The dinner is relatively quick, and Avery's parents drink enough wine for the entire table.Avery decided to stick to water in solidarity with the pregnant she-wolf beside her.Zephyr stuck to water due to the fact he had to drive home after this little shindig.The party of five is in the dining room built for at least ten, and it's slightly awkward due to the vast unoccupied area.The conversation lulls a little after dessert is served, and the guests shift a little uncomfortably."So where is your sister, Avery?" Zephyr asks, sipping his drink as he looks over the rim of his glass, desperate to end the weird silence.Her mother butts in before Avery can open her mouth.The tension present for the entire dinner between the mother and daughter did not go unnoticed by anyone."Louisa walked in on her and Alpha Lancaster having sex, so he sent her to the cells," Marie slurs, and Lilith's eyes shoot open.Zephyr coughs, choking on his drink slightly as he gapes at Marie."Walked in on w

"Avery, slow down," Lilith pants, moving as fast as she can through the trees."No, we're going to be late," Avery shoots back irritably, grabbing Lilith's hand and pulling her along."They're rogues, they don't care much about time," Lilith groans, trying to take her hand back.She eventually shakes Avery off, just to promptly trip over a bramble."I thought you were supposed to be some badass rogue," Avery grumbles, picking Lilith up off the ground.Lilith stays quiet, pouting a little bit at her friends snub. "Are you okay?" Avery asks reluctantly, and Lilith rolls her eyes."I'm fine, let's hurry, they won't wait for you to show up for too long," Lilith sighs, resting a hand on her bump as they walk at a more manageable pace."I thought you said they didn't care about time?" Avery retorts, raising a brow. Lilith stays uncharacteristically quiet.Avery shoots concerned looks over her shoulder to Lilith every couple of seconds.This distracts her so much that she gets hit in the f

Avery secures her hair into a tight braid and then laces up her boots."You look like you're going into a war," Lilith comments, sitting up slightly from the bed.Kali nods in agreement, eating some of the popcorn out of their shared bowl."I would rather go into war than walk into this interrogation," Avery admits truthfully, sighing ruefully as she smooths down some flyaway hairs."It won't be that bad; you're being dramatic!" Lilith exclaims, getting off the bed and walking over to her friend.Avery looks at her, and shakes her head, rolling her shoulders back and trying to relax a little."You're so tense," Kali observes, watching the two move around the room, Avery side-stepping away from Lilith, who appears to be trying to straighten the Alphas collar."You would be too, if Mama Bird was chasing you," Avery grumbles, eventually stopping and letting Lilith fidget with her clothes.Lilith rights the collar, and she brushes some fluff off the black jumper Avery has on, scowling whe

The next few hours, everybody was on autopilot.Everybody was going everywhere, but nobody knew what they were doing.Zephyr was called, but nobody could remember who phoned him.This had never happened before. The Alpha of Moonstone Mountain burst onto their pack lands with no warning in a flurry of horror.Avery had stormed into the emergency room, her trench coat swirling around her legs and her eyes flashing black.Nurses and doctors had gotten out of the way as quickly as they possibly could, and some patients fainted at the sheer level of dominance she was giving off.When Zephyr arrived at the hospital, he had found Avery pinning the paramedic she had recognised up against the wall.Her eyes were completely black, and Sonya didn't even make a note of Zephyr entering the break room.She was completely distracted by the possibility of bloodshed"Avery, have you found anything?" He barks, and she turns to him quickly, holding the woman up by her throat."No. I'm trying to get inf

The four of them keep walking, but Hayden isn't happy.He doesn't want to be in danger of dying when he has the chance to finally see his son again.But he also doesn't go back on his word, so he's struggling to continue.His wolf is at war with him, torn between self-preservation and a need to protect others.Avery is having a similar battle, but the need to protect her friend wins every time.She can sense the tension in the air, and she glances back at Hayden."You can go back if you want to," she shrugs, and he clenches his jaw."I'm no pussy," he snarls, and she rolls her eyes away from him."I never said you were," she says quietly, "I'd just understand if you wanted to go to the surface."He doesn't respond, and they walk for another few meters until Louisa stops suddenly."What's wrong?" Avery asks, and Louisa slams her hand over her sister's mouth immediately, pointing to the wall beside them.Avery raises an eyebrow and tries to talk, and Lilith frantically shakes her head,