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 when she can't get it all off.

"You need to wash this," Lilith grunts, ripping a larger piece of fluff away from it.

Avery looks at her with a deathly serious expression on her face, her jaw stiff.

"I did, and this is what happened," she sighs, walking over to her jewellery box and retrieving some simple stud earrings.

Putting them in, she makes eye contact with Kali, who looks concerned.

"What's up?" Avery asks, moving to sit down beside her.

She rests a hand on Kali's shoulder, her brows furrowing in concern.

Well, at least we're not worried about our problems anymore, Sonya mutters, and Avery scoffs at her.

It's not like we're about to interview a serial murderer and maybe a psychopath, no, it's okay, Sonya drawls, and Avery can practically feel her rolling her eyes.

It's not like this man poisoned our brother and so many others that the Council has actually had to open an actual investigation, it's totally fine, let's not prepare for that interrogation, let us listen to a mated couples woes, she snaps, and Avery finally blocks her out.

"I'm nervous about going home because I could be in danger," Kali mumbles, and Sonya groans.

"You have to trust Scott when he says he has a handle on things," Avery tries to reassure her, not even believing her own words.

Lilith can hear the disbelieving note in Avery's voice and decides to intervene before Kali can spiral any further.

"Look, if Scott doesn't think it's safe, he's gonna make you stay here," Lilith reasons, trying not to roll her eyes.

"But I miss him," Kali whispers, and Lilith does roll her eyes this time.

Avery is totally spaced out, and when Lilith looks to her for help, she rolls her eyes and turns back to the girl in front of her.

"Okay, and he misses you too, but it isn't worth having to miss you forever," Lilith sighs, and Kali raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean forever?" She asks quietly, looking past Avery.

"If you die, he'll never have you again, simple," Lilith groans, standing up and walking around the room quickly, one hand on her bump and the other on her hip.

Avery snaps back to life when she hears the sound of her friend panting.

She leaps up from her seat and quickly shadows Lilith, hovering behind her until Lilith turns and snaps at her.

"What's happening, are you okay? Do I get a doctor?" Avery hurriedly asks, and Lilith glares at her.

"No, he's just kicking really hard. The little bastard is hammering my kidneys today; how kind of him," she snarls, "thank Goddess it isn't you who'll be a mother, you're so concerned over everything."

Avery stays quiet and rolls her eyes, staying near Lilith just in case.

"Kali, always use protection, nothing is worth this," Lilith groans, doubling over for a second and holding her bump.

Avery raises a brow, and her cheeks take on a pink tint as Lilith says that, which Kali immediately notices.

"Avery?" Kali asks as a question, dragging out her name.

"What did she do now?" Lilith whimpers, leaning against the wall.

"I'm getting the doctor," Avery says abruptly, grabbing her phone and dialling the pack obstetrician. 

"It's an Alpha baby, it's just strong," she grunts, hauling herself into the chair by the window.

Avery stares at her in concern, releasing a sigh of relief as the doctor answers.

"Hi, Luna Addison is having sharp pains shooting through her stomach. She says they're kicks, but I've seen a lot of pregnant women, and nobody I've ever seen has been in this type of pain," Avery sighs, nibbling her bottom lip as she waits for the doctor to respond.

"Okay, bring her over here. If it's really bad, we can send somebody to get her," the doctor replies calmly, and Avery observes her friend silently for a minute.

"I think that somebody should come here to get her, just to be safe. I don't want to try to move her," Avery finally notes, and Lilith scowls, giving her the middle finger.

"I'm fine, I'm not going to be the she-wolf who went to the doctor over my baby kicking me," she hisses, and Kali muffles a snort of laughter.

"It looks like you will be," she whisper-shouts across the room, laying back down on the bed.

Avery waves a hand at them to quiet them down, squinting at the wall in an attempt to focus on what the doctor is saying.

"Where are you right now?" The doctor asks, and she can hear typing on the other end.

"We're in the Alpha house by the lake. 19 Ridgegrove Way," Avery responds, keeping a watchful eye on Lilith, who seems to be cringing into herself every few minutes with the pain.

"Okay, somebody should be with you in five minutes, Alpha," the doctor announces after a second, and Avery releases a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, that's perfect," she grins, hanging up the phone and hurrying over to Lilith.

"Okay, somebody is coming to get you now, they're going to take you to the hospital just to be safe," Avery reassures, holding her hand gently.

Lilith shakes her off restlessly, shaking her hair back.

"Fine, whatever, don't tell Zephyr yet," she grumbles, closing her eyes and forcing her shoulders down.

"I won't, but if they keep you in after this evening, I will be," Avery warns her, and Lilith grimaces.

"He worries so much, and he has a lot to deal with, I don't want to put this onto his plate, too," she whispers, trying to regulate her breathing and blinking rapidly to try to stop herself from crying.

None of them verbally confirm what they're all thinking, but Sonya can read the room pretty easily.

What do you think will happen to the baby?, she asks, and Avery grimaces slightly.

I don't know, but Lilith is the priority. They'll run some tests, and then we should know what's going on, Avery sighs.

Do you think she'll lose it?, Sonya asks hesitantly, seeming to regret asking it immediately.

I don't know, I'm not a doctor, Avery responds, but it'll all be okay.

Avery glances at her phone for the time and curses out loud, standing to her feet as a knock sounds throughout the house.

"Okay, hopefully this is them," she murmurs, hurrying down the stairs and leaving the other two in her bedroom.

Kali helps Lilith to her feet and slowly walks her onto the hallway, leading her to the stairs at a snail's pace.

Avery flings the door open, and her hopeful smile drops immediately, being swapped for a dark scowl.

"Oh, you aren't the ambulance," she states the obvious, stepping back to allow him in.

"I don't look like a big vehicle, so I don't think I am. I have the paperwork, though," Hayden gruffly says, passing a stack of papers to her and standing across from her in the hallway.

"How did you get onto my lands without being captured or stopped?" She asks in confusion, and he shakes his head, looking slightly red.

"The guards didn't question it, which they probably should have. I said we had a meeting," he mumbles, and she raises an eyebrow.

"But we don't," she points out, and he closes his eyes.

"I know that," he sighs, "I just wanted to make sure that the plan is still going ahead."

Avery studies him carefully, keeping her face blank.

"Why wouldn't it be?" She asks, and he shrugs.

"You could have changed your mind," he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck and then scowling.

"You're going to be late if we don't leave, your pack takes ages to cross," he grunts, looking up the stairs.

His eyes land on Lilith and his eyes then immediately widen, quickly hurrying up to her and looping her arm around his shoulder.

"What's wrong with her?" He asks Kali, and she looks to Avery for the answers.

"We don't know; I have an ambulance on the way for her. I would have been on time if this hadn't have happened," Avery mutters, looking down the driveway to try and spot any vehicle or person.

After a moment of silence as Hayden basically picks Lilith up, Avery can see a vehicle moving in the distance.

"Lilith, are you okay, sweetheart?" She asks, walking over the where Hayden is cradling her.

"I feel like shit, and my son hates me," Lilith scowls, "I feel like a baby because of the way I'm being carried, but I feel like an elephant because I know I'm heavy."

"Do you want Hayden to put you down?" Avery sighs, and Lilith scowls more.

"Yes," she demands, and Hayden drops her with little grace.

She barely catches her footing as she reaches the floor, and she punches Hayden in the jaw when she gets back up.

"You're such a prick," she mutters, leaning against the wall.

Avery's phone rings and she quickly answers, pressing it to her ear and turning away from the three others in her hallway.

"What's up?" She asks, staring at the print she has hanging up.

It's so ugly, we should just get a mirror or something, Sonya comments, and Avery makes a mental note to do so.

"We're bringing Preston to the interrogation room now, he'll be there in five, ma'am," one of her generals barks, and Avery winces at his volume.

"That's fine, thank you, I'll be a little late, so make him as uncomfortable as possible," Avery orders, and then hangs up.

Her generals know what to do, and surely they can think of something creative amongst themselves.

Avery cracks her fingers and her neck, turning back to the others.

"Hayden and I need to go in a minute. I think the ambulance is there, Lilith," Avery nods, able to hear the sirens.

"Kali, you won't be able to go with her, so you can take the car in the garage or I can have somebody come and get you," Avery lists, and Kali nods.

"I'll drive myself," she decides, and Avery steps outside, Hayden nearby.

Avery presses the button on her keychain to open the gates, and the ambulance drives in.

Avery notes that she doesn't recognise the driver. Still, she recognises the paramedic who immediately climbs out, so she makes a mental note to revise the staff profiles of the hospital later.

"Where is she?" The lady asks, and Avery points to Lilith, who looks slightly grey now.

"How far along are you?" The lady asks, and Lilith furrows her brows.

"Five weeks today, I think," she nods, and Avery shrugs when the paramedic looks at her.

"We're going to take you in for scans," the lady nods and helps her into the back on the ambulance.

Avery throws a set of keys to Kali and points to the car key rail in the kitchen before she steps back outside.

"Call me if you need anything, but I can't answer for the next hour," Avery nods, and Kali sighs, biting her lip roughly.

"That's okay, I'll see you then," she responds, hurrying into the house to the garage.

Avery locks the front door and sets the window alarms, leading Hayden to her jeep.

"We need to hurry; we're going to be later than I thought," she mutters, starting the engine before she entirely sits down.

"I told you we would be," he reminds her, rolling his eyes and sitting in silence.

"Are you nervous?" She asks, trying to make conversation while she tunes the radio.

"No," he responds, staring ahead of himself.

"Right," Avery mutters, stepping on the gas and willing her car to go faster.

She takes on the corners with little caution, and more than once Hayden has to hold himself back from cursing as he grabs onto the handle above the window.

When she nearly smashes into a tree, Hayden has had enough, and grabs the steering wheel.

"You crazy bitch, are you trying to get us both killed?" He glares at her, and she slaps his hands off the wheel.

"I don't want to be any later than we have to be," she comments, not looking over at him.

Well, that got his attention, Sonya quips.

"Well, we'll be very late if we're dead," he fires back, "I happen to have something to live for, so slow the fuck down."

His snappy tone and his remark make her go quiet, and she feels slightly bad.

She lifts her foot off the gas a little, and takes the next corner at a gentler speed, shooting him a mild glare after she turns.

"Thank you," he mutters once the land back on a straight road.

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for your little boy," she responds, slightly miffed by his horrified reaction to her fast driving.

"He probably would have asked you to go faster," he chuckles, and Avery raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, now you want to have a conversation?" She asks, and he rolls his eyes.

"Well, there's no problem with making some, unless you'd rather sit in silence for the whole drive," he shrugs, and she grits her teeth.

"Well, we're here now, so there's no need to try to make conversation anymore," she remarks, sliding out of her seat as soon as she parks.

He gets out and is slightly shocked at how well she parked due to her lack of concern on the roads.

"Where do we go now?" He asks, and she's already walking ahead of him.

"Just follow me," she sighs, walking into the prison's main doors.

She scans her eyes and fingerprints and enters another room, the guards stopping Hayden.

She doesn't blame them; he looks a little wild.

His black hair goes to his shoulders now that it's untied from its bun, and his figure is large and imposing.

He glares at the guards, and Avery waves them off, letting him follow behind her.

"You really have these guards under control," he mutters to her as they step into an elevator.

"I know, I pay them to do a job, and I pay them a lot to do it properly," she shrugs, staring ahead of her.

Hayden is taking deep breaths, his eyes widening as the elevator journey seems to go on forever.

"Where are we going?" He asks, and she sighs.

"Bottom level. Maybe six kilometres underground? It's where we keep our death row inmates," she responds, and he nods slowly.

"So he's already been sentenced?" He questions and she shakes her head.

"Not here. They did an arraignment in Moonstone, so we're carrying out their orders, and nobody can argue that we're not," she smirks slightly, and he feels somewhat intimidated by this willowy imp.

"Ah," he mutters, and her smirk widens slightly.

"There's no need to be so worried. It'll be fine. He can't go anywhere, there's nowhere to dig," she shrugs, and he scratches his neck.

"Has anybody tried to escape from here before?" He enquires, not entirely sure that he wants to know the answer, as they keep going downwards.

"Yes, and they all failed. Of the five that tried, three suffocated in the soil and two were recaptured," she responds, her tone factual and cold.

"Oh," he nods, "my old pack wasn't like this. We generally transferred prisoners out or put them on work service."

"That's why your old pack had such a high re-offending rate," Avery mutters, and Hayden turns slightly pink.

They stay silent until the escalator hits the bottom of the channel with a loud bang.

Once the doors open, Avery steps out, two armed guards standing either side of her with their machine guns drawn.

Hayden raises a brow, and an armed guard settles himself beside him, too.

"Protection. Nobody will attack, but you can never be too careful these days," she explains without looking at him, and the five quickly pace down the bright, almost blinding white corridor.

"What have you done so far?" She asks the guard to her left, and he nods to the one on her right.

"Ice water, mild electric shocking, and a touch of hypothermia. We didn't give him any coverings last night, and he hasn't had food or water since yesterday morning before he was transferred," the right guard lists, and Avery lets out a thoughtful hum.

"And he's in the room with the flickering lights and the viewing window?" She checks, and they both nod simultaneously.

"Guard, bring this man into the viewing room with the others. Do a headcount, and ensure that there are five people there," she instructs, and Hayden coughs to interrupt her gently.

"There are more than five," he mutters to her, and she raises an eyebrow.

"What?" She asks when he doesn't immediately elaborate.

"When word got out that we were here to see the man that poisoned our families, a lot of other rogues stepped forward wanting to join us," he sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"Okay, how many?" She continues her questioning, stopping in her tracks to look at him.

"Maybe thirty. All contractors. More wanted to come, but we didn't want to overstep," he grits out.

I think they've already overstepped, Sonya grunts, and Avery has to hold back an irritated growl.

"Why didn't Byron tell me this?" She demands, turning around to face him, anger visible on her face.

"He hasn't spoken since we saw you yesterday, and nobody else was brave enough to walk onto your land without being guarded," he explains.

"Well, I'm glad my guards have a reputation for protecting the pack, then," she mumbles to herself.

"They were more afraid of you," he adds, looking away from her and staring at the wall.

"Wonderful, exactly what I needed today," she grumbles, rubbing her temple.

"Guard, put him in the viewing room and make sure they're all spaced out. Bring in five more guards to the room, on my orders," she instructs, and the guard nods, taking Hayden's arm.

He rips his arm out of the man's grip and in seconds has him against the wall.

"Hayden," she barks, "release him."

Hayden does as she says, looking slightly angry.

"You can't attack my guards," she snaps, and he rolls his eyes.

"Tell them not to touch me, and we won't have any problems," he hisses, walking himself into the room.

So he doesn't like to be touched. I wonder if he likes touching, Sonya muses, and Avery blocks her out.

She needs to be serious for this interview, and she can't do that if her wolf is spitting sexual nothings in her ear.

Once the viewing room's door closes, Avery closes her eyes and inhales slowly.

"Okay, stay in the corners," Avery orders, and then opens the door to the interrogation room.

The door swings open, and Avery strolls in, her shoulders back and chin in the air, her mouth in a slight frown.

She holds her files in her hands as she slides into the seat opposite the man accused of these