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
"Thank you to everyone who assisted Alpha Addison," a Council member announces, nodding to Avery.She raises an eyebrow and slowly lowers herself into her wooden seat, squirming a little as she tries to get comfortable.She's far too warm, and Kathleen notices her tugging at her collar a little.You okay?, she asks her friend, furrowing her brows in concern.Just too warm, she grimaces, and Kathleen stands up quickly.The Council are still filing in, so Kathleen hurries over to her friend, clutching a bottle of water from her satchel."Drink this, I'll tie your hair up," she whispers, pressing the bottle into her hand while hurrying behind her.Kathleen scoops up the mass of blonde and scrapes it into a high ponytail, smoothing any lumps or bumps with her fingers and securing it with a hair tie.Avery is gulping down water like there's no tomorrow, unbuttoning her top button and sitting back a little in her seat."Do you want to take your shirt off?" Kathleen asks in a hushed tone, an
Zephyr has half-shifted, his teeth pointed and sharp, his entire face morphing into that of his wolf.He looks terrifying, his eyes flashing from black to red and his shoulders hunching forward as his wolf tries to force a shift.Avery is barely holding back a shift, her claws digging into her palms as she tries to ground herself. She's counting backwards from twenty-four, and praying to the Moon Goddess as quickly as she can, crossing her fingers that her words are heard before anything bad can begin.Alphas who have scented Lilith before have stood up, looking outraged by the appearance by the rogue in their court."Lilith Addison, thank you for presenting yourself to the court," one of the Councilmen booms and the growling almost drowns him out.The atmosphere is tense, and everyone who isn't growling or holding back growls are looking at each other in confusion.Katya, Scott, Mike, and another Alpha who Avery only barely recognises are restraining him, holding on as tight as they
"Lilith Addison, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" The head of the Council roars, and Lilith sits up straight.Avery's blood is boiling, and Zephyr is sitting near the door in case he needs to be removed from the room quickly."Of course," Lilith announces, her eyes scanning the courtroom blankly.Her demeanour is detached, and she has no emotion in her face at all.She doesn't look at Zephyr or Avery.Just because she's here doesn't mean she's going to say anything bad about us, Sonya reminds her.If the Council have their way, they'll get her to blame us for her kidnapping and injuries, Avery responds to her wolf, her eyes flashing as she watches the woman on the stand twirl her hair.What kind of mother could abandon their pup?, Sonya ponders sadly, miserable at the mere thought of abandoning a child.We don't know what's happening in her life; it could be for his own protection, Avery warns her wolf.She might be annoyed at Lilith, but sh
The room is silent as Avery gapes at the Mating Panel in shock."You have to be kidding," Roman interjects after neither of them speaks for a few minutes."No, we wouldn't kid about this sort of thing," one of the men on the panel interrupts, his face a picture of horror."Having a mate is a good thing," the panel's head declares, scowling at Avery and Roman.Avery is pale in the face, and her eyes seem wider than usual as she stares around the room."What the fuck," she whispers to herself.Sonya is yipping, confused between being thrilled over the concept that she does have a mate, and also being miserable that it's Roman."I don't want a mate," Avery clears her throat, looking at the woman in charge sternly."You don't get to refuse what the Goddess has given you, please don't be so disrespectful of her divine wishes and decisions," the woman snaps, clearly on the verge of losing her temper at the two Alpha's unusual reactions."She is the one who had us declared mateless," Avery g