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

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

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

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

A nice top and jeans, or a pretty dress?, Sonya ponders, and Avery sighs.I don't know, Kathleen would say wear a dress though, Avery comments, and Sonya groans.We didn't bring a nice dress, we only have the weird dark green one, Sonya scoffs, and Avery runs a hand through her hair."So, you and Lancaster again, huh?" York asks, sweeping into the room and flinging himself onto his sister's bed."How did you get in here?" Avery asks, staring at her case."I have a room key, duh," he laughs, rolling his eyes as he squints at her suitcase."Everyone downstairs is wearing dresses, you should really hurry up," York sing-songs, and Avery lobs her high heel at him."Get out, I have to get dressed," she mutters, and York sighs dramatically."Sissy, you will miss me so much when I go away. Don't act like you don't love my constant presence," he rolls his eyes, standing up and walking over the where Avery is standing beside the desk her suitcase lays open on.He scoops up the silky green dress