Averys POV
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After breakfast, I, Amber, and Lisa headed into town again. This time to shop for Christmas gifts. Another favorite of mine during Christmas time, buying people's gifts. Nothing fancy or expensive but rather meaningful and personal. Something that shows that you truly know the person you’re giving the gift to.
I carefully placed my hand on his, not sure if he wanted the contact right now. He turned his hand and intertwined our fingers. My eyes were on our hands so I hadn't noticed that he was looking at me.He leaned into where his mouth was close to my ear.
”I was going to put the presents away in my closet yesterday when I saw a hatch in the bottom right corner. I opened it and this laid there. Open it.” I encouraged him. All eyes in the room were on the boxand James. He slowly lifted the top and took out the letter. When he saw what underneath it, his breathing stopped and he swallowed hard.
Averys POV ââââââ
I stayed silent which looked pleasing to him.” Great. Now punch.” I bit together and clenched my jaw. I raise my right hand and throw a straight punch at the pad Alex was holding. It didn't even move, he didn't bat an eyelash and looked just as disappointed at the lack of strength in my punch as I was.
Averys POVâââââ-
I turned my heel and ran out of the room and up the stairs until I reached the top floor.
I opened my eyes again to see everyone shaking and bowing their heads, showing their necks. Amber held my hands, stroking them gently. â We can all sense your wolf James, you need to calm down.â Oh fuck. I calmed Blade to where his aura wasnât forcing everyone in to submission and turned back to Alex. âTake her to the dungeons, but sure she's fucking comfortable or you'll join her.â I warned before sending out a mind link to all the ranked members. âMeet me in my office in one hour. Itâs time.â
When Amber and James returned, we met them downstairs. Amber looked in awe as Malia walked toward her. Alex and his mate came down the stairs, he was holding Isabella and all three of them looked amazing.Alex had taken his role of uncle as an absolute. There wasn't a day that had gone by without him holding her or making sure that she was alright. No one else had been able to hold her, nobody outside the family, he and James were very alike in that aspect. Very protective.âYou look beautiful,â Amber said breathlessly as she wrapped her arms around Malia.I bit my bottom lip and hooked my arm with Jamesâs.We walked to the clearing where Lisa, Jackson, Trisha, Raven, Lucas Lydia, and Micheal were waiting. Amber wiped away a tear as she saw what we had done.âOh wow,â Amber said.âIt looks amazing,â James whispered in my ear. Malia guided Amber onto the cliff and grabbed her hands. âThere is nothing I can say that will ever measure up to how I feel about you, but I promise to show
1 week later. A week had gone by since the war, Amber had adjusted quite well to the life of a vampire. The one thing that had been the hardest and continued to be was the fact that Stella was gone. Amber told me how she sometimes tries to communicate with her wolf but then remembers that sheâs alone, there's no one in her mind anymore. I know the feeling, I had only had Xena for a few months and had gotten so used to having her there, the biggest difference was however the fact that I got my wolf back, Amber wasn't going to get Stella back. She had nailed almost every vampire âsuper powerâ there was, including speed, coercion, healing, and strength.Amber was now the one teaching Lucas, who wasn't as thrilled that the student had become the teacher but he seemed happy nevertheless with the bond he had created with Amber. Damien, my brother, had grown close to Alex, the two were running together, playing pool, and whatnot. Alex and his mate seemed inseparable and the big red bite
âI killed my mother, not because of what she had done to me but because I knew what she would do to you. Youâre my family, this, these people, youâre all my family. When he hurt you on the field, he sentenced you to death and I couldnâtâŚI couldn't let you die, so instead, you were turned. We can't be without you, Amber, nobody here can. Your brothers-â She said and Amber's eyes shakily found her brothers. â-They need you, you three are whatâs left of your family and they wouldn't survive without you. Nobody would. Maybe turning you was selfish, because we wanted you to live, but letting you die wasn't an option.â Malia said sternly and let go of Amber's hand. âSo, this will take time and it will be painful and hard but we will get through this. We will help you, Raven will help you adjust to this new life but in the meantime, nobody is going anywhere. We are all here with you,â Raven cleared her throat. âI actually have to go back, I do have my own responsibilities in my clan,â she
Raven squatted down next to Amber and cleared away her hair from her neck. She lowered her head, her fangs extended, and just as she was about to bite into Amber's neck, her eyes rose and she looked up at James through her lashes. She then punctured Amber's skin, sinking her fangs into her flesh and releasing the poison.When Raven pulled back, we were all standing and watching them. âNow what?â I asked when she stood again. âNow we wait for her to die.â Raven said and wiped her mouth with her thumb then sucked the blood off it. I winced and Lydia hulked.âWhat? I'm a vampire, remember,â she said and rolled her eyes. Raven didn't feed on humans, only blood bags so this mustâve been euphoric for her. I walked to the pool table and placed my hands on the surface, leaning back against it. I wasn't going anywhere, not until we found out how Amber would be.She'd wake up, but as a vampire, everything would be different. Werewolves are taught to hate vampires. Always have been, and pro
Natasha came running into the pack house, William was close behind her but he walked as though we had all the time in the world. Lydia came as well and seeing her was such a relief but we didn't have the time to relish in it for too long. William nodded his head towards me. âHer.â He said and all eyes turned on me. âHer what?â I asked him. âYou can help her.ââHelp Amber? How? I don't even know whatâs wrong with her,â I felt helpless, I had become dependent on my magic but I didn't have that anymore. What did I have to could help Amber?âMeâXenaâYou have me, Avery. I'm back now and we will learn to work together againâIâm sorry⌠I forgotâItâs alright, I've been gone for a whileâ the sadness clenched my heart. I had forgotten that she was back but to be fair, she had been gone for a long time. âNot on purposeâ Xena growled.I keep forgetting that you can hear my thoughts. Itâs creepy âJust place your hands on either side of her headâ Xena said as she rolled her eyes. I look
We were heading home to the pack house, I was holding our child and James was walking beside me. It didn't feel real, I didn't know when reality would hit and this would feel normal, perhaps it never would but nevertheless, we had created a life. As we walked into the house it was quiet except for some hushed whispers. We walked into the common area and saw everyone in our family sitting around, waiting.Amber was the first one to come up, she covered her mouth with her hands and looked down on the baby. âOh my goddess, you made this,â She said in awe. I laughed and James smiled. Amber held her in her arms and Alex came up to meet his niece.âWhatâs her name?â He asked. I looked at James.âIsabella-â I said. âIsabella Lilly Knight.â Alex and Amber both looked at us. Amber gazed at her brother, wiping away a tear.âYour sister and our mother.â She said and nodded her head before watching Isabella again. âItâs perfect,â she said. âWe never truly met, I'm Chelsea,â It was Alexâs
I didnât look at James, I already knew the death glare he was throwing Williams way and I didn't want him to see the fear in my eyes. I kept my gaze locked on William, he wasn't bothered by James in the slightest. Both me and James knew that this had to be done, there was no other way and if going through this pain was what I had to do to save my baby girl, then I would and I knew that deep down James did too. I heard a low growl, one that turned all heads to the Alpha. âItâs okay, James, you know it is,â I said quietly and looked at him. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were hooded but a slight nod, one so small that I would've missed it if I hadn't looked carefully, said everything I needed to know. âLetâs do this,â I said and looked at William.His gruff expression didn't change, his head was still lowered, his eyes looking up at me through his lashes and his long hair fluttered in the breeze.William closed his eyes, he inhaled, his chest rising and his head lifted.He opened
I felt the power surge through me, having to push away the thought of what the magic was feeding off. âIâm so sorry,â I whispered to my baby. I felt my hands heating up, reaching my fingertips and I placed them over his heart. The darkness was consuming, it embodied me and I allowed it, allowed it to take whatever it wanted as long as it brought me back my brother. âLook,â Amber whispered through her tears to Raven. My eyes were closed but I felt it, I felt his pain, his life, his threads of existence and I healed it. I heard a breath and felt his heart beginning to beat slowly, his blood circling, and then I opened my eyes. Alex was watching me with hooded eyes, his shaking hand came up and his fingers wrapped around my hands, squeezing them tightly.I cried even harder. âYou promised you wouldn't leave me again,â I cried and saw how the tears fell from his eyes.Alex's lip tugged upwards but he didn't have the energy to fully smile. I saw in his eyes how happy he was to be al
I drew the fire and had it circling us all, the flames were cutting into thin air and moving vigorously around the enemies. With one hand I raised a shield over Amber and Malia and urged Alex to get himself and his mate behind it. But he was hurt, Alex was still bleeding and his face had turned pale and his lips were blue. Raven saw what I tried to do and with her speed, she grabbed Alex and placed him by his sister and then his mate. I held up the shield but Nicholas looked awfully cocky. Something I didn't like. âYou think youâre the only witch around here?â He asked and brought forward a man, long white hair, obsidian eyes, and an altogether dark expression.He raised his hands, circling them before pushing them up against the sky. The flames were uncontrolled, they were slashing at everything, including my own people. One of the flames cut through the shield and I heard Alex scream. It had hit his mate, her face was burnt.I circled my hands again, regaining control but only f