat down next to her.

“Ava, you should know. They’re from Silver Moon.”

“Great.” Ava rubbed a hand over her face. “We’ll be there shortly.” She hung up and turned troubled eyes to Gina. “We have Silver Moon wolves in the beer tent.”

“What do they want?” Gina took Ava’s hand. “Do you think it’s Sam and Amber?”

“I don’t know.” Ava stood. “We have to get ready. They’re waiting.”

“You shouldn’t go there.” Gina stood too. Took Ava’s arm. “We need to keep you safe.”

“I don’t think they want trouble, baby. If they did, they’d have gone about this differently.”

“So, you’re not worried?” Gina asked.

“I didn’t say that.” Ava pulled free of Gina’s grasp and dropped her robe to the floor. “Join me.” She smiled over her shoulder as she made her way into the bathroom.

Sam paced the length of the bar. She hated being that they’d had to come to Ava for help. She also didn’t like that they were in her territory. Even with Amber at their side, if Ava launched an attack on them, the six of them would be sitting ducks. She looked over to where Amber sat. Laughter filled the space between them as she spoke to someone Sam didn’t know. Alex and Morgan stood at the bar, talking to the man behind it. Mya and Taylor sat together, their heads bent low as they spoke quietly. They’d lost their partner and their lover, and she’d lost her wolf. Someone had to pay for that, someone would pay for it!

“If you keep scowling like that, you’ll scare these poor people into attacking us,” Amber said as she circled Sam’s body with her arms. She pressed close and took in her scent.

“I want them to think I’m a scary wolf,” Sam grumbled. “Being here is making me nervous.” She shook her shoulders as Amber stepped away. “My wolf is itchy.”

“I know, but it’ll be okay.” Amber touched her arm and looked around. “They seem like happy, nice people.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Sam wasn’t convinced that their coming to Ava was a good idea. She turned around when the whole beer tent went quiet. Gina walked in with Ava close on her heels. Ava looked around the room and her eyes met Sam’s.

Amber made the first move. “Ava, thank you for meeting us.” She walked to Ava with her hand outstretched.

Ava stared for a moment then took her hand. “To be honest, I’m curious about why you’d come here.” Her eyes tracked the room again and found Taylor. She looked back at Amber. “Should we get a table and talk?”

“Yes,” Amber said. She turned and walked to where Taylor and Mya sat.

“Gina, would you please get us drinks?” Ava asked.

“Would anyone else like something?”

“I’ll join you,” Mya said. Gina nodded and grudgingly walked to the bar with Mya.

Ava looked around and smiled. “Please, get back to whatever you were doing. Everything is fine here.” Some of the gathered crowd slowly made their way back to their tables or outside. But a few stragglers kept close. Obviously, ready to defend Ava if she needed it. She looked back at the people around her table and her gaze landed on Taylor. “Taylor, how are you?” Ava looked at her daughter. She’d not seen her in years.

“I’m all right, under the circumstances,” Taylor said. She looked over to Mya who stood at the bar. “We’ll be okay.” She added. “And you?”

“I’m doing good. We’ve built something good here.” Ava took a closer look at her daughter. “What do you mean, under the circumstances?”

“Well, that forms part of why we are here.” Taylor looked at Sam, who nodded. “Our partner, my mate, was killed.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Taylor.” Ava wanted to reach over the table and touch Taylor’s hand but kept her hands folded in her lap.

“Yes, me too.” Taylor looked up and thanked Mya for her drink, then watched as Gina sat down next to Ava.

“So, what is it you think I can help with?” Ava asked.

Sam looked over at Amber and nodded to her. She knew Amber was more diplomatic than her. Amber smiled and took her hand. “Once, a while ago. I witnessed you use another body as a conduit. And since you’re the only one we know about who can do it, we were hoping you could tell us if it was possible to track or trace the person using someone else’s body?”

Ava leaned back in her chair. “I suppose.”

“Wait, you’re just going to give them information?” Gina asked. “After everything we’ve been through?”

“Baby, much of what happened back then was on us.” Ava smiled at her and took her hand. “Giving them information, helping with this, is not going to put us in danger.”

“We don’t want any trouble. What happened between us back then, as far as we’re concerned, is over,” Amber said.

“Conveniently, now that you need Ava,” Gina grumbled.

“You’d do well to remember just why coming here was difficult for us,” Sam growled.

“Stop.” Ava held up her hand before Gina and Sam could launch at each other over the table. “I’m going to help. Gina, sit down.” Gina’s eyes flashed at Sam before she plopped down in her chair again.

“Behave yourself,” Amber told Sam.

“Why can’t you do this?” Ava asked Morgan. “You should be able to.”

“Well, the skill is hard to learn. And I never really saw the need to,” Morgan said.

“Yes, it is hard and not many can master it.” She looked back to Amber. “Do you have an idea who the person is?”

“Yes,” Sam said and ignored the surprised look Mya shot her way. “Her name is Paine, and we have an idea where she is, but we don’t want to go after the wrong person.”

“I see.” Ava noticed Mya shift in her seat, anger flashed in her eyes. “I’d need the body that was used, and since I’m not comfortable doing the trace here, we’d have to go to you.”

“No,” Gina said.

“I can’t risk whoever this person is tracing back to us.” She looked back at Amber. “I heard rumors, that a long time ago the person that was used as the conduit used the trace to trace back to the source. And also, that the source could trace the conduit.” She held up her hands. “I’m not entirely sure of this. But if this is true, I don’t want her to track back to us. Is she a witch?”

“No, a Ruffian,” Amber said.

“Oh, well, that changes things. Ruffians have absolutely no care for anything, accept their current prey and the game.” Ava shook her head. “I won’t have a Ruffian find us.”

“And I said you won’t be going anywhere with them.” She looked at Amber. “Who is this person? Can we not meet them where they are?”

“It’s me,” Taylor said.

“What?” Ava’s eyes flashed. “Someone used your body as a conduit?”

“Yes. I don’t think it was a coincidence, since she’s hell-bent on hurting Mya. She had a hand in killing Jane too.” Taylor took Mya’s hand. “I’ll go wherever you feel safe to do that.”

“What if I set up a barrier?” Morgan asked. “I could use Alex to strengthen the wall.”

“That could work,” Ava said. “I will ask one of our witches to help you too. That way we should be protected from her tracking us back.”

“It’s too risky, Ava.” Gina took her hand and pulled Ava around to face her. “Don’t do that. We don’t owe them a damned thing!”

“I’m not doing it for them.” She waved a hand in Sam and Amber’s direction. “I’m doing it for Taylor.” She added quietly. “Don’t ask me not to.”

Gina shook her head. “Fine. But at the first sign of trouble, I’m hurting someone!”

Sam nodded. “I understand. We simply want to get a location for her.”

“Why not just hand that one over if she only wants Mya?” Gina asked stubbornly.

“Won’t work,” Mya said. “I tried. She said she enjoyed the game, and she wanted me to suffer before she got to me.”

“Fantastic,” Gina swore again. Then her eyes moved to Alex. “You’re the one that intruded here before.” She stated that.

“I am.” She looked from Ava to Gina. “Sia had nothing to do with this, she had no choice but to help me.”

“Sia?” Ava asked. “Sia hasn’t been outside of Beta in years.” Then her eyes flashed. “You were inside Beta?”

“Oh, I thought you meant you found out…” Alex shrugged. “I was inside for three days. Sia came across me and I forced her to help me.”

“You couldn’t force Sia to do a damned thing,” Gina grumbled. “How the hell did you get in?”

“Snuck onto one of the trailers. But lost my way when I wanted to get out.” Alex shrugged again.

“This is not good.” Ava glared at Gina. “Find out what happened and how it happened, then make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Yes ma’am.” Gina stood and waved Brock over. “Stay with her, she doesn’t go anywhere with them.”

“Yes ma’am.” He said and saluted her. She flipped him the bird and left the tent.

“I’d like to know why Taylor and I know nothing about this Paine woman?” Mya asked when the silence stretched.

“Because you’d be there instead of here where you are needed,” Sam said.

“So, you thought it would be okay to lie to me? Is that where Hunter and they went?” Mya slammed a fist on the table. Brock took a step toward her, Ava stopped him with a hand. “You think it’s okay to lie when this has everything to do with me?” Mya snapped. Her jaw hurt from clenching it so tightly.

“If I’d told you where they were going, you’d have insisted on going too. And that would have meant Taylor would have gone too, and then we’d not be here where Ava can actually track her and give us a solid location. Hunter is chasing a lead. A flimsy one.” Sam said calmly.

“You still should have said something. I have a right…” Sam’s ringing phone stopped the tirade. Amber glared at Mya, who shook her head and stormed out of the tent. Taylor excused herself and followed.

“Yes?” Sam snapped. “Sorry.” She took a deep breath. “What’s up Hunter?” She straightened and lifted a hand to get Mya’s attention to where she stood just outside the tent opening. Mya stuck her tongue out at Sam and Taylor slapped her. “Child,” Sam whispered. “No, not you.” She rubbed a hand over her face. “Look, I’m going to put you on speaker, just repeat what you said.” She placed the phone in the middle of the table just as Mya and Taylor joined them. “Go on.”

“So, we woke up to a dead man sitting in the hall. He was tortured and a note was stabbed into his chest. It says, tell Mya I said hi. We checked security cameras. Ash and Gem tried to track her, but the scent is almost non-existent. She used an herb to disguise herself. And the cameras showed nothing.” She spoke to someone on her side. “Michelle says that the carvings on his body are all the same, a letter M.”

“For Mya,” Mya said. “She’s playing with us.” She glared at Sam. “If we’d been there instead of here, we might have her already.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Hunter said. “She’s good. And we don’t know if she’s just using a go-between.”

“She won’t,” Ava said. “Ruffians usually work alone, and they don’t have enough restraint not to kill whoever they have with them.”

“So, she was right outside your door, and you missed her,” Mya asked.

“Mya.” Taylor touched her shoulder. “This is no one’s fault.”

“I should have been there!” Mya shouted and shrugged Taylor’s hand off. “I need air.” She spun on her heel and left.

“Look, we’re going to see Simile and Emily. We’ll let you know as soon as we have news,” Hunter said.

“Thanks, Hunter. And be careful, she obviously knows you’re there. And warn Simile about this too, she had a deal with Paine, something about a boy being taken.”

“We will. Thanks. See you.” Hunter hung up.

“Let’s get that barrier up and running, and I’ll see if I can get you to that location.” Ava stood. “I’d invite you to Beta, but for now, I’d rather not.” Ava knew it was petty, and that Alex could probably show them exactly where to go, but she didn’t want to upset Gina any more than she was. Or scare her people by bringing strangers into their haven.