Payment To the Alpha
Chapter 44

Avery's POV

I was staring at the man sitting across from me. His eyes didn't falter. The corner of his mouth was jigged up and made out an uncomfortable smile.

"I'm visiting." I stated simply. Not making room for further conversation. Or so I thought.

"Visiting family?" He asked me.

"I guess you could say that." I said.

"You know, being out here all alone can be dangerous for such a young girl. Nobody to protect her, to save her from harm. To watch out for her. Or perhaps your man is around here somewhere?" The last was more of a statement from his side. He wanted to know if I was completely alone.

"No, I'm here alone," I said and leaned forward as I continued.

"And I'm perfectly fine protecting myself. Whatever the danger might be, I'm not as easy to get to as it may seem." I said. Trying to sound as confident as possible. His smile faltered, and he leaned back.

"You know, having a strong man by your side means you don't have to protect yourself. Why don't you think about it?" He said, and I looked at him in disgust. He was wearing ripped clothes with stains on them. He reeked of alcohol and was not at all a sight to see.

But the thing that hurt me most was the fact that he just gave his GIRLFRIEND an anniversary gift. And now he's sitting here, hitting on me!? Jackass.

"Why would she need a strong man when she has a strong woman in her corner?" An all too familiar voice came ringing in my ears and filling the venue. I looked to the door and saw Natasha standing there. With Lydia.

I jolted up from my seat and ran to hug her. Lydia reciprocated and held her arms around me tightly. Lydia tried pulling away after a while,

"No, not yet. I need this." I said, and her arms once again embraced me in a strangling tight, warm hug.

Natasha walked over to the man, who simply rolled his eyes.

"Natasha, what an unpleasant surprise." I pulled away from Lydia and looked at her quizzically.

"They know each other?" Lydia simply nodded her head in response.

"Marco, you and your girlfriend are going to have to replace some other lonely human being to disgust and feed on." Natasha said. Marco was turned away from me, so I couldn't see how he reacted.

"To feed on?" I asked, and Lydia smirked at me.

"You know we're going to have to school you on the supernatural one day. Marco over there and Wendy in the bar are vampires. They usually scout for lonesome people, preferably those who don't have anyone or are on the run and are easy targets. They then see if the people will come with them willingly and if not, they're coerced, a form of manipulation. And then they feed on them, which means they drink their blood." My eyes shot up, and Lydia shrugged. All of this was so normal to them. I was still getting used to werewolves and witches.

"So wait, vampires can be out in the sun?" I asked, remembering all the movies I've seen. I was fighting the migraine that was working its way up my head. Lydia shook her head,

"No," she went to the windows and pulled a loosened piece of what looked like tape.

"This is a film that keeps the sun out, and Marco there, when he walks out, his car is parked right by the door. He barely takes a step in the sunlight."

"aha..." I managed to get out. My mouth was stuck wide open, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what to say.

"I know that it's a lot, but hey, I'm here now. I'll tell you anything you wanna know." Lydia assured me and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Here you go, sweetheart!" Wendy yelled from the counter as she brought out my food. Which looked delicious, by the way. If I didn't close my mouth soon, my saliva would start dripping down. That thought alone made my gap shut quickly, and I went to retake a seat.

"Oh, that looks good. Can I have one?" Lydia said to Wendy, sounding giddy.

"Me too, please." Natasha chimed in. After they had placed their orders, Marco stood up and left the cafe. In some weird sense, I felt bad for him. I know how I get when I'm hungry.

However, I am glad that I wasn't his meal ticket for the day.

James' POV

A week. One fucking week had gone by since Avery left, and I'm losing my fucking mind.

I nearly killed one of the warriors during practice yesterday morning because I couldn't control my anger. The other warriors had stared in shock, and it wasn't until Damon came with three others that they managed to somewhat pull me off the poor bastard.

For me to stop completely, Alex had come and given me a right hook to the face. It didn't hurt, but it made me focus my anger on him instead. We had both shifted and were going at it for five hours until we called a truce, or well, I did when I realized the sun was going down.

Only then did I see how badly I fucked up. Only when my brother was bloody and beaten did I comprehend what actually happened. How I nearly killed an innocent pack member.

Nobody talked about it, and the warriors and I had a conversation where I apologized. However, I know that I need to do a lot more than that.

What the fuck are we going to do?

'I don't know. But something needs to happen, quickly.'

The only thing that made this worse was that Blade was just as angry as I was. Meaning that I couldn't in my human form nor my wolf form control myself.

This shit was just getting worse and worse. I needed to replace a way to make this work until Avery comes home. But how the fuck am I going to do that? I need my mate, my love.

Natasha's word about Avery being safe isn't cutting it anymore. I need to see it for myself. There is a fucking wizard out to get her, and I swear by the goddess if anything happens to her. I will burn down the world and step on the ashes of those who burnt with it.

"FUCK!!" I roared, and my hand flew through the wall, leaving a hole behind.

Alex's POV

I was walking to my brother's study when I heard his growl and something smashing again from down the hall. I walked down to his bedroom and saw that the door was slightly open. I went in, and there he stood, with his hand through the wall, sweat dripping down his face and his chest heaving.

"This has to end." I said and stared at my brother, befuddled by sight.

This wasn't him. Alpha James Knight wasn't the man to lose his temper without a cause, he wasn't the man to nearly killing a pack member, and he was definitely not the unstable kind.

He turned his head and looked at me, his eyes were pitch black, and his nostrils were flaring.

"Oh fuck," I groaned, knowing what was to come. I took off my jacket and pulled up my sleeves.

James stood there staring at me, watching my every move. With everything, I did his eyes started to lighten up, his breathing slowing down. He looked at me with precision, and with every move, he got more and more confused. James' eyes met mine, and the pain behind them made me ache. My brother was being tormented, tortured by memories and situations he couldn't control.

He knew as well as me that this wasn't him. He didn't want to be this person. But how the fuck can we change this without me blabbering things he's not supposed to know. James looked down at his hand as he flexed his fingers, the broken bones slowly healing. He then looked back up at me and shook his head before walking over and taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"What the fuck is happening?" He asked me with his face buried in his hands. I walked over and sat beside him.

"You lost your mate. That's what's happening. Neither you nor Blade can cope with the loss." I said in a sigh.

"I can't continue like this, Alex." James stated. I wanted so badly to tell him what Avery had told me, but I couldn't. There was a reason for James not to know. I couldn't compromise her plan.

"We'll figure this out, brother." I said reassuringly and put a hand on his shoulder.

James nodded his head and looked up at me.

"How?" He asked, desperation clear in his eyes. I scratched the back of my neck and shrugged.

"Honestly. I don't have a fucking clue, man. But we'll fix it. We always do." I said.

"I need her back."

"I know you do."

"Then help me replace her," He said, and I removed my hand, placing it on the bed. Sorry brother, but I can't do that.

"James, she will be back. This isn't forever. She said so herself in the letter. Until then, however, you need to get your shit together. This pack is nothing without their Alpha, and it's only a matter of time before word spreads about the unstable Alpha James. Packs will gather and believe they can start a war, fight for your position. You know as well as I do that losing your mate weakens you. We can't afford to have packs swarming here right now brother," I stood to my feet as I continued.

"If you want to change, then you have to let yourself change. You have to live like you did before Avery entered the picture. You have to be the all mighty Alpha and rule your pack until the day when she comes back. There is a war brewing. We don't need you to be an unstable, emotional wreck when it starts." I saw the color in my brother's eyes once again darken at the end of my speech. However, this time, there was determination where there once was desperation.

James stood to his feet and straightened his clothes, shaking his head and looking at me like I was his target.

"You're a jackass. You know that?" He said.

"Well, someones has to be." I said with a shrug and a smirk.

"I'm going for a run." James said as he walked towards the door.

"Hey, brother!" I called out for him. He turned around with a raised eyebrow.

"With the emotional instability and all, stay away from the cliffs, would ya? Can't have you falling to your death just yet," I said with a wide smile. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it up again and rolled his eyes before taking his leave.

I was in my room, changing and ready to hit the fields for some practice before dinner. I promised Jackson that I would join the warriors in training for the witch hunt.

As I grabbed the pair of shorts that were lying in my drawer, I saw the letter from Avery.

I exhaled a breath and picked it up, remembering what it said. I opened it up and sat down on the armchair, re-reading it for the third time.

'Dear Alex,

Where do I begin...

You made my life with you guys more fun, exciting, and frustrating than I ever imagined possible. You were the brother that I never had. I do have a brother, but we've never had any contact. He's never cared. You showed me how it was to have a brother who truly cares for you, who fights for you, and who wants to genuinely help you. You did so much for me in the short time that I was with you guys, and I wish I didn't have to end that. But I had to leave, and I hope that you can, in some way, understand my actions.

Also, I need you to keep James safe. I won't be gone forever, but neither will I be home soon.

I need to ask you for a favor Alex, one that you must keep a secret from the others, including James.

There is a war brewing, and much blood will be spilled, and only when the war begins will I be able to come home. 'The war is where everything begins where everything will come to an end. The closure will be given to those wise enough to listen.' This is all I know, Alex, but I'm hoping it's enough. I need you to prepare everyone. They know that there is a war coming, but they have no idea to which magnitude this war will be. It's not a small one. Many people will die, and I need you to make sure that all the warriors are prepared so that the blood being spilled isn't ours.

When it's time, and the war is beginning, burn this letter, and I will know. I will come home. Please, keep James safe. I don't mean from others, but keep him safe from himself. Natasha explained to me what happens when one loses his mate. And that it is amplified when it is an alpha. Take care, Alex, and thank you for everything.

Love, Cupcake. '

"Don't worry, sis, everything will be ready for your arrival."

With a smile plastered on my face, I tucked away the letter and got dressed for practice.