~James POV~
"No. You're staying inside with the others!" I yelled at my sister when she came barging out on the field after I had told Alex my answer regarding Amber fighting in the war.
"James I'm a warrior you can't forbid me from fighting!" She yelled back.
"You might be a warrior, but first and foremost you're my sister. I'm ordering you as the Alpha, I'm saying this as your brother. I don't want to lose you." I told Amber as I stepped closer.
"And I'm saying this as your sister, go fuck yourself." She said. I scoffed and shrugged before turning around and planning to leave.
"James you can't do this!"
"YES I CAN!" I growled as I turned back around. Amber winced and took a step back.
"James...Please. I want to fight, to help. We don't know what we're up against and if you start benching people because you're afraid of losing them, then I'm sorry but we've already lost." She said and I felt my face fall.
"There is a reason why our pack has always let she-wolves be warriors, because we're equal. Because we're stronger when we come together. You can't be emotional in this brother. I'm sorry but you know you can't. This isn't only Avery we're talking about, it's the Luna of our pack." I could see the pleading in Amber's eyes, but at the same time, she meant every word. I knew she was right. I couldn't be emotional. James could be, but the Alpha couldn't.
I walked up to my sister and grabbed a hold of her shoulders.
"You're not allowed to die, understood?"
"I won't, James. I won't let this family lose another member." She said as she took one of my hands from her shoulder and held it.
"What about me? Am I allowed to die?" Alex asked from behind Amber. His eyebrows were raised and his face serious.
"Yes," Me and Amber said at the same time. Alex's eyes fell and he looked at us with a bored expression.
"But if you die, I'm gonna have to kill you." Amber said as she turned around and walked back to the packhouse. I laughed and Alex chuckled. The others went after Amber, ready to eat after the intense practice schedule they were on. We couldn't afford to lose a second before the war.
I walked up to Alex and wrapped my arm around his shoulders and gave him a big smile. He looked at me as though something was wrong. Which it was. I gave him a punch to the stomach with all my power, not bothering to hold back, and watched him fall to the ground. He clutched his stomach and groaned in pain.
"What the fuck was that for!?" He asked. I got down on one knee beside him.
"That's for even joking about your death. Do it again and this pain will feel like paradise." I said with a grin as I got up and walked back to the house. I heard Alex groaning and looked back, only to see him rolling over, clutching his stomach. A chuckle escaping my lips and a victorious smile growing on my face.
I was sitting on my bed, staring at the wall. I couldn't believe or even grasp the truth of who I let into my pack. He smelled like a werewolf. A smell I've never sniffed on anybody unless they were one. He's a wizard and probably cooked about some shit to make us believe him.
All the red flags. All the warning signs. I should have sensed something!
But no. I let him near every pack member, from the youngest to the oldest. He seemed so, in the lack of a better word, 'normal'. I kept a close eye on him, yes, but nothing indicated that he was a wizard. That it was Crow.
I condemn myself for not knowing, I could have killed him. Maybe not, but I could have tried.
'He will get his tomorrow'
Tomorrow?
'Yes. Prepare yourself, James. The war is coming'
~Averys POV~
I stretched my legs and arms, rubbing my eyes with my hands trying to wake up. It was dark, there was no sun or light. Complete darkness covered every inch of the room.
I looked to my side and saw Natasha sound asleep with the ghost of a smile on her face.
She looked so peaceful. She told me once that whenever she's away from Carlos, she always dreams of him. It sounded kind of cheesy at the time but honestly? I would dream of James a million times over. Us dancing in the rain, kissing at sundown, walking on the beach and every other cliché romantic scene there was. I would choose those dreams every day for the rest of my life if they replaced the nightmares of him dying.
They had become frequent lately. Always the same one. We were out on the field, a wizard with a dark hood covering his face raises his hands and plans to kill me, James gets in his way and takes the blow. He always dies trying to protect me.
So I made a promise to myself that if it came down to it, I would end all of it. I would destroy Crows' plans, and I would save James and the others. At the end of the day, the responsibility for the werewolf kind layed on my shoulders. I'll be damned if I let anything to the people I love.
I felt a sudden desert-like thirst and my throat was drying up. I stood up slowly, trying not to make too much of a noise and wake Natasha. I made my way out of the room on my tip-toes and walked to the bathroom. I didn't dare walk down the stairs alone.
I opened the door to the bathroom and the shrieking sound made me wince and look back to see if I had woken up Natasha. I was relieved to see that I hadn't. As I entered in my groggy state, I put my hand on the faucet and turned it on. Only to see no water pouring out. I turned it on and off a few times before giving up and giving in to the realization that I had to walk down.
I had seen Natasha turn on the water downstairs in the kitchen. With a heavy sigh and little to no courage, I walked towards the stairs. I carefully stepped on each board, again not wanting to wake Natasha, nor the ghost of her mother. I tip-toed my way to the kitchen, constantly looking over my shoulder. I was a wuss, I know.
I walked into the kitchen and turned the faucet, happily watching the water pour out. I cupped my hands and used them as a cup to catch the water and drink.
The cold slowly moisturizing my throat as it slid down. A quiet moan escaped my lips and I dived in for more. When I was satisfied, I turned it off and decided to walk back up.
I walked out in the hall and towards the stairs only to stop dead in my tracks. My breath caught in my throat which suddenly turned as dry as it was before.
There was someone sitting on the first step. It was a girl, a young one. She held on to the railing, pushing her head against it. Her eyes squeezed shut. She was dressed in a pink nightgown with a teddy bear on it. She didn't look to be older than five.
I walked towards her slowly, bending my knees in front of her so that I reached her level.
"Excuse me, sweetie?" I tried getting her attention. She, however, didn't seem to notice my presence.
I cleared my throat and placed a hand on her knee.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" I asked. My heart broke at the sight. She looked terrified. And then I heard it. The torturous screams I heard when we first entered. The woman was begging for her life.
Not just a woman. Natasha's mom.
But does that mean...
I gasped as I looked at the young girl. Her black hair was braided in the back and I saw her tiny hand reaching up to her face, wiping away a tear. Her bottom lip was trembling.
"Natasha?" I said in a gasp. It couldn't be...
The little girl's head flew up and we made eye contact. Her big brown eyes looked at me in pain.
"Hide," She whispered. A cold chill reaching down my spine, making every hair on my body rise.