Five

"You're not as clever as you two think you are," Marie smirks, laughing a little as she observes her son hiding in the kitchen with her.

"What do you mean?" York hisses, shushing her as they peek out the kitchen door and watch Richard walk into one of the conference rooms with Avery and Roman, the former looking smug, and the latter still looking a bit lost.

"So where are your guards, oh all-mighty Alpha Lancaster?" Avery grins, throwing herself into one of the spinning chairs around the table.

Richard clears his throat, sending a silent message to his daughter to behave, and she shuts her mouth and sits up properly. Her dad is rarely serious with her, so she knows to zip it and pay attention.

She still doesn't appreciate that she's been left entirely in the dark about whatever is about to happen.

Richard throws a set of clothes at Roman, and he catches them with an appreciative look on his face, walking into the bathroom to change, and emerging in under a minute, the dress pants and button-up shirt hugging him as though they were painted on.

Avery stares at him, enjoying the view.

They all sit around the table, Avery at the head, Roman on her right, and Richard on Avery's left.

"What I am about to ask involves both of you," Richard begins, looking very hesitant to open his mouth.

"I want your help in finding the Unfortunate Alpha, Roman," he announces, and Roman's brow furrows for a second.

What did he just say?, Sonya gapes.

Honestly, I have no idea, Avery responds to her wolf, equally baffled.

"Why?" He asks, raising his brow, clasping his hands on the table in front of him.

Avery also leans forward, curious about what her father is going to say.

"Because I want to arrange a meeting between him and Avery," he states, and Avery bolts out of her seat, her face turning scarlet.

"Dad," she snarls, looking ready to leap at him and scratch his eyes out.

Roman senses this and leaps out of his seat too, making her sit back down, and leaving his hands on her shoulders, staring at Richard evenly.

With Richard involved, it wouldn't be a friendly meeting.

It would be a meeting he set up with the intent of having his daughter find somebody.

Richard was a great dad, and he never let anyone say a bad word about Avery's status - but he had never stopped trying to find her somebody, even when she begged him to leave it alone and wait for nature to take it's course.

"I won't set that up without Avery's consent," Roman states, and the older man twitches, two sets of eyes boring into him.

"Roman, I am asking you, Alpha to Alpha," Richard says, standing up and staring at the other man.

"Richard, I am asking you, as a father, to consider what you are asking me and what this says to Avery," Roman responds, letting go of Avery's shoulders as he feels her standing up.

Avery is shaking with rage, and she points a finger at her father.

"Avery-" he tries, and she shakes her head, her face scrunched.

"I don't care, you had absolutely no right," she growls, and Richard's face crumbles, walking towards his daughter, but Roman stands in between them.

"With all due respect, Richard, I think she needs to cool off," Roman says quietly to the man, keeping an eye on Avery in case she springs at her father, "she attacked me an hour ago, and her wolf isn't fully healed yet."

Avery can feel her anger simmering, but she suddenly realises why she recognises Roman's name - he's the Alpha that everyone calls the peacekeeper. That's why he's never at council meetings - he's always sorting out other people's problems.

"Avery, you have to understand - we can't see you go through another day like today or the other times," Richard whispers, his attention entirely focused on his daughter, and only seeming to hear half of what Roman said.

"Attack? Why did you attack him?" Richard mutters, and then decides it's less important than the matter at hand, mind linking Marie to come and join him.

She walks in and can sense the tension in the room, raising a brow and staring at her husband.

What did you do?, She links him, looking at the Alpha standing in between the pair, stopping her daughter from attacking her husband.

I asked him to help me set up a meeting between Avery and the Alpha who's like her, he responds quickly, praying his wife can stop this.

Marie raises a brow, walking over to behind her husband, and pulling him a few steps back.

"That was a choice for her to make, you should have given her the information and let her choose. You may as well be arranging a marriage for her, the way you've gone about this," she whispers in his ear, and Avery nods in agreement.

Roman steps out from between them, looking hugely awkward and uncomfortable.

"I didn't mean to overstep. I'll be leaving now, but don't hesitate to get in contact with me if there are any more issues or questions," he says softly, turning around to walk out the door.

"Take her with you," Richard says suddenly, to which all three of the others respond with, "What?"

"For training," he says hurriedly, wringing his hands out of stress and fear of his daughter taking it wrong.

"What do you mean?" Alpha Roman asks, turning back around curiously and warily.

"She has trained under six alphas, including me. She hasn't trained in the West, though," Richard quickly elaborates.

His wife and daughter are staring at him in abject horror, wondering where he's going with this.

York gets mind linked by his mother and sister to get into the conference room as soon as possible, and he hurries in, having the situation explained by his aghast mother.

Roman stares back, also looking very confused.

"She could find someone she likes on your territory!" Richard adds, and Roman breathes in so suddenly and intensely that a button pops off the shirt he's wearing.

"Dad, you're not the Alpha anymore," York sharply interjects, looking at his sister and her widened eyes, "watch what you say about my deputy."

The hard undertone to York's voice makes Avery turn to look at him, and it makes Marie nod firmly.

"Roman, if you wouldn't mind going into the kitchen, I can have somebody make you some tea, or coffee if you prefer," Marie says kindly and softly, pointing towards the door that enters the kitchen.

Roman nods silently, walking to where she pointed.

The family clearly need time alone to talk.

"Have you lost your mind?" Marie roars, turning on Richard as soon as the other alpha is out of the room.

Or, time to shout - either way works.

York raises his brows, and grabs Avery's arm, leading her to the other side of the room.

"What the hell, Richard? She isn't land, or a prisoner, you don't just exchange her," Marie continues, her volume rising and her anger increasing.

Richard stands there, looking a bit baffled.

"I just wanted her to find somebody and be happy," he stutters, and Marie turns red with anger, just like her daughter does.

"She doesn't need somebody to make her happy," she screams, and the two Wilcott children present wince a little bit, leaning back as if to try to escape the magnitude of her anger.

York pulls Avery towards the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder apprehensively at his angry mother and his clueless father.

He sits Avery down at the kitchen table, and slides a glass of water in front of her, observing her.

Avery seems detached from everything happening, and he's scared - whenever she gets quiet and cold, she lashes out.

Roman is sitting on a high stool at the marble bar, watching how the silent siblings interact.

"You can come to my pack if you want," he states nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

York stares at him, furrowing his brows.

"I'd prefer my deputy stays here, where I need her to do her job," York shoots in his direction, wrapping his arm around Avery, who sips her water in absolute silence.

"She could do her work from there. She wouldn't even have to leave the packhouse. If she wanted to get out of here for even a week, I would understand - absolutely no offence to you. Your father said some things in there, and I don't think he worded them as he meant to," Roman says carefully, maintaining eye contact with York.

"It's up to her. She can make her own decisions," York states, squeezing his older sister gently.

"I want to go," Avery mumbles, looking remarkably sad.