Avery was so distracted walking into the prison that she bumped into four separate security guards and soldiers.She hit each of them with a cold glare, and they all immediately apologised, which satisfied her.They should have moved when they saw her coming, but she wasn't going to hold it against them this time.She had changed into heels in the car, and the clip-clop of the heels on the tile floor was satisfying.Flicking some of her hair over her shoulder, she straightens her back and pushes her shoulders back, schooling her face into a stony expression as she leaves the elevator.Her steady walk down the corridor to the interrogation room encourages her.This will be okay, Sonya encourages.What if he doesn't say anything?, Avery asks, slightly panicked.Then we're just in the same place we are now, relax; we have nothing to lose by going in here, Sonya shrugs, being a voice of reason for once.Avery knows she's right, and she forces herself to relax.She's terrified that she cou
Avery is holding York's hand when he wakes up.It took three hours for the alcohol to take effect, and the children awoke first.Hayden and Toby were curled up in the corner, the father not releasing his son as soon as his eyes started fluttering.It was a lovely sight.Byron's daughter had woken up five minutes before York.She had been unable to move when she first opened her eyes, and everyone was terrified she was paralysed in an unknown side-effect.It took her a minute or two to be able to feel her limbs again, and Byron was slowly sitting her up as York opened his eyes.His hand started twitching first, his muscles spasming.Avery could see York's eyes shoot open, and she put her hands on his shoulders and held him down to the bed as he started thrashing.She puts as much weight as she can on him, not wanting to suffocate him or scare him, but not wanting him to fly off the bed."York, you're okay, you're in the hospital," she quickly says as clearly as she can.Her words don't
Hayden gently rubs her back, staring at the doctors.They seem slightly reluctant to talk in front of him, but he doesn't move, and Avery doesn't ask him to.The presence of her friend is comforting, and she knows that nobody will dick her around with somebody as dominating as him around.The fear he created rivalled the fear she could cause, and she respected that."We're going to bring him out of the induced sedative slowly. We might give him a paralytic so that he can't move when he wakes up," he announces after some murmured conversation with the other doctors."Wonderful, you can tell my parents that," Avery mutters, running a hand through her hair as she lays eyes on Richard and Marie.The two look ruffled and exhausted, clambering through the sliding door and clinging onto one another's hands.They rush up to Avery, and she shakes her head.Marie doesn't acknowledge the intimidating figure behind Avery, ignoring him and directing all of her attention to her daughter.Richard no
Scott was the exception.They had bonded over what had happened, and they had remembered why they got together in the first place.It was a bond of mutual respect, and everybody had been surprised by the treaty they had signed a few weeks ago. Some of the elders had raised some eyebrows, wondering if this was a sign of a chosen-mating on the horizon.Avery already had one meeting with the Council with regards to her Alpha position, and she didn't want to have them bring up anything else.It was going to be bad enough already; they had propositioned it as a hearing to everyone but her.Scott had eventually informed her that it wasn't a meeting and that they were expecting her to testify in her defence. She had sworn she wouldn't tell anyone she knew, because it was apparent they didn't want her to know.Avery was enraged by this, but she hadn't said anything.She had informed Mitchell, Byron, and Hayden. They were the only three in her pack who knew that she was being investigated.App
The next morning is busy.Avery has induction ceremonies to organise, transfers to sort out, and the problem of the Council to try and untangle.And Scott Petty was supposed to come and stay for a few days.She had forgotten about that fact with all of the excitement around York and the others.She was woken up at 7 am by an excited Toby who was curious about where he was.Hayden appeared not long after his son, looking disgruntled and confused.He walks into Avery's room to see his son passed out on the bed beside Avery, her arm around his shoulders and his hands around her arm holding onto her.He smiles at the sight, and then he clears his throat, looking at the time.Both of them open their eyes and stare at him in worry."It's time to get ready to go," Hayden rolls his eyes, holding his arms out for Toby to clamber into.The boy is a little slower in movement than he should be, but Avery knows that some physiotherapy will help with that over time."Are you excited to see the doct
The first thing York did when he could stand up and move was buy a plane ticket.He didn't say where he was going, but he said he was definitely going.Avery is baffled.Her parents were furious, the elders were horrified, the Council was outraged, and Avery was screwed.The news was unexpected.Shock waves had gone through the pack, and Mitchell and Hayden had been dealing with tonnes of calls from the other Alphas.York signed off on the documents passing the title to Avery, unofficially - her hearing needed to be completed before she could be declared as the proper, permanent Alpha.Scott arrives two hours after York's shock announcement.He finds Avery sitting in her kitchen, zoned out and eating her way through a pint of cookie dough ice cream.His eyebrows slowly raise as he hones in on the bundled up figure in the corner."Are you okay?" He asks, kneeling down beside her curiously."York renounced his title," she splutters out, turning and staring at her friend, her eyes wide a
The wait was more agonising than the entrance.Avery tapped her heeled foot against the tiled floor as she sat on the stone bench outside of the arena.Mitch scowls over at her, and Hayden puts his hand on her leg, forcing her to stop tapping.The silence is too much, and Avery abruptly stands up and begins pacing up and down the hall."Ave, sit down, you'll wear yourself out," Mitch orders, and Avery glares at him, rubbing her neck."I'm too warm, I feel dizzy," she complains, unbuttoning the final two buttons of her shirt.Both men stay focused on her face, shaking their heads at her.Avery's phone buzzes and she pulls it out anxiously.It's a good luck text from her sister, rife with emoticons and thumbs-up.A small, wary smile makes its way onto her lips, and she sends back some heart emojis.Louisa was on the other side of the door.She had to appear because she was the only Wilcott left to hold the position temporarily if Avery was penalised.She didn't want that; in fact, Louis
That statement causes an uproar.Marie grabs onto Richard's arm and pales, her nails digging into his skin."Richard, what's going on?" She whispers faintly, and Richard glances at his wife distractedly."I have no idea," he mutters to his mate, kissing her temple and rising from his seat."Order," the man at the head of the Council table roars, banging the gavel against the table as hard as he can.The table cracks and one of the legs breaks in half, the rest of the Council looking hugely uneasy.The crowd doesn't stop; the chattering only gets louder.Hayden sits calmly, clasping his hands."What child are you adopting?" The man doing the questioning asks with a curled lip.His disgust is apparent, and Sonya is snarling at it."Tobias Nakamura," she says evenly, and Kathleen releases a little gasp.Louisa's coughing fit can be heard from where Avery sits.When she looks in her sister's direction, she spots Xavier patting her pack, trying to calm her down."How do you know Tobias?" T