~Averys POV~
"So you were going to kidnap me? On behalf of my father?" I asked Sebastian in shock.
I had been briefed on what had happened, why, and who Sebastian was. Needless to say, we hadn't started off on the bestof terms. But I still couldn't shake the sense of familiarity that came from him.
"Yes, and as I said I'm sorry but he has my daughter. I didn't have a choice." Sebastian said and I could see the pain he carried. It must be an unbelievable, terrifying feeling knowing someone had your child.
"I understand, I really do. But I have to ask, what was he going to do with me?" He looked over at James who nodded his head.
"He was going to sell you to the wizard." My mouth did an O-shape, and my brows lifted, and as I let it sink in I just rolled my eyes and scoffed. I wasn't that surprised that my parents wanted to make money off me.
" I see." I said.
"You say you knew Lily and my parents. Did we ever meet? I have this feeling that I know you."
Sebastian stroked his injured arm and smiled sadly at me.
"When you were two years old, we started realizing that we were going to lose the battle. Even though we had the Knights on our side, the opposing pack had a much too powerful witch on their side. So when your parents planned to make a run for it and leave us to die, you came crawling out on the field. They didn't pay much attention to you even then. I picked you up. You put your tiny hand on my cheek-" He raised his hand and placed it on his cheek as if he was rembering the touch.
"-It was like feeling the sun warmed my face, the light you exuded, I didn't know what it was. But then your parents came and took you away. I had been so distracted that I didn't notice the witch's eyes on me. She did some spells and I prepared myself for whatever was to come. But it never did.
She looked frightened by the realization. She kept lifting her hands up and down and chanting something, but nothing happened. I wasn't affected. Her eyes shifted to a friend of mine only a few feet away. She started chanting again. He was in his wolf form and every bone in him broke before he collapsed and died. Blood poured out of his eyes and ears as he shifted back. After that she left. She was too scared or startled by the fact that her magic didn't work on me, and so was I. It was then that I realized that whatever you had done, protected me from her magic, you had protected me. I used to babysit you. I was a warrior but whenever your parents were too busy or too tired of pretending to care, I took you and you would sometimes be with me for a week at a time.
We would play, go on adventures. We actually went to visit here once too, the Red Moon Pack pack. I was visiting Lily so I brought you with me. I guess some part of you felt that I didn't deserve to die. You saved my life, Avery."
"And you were going to sell her to the person we're trying to protect her from. Nice way to repay someone for saving your life." Alex snapped at him.
"Alex, Crow has his daughter. I said that I understood and that it was fine and it is. Plus, I think everyone is forgetting something really important about the story." I said as I looked around at everyone. When my eyes landed on Natasha she was smiling and I knew that she had picked up on it too.
"You did magic." She said and everyone's eyes perked up as they looked at me.
"Does that mean that I'm a witch?" I asked as I kept my eyes on Natasha. I already knew the truth but I couldn't say that. I wanted to see what they would say.
"Well you already know that you're related to one so yeah, perhaps the genetics from the witch's side are that strong." She responded. Not the truth but not a lie, I'll take it.
"That's pretty cool you guys." I squealed as I looked at James and Alex with a smug smile and a raised eyebrow.
"Yes it is, cupcake. Perhaps you can kick ass after all." Alex said laughingly.
"Oh, that she can, she just doesn't know it yet." Sebastian said as he looked at me with a soft smile and loving eyes.
"Your daughter, perhaps we can help you with that. I'll make a few calls." James said as he looked at Sebastian.
"I would be forever grateful." He responded.
"Great! Well if you guys do that, Alex, I thought that now that everything is almost normal again, we could give training another shot? I promise I won't get mad." My voice sounded weak, and it was. I felt terrible about how I had acted towards him when all he was trying to do was help me. My head was tilted to the side and I pouted when he took too long to answer.
"Sounds great, cupcake." I bit my cheek, fighting back the annoyance of that name, and smiled at Alex. I walked up to him and grabbed his hand as we walked out of the office.
~Jame's POV~
Avery and Alex were about to leave my office, but before they did, Avery turned around and walked up to me, giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll see you later, okay?" She said with that soft, melodic voice.
"You better." I said as I grabbed her cheek and kissed her hard and long before letting go.
Her cheeks were flushed and she kept her eyes on the floor as they walked out.
The tension in my office could be cut with a knife. Sebastian and Natasha were having a staring contest and I was just standing there with a lifted eyebrow wondering how the fuck I ended up here.
After a few moments of neither of them breaking eye contact, I decided to speak up.
"Either you two kill each other or we get on with trying to save your daughter. Which will it be?" Sebastian looked at me eagerly while Natasha looked like a smug ten-year-old who had just won.
"Great, let's do this."
I had been calling around to ten different packs. None of them had any idea where Jack might be and they didn't have any interest in helping. Mainly because they thought the Simmons had some powerful people on their side.
"Do you know who they have backing them up?" I asked Sebastian after I hung up the phone call from the tenth pack.
"I honestly don't. I have heard stories going around that they sided with an enemy pack, and some say that they work for the wizard, but nobody knows the truth." He answered.
We didn't have much to go on and calling the wrong pack for help could draw unnecessary attention to ours.
"Maybe we don't need to look for her, they wouldn't harm her, knowing the penalty for such a crime. The wizard wants Avery. Sooner or later he is going to come searching for her. I bet he will have her parents with him and your daughter as well when he comes."
It was mostly a hunch, but as of right now, that's all we had to go on. Crow would come looking for Avery and when he did, he would bring any and all means necessary to make sure she went with him. If the Simon's were going to use Sebastian's daughter as a ransom, then she would come with them too.
"We will have to sit back and wait I'm afraid."
"YOU WANT ME TO WAIT WHILE MY DAUGHTER IS OUT THERE BEING HELD BY THOSE SONS OF BITCHES?" Sebastian roared, shaking the paintings on the wall. He had a strong wolf.
"You trespassed onto my territory, with the intention of kidnapping my girlfriend, and injuring my warriors. If sitting back and waiting isn't good enough for you then by all means, I'll kill you instead." I growled as I got up in his face, ready to break the fucker's neck.
Sebastian wisely stepped back and bowed his head. His wolf may be strong, but mine is and will always be the strongest in this country and he will be respected as such too.
I mind-linked Damon.
'Tell three of our best warriors to go searching for Sebastian's daughter. I have a shirt of hers in my office. I don't want them back until she has been found'
'Yes, Alpha'
"The shirt that belonged to your daughter, give it to me." He handed me her shirt and Damon came up not long after. He took the shirt to the warriors so that they could catch her scent.
"Thank you," Sebastian said. His eyes were glistening. He was on the verge of crying.
"Have a seat, we need to talk." I gestured for him to sit down on the sofa as I took a seat in the armchair.
"You said that Avery protected you from magic. How come you weren't protected from Natasha?" I had been wondering this ever since he told the story, but I didn't want to ask in the presence of Avery in case I already knew the reason.
Sebastian looked over at Natasha.
"Does he know?"
"Yes." She answered and his head turned back to me.
"They share the same bloodline, that's why it didn't work. The protection Avery put on me could only be removed by her or by someday who shares the same blood. Natasha's little stunt removed the protection."
"You were going to shift, it wasn't a little stunt. I was keeping your ass from killing everybody." Natasha snapped.
"I wasn't going to kill James who I'm guessing you're referring to because he and his family are the only ones you've ever given a damn about. Except for yourself, of course. I only wanted to kill the bitch." I gave away a warning growl and Sebastian started shifting uncomfortably on the couch.
"You touched her, and she responded in the way she should have. When you speak of the members of this pack, you speak with respect." Blade was now surfacing, taking control. Whatever happened hereon after, was up to Sebastian.
"My apologies, Alpha, I just haven't heard of many female warriors."
"In this pack, anyone who wants can be a warrior, everyone is equal." I said as I lifted my head. I had always prided myself on the fact that we had both male and female warriors. I heard how other packs never let women out in wars and battles. To me that was baffling.
"It is rarely heard of, but it is admirable."
"That is why we are the strongest pack, because we train everyone to reach their full potential, to fight, and to win." Sebastian looked at me with amazement brimming in his eyes, but also confusion was written on his face.
"You are just like your mother. She would never take credit for anything either. James, this pack isn't the strongest and the most feared because of the warriors, it's because of their Alpha. People don't fear and respect your pack, they fear and respect you." He said and I bit down hard.
"A pack is only as strong as its Alpha, which is why we lost. Both the battle and our dignity." Sebastian continued. He leaned back onto the couch as he remembered the downfall of his pack. I had heard of it. It was bloody and gruesome. They never stood a chance.