Payment To the Alpha

I went into the big hall which was on the first floor to the left. It was a huge room with a pool table, bar, a big 82-inch flat-screen TV on the wall with an Xbox, and other types of gaming consoles. The entire wall on the other side was floor-to- ceiling windows that you could open and they led to the backyard where there was a pool, a barbecue area, a Jacuzzi, and what seemed like a boxing ring of sorts.

There were around 20 people sitting in the big hall doing their own thing, I stood by the wall where I had walked in, not wanting to disturb anyone when someone called me.

"Hey new girl! Come on over," a guy with chestnut hair and baby blue eyes said. I looked shyly and walked over to him and his group of friends who were sitting by the bar, talking.

"I'm Chase," he said and shook my hand.

"This is Amanda, Claire, Alfred, Cane, and Sofia," he said while pointing to each person. They all smiled and nodded at me, except for the girl I believed was Sofia, she scanned me from top to toe and had a sort of grin on her face.

"Hi, I'm Avery. I'm James' guest for a few days," I tried sounding as nice and confident as possible, however, my voice was trembling with discomfort.

"Yeah, we all know that, James made that pretty clear the day you arrived," the guy named Cane said with a grin.

"So. How long are staying for?" Sofia exclaimed with a hopeful voice.

"Sofia! Behave," Claire quickly jumped in noticing how her friend was being rude.

"Sorry about her, she's really nice once you get to know her," Claire continued while eyeing her friend dissaprovingly.

"It's okay, I'm only staying for a few days," I said with a smile on my face. I was only going to be here for a few days, I didn't feel like being bitchy or snarky to someone who I'm never going to meet again.

"Well, are you coming to the ball?" Amanda asked me with a huge smile on her face, which I couldn't help but smile back to, it was one of those smiles that just made you happy.

"Yes I am, I'm guessing you all are too?" I asked looking around at everybody

James' POV

"Where Is Avery?" Somehow regardless of what I was doing or who I was talking to, I had this constant need to know where she was at all times. It was bothersome.

"She's in the big hall talking to some of the pack members,” Alex said with a grin on his face.

"You know a lot of the pack members have the hots for her right? I mean she is one hell of a woman so you can't blame them, but are you sure you can handle it without you know.... ripping someone's head off?" Alex continued with a mix of sarcasm and genuine concern in his eyes.

"I won't kill anyone brother, she is a business agreement that's all. Plus all I have to do is put my hands on her and she will obey my every command," I responded with a smirk. It was true, if I wanted her to do something all I had to do was touch her and she would. I'm not sure why it was like that with us. It's different and not something I've heard of before. Not that I would take advantage of the fact, however, if I needed her to stay away from certain horny, unmated wolves, I would. One thing that wasn't completely true though, was the fact that "I wouldn't kill for her" I probably would, there is a need within me telling me to claim her and protect her, I know there's a huge possibility she's my mate.

'She is our mate you jackass'

my wolf interrupted, I just couldn't face the truth, because that would make me weak, considering she's human now, she's more fragile and prone to death which would weaken me.

"Sure, continue lying to yourself and perhaps one day you'll start to believe it," Amber said, taking a bite of the apple she was eating.

"Alpha!" Damon came running in, in distress.

"What's wrong?" I quickly stood, facing him.

"We just got word that Carlos is coming to the ball tonight... with Natasha," he said with worried eyes and his voice hitched in worry.

Natasha was the witch that stripped Avery of her powers, her true self. This was indeed a problem.

"Mind link everyone in the pack and tell them to make sure Avery's and Natasha's paths do not cross tonight. She may be a witch but she's also a bitch and if she can somehow stir the pot and make shit happen, she will." Damon nodded and quickly left to do as he was told.

"Amber, make sure Avery is within eyesight all night, no exceptions."

"Of course," she said with a head bow.

Things could either go perfectly fine or shit was about to go down. I'm betting on the latter.

Avery's POV

I had spent all afternoon talking to Chase and his friends, they were all really nice and welcoming, except for that Sofia girl of course. I was planning on talking to Amber about her and see if I could get a hang of her and her problem with me. It was now five a-clock. I excused myself from the group and told them all that I'd meet them later at the bar and then I headed for my room to take a nap before Amber came.

I laid on the bed staring at the ceiling thinking about the conversation I had just had with the guys downstairs, something seemed off. Like when I asked about the medical facility on the property they had all stiffened then Amanda quickly blurted out that this town has a few veterans and soldiers so the facility is for them. I also asked about the arena a few miles north that I saw through the windows in my room, It was right before the forest started, again they all stiffened before saying it was for the kids and the town each year holds an annual "family camp" where families teamed up and went against each other in different activities. It sounded quite cute and really nice I must admit, however, I didn't believe that they were telling me the truth. Perhaps I'm just overthinking it... I dismissed my thoughts and rolled over to my side and closed my eyes, it didn't take long for sleep to consume me and all thoughts drifted away

**************

***************************************

I woke up in the woods. It was dark, quiet and a shiver went down my spine causing my entire body to shake. The only source of light was the moon. There were woods all around me however, where I woke up was a patch, free of trees, only green grass that was dancing in the wind. The moon was huge, bright, and utterly mesmerizing. It was hard to take my eyes off of, it seemed like it was speaking to me, not through words, but through feelings. I was consumed by a warm, comforting feeling.

I looked down and realized I wasn't wearing any shoes, I was dressed in nothing but a white laced gown-like dress that was completely see-through.

A sound coming from behind the trees caught my attention.

"Hello?"

"Hello!?" I didn't get a response, nor could I see anyone there.

Then, from the trees a beautiful woman emerged, dressed in a grey dress trailing on the ground, her hair was as white as snow and her face... she was beautiful. She had a halo of silver flowers on the top of her head and she looked like a princess, her hands were held in, clasped together. She approached and stopped a few feet away, looking at me with the kindest eyes I had ever seen.

"Hello dear. My name is Selene," the woman spoke and her voice was angelic.

"Hi," was all I could manage to say.

"I know you're probably wondering what all this is?" I nodded to her question.

"You see, yours is a story that's about to start. Everyone has their own story, with different chapters and different possible endings depending on the path they choose. I know you have questions my dear and I won't be able to answer them all. However, one question I can answer for you is, yes, you're supposed to be where you are, you're supposed to be with James. There is a tale of you girl whose birth will stir many emotions, a girl will change the outlook on a world unknown to many. A girl so powerful that she will be stripped of her powers before birth. She will meet a man who will help her reach her full potential and she will become the woman she is meant to be. With a heart of gold, a soul of pure kindness, and a mind with integrity she will prevail. However, a test of all her qualities must first be done to show that what she is worthy of will come. It will be up to her what path she chooses, she will either save the lives of those she loves or lose their love to save herself."

"I don't really know what to do with this... so the tale is about a girl who will either be a selfish bitch or a powerful woman?"

"It is a tale about a woman who will either be overcome by darkens or be the light with which she guides her people," Selene said with a kind smile.

"You told me that this is where I'm supposed to be, why? I have this feeling that I'm not, a gut feeling in my stomach telling me something is wrong."

"That feeling dear is not a feeling for what is right now but a feeling for what will come. You are about to face a great deal of obstacles and truths, that is what your feeling is telling you. You are at your rightful place, but you must be prepared for what is to come."

"How did you know that I had this question?" I asked realizing how I never said it out loud.

"I'm here to guide you, Avery. I know more than you can imagine. Your Destiny is quite the special one and you're going to need help getting to the finish line."

"What is my destiny?"

"You're a special girl Avery, don't forget that. And also be aware of those around you, not everyone is who they seem, your friend could be your enemy and your enemy could be your friend, nothing is ever as it seems. But for now, rejoice in the fact that you are surrounded by people who care about you, and have fun tonight, but remember what I said, be prepared for what will come. You're about to have a very eventful evening. Until next time we meet."

Those were her parting words before she slowly faded into thin air and she was gone. I looked up at the moon only to see how there were now specks of black covering the moon.

*********************

"WAKE UP!"

"WAKE UP SLEEPYHEAD!"

I woke quickly to the feeling of being shaken and someone yelling my name. I quickly sat on the bed staring at the intruder. It was Amber, looking at me all giddy.

"It's time to get ready for the BALL!"

I looked around seeing two women who had stationed two tables with a mirror and tons of makeup on each table, along with a chair, hair straightener and curler, and other hair products, there was also a rack in the room with two black bags hanging which I assumed were the dresses inside.

"Argh... fine let's do this," I said, taking Amber's hand as she helped me up from the bed and giggled as we made our way to the tables.