Payment To the Alpha
Chapter 30

Averys POV

Stupid fighting, stupid werewolf strength, everything is just stupid.

I made it back to the house with a frown on my face and kicking everything in my path that wasn't breathing. So what if I close my eyes? I will not stand and be humiliated so that Alex can have some gratification over the fact that I can't fight.

I'm human; any doubts I had of that before are gone. Even though my mother is a werewolf and my father is a god knows what, I am human, at least if today was any proof of it. Why does James even want to be with me? Perhaps Sofia was right, and he should be with someone more fitting for the role of Luna and his partner. That's not me.

I needed to replace James and talk to him about this. I was starting to come around to the idea of marriage, of marrying James. I wanted it, but does he? He does seem hell-bent on marrying me, but maybe he doesn't know who he's marrying.

The thoughts spun around my head like crazy while I walked through the house and up to the first floor.

"Hello, Luna." Elisabeth, the omega, bowed her head as she was descending the stairs." Hello Elisabeth, I told you,' Avery' will do just fine." She gave me a shy smile but nodded her head slowly as a sign of understanding. "My apologies. Would you like something to eat? I could make you something small before dinner. I make amazing pancakes!" She squealed in excitement, but in my head, I was reminiscing about James' pancakes he made me on Christmas day.

"That sounds amazing, but I was actually on my way to replace James. Do you have any idea where he might be?" Elisabeth looked at me funny,

"He went out, Lu-Avery." She corrected herself, and I giggled.

"He'll probably be back later. So if you'd like, I can make you those pancakes." James went out? How come I didn't see him? Odd. I thought for a minute before accepting Elisabeth's invitation and following her to the kitchen. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what's up with the frown you were wearing earlier? You looked worried." The Omega sure is observant.

"I was practicing with Alex, and I realized how I would never exceed any expectations. I will never be like you, especially not strength-wise, and it bummed me out, I think." I looked down at the cup of coffee in my hands. I will never be like them. This will never be my home, and I will always be the weak human they have to protect.

"Stop." I looked up to see Elisabeth looking at me with compassion but not pity. It felt nice. " Stop what?"

"Stop thinking. You may not be as strong physically as a werewolf, but trust me, you are much stronger in other areas. Your whole world was turned upside down in a matter of days, you found out about the werewolf and witch existence, amongst other things, and you're still here. I know it may not have been your choice to stay, knowing the Alpha, but you could've locked yourself in your room and never came out. But you didn't. Don't underestimate yourself, Avery. Had it been me, I would've been crawled up on my bedroom floor crying for the rest of my life."

Holy shit, how old was she, fifteen? The kid is good. Kid? I'm eighteen. Who am I calling a kid? "Thank you, Elizabeth. You know, you're very mature for your age." I said, taking a sip of my coffee.

"I have to be. I have two younger siblings, a sister and a brother, our parents are warriors the pack, and that keeps them busy, so sometimes I'm the only one they have." She shrugged. I nodded my head in response, "So you're the oldest?" "I am now. I had an older sister, Emely. She was also a warrior. She died in the attack that killed the late Alpha and Luna." Elisabeth looked down at the pan she was making pancakes on. My heart broke for the young girl. She had to grow up too fast, become a parent to her siblings.

"I'm very sorry for your loss. But you know, if there is ever anything you need, I'm right here. I mean it." It may not be much, but it is all I have to offer. I would help her with anything she needed.

"Thank you, Luna." I gave her a disapproving look.

"It's Avery," I stated. She shook her head,

"No, that was very much Luna." I smiled at her response, a warm, loving feeling of acceptance flowing through me. I never realized how badly I needed to hear that.

"Here you go!" She said with a smile as she put forward a plate with cinnamon pancakes beside my coffee. I took a bite and moaned in approval, which made Elisabeth giggle and blush.

"These are amazing!!"

"I'm glad you like them." I finished the entire plate and drank my coffee. Elisabeth and I talked all through my meal, and I learned a lot about the pack and its members; I found out that Sofia has had a crush on James for the past few years and would cling to him every chance she got. I made a mental note to myself to get to know Elisabeth better. She was an amazing person.

"Thank you so much for this, Elisabeth, and I don't just mean the food. I really needed this." This had really been amazing. This house can get lonely at times when everyone is doing their thing, but now I feel like I have a friend.

"I think that I did too." We hugged for a while before pulling away.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an Alpha to replace." We both laughed as I walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. James must be home by now.

I walked over to our bedroom and had a sense of calm in me that I didn't have before. I felt genuinely happy. I don't think I had been this happy since Christmas. I needed to talk to James and then apologize to Alex.

As I was about to reach for the handle, a wave of nausea hit me when I heard moaning coming from inside the bedroom. "AH James!" No. This can't be.

"Yes! Yes, don't stop!" I recognize that voice.

"Keep it the fuck down, Sofia or Avery will hear us."

"Oh fuck yes!" I'm gonna be sick. This can't be. James wouldn't do this to me. He would never cheat on me, he-he wouldn't. I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening the door.

And there they were, on our bed, where we sleep. James was fucking Sofia. I felt my tears rolling down and my voice ceasing to exist.

"FUCK Avery!" James jumped off the bed and grabbed a pillow to cover his package. Sofia, on the other hand, only rolled over so that she was lying on her stomach. She placed her hands under her chin.

"Hello Avery, see what I mean now?"

I turned on heel and ran out of the room and up the stairs until I reached the top floor.

"Avery, wait!" I hear James' voice behind me, but it was fading the higher up I got.

He wasn't following me. He was staying down there with her. James, the man that my head kept screaming, was my mate and slept with the girl who hated my guts. The girl that has had a crush on him for years. He cheated on me, yet again a man cheated on me.

I was right.

I'm not made to be Luna or James' wife.

Am I that hard to love? Am I that hard to be faithful to?

What is it that I lack, but other girls have?

WHY AM I NEVER ENOUGH?!

I ran down the hallway until I reached an old wooden door that didn't seem to be used much. On the other side was what looked like an old classroom with spiderwebs, old desks, and dust everywhere.

He cheated on me.

He fucking cheated on me!

HE CHEATED ON ME!

My hand slammed through the board standing next to me and left a hole in the middle.

I grabbed a desk, flipping it over, and started hitting everything in sight.

"HE CHEATED ON ME!" I want to kill him. I'm gonna kill him. He slept with another girl and in the bed where we sleep together!

My fists were bloody, and my shorts and shirt were dusty and grey.

The dagger, in his office, no, it has to be silver. I looked around and found a small box on the floor, covered in dust.

In it lay an enveloped knife, silver.

I grabbed the knife in my hand and gripped it tightly. I was filled with rage, pure, blind rage. Nothing else mattered at this point.

I opened the door and walked back out into the hallway. I made my way down the stairs and back to our bedroom, slamming the door open but only to replace it empty, and the bed looked as if it hadn't been touched. Where the fuck is he!? I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, which was also empty, and then I heard it, laughter, coming from the communal area.

I walked over there faster than I had ever walked before, my hold on the knife so tight that my knuckles were turning white. I saw Damon exiting, and my eyes quickly scanned the room, and there he was. Standing by the pool table with Alex like he hadn't just fucked another girl.

"YOU SLEPT WITH HER!"

James' POV

Slept with who? Avery was breathing like a dragon, and her face was flaming red. Her knuckles are bleeding. What the fuck is happening? What is she talking about, I looked over at Alex, but he just seemed as confused as I was. I put the stick down on the table and walked over to Avery.

"Baby wh-"

"NO! Don't you dare pretend as nothing happened; I saw it! I saw you fucking her in our bed!"

"What!?" Amber stood up from her seat and looked at Avery.

"Babe, he has been here with us the entire time." Amber tried reasoning with her, but something wasn't right.

"Avery, I was there when you walked away from Alex outside earlier. You walked past me, remember?" I asked her, mostly for myself.

"You're lying!" She hadn't seen me, and she wasn't ignoring me. She hadn't seen me fucking standing there. SHIT. Why didn't I just call Natasha as Alex suggested?

"YOU CHEATED ON ME WITH THAT WHORE!" Avery charged at me with the knife in her hand, aimed at my chest.

'Everyone stand back.' I sent out a mind link. I don't want Avery getting hurt, I don't know what the fuck is going on, but I do know that it isn't her fault. They all stepped back, and just as Avery reached me, I grabbed her hand and spun her around so that her back was against my chest while straddling her arms.

"Avery, baby, listen to me; this isn't you. Someone is doing this to you. Fight it!" Holy shit, the strength isn't Avery's either. She isn't this strong.

"It's all me! You cheated on me! I saw you two!" She was almost out of my grip. I turned her around, holding her arms down, and looked into her eyes. She was trying her best to get out of my grip, and she was almost succeeding.

"Avery, please listen! I haven't slept with anyone. I would never do that to you!" Please, baby, please hear me.

"You're lying." An immense strength shot through me as she broke my hold on her, and she raised her hand, ready to stab the dagger into my heart.

"Baby, please, please hear me. I would never hurt you." Something changed in her eyes. I had come to know it as humanity, but only for a split second before it was gone again.

AVERY!" Everything went in slow motion after that. I just stood there, ready to take whatever it was that she thought I deserved.

The tip of the dagger penetrated my flesh, and I felt the burn of the silver spreading quickly. It wasn't a pain I couldn't handle. The worst pain came from the person inflicting it, not because she wanted to kill me, but because I knew she was in there watching everything, unable to do anything to stop it. Her eyes were filled with rage and determination, the knife kept digging into my flesh, and there was no remorse showing on Avery's face.

Before it could go any further, Avery inhaled deeply, and her eyes slowly rolled back into her head, her hand slowly falling as she lost strength and fell limp onto the floor before Alex caught her and placed her down softly.

Behind her, Amber stood with a syringe in her hand. The liquid container was empty, swirling around in Avery's veins.

"Alex takes her to our room. Damon, call Natasha and Amber, stay with her till she wakes up." I gave out the orders,

"yes, Alpha." They all bowed their heads, but before they could get on with their tasks, an annoying voice came ringing in my ears.

"Shouldn't it be the dungeons?" Sofia was standing by the door along with her posey of friends; amongst them was Chase, the guy who seemed to have an interest in my mate.

"What did you say?!" Amber quickly got up in Sofia's face, making her cower back. "Well, Avery did try to kill the Alpha. Isn't it said that a threat against the Alpha is punishable by death? The threat must be in the dungeons so as not to pose any greater threat than already executed." This girl was a sly bitch. It wouldn't surprise me if she had any part in this, and if she had, I would kill her myself.

"Don't the same rules apply to everyone?" Blade was growling in my head, wanting to rip this bitch's head off, and I was about to let him.

"James, she is correct...." Amber chimed in, looking defeated. I know she is, but I'm not sending my mate to the fucking dungeons!

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to my right to see Alex looking just as pissed off as I was but with a hint of pity.

"Maybe it's the safest choice until we get Natasha here and figure something out. We all saw the strength she fought you with, brother. That wasn't her." I closed my eyes to have a moment of peace. He wasn't wrong, it was the safest choice, but that still implies that I have to send my MATE TO THE FUCKING DUNGEON!

I opened my eyes again to see everyone shaking and bowing their heads, showing their necks. They were submitting, all their eyes were cast down on the floor, and I could hear their wolves whimpering. Amber held my hands, stroking them gently.

"We can all sense your wolf, James. You need to calm down." Oh fuck.

I calmed Blade to where his aura wasn't forcing everyone into submission and saw how they all started to recover. I then turned back to Alex. "Take her to the dungeons, but make sure she's ing comfortable, or you'll join her." I warned before sending out a mind link to all the ranked members. 'Meet me in my office in one hour.'

"Why one hour?" Amber asked me, looking worried. "I need to take a run." I went out of the house and changed right away, not minding my clothes being ruined.

'It's him. He's back.' Blade was just as mad as I was, if not more so. He had what some people call anger issues.

How do you know?

'Trust me, I just do. I hate to admit it, but the dungeon is the safest place for her to be. This time will be much worse than the last.'

Are you going to tell me how you know this?

'I can't.'

You can't!? You realize we're the same body and mind, right? How come you get to know what I know, but I don't get to know what you know?

'Huh?'

Just fucking tell me, blade.

'You'll know in time. I can't tell you because what I know isn't for me to tell. But it will show soon.'

Fine.

So the bastard dog knows something that may or may not help the situation, but he won't share. Suit yourself. I blocked him out for the rest of the run and just enjoyed a moment of peace. The only noises being the wind blowing through the branches and the water from the lake up ahead.

I ran around a little before going to the clearing where my dad and I used to go. I sat down and stared up at the sky.

'Why didn't you run. I would've really needed you guys right now, especially you mom. And dad; you always followed her wherever she went so that I would've gotten you both either way. What am I supposed to do? Find the wizard and kill him is already in the checkbook but how, and how do I keep Avery and everyone else safe while still being there for her? Her birthday is in June, and we have to get married, or we both die. I might be able to talk to Natasha about that, though, see if there is a way around it. I miss you guys. Take care of each other.'

I got back on my paws and started running to the cave not far from the clearing; Alex and I put a bag of clothes there for whenever we shifted before thinking. We did it so often that the bag of clothes became a must. I grabbed the bag between my teeth and ran back to the house.

I ran behind a tree and shifted back, putting on my clothes and heading in. "Alpha!" It was Elisabeth, the kitchen omega. She waved her hand, running over to me. "How is the Luna?" The question alone made me sick to my stomach.

"She just needs some rest." I said as convincingly as possible.

"In the dungeon?" My eyes turned black, and Elisabeth stepped back, fiddling with her fingers. "I-I'm sorry, Alpha, word travels fast." I took a few deep breaths to calm myself before addressing her." Some things are happening to the future, Luna, and they are being taken care of. I want no more speaking of her amongst the pack members, is that clear?" I used my alpha authority on the poor girl, but the things happening to Avery are nobody's business.

"Yes, Alpha." She bowed her head before running back to the kitchen. Guilt spread through me quickly, but I suppressed it. Although Elisabeth won't be speaking of Avery, which she probably wasn't doing initially, it doesn't mean that the others won't. I'll have to deal with that later.

I walked up to my office, where all the ranked members were waiting. We had a meeting a month or so ago regarding Avery. Trish had noticed her acting odd when we were in the communal area the day before Christmas. Her behavior and her eyes also changed from time to time. I had noticed it too. At the meeting was where we came up with the sedative plan in case something were to happen. This way, we could immobilize her without hurting her.

That is what Amber gave her earlier that made her fall asleep. We expected something to happen, but not something like this, not by the wizard and not this quickly.

"Natasha is on her way." Alex informed me the second I stepped in. I gave him a nod and went to sit at my desk. I dragged my hand over my face, unsure what to say anymore, not sure what to do. This is the first time I've felt helpless. "James, we're going to figure this out. Avery is going to be okay. She has to be. You're not the only one who has fallen for that girl." Lisa said, giving me some hope that I didn't know I needed, and everyone nodded their heads in agreement. There was a knock on my door, please let it be Natasha. No sooner had I prayed than the door opened, and in came the witch I had learned to love.

"Everyone, It's time. We have to kill her." Everybody's eyes widened, and Amber looked close to tears, and I, I was about to shift right here, right now. I jumped up from my seat, but before I could make a move on the bitch, she continued, erasing any love I had learned to have for her.

"Haha, guys, I'm just kidding. Please have a seat. We have important matters to discuss." Her voice was full of amusement. Suddenly I wasn't the only one about to shift anymore.

I could sense everyone's wolf was close to surfacing.