The Assassination of The Midnight Rose [Alexander & Makani]

[Makani Duncan]

“Happy one year anniversary to me” Makani grumbled once she settled back down against the hard mattress; the alarm clock left broken in tiny pieces on the ground after it collided with the wall on the other side of the room. Whilst she lay there, looking up at the ceiling, she couldn’t quite believe that she had now been human again for as long as 12-months; and somehow survived it all. There were, of course, moments where she wished to return back to the wild and live by the freedom that her wolf flourished in; but in reality, she knew she would lose all her humanity if she did that. Yet, what humanity did she truly have now? She was always eager to get into scraps, even if it meant to finish them at the bar and she was just as competitive with games and well, it was just hard to shake off some other wolf like tendencies. 

To say she lived a luxurious lifestyle would be an extreme lie; she earned just enough to get by and in fact, she spent the better half of her working life reverting back to being a wolf to eat and sleep in safety out in the wild. It wasn’t until she was hired at The Midnight Rose did one of her hunting regulars offer his worn down cabins that he no longer needed; and much to her delight, he offered a very discounted rent considering bar work did not pay well, despite some of the tips she received. They had a very business-like relationship, Makani and Bobby - discounted rent as long as she was happy to give him a few free drinks each evening he turned up; and she was more than happy to oblige, she enjoyed his chats and how he lived his life. Bobby was certainly one of her favourites. 

In fact, Bobby was one of main reasons she had stuck out at The Midnight Rose and did everything in her power to not get fired; and even when she did, it was he who managed to speak to the owner to hire her once more. Because of that, she did attempt to make more of an effort to appear on time, and not take money out of the register because she needed to buy more clothes or whatnot. Tonight was no different, Bobby was sitting at the bar and almost cheered as she walked in for her shift. “Quit it Bobby, or I may just have to dilute whatever it is you’re drinking” She teased, grabbed the back of his head and pressed a dramatic kiss to his forehead. 

“You wouldn’t do such a thing!” Bobby exclaimed before leaning against his forearms. “You’ve been in town around a year now, right? I think you should have a lock in tonight with a few of us to celebrate”

“If you’re still standing at that point, I’ll consider it” Makani responded and turned to another regular face, but one she never knew much about; he came in most nights with those in construction across town, but barely ever spoke a word to her. He had helped in some brawls and stood up for her, not that she needed it when she was spoken to in a derogatory tone; either way, she had a knack of remembering a customer's order. “Water? You want water? You’ve come to a bar, just to order water?” Makani glanced at Bobby who reflected her dumbfounded expression before shrugging. “Very well” 

[Alexander Crimson]

Burning. He blinked his eyes completely dazed a faint flinching wince escaping him as he started start in front of him. He could hear his coworkers voices but could not make out their words like he was listening underwater. All the vibrations of the sounds there but nothing legible enough for him to make sense of it all. Eventually, a heavy hand rested on his shoulder and fully pulled out the drowning daze he could not pull himself from. The man's concerned face was a very telling sign that it was time for his break, he sat in the break room still unsettled. 

Two year's it has been two years since this nightmare began and less than half since I inserted myself into Shira's life. I was stalling, observing her in the shadows and getting to know what I needed from her but not doing anything else. Her brother was getting anxious and angry with me and I today I was feeling it, I took a breath closing my eyes as I cleared my throat. I felt his pressure on me burning straight through my body and making me entirely useless the whole day.  Even after work where my coworkers and I would go to Shuri's bar I was off my game this burning made it so. I sat down at the bar trying to get a hold of my normalcy when I heard Shuri's voice. That helped ground me a bit as my crystal eyes finally focused on something, her. 

"Yeah." He faintly chuckled out "I am the newest to the group over there despite being there for years. So they make me the designated driver... So water..." He gave her a Bobby a closed mouth but genuine smile before thanking her for the glass. He took a deep breath as he sipped and watched his coworkers, one coming up to him and resting his hand on Caleb's shoulder and asking him if he was sure he was okay. "Yeah, just a rough day..." Is all he gave him along with another genuine smile. 

As the night went on I still avoided speaking with Shuri despite that being exactly what her brother wanted me to do. Instead, I messed around with my coworkers beating in darts and billiards and consoling them as they lamented over being out drunk by Shira like always. Eventually, I took a seat in the booth my coworkers always sat in as they continued to have their fun, laughing at joyful drunkenness.

"You know when I heard my parents had adopted a son I at first thought I would have to kill you too." Shomari sat in Caleb's living room studying Caleb. "You are a hard man to find... Brother." He spitefully spat the last word out at Caleb. "You owe my family your life..." He eventually said after speaking with Caleb for a time, catching up with him on the things he has missed with the tribe and the things Caleb could share from before he was born. "Who do you want me to kill?" Caleb jumped straight to the point realising Shomari would not have gone through all this trouble to find him in particular if he did not want his services, or to kill him as he originally stated, or both. "My sister." 

I shook my head to come away from that memory, I should have said no to him, or tried harder at saying no. The night was coming to a close for the boys and I, we had early mornings but stayed here as late as we could. Tonight we had made it until closing and I now found myself rangling up the men to get them into my truck and home safe. I chuckled as Shira helped me round them up, thanking her and pushing the last one out the door as I said goodnight. I huffed and cursed under my breath as I reached my truck to find the tires had been purposely blown out. Immediately I knew my night would be far from over, I called a ride for my coworkers to be sure they made it home safe and then called a tow for myself as I did not have enough spares in the trunk to replace all the tires. They would not be here for about an hour and another curse shot from my lips before I dragged myself back into the bar knocking this before entering because I knew they were closed now. I gave a nervous smile at Shira as she looked at me "hey I am sorry, someone slashed my tires and it will take an hour for a tow truck to come, would you mind if I hung out with you until then? I will help you clean up?" 

[Makani Duncan]

Water? He wanted water? For almost a moment, his simple request didn't register in her mind and it almost felt like he spoke a language that she had failed to learn or had never heard of. Makani stood there for perhaps too long with her dumbfounded expression and it wasn't until Bobby cleared his throat rather aggressively that made her come round to the present once again. "Water it is" She nodded and grabbed a pint glass, filled it with ice before pouring the innocent, transparent liquid in: with a smirk, she placed the drink down before him. "Don't drink this too quickly, it may go straight to your head" Makani offered a slight wink before he turned away to go back to his colleagues. "Very strange, designated driver or not" She mused silently to herself with a shake of her head before beginning to shuffle round the bar and completing many orders as the rush hour groups came storming in.

The rest of the evening for her was pretty much standard; music boomed, laughter filled the air and drinks were flowing. Throughout the night, Makani kept her eye upon Bobby who seemed to have drunk more than what his liver and brain had ever prepared for. She shook her head and as his head fell against the bar, she slipped his drink away and placed it with water. It was safe to say the lock in that he had requested a few hours ago was not going to happen this evening; which she supposed she was grateful - she didn't want a party of sorts to celebrate how long she had worked in this bar. Was it truly something to celebrate? Yes it was a huge accomplishment for her, but realistically, they would all be disappointed if and when she packed up again. There was always great satisfaction when she rang the bell to indicate that the bar was now closed and the reaction it always got from the punters. "A'ight, everyone out. I don't want to see your ugly mugs until tomorrow evening at the very latest" 

Makani ushered everyone out, yet kept Bobby slumped over the bar for now; she knew his truck was out back and she would move him there when she could go home. It was somewhat of a relief to see the last of them go and just as she was reaching for her keys to lock the front door, there was a faint knock. Despite the grumble, she opened the door to see the man from earlier standing there incredibly flustered. Mack raised a brow at him and stood to the side, with a wave of her arm to allow him safe passage into the bar. "I have a good idea who slashed your tires too" She replied and nodded before she closed the door behind him. 

"It's what your men get for beating the Northsiders at darts and then pool" She laughed and nodded. "I'm not tipping you if you help, although I would be grateful if you get this sorry piece of shit back to his truck where he can sleep this off" Mack grinned and patted Bobby roughly on his back but yet again, it didn't wake him. "He will never learn and I swear I'm going to convince the landlord to make a designated bedroom round back for him"  Her dark eyes remained on Bobby for a moment before turning to the man again. "Two things. Firstly, you've been coming here for a while and I've never grabbed your name and secondly, you want a proper drink now?" 

[Alexander Crimson]

A wide moon-eyed smiled sprawled onto his face when she spoke "this sorry piece of shit and are old friends." He said with a chuckle before he looped Bobby's arm over his shoulder as he hoisted him up. "Come on bud." He walked him to his truck and got him safely in it and even took his keys to be sure he did not try anything again. "I learned my lesson last time." He mainly said to himself since Bobby was now snoring, he chuckled to himself before heading back to Maki and her bar needing to take a deep breath to keep this facade he had up going. 

I smiled gently at her and kept to my word immediately helping her clean up around here, picking up the plethora of glass bottles scattered across the sticky floor. "So no tip huh? Not even a little one like... Do not count your chickens after they hatch or however that one goes? " I smirked and chuckled tucking a few of the long strands of my hair behind my ear. That might have exposed my curse mark the crossed spears but it just looked like a tattoo and plus it was not a mark she could identify me by. My tribal mark was covered by my hair or the collar of my fleeces when I wore my hair up and my scar from our blood oath was always hidden under the many layers of the shirts I wear. I drop the bottles in my arms into the trash and take the opportunity of being a little closer to look at her arm. I opened my mouth to ask her about the scar as if I did not know already but changed my mind and closed my mouth. 

He continued to help clean, occasionally checking his phone to see when the tow truck would come, he moved around her smoothly mindful not to bump her or touch her and not for the reason she might think. To her, it might have seemed like he was avoiding touching her to keep from her accusing him of something except for him he was desperately trying to keep from possibly triggering her memory of him. He disguised his scent well enough and it had been over ten years since she would have smelled him so that worked in his favour but touch was a different story. He could touch her hand or arm or ass by accident and who knows all their childhood memories could come crashing down on her. 

"Oh!" I froze and patted my pockets in search of something "happy one year." I took an envelope from my back pocket he was fat and filled with money and a card. "The boys and I wanted to get you something nice but could not agree on what to give so I guess this will do. I hope."  I was going to place it on the bar but handing it to her was much more genuine and this was, in fact, a genuine moment I talked the boys into. "As for that drink, if it is still on the table I will take the strongest you got, and the names Alexander Crimson. Some call me Alex, others Crimson." I said with a smile and laugh. 

[Makani Duncan]

Mack glanced at him from the corner of her eye as he mentioned that he and Bobby were old friends; sure she had seen them conversing throughout the nights and having a laugh, but she never expected that they knew each other. “Oh really? And you haven’t managed to kill him yet.” She chuckled and tilted her head. “Funny that, he’s never mentioned he knew you from a while back” Mack wasn’t insinuating anything but Bobby was a talker and she was sure he would have mentioned something to her. She watched from behind the bar as the man took her friend back to his truck before crouching down and switching the dishwasher on now that it was completely full of dirty glasses; it was one of the small gestures the owner did for them, and she was sure he didn’t get it out of kindness. 

She began to lift the chairs and place them upon the table tops once she had wiped down the surfaces which would always hold some layer of grime; so much so, punters were used to a certain level of stickiness. “Not even a small diddy one, I think just offering you this free drink this evening for helping out is quite enough” Mack mocked, it wasn’t like she exactly had much to offer even if she wanted to; after all, most of her clothes were stolen goods from either shops or people’s washing lines. It was hard, seeing as she had a particular taste. 

She moved over to turn things off, such as fruit machines and other small gambling games; she did, however, keep the jukebox playing - that was always the last thing to be switched off before she left. But boy, did she enjoy a second pair of hands helping her; she would be back home before she knew it, yet she couldn’t complain as she much preferred the closing shift to the opening one. Her lips parted and a baffled expression found her as he offered her an envelope; she couldn’t help but be a little suspicious, mainly because she was not one for gifts in any shape or form. “You really didn’t need to do this. It’s not a big deal staying in one place for 1 year” Mack confessed, but in reality, it very much was a big deal. She slowly opened the envelope and glanced at the cash which sat snug within the card. 

“T-thank you” Mack stuttered, she was not very good with gratitude and stuck the card between her jeans and the small of her back. “Moonshine it is, some of the old truckers here brew their own, or import it from elsewhere in the country. Strong as shit and will make you wanna die” She grinned. 

[Alexander Crimson]

The dry laugh that left him he could not hold back at seeing her baffled expression. For him, it was such a giddy and good feeling seeing that face in particular again and he wished they could laugh about together however he could not tell her who he was. He could not tell anyone even if he wanted to and for some reason, this hurt a lot more than it did in the past. He believed that maybe because his target was personal and he had changed so much since his last assassination his heart and head were no longer fully enthralled in it. He was retired before this and honestly still wanted to be; he rubbed the back of his neck and let his faint chuckles slowly die out. "I guess it depends on the person then huh? I have never been in one place long enough to be remembered by any one person." He admitted as he smiled her way softly "Do not worry about it, we all wanted to do it." He said next to her thanks.  

I shot a breath to represent my laugh at her next words "you must have tried my coworker's brown sugar shine by now then..." I chuckled out taking the glass and swirling the liquor around my cup "I guess it is a good thing I do not have to drive tonight... Or operate heavy machinery tomorrow. Wanting to die is just a plus." I gave a cheeky wink before downing the harsh liquor; taking a deep breath as it burned down my throat, and opened my sinuses. "Woo!" I took an inhaling hiss as I enjoyed the flavour the drink actually held beneath the strong alcoholic burn. "Yeah let us definitely keep that away from my guy's they would not be able to handle it. Hell, they can hardly handle the light and normal stuff; you saw them tonight." I laughed out "That is good though I would order it."

The room became silent a moment as just the jukebox played to keep the soundlessness from becoming palpable. Caleb had thought of this moment for year's, wanting a reunion and to catch up, ultimately allow her to slap him up for it taking so long and disappearing in the first place. Now here they were after year's and she did not even recognise him not could he tell her who he was. He opened his mouth to speak daring to ask about the scar on her arm just to see if she would tell the truth and mention him in some way, shape or form but his phone buzzed before he could. "Tow truck is here." He said finally breaking the peaceful silence that formed between them. "Can I walk you to your car before I go?" 

[Makani Duncan]

“It would seem like it, but then Bobby is definitely one of a kind. Lets face it, the man has been drinking non stop for how many years? Even if he wanted to remember you, his brain and liver in cahoots probably chose to forget the face” She shrugged, although she did find it incredibly strange that despite Alex being a regular and his supposed relationship with the forgetful Bobby; why did he not approach the man when he was conscious? Either way, it was none of Mack’s concern - the punters that came into the bar came from all walks of life, some of which was incredibly questionable and she was certainly in no place to judge why someone acts the way they do. 

Mack narrowed her eyes only briefly as he accepted her offering of a drink; and watched eagerly as he brought the glass up to his lips. For someone who didn’t drink regularly, she was sure that he would be hit hard just by taking a few sips and would surely be feeling it for the next 24 hours. Mack had poured herself one too, yet as she was someone who drank this stuff on the regular, her body’s reaction was nowhere near the theatrical one that Alex gave off. His reaction stirred an extremely rare laugh to rattle within her ribcage. “I don’t think the brown sugar shine really competes with this one, although they would make a killing… Literally… If they decided to sell the stuff together” That triggered an idea in her mind and it could possibly be done during the summer months when the regulars sat outside beside a fire. “Well, I’ll be sure to keep more of it behind the bar so you can take sneaky sips when your colleagues aren’t looking” 

She was grateful for the sound of the music as the silence loomed over them, allowing them to finish their drinks as well as clear up the last remaining items; but when his phone buzzed, she knew what it meant. “Probably for the best or else you’ll be taking Bobby’s usual spot” Mack purred before giving him a brief nod - not that she needed anyone to walk her anywhere; she was the monster that hid in the shadows, not some of the customers who had ill intentions. Mack switched off the jukebox and began to slowly turn the lights off one by one until they reached the door; almost standing in darkness. 

The fresh air brushed against her exposed skin as she locked the bar up; the flickering lights of the tow chuck illuminated the area. “That old banger is mine” She nodded in it’s direction. “Bobby did me a golden when I came into the area. Guess I could say he is now family” 

[Alexander Crimson]

"Bobby and I had a minor disagreement some time ago and he never forgave me" he admitted with a bitter and ultimately sad chuckle. "You will find me still looking out for him around town though if you ever came around. " he smiled as he continued her drink and was silently impressed she could hold her drink but not surprised because the young Shira he knew could do everything and much better than he could. He smiled to himself at the thought but caught himself hopefully before she caught him. He chuckled as he thought of his coworkers teaming up with the other guys to sell their illegal liquor and how terrible that would be. "We are all so loyal to each other there that you would probably receive a call from one of us asking to bail us all out." He admitted as he laughed and rubbed his face. 

I was silent as I walked her to her car listening to her and gesturing to the tow truck driver to ask him for a minute. "Bobby's a great guy, as you said truly one of kind, we are lucky he found us over the others who could have, just do not ruin that as I did." I smiled at the end and gave her a small nod once we reached her car. "Get home safe I will see you tomorrow night." I was trying to make things short because after a long day of dealing with "men like me" I am sure she just wants to get home. I wave and turn to walk away but stopped as I felt that burn again; the burn I was feeling all day that was telling me I was running out of time. 

He turned around "you work nights I work days, our schedules do not seem to really match up but if you ever have a day off would you spend it with me? Like a date? Or a casual date to become friends... Whichever you would want instead even that means none of them?" He swallowed hard and his heart was racing but not because he was nervous about her saying no. He was nervous she would say yes and this slow dance of death he should have started months ago would gradually begin. He mentally scorned himself again for agreeing to this for not fighting her brother harder and all he could think was "I am so sorry Shari."

[Makani Duncan]

It wasn’t at all surprising that Bobby held a grudge over someone for doing something that he disapproved of, or hurt someone he cared about. With that in mind, it did make her wonder what on Earth the man beside her had done for this to be the case; after all, everything she knew about him, which to be fair wasn’t a lot but at the very least, everything she had observed over the last few weeks and months was that Alex was that he wasn’t the type to get under anyone’s skin. “Well, you truly must have done something incredibly wrong for him to avoid you like the bloody plague” She laughed, and wrapped her arms around her waist - not that she was cold or anything; who could be cold in these muggy evenings. 

Mack quirked a brow as he began to stutter a string of words together and she resisted the urge to roll her wrist to try and get him to hurry up; yet what he did say almost stunned her. It certainly wasn’t the first time that someone had tried to ask her out but for the most part and her consistent track record of declining - and not in the nicest way possible - meant that for the most part, men and women often steered well clear from her and for the inevitable heart break which was to come. “You’re nervous to approach Bobby but you’ve got the balls to ask me out, you are a strange one, Crimson” Makani chuckled and shook her head, her eyes for a moment becoming glazed as she stared off into the neverending darkness which surrounded them in the woodland. She had yet to make friends yet, and the ones that she had were still in wolf form somewhere out there; some of which disapproved her desire to try the likes of the human world once more. 

She flared her nostrils in thought, it had been a year and for the most part she had spent the days and nights either in her cabin or in the bar. Maybe it would do her some good to try and get out and make some other connections who didn’t speak or communicate to her with grunts, snarls and barks. “Once you have a good idea of what we can do in these.. Daylight hours you speak of, you know where to find me” Mack responded, and her trust was low, of course it was and because of that she felt completely uneasy to share the location of her cabin. “I’m normally somewhere nearby” Was all she could comment on before jumping into her old car which wheezed as she turned the engine on. “Oh and try not stay clear of the Northsiders” She shouted from her window, having a feeling she would see him very soon. 

[Alexander Crimson]

Say no. Say no. Say no. That was what he really wanted from her so he could go back to her brother and lie and say he tried but she ultimately recognised him. Even though in truth he was not sure if he should be hurt that she did not recognise him the slightest or relieved, maybe she was just keeping her thoughts of recognition to herself and doing a good job at hiding it. He tried not to deflate when she actually said yes and instead let his genuine shock and surprise take over which caused a bright and warm smile to appear on his face for the first time in Gods know how long. "I shall come up with something worth your time then!" 

The horn of the tow truck blared through the night and I could not help but scoff. "Yeah yeah I am bloody coming!" I shouted back at him shouting his obscenities at me before I spun around to see her get into her car and wave her off. I was in the tow truck shortly after and apologised for the delay but explained I just wanted to see the lady off. 'She looked pretty capable of handling herself just fine.' He scoffed. "Oh, I have no doubt she could take us both out but that does not mean you should ignore her as she gets to her car." I whipped back at him. 

He got his car fixed in the morning but that made him late for work; he had informed his boss of the situation and to make up for the lost time agreed to overtime. So by the time he was getting the bar, it was significantly later than usual and it was clear he was exhausted. He sat at the bar and actually ordered a beer as he rubbed his eyes and watched his coworkers partake in their usual foolishness but he could feel Bobby's eyes on him burning a hole in the side of his skull which he chose to ignore. Until Booby grabbed the back of his neck "You just don't know when to quit." He slurred into Caleb's ear as Caleb winced and inhaled sharply; Bobby had not grabbed him hard but the tribal mark etched into his skin was still sensitive after all these years from the lack of physical attention. 

I slowly slipped from Bobby's grip with a breathy groan "this again?" I huffed I'm wanting to get into it with Bobby at the moment after the strenuous workday I had. Bobby seemed to snort and drop the subject for now but I knew it was far from over and the drummer he got the more he would want to come right back to this conversation so, after thanking Shuri for the drink, I took a few heavy gulps for what would eventually come. 'You took Meg from me then she disappeared... And now you want Maki!' There it was he had said and I sighed into my hands as I rubbed my face but did not reply. 

[Makani Duncan]

On the drive back to the cabin, Mack repeated their conversation in her head and couldn’t stop the mimicking grumble from escaping her lips. What the hell did she agree to get a drink with this man? What the actual fuck. She shook her head and kept her eyes on the road despite knowing this area of land like the back of her hand. Ever since The Tribe, connections with other beings was strictly a no and she had always told herself she would keep every single one at arm's length. Mack thought back to her exiled pack and how she was sure she could feel their eyes watching her from the sidelines; what would they think of her? Traitor. Foolish. Numbskull. They were some of the more polite words that could come to mind and in all honesty, she knew she would be thinking those same thoughts if it was one of her kin. 

Upon reaching her cabin, the annoyance had calmed and she would only ever have herself to blame if something went wrong. The thought alone did help her in processing their agreement which consequently helped her rest enough to allow sleep to wrap her in its embrace. It was gone mid-afternoon when Makani rose again which not out of the norm and she kept up with her basic chores and finding appropriate clothes to wear for her shift which was her last shift for a little while as she had promised her pack she would return in wolf form to reassure them that she had not forgotten them; although, how could she not when they lurked in the shadows every night? 

Time soon came round and yet again Mack found herself behind the bar; how mundane, she had no idea how much longer she could continue this routine. Why on Earth did she choose work and this lifestyle over being free in the wilderness? She shook her head to clear herself of these thoughts, she could re-evaluate her life another time. Just as she did so, she heard the drunken aggressive tone from Bobby across the bar. Mack glanced over her shoulders and exhaled sharply as she witnessed who the attended victim was. 

“What the fuck Bobby?” The animalistic growl was very much evident in her words as she hissed at her old Friend. The drunken man swayed as he attempted to concentrate enough on her so that she no longer swayed back and forth. “You know better than I do, we do not tolerate violence in this bar” Mack paused and glanced at Alexander. “Come on, let’s take it outside” She ushered the two with her arms outside. 

[Alexander Crimson]

All night he stressed over how he could break free of this predicament even going as far as to consider letting her take his life. She would enjoy it no doubt especially when she learned the truth and he would, at last, be free. It was strange how far he had come from the fearless assassin who felt no remorse, to this, though in truth he always felt remorse. There was always guilt after he carved another name into his belt. It is why he retired because all those ghosts of those he killed still haunted him and the skeletons in his closet had started to clatter out. He was no good to anyone without peace of mind or his infamous serene aura. He meant it when he vowed he would never go back to killing so for those who had heard in the rumour mill he had returned it made them wonder what his contractor had on him exactly to force him out of retirement. Or maybe it was his target that forced his hand? The hidden public was curious. 

'Let's take it outside...' Those were not the words I wanted to hear so I thumped my head against the bar and groaned. I chugged my drink and slid to my feet, in truth I could handle Bobby with no problems but the problem was I did not want to handle Bobby. "Can we just talk this out?" I propose to the angry drunk as we both arrive at the parking lot but he swings even before my last words hit the air. I dodge "come on man! Please!?" This time I block his hit; I am doing my best to not look like a professional here while avoiding him entirely. I shake out my arm to pretend like his colliding with mine hurt before I huff in response to his charge. "Fuck." It is really all I can say because if I dodge him it will for sure raise red some red flags as to how I dodged him so quickly. So we collide and go flying back until my back hits a car. Whose car? Mine. Great another night at the mechanics. 

Caleb groans and for a split second, anyone who was watching his crystal eyes close enough could catch the spark. The killer in him he was surprising reared its ugly head but only for a head before he cooled off. Somehow he managed to slip away from Bobby but not without Bobby landing a few hard hits to his head. Besides not hurting the man Caleb was also concerned with hiding two things. The tribal mark on the back of his neck, which would immediately expose him to Makani and the blood oath scar they shared on their forearms. Although he could probably get away with the scar on his forearm being a cut he got on the job. The Mark behind his ear had been exposed by now though throughout this tussle but he was not verily concerned about it because even though it was a mark of a cursed one it could also just pass as a tattoo. Not many knew of the cursed ones mark anyway.

"Enough!" I swung as I rose my voice and finally hit him back but maybe I should not have pulled my punch because it only seemed to piss off Bobby more. The patrons in the bar were crowded around us and placing bets. Cheering and drinking to their heart's content, the only good thing to come of this really, were all the drinks being consumed because it meant more money for Shira. I panted to keep up with the appearances of a human who had been fighting this long "Come on big guy. I will buy you a drink and ex-" he swung wildly nonstop and cut off my words while my mind was running at a hundred miles an hour trying to figure out how to get out of this. Then I remembered something, of course, if I were a smarter man I would have thought of this sooner. No, actually I would not even be here in Shari's life again if I were smarter. Nonetheless here I was; I dug in my pocket without taking my eyes off Bobby but quickly had to forward tuck to dodge him. As dust rose from my belly flop my phone flew from my hand and slid across the ground. 

He scurried to his feet before Bobby could take advantage of his fail; admittedly he was out of practice with certain things and not as nimble as he used to be. He grabbed his phone as he got to his feet and reached a full stop as he came face to face with Makani. "Oh hi." He let out a panted chuckle before gently placing his unlocked phone in her hands. "I do not want to fight our best friend." He spoke quickly as his last two words dripped with sarcasm. "So do me a favour..." He was interrupted as Bobby pried Caleb away from her "Video call Chuck!" He hollered before grunting from being slammed into his car again, he was not invincible after all. "It is the girl Bobby is upset about. I can... I can explain." He winced out as he slid onto all fours he was still pretending but that last hit hurt. "Please Sh... Maki." He almost slipped and said her real name "shit..." He covered it up with that instead as he climbed back up his feet to buy Makani time to decide if she would call. 

[Makani Duncan]

Why the hell did they choose tonight? Why the fuck did they choose to battle it out with each other? Two people who seemingly had not conversed with each other until this evening. In fact, Makani couldn’t even recall if they had ever looked at each other, especially as Bobby’s gaze was pretty much always at the bottom of his pint glass. Makani also didn’t have the patience for two men trying to fight for their Alpha status, she couldn’t give a toss about who was the superior alpha. And so, that was the very reason why Mack asked them to take it outside, so that they didn’t break anything in the very bar that they all somehow called home. What surprised her, however, was how many of the other customers followed the brawl outside to watch; in fact, if it wasn’t for the others, she wouldn’t have followed either. 

The heel of her boots pushed up some dust as she made her way to the front of the circle which had formed; her arms crossed over her chest as she was the two children. Makani knew that Bobby was no longer in his hay day, and he should know when to call it quits - but she also had a feeling that this… Alex also wouldn’t do anything which would cause Bobby any damage. Makani continued to roll her eyes at the men but also at the other customers who were cheering them on, and spurring the two on which only added fuel to Bobby’s rage at something that Alex had done or was doing. “For the love of God” Mack muttered under her breath as they were relentless and wouldn’t stop. “Bobby stop for fuck sake. The vein on your forehead is seconds away from popping” Although speaking, she knew her words were to fall upon deaf ears. 

Mack was taken aback when Alex appeared close to her face, so close that she could see the sweat upon his brow and the faintest of breaths as he panted from the cardio. She took the phone from his hand and glanced downward at the screen. “Chuck?” She almost laughed at the name before her lips fell agape wondering how she was going to put an end to this. Who was Chuck and what did he have or know that could put an end to this rut? Mack glanced outwards towards the tree line and could see two pairs of glowing eyes watching her straight back. She knew what her people were thinking, to return to them before she got into a mess she couldn’t get out of. 

For the first time, Mack was torn and perhaps they were right. Perhaps she should return to her wolf and spend the rest of her days there again; she was safe there and didn’t have to worry about any of this bullshit. She closed her eyes and projected a thought, hoping the banished wolves would hear. “Soon. I promise” Before glancing down and calling this Chuck fellow. “It’s ringing. And someone, please grab Bobby his inhaler”