With Freya and Sam safely in a bunker, Avery quickly flew through interviewing some of the other volunteers.

She only spoke to the ones whom the guards found useful, which was three out of eighty.

It would seem that anybody who had heard anything ever about York was coming in to suggest that it could be the reason for the attack on him.

She was straight up not having a good day.

She had spent two hours with Freya, comforting her and sitting in silence with her. She had sent a counsellor to them, and a teacher for Sam to distract him while his mother got some help for a while.

Her heart clenched at the thought of how many other women the pack could be failing, and she had made an order for three nurses to go through every file and pull out any rape or suspected abuse files.

She would look at them later, maybe with the help of Kathleen or her mother, and allocate funding to help for a crises centre. Which should have been done long before this, and she could have sworn she had ordered it before.

"What's it like being in control of everyone?" Kathleen asked as they walked to the next interview, and Avery rolled her eyes.

"Shit, just like it was six years ago," she chuckles, rolling her eyes at her friend.

"While I'm in this one, I want you to track down a list of possibilities as to who could be Freya's mate. There are penalties for not filing the paperwork, and although it's nothing compared to what he did to her, I want him to pay as much as I can make him," Avery grits out, and Kathleen nods.

"Perfect. I'll do that, and then I can sort out the files the nurses are sending over. We can sort them by age and gender and sexual orientation," Kathleen nods, more speaking to herself towards the end.

"That sounds perfect, Kath," Avery smiles, squeezing her best friend's hand before she goes into the final interview room, where a man is pacing up and down.

She's instantly hit by the stench of rogue, and Avery gags, pulling back towards the door at the unexpected reek.

"You're not one of my pack members," she states the obvious, and the man rolls his eyes.

"No shit," the man mutters, scowling a little.

"Why are you here, rogue?" Avery asks, straightening up a little, and making eye contact with the pale guard in the room.

"You lot wanted information, and I have it, don't be dense," he smirks, continuing his pacing.

"Would you like to sit down, Mr..." Avery trails off, and the rogue looks vaguely insulted.

"Just call me Byron," he sighs, flinging himself into one of the metal chairs, and almost sliding off it.

"Okay, Byron, what do you have to tell us?" Avery asks confidently, sitting down opposite him as her senses adjust to his scent.

Yours might; because mine haven't, Sonya grimaces, I really hate you for the situations you put us in.

Avery ignores her wolf entirely, staring intently at the rogue instead.

"Promise I'll be released unharmed?" He asks, "And nobody can know I gave you this information."

Avery rolls her eyes, but nods her consent, merely responding with "deal."

"I have heard rumours about a coven reforming," he shrugs, sitting back in his seat.

"Rumours don't help me, Byron. I need names or a location," she shrugs in reply, continuing to stare at him.

"Oh my Goddess, stop looking at me," he snaps, scowling a little.

"All I know is that they're near Alpha Petty's land. I even heard mutterings that they've infiltrated his pack. But I do know that they have a lot of the poison that they used to harm your brother with, and they're not picky about targets," he sighs.

"Okay, so he wasn't targeted for a particular reason, like a deal he made or anything?" She queries, and the rogue rolls his eyes.

"Well, he's an Alpha. They're testing the ways that it's harmful through different methods of ingestion. He was probably one of the first attempts at mixing it in a drink," the man mutters.

"But why him?" Avery asks, having a solid guess now.

Let him say it, Sonya warns, or it's just speculation.

"If it could hurt him, and potentially permanently incapacitate him, what could it do to normal wolves? If they got it into the water supply, imagine how harmful it would be," the rogue whispers, his face paling.

"Do many other rogues know about their plan?" Avery asks calmly, and the guard moves to stand behind her.

"Most of them are killing machines, and nothing else at this point. There are about five of us who avoid them and the vampires, and we knew one of us had to do something, so I volunteered to come here," Byron nods, rubbing his scruffy beard in agitation.

"We do appreciate it, but how did you find this out?" Avery questions and Byron avoids her eyes.

"They poisoned my daughter. I've been tracking them since," he grimaces, and Avery's mouth opens a little in shock.

"She died?" Avery asks quietly, and the man shakes his head.

"No, but she may as well have. She's in a coma, I believe," he replies, suddenly looking about twenty years older than his age.

"Where is she?" Avery asks cautiously.

"She's in the Connors pack. I left to track down the people who did this to her," he snarls, and the guard points a gun at him as he releases the noise.

"I won't harm your Alpha. I was a General in the Connors pack, I respect her power, and I know she could kill me in seconds," he merely shrugs, back to his former calm demeanour.

"The people you run with... Did they all lose someone to the poison?" She asks carefully, and the man nods grimly.

"Yes. It's unfortunate, but we've been working together for six months. We heard about the attack on Alpha York this morning, probably before most Alphas did," he rolls his eyes, and Avery raises a brow.

"How did you hear?" She asks, furrowing her brows again.

"We overhear more than most people," he responds, and Avery sighs.

"You're free to go, or if you wish to stay for the night, feel free, I'll have somebody bring you a meal and a mattress with blankets," Avery nods, shaking the rogue's hand before getting up.

"Thank you, Alpha," he comments, "and please find these bastards."

Avery nods to him, before leaving the room.

Running up the stairs to the main packhouse, she pulls out her phone as soon as she knows that she will have a signal.

Dialling a familiar number, she inhales deeply before pressing call.

He picks up instantly.

"Scott, you need to get Kali out of your pack as soon as you can," she rushes and hears silence on the other end of the line.

"Scott?" She repeats, trying to keep her nerves at bay.

She can hear heavy breathing on the phone before a growl.

"Why?" Scott snarls, and Avery shuts her eyes.

"A rogue has told me there are vampires in your ranks. You need to get her out of there," she snarls back, her canines on show.

"Where the hell am I supposed to send her? She can't go back home, her pack are useless," he groans, and she can hear him sit down.

She can also sense his panic, and she bites her lip.

"Send her here, she knows me," Avery says after a moment of silence.

"No way, absolutely no way am I sending her to you," he hisses, and Avery groans.

"She'll be more comfortable here," she adds, running a hand through her hair.

"What will people think? Your brother is unmated, I won't have her there," Scott grunts, and Avery shuts her eyes.

"He is no longer the Alpha of this pack. He was poisoned, and he isn't waking up. I have taken over, so let people say what they want, we can say it's a diplomatic mission or something for women's empowerment," Avery hisses, trying to keep her temper in check.

She really liked the quiet girl that Scott brought along with him, and she wasn't about to let her get needlessly harmed.

"Let me talk to her, and I'll call you back," Scott finally says, and Avery nods, then realises he can't see her and then says a quick "that's fine."

Moments pass, and while she drinks the stiff drink she poured for herself, her phone rings.

"She said yes, she'll be there by morning," Scott states gruffly, and Avery nods, rubbing her face.

"Okay," she replies.

"I don't trust you, Ave, but I don't think you'd hurt Kali, so I need to trust you right now. Please don't give me a reason to come to get her," he warns, and Avery sighs.

"Scott, I wouldn't hurt her. You can't be with her twenty-four seven, whereas I can. She isn't of Alpha Blood, you can say I'm training her," she suggests, and she hears a heavy sigh.

"I suppose that will have to do," he mutters, "I appreciate you watching out for her."

"I wouldn't let anybody get hurt if I can prevent it, Scott, and you should remember that," Avery retorts, feeling slightly insulted by his lack of faith in her.

She pushes her feelings down, and instead channels it into organising, hanging up her phone and going to her office to get started on the files awaiting her, ignoring the ever-present worry about her brother.