Temperance Davenport

When it came to dish duty, Rebecca didn’t mind. There was a quiet which came with it and she didn’t concern herself with false smiles and cheerful dispositions. That was for when she dealt with the Boathouse’s patrons; and some of the people who worked there. She didn’t want to come across as a person incapable of being anything other than a Debbie Downer but it was hard to find much happiness, at least the type which lasted more than a few hours. 

She set the last of the clean beer steins on a rack and was about to carry it to front of house when she hear someone approach the back. It was one she didn’t recognize and she, maybe, a drunk customer got lost and was about to wander into the staff only section of the bar. 

As the door opened Rebecca took note the woman didn’t look or smell drunk and she cocked her head, staring at her as if she were trying to read her thoughts. Alas, that wasn’t an ability of hers. “Is there something I can help you with?” The small smile, the customer service one, formed and Rebecca wished for her to step aside so she could get back to work.

Temperance inclined her head, considering the question. “Actually,” she said softly, “I’m hoping there is something I can help you with.” Declan had reached out to her, asked her to get Rebecca acquainted. That was easy enough, but from what he said, she had a lot to learn about how a pack worked and just how to be a wolf. It wasn’t the death sentence she thought it was. 

Liv felt her face heat up as she was called out, gently, on her stalkerish behavior.  Now that she was here, it was like she was a deer caught in headlights. All the warnings Dacia had given her, plus her own experience with other wolves, excluding Dacia, pointed to this being a bad idea. There were no doubt all kinda of customs and traditions that were supposed to happen when approaching a pack, though, Liv, didn’t know any of them. She was completely clueless, which was a major part of why she had hunted down someone from this pack. 

“I- uh-,” she started, not quite able to find her words. Eyes darting around her, she questioned if anyone would even notice if this little impromptu meeting turned sour. God, she hoped so. Hands fiddling with the hem of her shirt, the young wolf couldn’t quite bring herself to meet the blonde’s eyes. Was it even appropriate to talk about things regarding that in public? This was why Dacia handled things like this. It all just came so natural to her, where as, Liv was floundering.

“I don’t mean to be a bother,” she managed to get out without tripping over her words. “I just, I was wonderin’ some things and I didn’t really know who to approach. Sorry for followin’ you. You just seemed to be in the center of some things that could possibly be useful to know.” She was dancing around what she wanted to ask, she knew. But she couldn’t allow herself to refer to that little problem of hers in a place so open. Hell, she didn’t even like referring to the werewolf thing in the security of her own house.

She chewed on her lip as she listened to the girl stumble over her words. Tempy’s face softened and she let a little smile grace her lips. “You’re not bothering me,” she said gently. There were very few in this town that actually bothered her. She was the beta, after all. She was meant to be approachable. “Please,” she indicated the seat across from her, “sit. We can talk here.” 

She didn’t really know what kind of information was needed, but she was willing to help if she could. “I hope I have the information you’re looking for. My name is Temperance, I’m the Beacon Hills Beta, and you are?” Tempy took a sip of her coffee, letting the woman settle in and collect herself. It could be stressful, being in a new place, she imagined. This girl was certainly new to the town. 

@packgoldengirl

So Dacia was going to be slightly upset with her. And by slightly, she meant very. They had talked about approaching the pack, like they did any time the ran into a pack, and had decided against it. And by they, Liv meant Dacia decided. Which usually was enough for Liv, but this time, things were different. For some reason, being in Spiritvale had her high strung about how they were supposed to handle the whole full moon thing.

Which led to why Dacia was going to be mad. Instead of just approaching someone like a normal person would, Liv had been stalking following someone she was ninety percent sure was at least a part of the pack, if not high ranking. It hadn’t even been intentional to begin with. They just kept being in the same place, so she started really noticing the other woman. And one thing let to another, and there she was. Hiding while she tried to convince herself to just get it over with. 

Finally, talking herself into it, Liv pushed herself forward, willing her minor freak out to subside. With a deep breath, the words “Excuse me, ma’am! Can I talk to you for a second?” fell from her lips in a jumbled mess. Yet another reason, of many, her friend was usually the one to talk to people. Coming to a stop a few feet away from her, Liv gave a shakey smile before squaring her shoulders a bit. She could do this!

Temp scooped up her coffee from the barista, thanking her for it and heading over to a seat in a corner that sat by the window. The warm coffee was set down and she crossed one leg over the other. Her long legs covered in a pair of skinny jeans rather than her normal suits. She’s abandoned her heels for the day, flats being more comfortable and her long blonde hair had been pulled back. Tempy was clearly not working today, but still, she was approached by many. Either for a simple hello or a bit more. 

She looked up when the woman who had been following her finally moved forward. Temperance smiled up at the woman, “I was wondering when you would.” Her voice was kind and the smile met her eyes. “What can I do for you?”

Tanner chuckled lightly. “Nah, I think I’ve got the cooking handled, but if you wanna help with some sides…salad or other veggies or something. Feel free to poke around the kitchen for something. I’ve got some sweet summer corn, some potatoes…probably some green beans in there too.” He took the two steaks out and began to prep them with a rub. 

“So, tell me a bit about yourself, Tempy. Or feel free to ask me anything.”

Tempy’s eyes flashed and a smile lit her face. “Salad I can do,” she told him honestly. Her eyes scanned the room, locating a few key places before she went to the fridge to pull about some lettuce, carrots, cheese, cucumber, and cabbage. She placed all of that on a small table and then located the cutting board, a bowl, and a knife and went to work. Cleaning, chopping, and tossing the vegetables. “Well,” she said, her voice a little loud over the sound of the running water, “I’m the assistant manager at the ski lodge and beta to the Beacon Hills wolf pack.” Those were her official titles. “My family is one of the families that founded this town. Mom’s the Alpha.” 

She wasn’t used to talking about herself in a capacity that wasn’t professional so Temperance struggled to find something to say that wasn’t about her job. “There’s really not much more to know about me,” she told him honestly as she reached for a paper towel to dry the veggies. “I work about 50 hours a week.” 

She placed everything into a bowl and set the cutting board and knife in the sink before went in search of dressing. “Do you have olive oil and red wine vinegar?” She asked. 

Gen shook her head as her big sister spoke. She tried to put herself in the other wolf’s shoes. What would have happened if Finn had simply left instead of passed away? It would be a blow almost too hard to take, harder than death because it was a choice. And one that could be avoided. Gen, knowing her sister, moved from her spot on the couch to sit by Tempy’s chair, one hand tucking pieces of her sister’s blonde hair behind her ears, the other squeezing her hand. She wanted Temperance to know, to feel, that there was no more running from Genevieve. This was it, her family was it, and it was more clear than ever that she was where she needed to be. “I know how much you loved him, Tempy. I’m am so, so sorry. He has no point of view. He knew your family needed you, and he was selfish enough to want you all to himself.” 

She listened attentively to her sister’s story about their mother, her own eyes filling with tears. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her sister cry, and she wasn’t sure how to take it. Her hand squeezed her sister’s. “I remember Lachlan.” She said with a nod of her head. She let her own tears fall, one hand covering her mouth at the imagery of their warrior goddess of a mother in danger. 

Quietly, she asked, “Did they say what caused her to collapse?” Her hand left her mouth and reached up to brush some of her older sister’s tears away, even though her own were falling as well. “I’m really glad you had them too.” Gen hated herself for this. She hated the fact that she’d made herself an outsider in their family. Selfish tactics, things she shouldn’t have done. She reached up from her position and took Tempy into a tight hug, letting them both bask in the moments that had changed them to their very core. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for any of you, Tempy. I really am so damn sorry. For you to have carried all of this…” She sniffed, shutting her eyes. “Well…not anymore. I want to be part of this family again, part of our pack. I’ll always be one step behind you.” 

The small touch and the understanding was a welcome comfort. Temperance had not talked to anyone about Asher’s leaving. She had not let herself dwell on it and so never told anyone the extent of the pain. She, like her mother, threw herself into her work and pretended that the part of her heart that Asher had taken with him didn’t exist. It was easier than admitting that the man she had thought was her mate, that she’d planned on marrying and having a family with had called it quits and not just on her, but his alpha and the town. Asher was gone, in the wind. 

She sighed softly and squeezed her sister’s hand. “Thank you, Gen,” she said softly. “It’s nice to be reminded of that.” She needed to remind herself of that when she started down this path. It was getting easier, but it was still hard. She hadn’t even dated since their breakup. No one in town had even caught her eye. She just couldn’t be bothered to find herself in a relationship like that again. She didn’t want to put the effort into something only find herself lost and lonely again. 

“He’s a nice guy,” she said, happy for the change in topic. “Exhaustion mostly, though I think her drinking was part of it.” She hid it, decently well, from the rest of the people around her, but Temperance was different. She knew her mother and her mother wasn’t very good at hiding things from her eldest. Just as her eldest wasn’t very good at hiding things from her mother. “I moved in with her after she was released from the hospital and stayed with her for several months. The switch back to the pack structure has been good for her. She’s not over run with business. Owen can deal with the town and Mom has the pack, plus she’s got the wardens that deal with the trouble that isn’t big enough for the Alpha. It’s a less strenuous structure for a pack this big.” 

Tanner pushed his card to the dusty blue pickup truck and began loading the bed. He gave her the directions to where his cabin was located and wheeled the cart into one of the return stalls. 

Tanner made it to his place and parked out front to begin bringing his groceries inside. With Tempy not too far behind, he waved to her as he finished up. “Come on in, make yourself at home.” He made his way to the kitchen and began putting things away he wouldn’t be needing that night. “Bathroom’s down the hall. I can put the wine in the fridge to chill before dinner.”

The drive up to the ranch had been an easy one. She knew the area, of course, and had followed him nonetheless. They arrived, her Mazda parked on the side in the event that he need to leave. She didn’t want to block him in for any reason. Plus, parking on the side allowed her a quicker way of getting out should she be called away. It was becoming increasingly more frequent considering the way things in this town were changing. 

She followed him in on his last trip with the food, her heels crunching on the gravel and dirt. “Thank you,” she told him, handing him the wine to chill before she made herself comfortable. She made note of the bathroom and set to explore a little of the home. “Do you need any help? My brother is the chef, but I can... supervise. I’m good at supervising.” She wasn’t very good at cooking, Dominic had gotten all of that skill, but she could make the basics. She, like she said, better at supervising. 

Gen’s brow furrowed as she spoke of Asher leaving. She’d known how much Temperance had loved him, she’d seen it in her sister’s eyes. Suddenly and so completely she’d been taken by Asher, and though Gen hadn’t seen much of her, she didn’t mind and she’d understood. In her mind, Tempy had found her mate, and that was that. “I will never understand how he couldn’t see things from your side. You’d, we’d, lost a father. Not just a father, a friend, a loved one. Our father was…everything to us.” Gen let that statement sink in, though she hated the lump it invoked. “I’m sorry, Tempy.” She reached forward and grabbed her sister’s hand. “That must have been so hard to handle on top of everything else.”

“I agree with you. Being both…is a tall order, even for our mother who’s a total warrior.” Gen moved away for a moment, not wanting to look Tempy in the eye. She should have been there for their mother in the hospital, been there with Temperance and her brothers. She’d heard. Once again she was angry with her ability to skirt anything that made some kind of negative emotion. When it came to actions, to dealing with a loved one hurt or dying, she didn’t have the tolerance. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like. Just how bad was it, Tempy?” She asked, knowing that her brothers had probably tried to sugarcoat it because they knew Gen so well. 

Temperance shrugged and took a sip of her wine. “I’ve played his leaving over and over in my head every day for the last six years,” she said honestly. “I have never been able to understand it or see it from his point of view.” Temperance wasn’t the only one that Asher walked away from, either. Xander had lost his best friend and his beta when Asher had called it quits on the town. Xander had stayed because of Rayne, though that hadn’t lasted long after either. So much had been destroyed in the past 12 years. So much lost. 

She blinked at the sudden pain that lanced through her and took a deep breath. She tried not to think about Asher and what he had done. She tried not to think about the book she had tucked away in her closet that held all the plans she’d put together for their wedding or the gown she had bought just weeks before her father had died that still hung hidden in its white garment bag in the back of her closet. She pushed away the memory of the ring she would wear when no one was around. She refused to walk down that path. 

“It was so bad,” she said honestly. “Lachlan Dunn, you remember him, right? The vampire with the cool eyes that used to work for Axel and was dating his son back in the day?” Surely she did? Lachlan had been around about 30 years ago, back when Axel and Ophelia were just starting out. “He found her. She stepped into his book shop and collapsed. He called Alister. Seeing her in that hospital bed... hooked up to those wires. It felt like I was watching her slip away just like dad only slower.” Her lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill. “It was like slow motion, I was watching her slip away.” She wiped at her eyes, careful not to smear her makeup and took a deep breath. “I’m very thankful Al and Dom were here. I don’t think I could have done it on my own again.” 

“Yeah…I was worried about coming here because of the weather, but my buddy insisted this would be the place for us to go.” Tanner nodded and smiled. “Sounds like a plan.” He looked down into his cart and figured he had everything he needed. “Alright. check-out lanes. If you wanted to put that other stuff back, I can pay for the wine, so we can get outta here.” Tanner could sometimes be too gentlemanly, and he knew there was a fine line between chivalry and misogyny. “I’m gonna go get in line. Meet you by the front? I live out by St. Clair’s ranch in  cabin.”

Temperance cradled the bottle of white wine in her hand and looked up at Tanner. She debated the idea of having him pay but shook her head. “Naw I got this. Hold on to it, though and save me a spot in line.” She passed the bottle to him and took her cart back so that she could return her products, though she paused for a moment at the mention of the St. Clair ranch. She was still needled by Harrison but she inclined her head. “I know it,” she told him simply before she disappeared to put the food back.

Once that had been done, she returned to the line Tanner had found himself in and slipped between him and another guest, her bottle of Pino holding her place on the belt. “Thanks, Jimmy,” she said kindly to the vampire behind her who had let her in. The checkout process was a quick one and before they knew it the pair had had their purchases bagged and they were on their way out the door. “Where on the ranch do you live?” She asked pulling the keys to her Mazda 6 out of her pocket. 

“Well we were there for a really bad winter. I’m not used to that; it was just shitty.” He shivered involuntarily. “I mean, I’ve had snowy winters before, but that one just sucked.” 

His eyes widened in surprise when she said she was one of the ones in charge. “Well shit. Imagine my luck.” He grinned, his smile meeting his eyes as they crinkled. “Is this maybe something we should talk about somewhere else? I’ve got a lot of questions, and I don’t know if I can keep things vague and still understandable.” He looked into her cart. “And if that’s all you’re getting, you’re welcome to come to my place and I’ll fix us a hearty steak dinner to talk over.” It was clear Tanner meant it as an offering in exchange for her knowledge - more business than date as he wasn’t flirting with her. “But I am new, and trust is earned, so if you’d rather we talk in a more neutral setting so you feel comfortable that I’m not some psycho, then I welcome that, too.”

Temp’s eyebrow rose and she gave him a strange look. “I’m the assistant manager of the ski resort,” She told him, emphasis on ski resort. They lived at the base of a large mountain. Snow was extremely normally in this part of Colorado and so the man in front of her had received a confused looked. Though, from Texas, she imagined even a few inches was a lot of snow. She wondered, idly what he would think of the Colorado winter. It wasn’t as bad as Montana’s, she didn’t think. 

“Very good, I guess,” she said with a shrug as she surveyed the items in her cart. Her dark eyes looked up, meeting his and she scoffed. Trust might have been earned but she knew how to hold her own, she was the Beta after all. Besides, if something happened to her, this guy wouldn’t last the night. The whole pack would come down on him. “How about I bring the wine?” She had been looking forward to that bottle, she wasn’t willing to give it up. “Whats a few fermented grapes between business conversations?” She agreed that they would need to speak more privately to be able to talk openly. The town had big ears most of the time. 

Tempy very much understood that this was just a dinner for conversation. There was no flirt to the way she spoke. Her mind didn’t bother wandering down a path she felt no need to traverse and so she had not even considered the idea that others might have wondered to the nature of his request. 

“Davenport, huh?” He’d been hearing that name a lot lately. “Friend of mine heard this was a good place to go. We moved up from Texas and have been traveling up the midwest the last few years.Lived in Montana for a while before coming back down here. We weren’t fond of the weather.” He chuckled, his eyes crinkling. “He had to go back to Texas for a while, but plans on moving up here, too.” 

“So…Davenport…I keep hearing that name around here. You guys a bit of a big deal?” He cracked a smile. “Maybe you can help point me in the direction of whoever’s in charge around here?” He hoped she knew he meant with the pack. 

Her smile grew a little and she nodded. It was a good place to live, though at this moment she wasn’t sure that could really be said with much truth. She’d witnessed first hand the death of several at the hands of a maniac with a gun. She knew what this town was turning into and the dangers that it held. Harry had been all too willing to break the accords and let it all go to shit. He was clearly losing it and had no idea what he was talking about. Bringing the hunters in, letting them past their borders was just fucking suicide. “What didn’t you like about the weather in Montana?” That seemed like an odd comment, she just had to ask about it. 

She bent to straighten the contents of her cart and scoot out of the way as someone else walked past them. It was the first time she’d remembered where she was standing. “You could say that,” she said with a little smirk. “I think I can help you find the people in charge, yeah. You’re looking at one of ‘em.” There was a tiny puff of pride to her words, she was proud to be the beta of this pack. She was proud to feel like a pack again. 

“Well, uh, this is a big town.” He gave her a smile as he tried to laugh at his joke. “I uh, yeah.” He cleared his throat and continued. “Moved here a couple weeks ago. Still figuring this all out.” He picked up on her scent and opened his mouth to imply he was still figuring out the wolf stuff too, but he changed his mind. Tanner had learned the hard way not to just walk up to someone and announce how new of a wolf he was, though this woman seemed kind enough to not try to kill him for walking into the wrong territory. “Tanner.” He wiped his hand on the seat of his pants and leaned forward to offer it to shake hers.

Tempy smiled sweetly and made a little noise that would fit between a small chuckle and a hum of agreement. “So it is,” she said with an incline of her head. She’d lived here all her life that it seemed so small to her, but she knew that to others it seemed large. She could agree with his answer, though it didn’t change the fact that she very much would have known his face had he been in town for any longer. 

She took his hand, delicate fingers wrapping around a large callused hand. “Temperance. Davenport.” She didn’t know how much he knew of the town, but the Davenport name was all over it considering they were a founding family and the pack leaders of the largest pack in the town. “What brings you out to Spiritvale?” 

Gen nodded as her sister spoke. “I missed you guys too. So, so much. I wish Finn would have gotten to meet all of you. I contemplated bringing him here…but I felt it was too risky. We have a secret to protect, after all.” She said, waving a hand in the air. “But I talked about you all the time. Little did he know that when I was a child that was almost 100 years ago.” She said, laughing a bit as she said it. Gen always had the genetics of a maternal figure, even when she was a child, but the moment she fell pregnant it kicked into overdrive. Her whole world became that little girl in the other room, sleepy soundly and safely. 

She squeezed her sister’s hand tightly as she held it and looked into Tempy’s eyes that so matched her own. She held on every word as if they were a lifeline. “I think I needed to hear that too, Tempy. I’ll try my best from here on out. Mainly because I want Madison to hold her head high and have faith in herself. I need to be a better role model and stop running. Maddie can’t think that’s okay.”She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Enough about me. Talk to me about what’s been going on in town, what’s been going on with you! I want to know it all. What have I missed?”

“I wish I could say I have a lot to tell you,” she said softly, “but I really don’t. Asher left a few years back. Couldn’t handle the fact that I was more focused on the family and the town.” She shrugged as though it didn’t bother her, but it did. She hadn’t even tried to date since he left, couldn’t bring herself to let her eyes stray to another. “My days mostly consist of working and making sure Mom is taking care of herself. It’s gotten better since she stepped down as Mayor and went back to being the alpha, but I still worry,” she said with a sigh. “Halloween was so scary. I’ve never felt so helpless.” 

Her mother in the hospital bed had been beyond anything she had ever expected to see and had scared her more than she wanted to admit. She’d already lost her dad, faced with the possibility of losing her mother was just too much for Tempy to bear. She’d stepped back into the ring then. Reached out to Ash and Rayne because she was in need of an outlet for the pain. To everyone’s shock, she’d walked away from the victor of that fight. Proving that she was the rightful Beta of the pack. She’ll never forget the shocked look on both Ash and Rayne’s faces. It had been beautiful. A simple reminder that she hadn’t changed, even if her life had.