"He decided to take her out to one of the restaurants on the waterfront, apparently it's their anniversary," he mutters, turning away from Avery to face Scott.Avery refrains from rolling her eyes, gritting her teeth as she inhales slowly at her brother's irritated response.It isn't any of his business, Sonya grumbles.Avery sniffs to herself, shaking her head and sitting up straight.A hand lands on her shoulder, and she freezes for a moment, turning around slowly to see who it is."Hey," Roman nods, and Avery grins at him.She isn't sure if she wants a mate, and she doesn't know if he wants a mate, but there's no point in being spiteful or rude now that she knows they have some sort of bond together - it's not like he could have forced the bond, and he was equally shocked when the were told the news."Take a seat, get comfortable," she smiles, and he nods slowly, giving her a confused smile as he sits beside her."Okay, I know we didn't end things well last time, and I know I could
Hayden raises an eyebrow and nods to Mitchell, sending daggers his way.Mitchell rapidly shakes his head, pursing his lips and pointing aggressively at Hayden."You do it," he mouths, jutting his chin forward as he scowls.I'm not doing it, you prick, Hayden declares through their mindlink, slyly flashing him the middle finger.You are the Gamma, as your Beta, I'm ordering you to do it, Mitchell instantly replies, folding his arms smugly, and waiting for Hayden to react to the response.You aren't actually commanding me, so I'm not doing it. Ask York or Kathleen to do it; she won't kill either of them, Hayden complains, throwing his arms up silently.The two men glance furtively at Avery, who is reclining in her seat with her eyes closed.They know she isn't asleep, she scared the crap out of them all a few minutes earlier when she had joined in on a conversation and debate suddenly. Her breathing is level, and Hayden is convinced she's napping - Mitch assumes she's meditating.Mitche
The aftermath of the trial had led to a lot of chaos for the Council to deal with.York had quickly left the newly-named Wilcott pack to go travelling, and most of the pack supported him on his decision - a lot of people suspected it was his last chance to find a mate in his last four months before turning twenty-two.Avery thought he was lucky - he had escaped just before the shit hit the fan.Her pack was peaceful, but everywhere outside her land seemed to have gone up in flames.Zephyr's pack experienced another revolt, one so bad that Avery had to send in some of her pack warriors to help them regain control and democracy.Scott's pack had another wave of vampire attacks, and he had lost around thirty pack members to the fanged rats.Lexus Steele had been removed from power and almost killed. Avery had granted her asylum in her pack, as the woman had looked out for her a number of times in the past, and because she didn't think the woman had anyone else to turn to - her mate was d
She walks by Mitch and Kathleen, nodding to Mitch and sending Kathleen a hard look as she heads towards the kitchen.Kathleen grits her teeth and turns away, not happy with her friend's disapproval as she cradles her ever-growing bump.Avery strolls into the dining room, smiling at some of the kids who are bouncing around still."Have you eaten yet?" Roman asks, and Avery rolls her eyes as she pushes the kitchen door open.As she does, all of the men and women in there grin and greet her loudly, scaring the crap out of her."No, I'm about to," she says into the phone, nodding and smiling to everyone in the kitchen as she heads to the pot sitting on the stove.Dinner is always cooked in two batches, one in the evening, and one in the middle of the night for the guards and night workers.She scoops some of the stew into a bowl, balancing it precariously between her arm and midriff.One of the women spots her doing this and frowns, taking it off her and shaking her head."You tell me whe
Sweeping into her office, Avery makes sure her dress doesn't get caught in the door as it closes.Hayden playfully wolf whistles, and Mitchell shouts for her to do a twirl.Avery bashfully obeys, doing a little spin and a mock curtsy."What time is Roman landing at?" Hayden asks with a wide grin on his face, putting the file in his hands down."I think we have half an hour until he gets here," she beams, taking a seat behind her desk and gently pushing her curled hair behind her shoulders."What are your plans today? You were supposed to be going to Moonstone Mountain today, but I'm guessing that's been changed?" Mitchell asks, and Avery shakes her head."No, he has business there too, so while he deals with his business, I'm going to spend time with baby Emmett," she grins, and Hayden lets out a low whistle."You shouldn't wear that dress for taking care of a baby, they're grubby little creatures," he warns, and she grins wider."I have a pair of jeans and a t-shirt in my bag, don't
....on her face, glancing up at Roman.She winks at him, and he feels his lips tug upwards automatically, his face being forced into a smile as he gazes over his shoulder at her."Do you love our Alpha?" One of the kids asks curiously, his bookbag falling off his shoulders as he trails along behind Roman.Avery doesn't hear the question, and Roman is sure of it as he glances around and spots her a few meters behind, bent down and conversing with a few of the younger kids."Why do you ask? Aren't you a little young to be asking about love?" Roman retorts, a grin on his lips as they enter the dining hall.He nods to some of the Generals who are scattered around the room, and they grudgingly nod in his direction, moving out of his way.It isn't out of respect though, and he knows it - it's to try and avoid being sucked into the large gaggle of children surrounding him."Well, my mom always tells me about how she loves my dad, and then whenever she lets me watch the Disney movies, they're
The car ride to Zephyr's is mostly quiet.Avery's day has been turned upside down, and she has a lot of paperwork to deal with before they even get to Moonstone Mountain.Her heart aches for Mitchell, but a selfish part of her can't believe Kathleen revealed herself on one of the only days Avery isn't on packlands."He'll be okay, Ave, don't worry," Roman mutters, glancing up from his own laptop to take a look at Avery.Her face is screwed up in a mixture of stress and disgust, and he gets out of his seat."Do you want to talk right now, or do you want some silence?" He asks softly, and Avery sighs."I want a hug," she mutters, and he engulfs her in his arms, patting her back lightly."Is there anything that I can do?" He asks, and she shrugs."I don't think so. Filling in these approval forms is literally killing me," she mumbles, pushing her hair back."Okay, then I'll do it," he suggests, gently prying the forms and the necessary file away from her."I need to do it, I'm the Alpha,
"If you had been killed, I would have dragged you back to life and then murdered you myself," he hisses, speeding up to walk past her.He sends Zephyr a text to tell him they're going to run the rest of the way to his territory, and as he sends it, Avery clears her throat behind him.He pockets his phone and turns around, his eyebrows rising and his jaw dropping slightly as his eyes land on a very naked Avery.She grins, and then immediately shifts, nudging the bag of her clothes on the forest floor with his nose.He stoops down to pick up the back, and she shakes her head, a wolfish grin on her face.He puts the bag down and unbuttons his shirt, folding it and then putting it into the bag.He slowly strips off, Avery sitting in front of him with her legs crossed, her ears perked up to listen for any invaders.Once he finishes packing the bag, he bends down over her, securely fastening their clothes to her back.She stands up and waits for him to shift, Sonya impatiently waiting for h