Payment To the Alpha

"James." Amber said in a warning. I looked over at Alex and he flicked his head to the house, gesturing that we should leave them.

"Amber if anything happens to her," I said in a low growl that made Avery tense.

"It won't. She'll be safe I promise."

I still didn't feel good about leaving Avery out there without me by her side. I was going to stay, refuse to walk away. But a pleading look from Amber made me go against it. Alex and I turned around and walked back to the house. This is one big fucking mess.

Avery's POV

Honestly. What the fuck was happening? How did I go from having a family, living in a cute little village with my boyfriend by my side, studying for my dream job, and getting excited over movie night every Saturday that Lydia and I had as a tradition since we were kids, to being cheated on by the guy I was in love with, told from my supposed parents that I was a mistake, a contract, a payment, only being born to be somebody's wife, being held at a house full of... I can't even say it. It sounds crazy.

"Hey, what you thinking about?" Amber broke me from my thoughts. I looked up at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Right... stupid question. You know, if you have any questions about anything, and I mean anything at all, feel free to ask," she said in a concerned and loving way. I couldn't help but smile. She had been nothing but warm and kind to me ever since we met. Yes, she did lie to me, but she was still sweet, and I could see genuine guilt in her eyes earlier when she was consoling me by the gate.

"This whole wolf thing. What's that about?" I asked, looking into her eyes. I saw that she was worried but a small smile crept up on her face.

"We are werewolves, Avery. Everyone here is. We're a pack." I shook my head not ready to believe what she was saying.

We were sitting on a bench in the garden. I was looking around at the flowers and the bushes. It was beautiful and huge. The bushes were meticulously placed to form different shapes and in between were flowers of all different colors. I could see in the middle of the garden, there was a pond, and benches around that as well as a fountain in the middle. And paths leading all through, perfect for a stroll. There were lanterns hanging on lamp poles, lighting up all the pathways. In the ground were spotlights that also lit up some of the huge estates. Except for those, the only other source of light was the moon, the moon was right above us and looked close. When I looked towards the forest it was hard to make anything out, there was just darkness, so much darkness. It made me a bit skirmish yet at the same time, it felt oddly calming.

"You don't believe me." Amber stated.

"I'm sorry." I replied

"Don't be. It's not every day someone tells you that something you've only heard about in fairytales and seen in twilight movies, is real." I chuckled at her remark on Twilight.

"Avery if you're up for it, I can prove it to you, but you have to promise me that you won't pass out." She dragged the word promise. Show me?

"What do you mean?"

"I can prove to you that what I'm telling you is the truth. I can shift right here, right now. You will see my wolf. She won't harm you. You needn't be scared of her. Can you do that?"

I thought about it for a while. I was going crazy thinking about everything that was going on and if it was all a dream or a joke. This could be the answer to some of the questions I had. It will either put my mind at ease or get a lot worse. I was hoping for the first.

I nodded my head at Amber who was now standing in front of me. She shimmied out of her dress, leaving her only in her underwear. My eyes widened and she quickly spoke when she saw the questioning expression on my face.

"If I shit in my dress it will be ripped to shreds and it's too damn sexy for that to happen." She said with confidence in her voice and a smirk. I simply gave her a nod and took the dress, folding it and putting it beside me on the bench.

"You ready?" I nodded again and braced myself for what was to come. Maybe they were all lunatics here, or a cult thinking they were werewolves. Like those people you see on TV that have cat ears and a cat tail and actually think they are

cats.

Before my thoughts could spin any further I heard bones cracking, I looked in horror as Amber's arms were bending out of place, her bones cracking and breaking, then her legs. And as she landed on all fours I saw the fur starting to cover her body.

I know I said I wasn't going to freak out, but damn that was hard. I thought to myself as I looked at her. In under thirty seconds, she had shifted completely and was now standing right in front of me on all fours as a big as fuck, beautiful as hell wolf.

I had to cover my mouth with my hand to stop myself from screaming. Amber's wolf sat down on her butt. Probably to make me feel more comfortable. I slowly removed my hand and instead of shock, I was now looking in awe at the creature before me. Her fur was light grey and her paws were white. Under the moonlight, it looked as though her fur was glistening.

I carefully stood up and took a step forward. She moved her head only a little but it was enough for me to stop dead in my tracks. She let out a little whine, before laying down completely on the ground.

I smiled as I walked up to her, kneeling beside her. Her head slowly moved to my arm, nudging at my hand. I lifted my hand and started stroking her head. She purred as I scratched behind her ears. I moved my hand down her back slowly. Trying to grasp everything that was happening before me right now. She rolled over onto her back and I took that as a sign that she wanted her belly rubbed. So I did. I took my hand under her paw and lifted it. Just like when you're comparing the size of your hand to somebody else's, that's what I did, but with a paw, a wolf's paw. No sorry, let me correct that, a werewolf's paw.

I looked into her eyes. My hands resting on my lap. I nodded my head, "okay, I believe you," I said with a smile. She purred once again, and right before my eyes, she shifted back into her human form. However now she was completely naked. I quickly took the dress and handed it to her.

"So, how do you feel?" She asked. Her voice mixed with worry and excitement.

"You were beautiful," I said, still in awe from what I saw. Amber smiled wide and her eyes glistened but just as quickly as they started glistening, they went dim. That shit looked like something from the exorcist. I thought to myself. "What just happened with my eyes, that's called mind liking. Every member of the pack can do it. It's a way of communicating with the other pack members, instead of phones and all that. We can mind link either just one person or all of them." She said with a smile. However the look she got from me in return, changed her beaming smile to that of pity. She took my hand in hers.

"I know you've been through a lot, but Avery, thank you, thank you for letting me show you who I am, and thank you for not judging me. You could've freaked out and run but you stayed and you kept an open mind. I know all of this is a lot, but I promise you, everything is going to be okay. And I will be right by your side every step of the way." She said with a reassuring smile. I smiled back, big time. And we shared a big long hug.

"I need to run in for a bit, that was what the mind link was about, there is something that needs tending to. You wanna come?" She asked and gestured for us to walk back in. I shook my head

"No, I'd like to stay out here a little longer if you don't mind."

"Of course. I will be out in a bit," she said and gently squeezed my arm before turning on her heel and walking away. However, after she had walked for a bit she stopped and turned around. "Oh and Avery, don't go near the woods okay?" She said in a warning tone. I simply nodded as a response. She smiled and continued walking back to the house.

I was definitely not going near those woods. I sat back down on the bench and closed my eyes. It felt nice to be alone. I let the warm breeze fan me as the fresh air filled my nostrils. So much had happened today. I wasn't sure how to react anymore. Should I cry? Should I scream? I felt like I was dry on tears and I didn't have the energy to scream right now. I just wanted to sleep. But knowing I was in a house full of werewolves made the idea of sleep less appealing. Maybe tomorrow I will have a better idea of how to handle everything. For now, I just want to be in the moment, and shut my mind up, escape my thoughts even if it's just for a little while.

I kept thinking about the conversation I had with that woman in my dream. She told me that things were going to happen today, I guess part of me didn't believe it. She seemed to have answers. I want to meet her again.

I continued enjoying the time I had here by myself and the silence surrounding me.

My moment of peace however was cut short when someone placed a hand on my shoulder. My eyes jerked open and my head snapped to the person standing behind me. It was her. The woman from the bar.

"Hello there. My name is Natasha, may I have seat?"