{{She does not belong here!}}

{{You've interacted with her for more than two minutes and you still think that?}}

Dean had a splitting headache. She could tell she wasn't in a familiar place, and the most important clue was her jaguar's level of anxiety. Since the feline was never timid Dean made sure to take heed and kept her body still and relaxed.

The last thing she remembered was passing out as she and Castiel had breached the threshold of the bank exit. She didn't know the reason or why her nose kept twinging at the smells around her.

Dean could hear Castiel's thoughts dance through her head but they weren't alone in there. Dean tried her best to mull over the situation but could only silently curse to herself as her head throbbed painfully when she made the attempt.

{{She kills your kind without question! Didn't her government give your kind rights?}} The stranger's thoughts practically pounded through her head.

{{I do not want you in my head, I do not want to be back here and I most definitely know I do not want her to be here.}} Castiel's anger was almost palpable and Dean felt surprised the seemingly mellow lycanthrope could emote in such a manner, thoughts or otherwise.

{{Too damn bad huh? Besides you were in contact with her when I summoned you, so technically it's your fault.}} The stranger accused.

{{How dare you —}}

{{I risked life and limb to get you out of here, don't you take that tone with me mortal.}} By now the stranger's tone had stopped sounding playful and was beginning to sound pretty pissed.

Castiel was having none of that however. {{You did no such thing! You only helped me because of my chance at failure. After that I will be right back here and you can feed off not only my fears but my sorrow.}}

{{You don't sound very grateful at all for your second chance at life…at love.}}

{{All right do not start waxing poetic now! Just say what you brought me here to listen to, and send us back.}} Castiel ordered brusquely.

Dean felt something touch her face. Since Castiel's arms were tight around her she knew the sensation wasn't his touch. It wasn't physical but mental like the thoughts going back and forth in her head.

Whoever this was there was something Other about him that Dean didn't understand. Her inner kitty was still cringing and whimpering, but even if she hadn't thought it before this instant Dean knew she was braver than her beast today.

That thought made her open her eyes, to gaze up at the Otherness without fear. She had done this with plenty of lycanthropes; she would do it with this creature

Her eyes didn't even have time to adjust and compute what they were seeing before she was sitting in her grandma's Spider in Castiel's arms.

"What the hell?" Dean met Castiel's miss-matched eyes and felt a chill suffuse her to the core as they stared past her.

"Are you all right?" Castiel helped her to sit up and fumbled his fingers over her shoulders and down her arms.

"Yes. Back off!" Dean ordered as she noticed her migraine had vanished.

"You were awake." Castiel stated uncertainly.

"Most of the time," She admitted. "You mind telling me what that was?"

"I have someone else after me. Not just my brother and his friends."

"So why are you alive right now if you were caught?"

"Wha-" He turned his head toward her, but again seemed to look through her. "Caught?"

"We were in the same place." Dean grumbled. "I was eavesdropping on your conversation."

"You-" He cut himself off and grabbed for the seatbelt. "You did not tell me you were telepathic." Suggested yes, but not in those exact words.

"There are a lot of things Dean won't be tellin' you Wolf. Get used to it." She put on her own seatbelt and started the car.

"I would tell you anything you asked of me," Castiel said softly.

"Why would you do that? You hardly know me. I kill your kind." She moved slowly down the street looking for clothing stores.

"You do not just go out hunting us to kill us. Like a true hunter you do it with purpose. There are people out there, creatures that hunt us just out of hate." Castiel was staring at the dashboard in a distracted way. "I am sure there are those of your Order that hunt like that."

"Yes," Dean's mind flashed back to that grisly scene so many years ago, when her grandmother had killed her parents so brutally. "They make grand claims, but mostly are just bigots with the right to kill what they hate."

"It is all well and good to be an animal they do not just kill to kill, but you put the human into the equation…My kind do the same, there is even a rule every pup is taught as they grow." Castiel looked at the store she parked in front of. "'Kill them before they kill you.'"

Since it was uncomfortably close to the Lumberjack's number one rule Dean pushed the words aside. "Fine. I might not be a cold-blooded killer, but you still know nothing about me."

"Well…I trust you."

Dean scoffed as she cut the engine and removed the key from the ignition, "You've known me-what?-A total of an hour?" She pocketed her car keys, and gave a brutal shove to the door to open it.

Dean was at the front door of the store before Castiel caught up to her, his hand fumbling at her elbow. "You could have left me in the forest - damn you could have killed me - but you did not! You came into the bank with me, let me use your cloak but you did not have to. That tells me I can trust you."

"What."

"You are nice…White hats, good guys they do not do things worthy of distrust and speculation."

"You have been in the forest way too long Wolf," Dean freed her arm from his grasping fingertips with a jerk and moved through the doors, Castiel close on her heels. "Would you back up?" She spun around to put an arm's length between him, and he almost took her down as he barreled into hard enough to buckle her straight-arm.

"Sorry!"

Dean grabbed his both of his arms and shoved him back. She examined his face as soon as they had the space and he looked startled. "What's wrong with you?"

There was a nervous tension in his muscular arms and he practically thrilled with worry. "No-Nothing," He tried to take a step back, but Dean didn't release his arms. "Let go."

"What happened to telling me everything I asked?" Dean recalled as she smelled the lie on him. It wasn't an easy skill to master, but it was easier when the person lying was no good at it. "I suppose you didn't promise the truth." He was too closed-off for Dean to read much more so she gave up for now. "Fine," she let go of him and turned away to find a shirt.

"Can I help you Sir?" An uncomfortable teenage girl asked Castiel as Dean left him in the middle of the store.

Dean couldn't stand another soak in some other woman's hormones, and thankfully the clerk was human and didn't know how to broadcast hers. The store was small so it didn't take her long to find the lady's section.

Apparently it was spring because Dean couldn't find a single black shirt. Her eyes scanned over garish colors, orange, lime green and bubblegum pink.

What do you expect? You have to shop in a Goth store during most of this season back home. She grumbled mentally to herself as she realized she hadn't gotten a clerk fifteen seconds after entering the store. Then again she wasn't naked.

With a resigned sigh Dean made her way over to find a shirt in the men's department. Castiel was already at the register with what had to be the pinkest shirt she'd ever seen. Without thinking she made a detour, and intercepted the flirting teenager as she tried to ring Castiel's clothes up.

When the girl looked up startled Dean gave her a reassuring smile. "Are you one of those people that wear brilliant colors Castiel?"

Just as she suspected Castiel shook his head. "Not really."

"Oh but they're all the rage this season, along with pale slacks," The clerk said with a bright smile. "Light colors really compliment your skin tone."

Castiel looked like he was going to just buy the shirt to avoid the trouble. Dean didn't need her kitty senses to sense the girl's crumbling confidence either, she was pretty sure Castiel had a nose full so she spoke. "I'm sure it is…" She glanced at her nametag. "'Felicity.'" She took Castiel's arm and turned him away, leading him back to the men's section.

"Something dark please," Castiel murmured to Dean as they moved through the racks.

Like Dean, Castiel's choices were slim in the store. She picked up a dark navy shirt and held it up for him. "This?"

"Um, I need pants too." Dean let him take the shirt. "Thanks."

With a moment of thought Dean picked up a sky blue shirt and turned to display it. "Like this?"

"Fine-" Castiel reached for the clothes, but Dean didn't release the shirt this time. "Is something wrong?"

"I could ask you the same," Dean reached forward and waved her hand in front of his face. Castiel's hand caught hers as he jerked his head back. "Can you see?"

"Yes!" He said grumpily.

"With your eyes?" Dean clarified. She knew his other senses would make up for most of his eyesight, but different colored shirts didn't smell.

Castiel was quiet, letting go of the bright blue shirt. "Color blind."

Dean scowled at the answer. "How many fingers am I holding up?" She flipped him off and his gaze didn't change. She focused on a different number mentally as well. {{Two...}}

"Two," Castiel answered.

"Wrong," Dean looked over her shoulder at Felicity who was staring at them. She growled and grabbed Castiel's wrist to lead him away. She grabbed a pair of black Levi's as she passed a table of them and made her way to the dressing room with the werewolf in tow. "You cheated," Dean growled and Castiel knew that even if his hearing wasn't compensating for his lost eyesight, his doggie ears would have heard the hushed accusation anyway.

"Me? You purposely misled me!" Castiel tried to sound like the wronged one, but he knew he'd been caught.

"All you wolves are the same, my Nana is right," Dean tried her best to hide how hurt she was and to keep herself broadcasting it. Why was she acting like this?

First the jealousy over Hannah the werewolf bank teller, and now she was actually hurt that he'd lied to her! Especially after she had mocked him for wanting to be honest and open with her, a perfect stranger.

Dean was too much jaguar to deny her attraction to Castiel. He was hot and she was trying not to devour him. It might have been an easier fight if he hadn't also been a powerful lycanthrope meaning her jaguar was in the same struggle. As a semi-mature woman she had fairly decent control of her libido but she had yet to get as firm a handle on anything concerning her feline psyche. She wanted desperately to roll in his prickly energy, drape her body over his naked form –

What troubled her most about this particular dilemma was that she'd been around powerful and handsome lycanthropes before, and hadn't had to shut herself off from her jaguar. For Dean either being alone, or hunting lycanthropes had always been when she could relax her shields. The only other time she had had this tough a time making her inner-kitty heel was the summer she'd reached puberty.

Like a dog with obedience issues Dean had to constantly tell herself, "No!" in answer to some not-very-stranger-like desires.

"Was the shirt really that bad?"

"Pinkest damn men's shirt I've ever seen," Dean said shortly as she pushed open the short swinging door to one of the two changing rooms. "Here. Clothes are on the wall." She pushed him into the room and let the door swing shut.

As Dean waited outside she put the shirt that she'd snagged on over the one she was wearing. Black-on-black always a winner, she told herself as she checked the shirt out in the mirror. Well I suppose not if the woman is busty and the shirt is cut for men.

"You got the size on the jeans a little small…" Castiel called as he pulled the button-up shirt on over his head.

Did not, Dean smiled to herself as he came out of the dressing room. "Sure I did," She moved forward and took his shirt sleeve in one hand as she pulled the tags off with the other. She couldn't help herself from noticing how the jean's fit was just a touch tight, perfect in her opinion.

Her jaguar's too.

"That's what that was," Castiel joked about the abundance of price tags hanging off of his new clothes.

"Mm-hm," Dean peeled off the long size sticker on his thigh and gave a yank to the two tags sewn on the waistband and back pocket.

"I can do that," Castiel told her a little perturbed.

"Fine," She handed him the tags. There was one more promotional sticker on the other back pocket which she purposefully ignored. "Enjoy," Dean turned and moved to go back to the cash register.

They paid for the clothes and left the store. "So do you go blind all the time?"

"No," Castiel grumbled carefully folding Dean's cloak as they moved across the sidewalk. He deposited the neatly folded fabric into the backseat and slid into the passenger-side seat, Dean noticed the sticker was still there. "I…am being punished."

"By who?" Dean started the car and pulled out of the parking space. "God?"

"No," Castiel pulled on his seatbelt as he chuckled at her guess. "A very powerful creature, he does not like me much."

"So where can I find him?" Dean asked. "If he can just summon you at will…" She didn't want to finish the thought.

"Yes he is truly a problem, but you cannot take him," He immediately felt the prickle of her anger, and it was no accident that Dean let it leak out. "I do not mean anything bad by it, but he is out of your league."

"Not much is out of my league Wolf," Dean glanced at the oncoming lane before passing a tractor going as fast as a snail leaving the small town quickly afterwards.

"Being psychic will not be enough," Castiel's face was forlorn as he waved his hand before his face.

"Lumberjacks have super strength," She informed him, he didn't have to know hers was natural or that she had other jaguar tendencies…

Like the impulse to lick his cheek. Ew! Dean what the fuck is wrong with you? "Stop it Wolf," She growled at Castiel who looked over at her quizzically, of course he wouldn't expect a human to smell the sadness that exuded from his skin, sense it in his lycanthrope energy and want desperately to soothe him.

Damn! Dean didn't know why his emotional broadcast would bug her. His depression was touching something she'd pushed deep inside. She wanted to comfort him, run her hand along his silky hair and ease away his pain.

The steering wheel protested the grip she had it in. She noticed her knuckles were white and she tried to calm down.

She felt them before she saw them; four wolves and two wolfmen immerged from the tree line and moved without hesitation into the narrow road. Dean was in no mood to deal with more lycanthropes tonight, even if it was her job. Normally she was always in the mood to fight but just the emotional tussles with Castiel had her feeling exhausted so she was pretty close to being in Grumpy Lycanthrope mode. She knew they were off their reserve somewhere in the back of her mind, her memory helped along with the visual of the map of the area's handful of government reserves.

Blood... Her jaguar rumbled deep inside, momentarily distracted by the strategy going through her mind, the knowledge that a fight was immanent. In a bid to keep her other desires quiet Dean decided to give into this one.

"Hey-! Keep going!" Castiel ordered, diving for the driver's floorboard and the pedals. Dean slammed her knee to the right to block his attempt with the center consol and she felt his panic stab across her skin.

"I ain't gonna dent my Nana's favorite car-"

"Do you think she would even hesitate on the gas?" Castiel murmured, his emotions taking on a slightly different flavor.

The wolves were already forming a line across the street. Castiel was right, her grandma would have mowed them down with the car then come back to finish them off. She had another car equipped with silver spiked bumpers for just such a purpose.

Dean didn't cheat. Other lycanthropes were cocky enough to use their power as their only weapon and Dean was just cocky enough too. She pulled over a safe distance from them which was pretty far for a creature with super speed and agility.

Castiel moved to get out of the car with her but she objected. "You might be a lycanthrope, but you're still a liability blind like this."

Castiel felt a warm rush at her concern and tried his best to banish it; the moment definitely didn't call for it. He also didn't mention that she was a good enough person to find him a liability, a person that would distract her because they were vulnerable and needed her protection. "That big one is my father," Castiel pointed in their general direction. "And you might have taken on my brother and his hunting party but these are my Ulfric and his top five strongest wolves, excluding Nathaniel and his second."

Dean was sure Castiel knew his father's energy like she knew her mother's perfume, and she looked over at the biggest shaggy black wolf in the center. She also knew that he wouldn't be convinced to stay back, and he was not her responsibility.

But he was.

"You no longer have an Ulfric," She didn't let him know that she had killed plenty of Ulfrics, Rat Kings and Lion Kings in her day and instead got out of the car and waited until Castiel walked up beside her, before moving forward. His steps didn't falter but Dean was still aware for any misstep. She kept reminding herself that she wouldn't reach out to take his arm should he stumble; she was the big bad Lumberjack after all.

She shrugged off the needle pricks of the energy of all six werewolves, every ounce threatening and harsh coming from each beast raring for a fight. Castiel's reaction to them had prepared her for a fight but she wasn't going to start it this time. Even though Dean was reminding herself to stay calm with each step forward she still gave her inner jaguar a nod. "Evenin' ladies and gentlemen."

Dean could feel the outrage of the black wolf hit her, but she always pretended to be human until she had to release her beast as-it-were, so she stood there unflinching in its onslaught. She didn't flinch and didn't go for her sword like she wanted, she had learned long ago to trust her jaguar and her clairvoyant flashes, and they hadn't let her down yet.

{{Do you make a habit of kidnapping?}}

The thought was old and Dean knew it was from the Ulfric in front of her. It seemed kind of obvious that mind powers would run in the family, but Dean was still kind of surprised. She hadn't met a telepathic lycanthrope before tonight outside the usual link they tended to have with members of their own pack. "Excuse me, Sir…" Dean said softly and they redirected their attention to her. "I've been polite, you could do the same."

{{Polite? Why would you say that?}}

Dean felt Castiel's energy spike beside her in apprehension, surely he didn't know her that well after only being around a few hours. "I know you're off your reserve and I haven't killed you yet."

Castiel groaned and his hand touched Dean's arm in warning but she moved it out of his grip and gave him a soft growl of displeasure since he wouldn't see her glare. It was only a second but she felt the sudden rise in energy and she reached for her sword as she stepped back and quickly returned her gaze to the werewolves making her mark blaze.

She didn't get the sword drawn before Castiel's hand was on hers where it was wrapped around the hilt, the two wolfmen on either side of the black wolf were moving forward already in defense. The black wolf was now only a little shorter than either of them in his own wolfman form.

"Is this what you wanted bitch?" The wolfman asked his voice low and growling from his canine muzzle.

"The name is Dean," Dean murmured as she released her sword and it slid back into place. "You?"

"Michael."

"Michael? Wow," Dean looked over toward Castiel for only a split second before she returned her gaze back to the dangerous werewolves. "Your family likes the ancient classics huh?"

"I was not kidnapped and you know it," Castiel interrupted the Ulfric, before he could growl something angrily at Dean's less-than-respectful attitude. If there was one thing Castiel had come to know it was his father's reaction to back-talk. Castiel himself had done plenty of it even in his subservient days.

"Where is your brother?"

Castiel jumped to speak before Dean decided to get talkative. "He failed to find me obviously. I am getting far away from here where you and my brother's loyal wolves will not find me."

"Why would you want to leave?" The wolfman's eyes moved from Castiel to Dean and she knew that his eyes were going over the elaborate tattoo over her eye, not a good sign.

"You might have argued with him father, but I know you are just as scared about the curse as Nathaniel was." Castiel didn't wince outwardly because of the past tense he'd accidentally used with his brother-his father didn't notice the mistake-but having mentioned the curse in front of Dean who was definitely the curious type.

"I am not scared," The wolfman sounded affronted at the suggestion that he might feel fear. "You have to know that no one has ever done what you have."

"Dad," Castiel took a step forward and this time it was Dean that grabbed his hand to keep him back. Being blind meant that he couldn't see her tattoo so didn't realize that things were going to get very bad, very soon.

"Castiel my council tells me I have to decide whether to kill you or to make sure you stay isolated with the pack. I have chosen neither. I want you to get as far from my pack as you can," The voice sounded softer behind the snarl. "They believe this a show of weakness, but I have told them they are wrong. Considering what has happened to you I think that death is not the answer."

"Understatement of the year Sir, thank you," Castiel finally took that step back and Dean released him with a relieved breath. It might not be the Alpha that wanted to gut her but one of the others did, or several – shit - all of them even.

"Not so fast," The Ulfric looked to his right and one of the guard still in wolf form gave a growl. "I need to have assurances that you will not return."

"I will not. I do not want to be here. I will never want to be Alpha." Castiel promised.

"Hestia will take you to the city, and take you where you need to go to find your mate."

"Why do you have to control everything?" Castiel asked him as he gestured toward Dean. "I have my ride and I can search on my own." He kept his feelings close, knowing his father's nose was keen for any trace of doubt. Castiel knew the only motive Michael had for sending Hestia was to kill his mate the moment they knew who she was.

"What would happen if you were hurt? You know that her kind won't hesitate to kill you. If they find out you've killed their kind, the human's won't even give you a trial." Michael growled and took a giant doggie step forward and Dean tried not to flinch either with fear or to grab for her sword, she knew she could reach it in time if he chose to attack. "You can't protect yourself in her world. Your power is like walking around waving a loaded gun, they'll fill you with silver in a second."

"Sir…" Castiel shook his head, knowing his excuses for what they were. "Do you know what could happen-"

"Why do you think I won't kill you?" Michael's voice lost whatever softness it had in a growl. "I know you haven't challenged the most powerful generals for power placement because it is your brother that is next in line."

Castiel snatched back the smug grin before it found his lips. Here was his father's true fear – a severely mistreated son - now with the power to take what he wanted from those that had trod so harshly on him before. "Do you think..." Castiel made himself ask. "Even if I could get past Nathaniel-without killing him-that I would one day come after you?"

"I don't know you anymore Castiel, not after-"

"You will protect me?" Castiel asked suddenly and Dean realized that he was asking her.

"Sure," Dean shrugged.

Michael threw his shaggy head back and laughed, a strange sound coming from a doggie throat. There was a gentle stir as the rest of the werewolves either chuckled or stretched their lips back to bare their teeth in a wolfy smile.

{{I am sorry,}} Castiel's thought came into her mind sad and apologetic.

{{Why?}} Dean wondered, she had been doing that since this conversation had started, and she definitely had plenty of questions for her passenger to fill the long drive.

"If you think she can protect you then she has to be as strong as Hestia." Michael moved away from his son, and back to his wolves. "I will not send you away to death. Who knows if more power will make you change your mind about being Alpha?"

Even blind Castiel wanted to give an insolent roll of his eyes as his father finally admitted it aloud. "For the last time, I do not want any part of this pack," Castiel's soft voice went cold, but still passionate. "Not even having a father as Alpha gave your pack any respect for me."

"No one has respect for the lowest whore…" One of the other wolfmen replied, his voice gravely. "You played submissive well."

"I thought there was nothing for me but the pack. I know now that my mate is out there and She. Is. All. I. Need," Castiel sounded wistful and not at all like the stereotypical werewolf.

"How surprising the pack bitch is going to find his human whore-"

"I protected you from death." Michael interrupted the wolfman to remind his son going right for below the belt. "All else is law-"

"You make the law!" Castiel's voice broke and Dean could feel his power rise. As it did so she realized that he'd been hiding the truth breadth of it until now and it made goose bumps run up Dean's arms.

"Ease back! You have earned your respect, at least as much as you deserve." Michael's energy rose to let his son know he wouldn't hesitate. "Let her earn hers."

Somehow Dean knew the Ulfric meant her. Castiel had apologized before, this must have been why. She had agreed to protect him, but she was a human in their eyes; nothing.

Dean couldn't blame them, without the foreboding red tattoo she was singularly unimpressive looking. Well as a threat, she liked to think she was impressive otherwise. Nice rack at least.

She was sure he didn't truly understand what she knowingly offered when she said she would protect him. Fighting one of them was nothing since earlier tonight she had honestly expected to kill them all.

This was just another hunting party off their reserve.

"No-"

"You dare order me as if you were my better?" Michael asked Castiel as he tried to object.

Dean put a hand on Castiel's shoulder as his energy began to spike upward again. Was there an end to it? "Please, Castiel."

His name from her lips had a strange effect on Castiel. He felt the concern in her, radiating out like warmth. She was so sincere it made his teeth ache. He could picture her face in the darkness that had become his sight, and he could almost see the frown that marred her brow. "Hestia is the most powerful she-wolf in the pack Dee."

"I'm gonna let both of those transgressions pass this time, but from now on it's either Dean or Ma'am. Don't ever doubt my skill."

She was so damned cocky! Castiel knew from experience that his father didn't like that without proof, and unless she was more powerful than she looked her attitude was empty. Castiel wanted to protest, but his father might pounce. He didn't wish to harm his father and Dean would die at his claws or catch the strain. Lumberjacks kill themselves rather than become the enemy, Castiel didn't know how he knew but it made sense.

"All right if you want to be difficult I will jump through your hoops," Dean's voice said, leading to some aggravated energy spikes and a few snarls at her nerve.

Then Castiel heard something that made his heart nearly stop, again.

"No man-made weapons," Michael's second-in-command Riley growled and his Alpha agreed. Castiel wasn't sure if it was Dean's cockiness that made them want to knock her down a peg or what.

"She'll be protecting me with man-made weapons."

"Shut-up will you Castiel?" This actually from Dean! "Hold this," and he felt the hilt of her sword gently guided into his hands. "Just in case King Daddy decides it's within the rules if she steals the man-made weapons fair and square."

Dean saw the worried set in Castiel's forehead, and she could tell he was trying his best not to argue. Brownie points. She moved a few steps back from the hunting party and away from the blind wolf as Hestia advanced.

"Hestia, shift."

"Naw," Dean said with an easy smile. "Fight how you feel comfortable, I'll do the same." Then like Dean had expected the she-wolf shifted to her middle form, an impressive wolfwoman with shaggy chestnut fur.

Dean knew her natural-born strength would help her considerably in this fight, but if Hestia was one of the generals that protected the Alpha she had more metaphysical shit than could fill a dump truck. With such energy she could easily shore up any physical shortcomings by giving herself a boost in strength, speed, or agility. A lycanthrope could have the physical strength of a human (although only the weakest did), but pair it with power and they could be stronger than their Arnold Schwarzenegger counterparts.

The bad thing now occurring to Dean, and taking most of the fun out of this latest event was that she hadn't shown her power to anyone that hadn't died immediately thereafter. The only exception was her grandma. That hadn't been much of a power rising since it had been like the ants marching up and down her Nana's skin, and had put her on edge enough to make her pull a gun.

She would just have to use her non-kitty powers to stay ahead and hope she got lucky. She had been a Lumberjack for going on six years now, Lady Luck and she had gotten nice and cozy in that time. She still had her naturally-inherited strength and agility, and hopefully that would be enough in this fight.

"No cutting me any slack now puppy," Dean called knowing she'd get less than Hestia's best just because they thought she was human, but some lycanthropes got sloppy when they got pissed. "You are going up against a pretty tough chew toy."

God she was nuts! Castiel strained his ears. He could hear Hestia's claws scrabble on the asphalt as she lunged forward with a snarl. When he edged closer he was sure he could hear Dean's heart thundering. Castiel wondered if it was from fear or excitement, he didn't really want to sniff and find out.

Dean was so quiet! Castiel could hear Hestia's grunts and growls but Dean was just breathing. After a moment he could hear the swiping of Hestia's claws through the air and not much else.

"She moves like the wind," Castiel heard his farther remark to his Guard and if his father was impressed...

Just brute strength was nothing on the difficulty meter so far. Hestia wasn't bothering to turn on her mojo and Dean didn't find it at all hard to dodge or even absorb her attacks. Dean caught the wolfwoman in the ribs and she heard the crack and knew her furry paws had left the ground.

Hestia retreated a moment and Dean let her, this wasn't a fight to the death - at least not officially - and she wanted the wolf to have a chance to surrender. Dean knew the tactic, she was giving her ribs time to heal a bit, knit back together.

Dean caught a teasing whiff of Hestia's fear, and it was like perfume to her beast. Dean's jaguar shook itself like it was shaking water out of its fur sending a shiver through Dean and she shielded like nobody's business. Not now bitch! She scolded her jaguar.

Hestia lunged again but Dean was already a step out of the way, thanks to her maternal powers. As the wolfwoman's momentum slowed Dean ducked behind her to dodge the claw swipe Hestia turned with. "Stand still—oof!" Hestia growled as Dean delivered an uppercut to her solar plexus and the wolfwoman rode her first up a foot or two into the air. Hestia let out a doggy whine and crumpled to the pavement.

"Wow," Dean looked down at the she-wolf curled into the doggy equivalent of the fetal position, her tail between her legs. "I definitely did not expect that." Dean tilted her head as she looked over the werewolf. "Like a house of cards."

As usual Dean got the precognitive flash only a millisecond before Hestia lashed out, and her jump to avoid turned into a spectacular back flip. Dean was only disappointed that any of those present that could actually see wouldn't appreciate it. She was sure they'd appreciate the quick reaction time though, and when her legs came up she was able to catch Hestia under the muzzle twice with each foot.

Castiel could definitely smell the excitement and the fear, but he hadn't expected them to come from the people they did and that made him wish he could see. His own heart sped up as he felt the tell-tale tingle of Hestia's charging energy across his skin. He wanted to call out a warning to Dean but didn't wish to distract her when it could mean her death.

Son of a bitch, Dean clenched her hands into fists since apparently Hestia had realized sheer force wasn't doing it. Dean felt the infuriated doggy energy roil across her skin like heat.

With a breath of relief Castiel picked up on the tenor of Dean's thought. So she does know what was going on, somehow I should have known. How could she have stayed alive in her line of work without a little sensitivity to mystical energy?

"Get done playing with her woman!" Michael growled. "Finish this!"

"This was just proving myself, my strength," Dean called out. "No killing." As ironic as that sounds coming from my mouth…

"She'll kill you." Michael informed her.

"King-o while Castiel is with me I can easily protect him, and that is all I have to prove."

"Hestia!" Michael said, his voice commanding.

For Dean it was like slow motion. Whatever Michael communicated to his she-wolf caused her energy to shoot through the roof. Hestia's energy was impressive but Dean knew it was the zenith of her power and wasn't impressed. When the lycanthrope turned it away from her things took on a whole new value. Dean called out a warning as Hestia jumped for Castiel.

As rage surged through Dean she thought she heard a feline's roar but realized it was just inside her own head. Suddenly she was on Hestia's back - surprising herself at how fast she moved - her weight driving the she-wolf to her knees. Hestia snarled and tried to wiggle free but Dean took her chin in a vice-like grip and CRACK! Hestia stopped struggling and fell forward onto the asphalt.

Dean looked up at Castiel from her position straddling the dead wolfwoman's back, he was so close she could have reached out and touched him No matter how surprised she had been at her speed it had almost been too little too late, a few more inches. She knew he couldn't see, but his agape expression still made her look away ashamed. She'd never been ashamed of doing her job before.

Wow the tension was almost palpable. Dean glance over her shoulder to meet Michael's wolfy gaze and without a word telepathically or otherwise he and his Guard left. One of the wolfmen came and Dean got up as he moved to take the body.

"I guess you won," Castiel murmured into the silence. "That was scary. No wonder you are so confident."

Dean moved close and Castiel's body went tense as he sensed the anger she was dampening down. "Scary Wolf? That was nothing," She then turned and started back to the car sort of proud at the indifferent tone she pulled off and thankful she hadn't gotten Hestia's whole life when she'd broken her neck. She felt him reach out for her hand but she didn't want to help him, she wanted him to stay here, far away from her.

The part of Dean that wasn't ashamed was angry. Guilty? Ashamed! She was born to do this, it was her destiny!

Only half of your destiny, an ugly little voice whispered in the back of her mind.

She sat behind the wheel of her grandma's car and saw Castiel make his way unsteadily toward the car. God he's gorgeous, Dean growled and started the car. The sound of the engine helped guide Castiel in the right direction and soon he was clicking on his seatbelt beside her.

He was subdued, quiet and Dean wondered why. Although she'd had a frighteningly close moment at the end there, she hadn't let an ounce of kitty energy out. She had clung tight to her rage and kept the jaguar at bay, and she was paying for it. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat trying to stretch the ache out of her body from when her jaguar had fought back a few breathless seconds against her control when she'd tried to push her back down at the end.

"Are you hurt?"

Not physically, Dean clamped down on her thoughts; she knew Castiel wouldn't mind his own business telepathically. "I'll be fine," She replied gruffly and reached to turn the radio back on.

She was purposefully paying attention to the road so she didn't expect it when Castiel's hand covered hers as she reached to reassign another of the radio buttons. She gave him a glance but soon returned her eyes to the road.

"Thank you, you did not have to do that," Castiel said softly, only her kitty hearing picked it up over the wind.

"I kill lycanthropes for a living, one more makes no difference." Again Dean succeeded in sounding nonchalant, uncaring. "I need my hand," She didn't, she could drive this road with her knee like a pro, but his touch had a dizzying affect on her concentration.

"You could have left me there, you could have let Hestia escort me, you could have-"

"White hat, you said it," Dean interrupted, pulling her hand out of his. She only sat there a moment staring at her knuckles where the hand gripped the wheel before she wondered why it was so much colder.

Castiel turned the radio down a few notches. "If the radio is too loud I cannot hear your voice," He explained. "It is beautiful."

The warm rush that came at his compliment spiked Dean's ire. Wolves are off limits. Back the fuck off, she told herself and concentrated on the winding road.

Castiel almost flinched at the thought. So much for helping her forget what he was. He had succeeded in stretching out their time together. She couldn't just dump him as soon as they reached their destination, she had said she'd protect him and he was going to take full advantage of this new opportunity.