Avery feels unstoppable.

Her hair is all one colour again, she has the brightest red lipstick she owns on, and her brows are cooperating.

With this all in perfect condition, she sets off to the bunker, holding all of her files and her laptop in her bag, her phone in her hand and a smirk on her lips.

Her phone rings, and then stops, Sonya taking the message instead.

Are we ready for this?, Sonya asks nervously, and Avery snorts inwardly.

What are we not ready for?, Avery retorts, and Sonya doesn't respond.

Unlocking the door, and scanning her eyes, ear, and fingerprints, Avery is finally allowed into the bunker after typing in four codes and giving a blood sample.

She has everything locked down, and nobody goes in or out without her say so.

"Good morning, Freya," she beams, and the woman looks up at her from the table she's sitting at.

There's sweat on her brow, and she jumps up in an anxious flurry.

"What did they say?" She asks, hurrying up to Avery and looking up at her.

Avery pauses and then smiles.

"He's being charged with your rape, darling, and not only that, he's financially liable for Sam and you, as he caused you to miss out on college," Avery smirks, and Freya gasps, sinking into the couch cushions.

Freya begins to sob, and Avery frowns, quickly dropping her stuff and putting her arm around the woman.

"Is this not a good thing?" She whispers, rubbing her back soothingly.

"It's so, so good," Freya whimpers, her body heaving with her cries, "I just never thought it would happen."

"Well, the jury saw your brands, and they somehow managed to come to the conclusion that you maybe didn't want them, or to be raped," Avery smiles, and Freya sinks against her in relief.

"So he's going to be jailed?" She asks, looking up at her Alpha.

"Even better, he'll be jailed here," she nods, "so we can control exactly what happens to him and where he's put, since the crime happened here."

Freya gnaws at her lip, forcing herself to breathe normally.

"Thank you so much, Alpha," she whispers, "I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

Avery shakes her head, patting her shoulder.

"Repay me by helping me organise a crises centre. We can model it off what you would have wanted when you were attacked," Avery negotiates, and Freya's jaw drops.

"I asked around, and I know you organise everything for the library, from events to new releases. You're definitely capable of helping run this," Avery whispers, squeezing the woman's hand.

"I'd love to," she admits truthfully, "but what about Sam?"

"You can do it part-time, and work it around when he's in school. You're going to be paid a very comfortable amount that I negotiated for you from Preston's expansive bank accounts," Avery nods, handing her a file with that information in it.

Freya skims over it, her eyes landing on the monthly figure and her jaw dropping.

"Oh my Goddess," she whimpers, and Avery shrugs.

"It's only for thirty years, but it's in a trust for you and Sam, and his actual mate or family cannot touch this money," Avery nods, and Freya gasps.

"I thought he was just a professor," she whispers.

"Turns out that he made a lot of money from freelancing! So, where better to give the money than his victims," Avery shrugs.

Freya sits in a shell-shocked silence as Sam runs in, throwing himself into his mother's arms.

"Hello, Sam," Avery smiles, and the boy smiles back at her.

"Alpha, I lost one of my teeth last night," he beams, and Avery laughs.

"I can see," she chuckles, pulling a face at him, "are you being good for your mum?"

"I am! I've drawn lots of pictures for her, and we read all of the books you brought together, even the big one that mum said was for physics," he nods eagerly, and Avery smiles.

"Good! Would you get some of these pictures so I can see them?" She asks gently, and he grins and jumps up.

Once he leaves the room, Avery looks at Freya.

"Are you okay?" She quietly murmurs to the woman.

"I'm just so shocked, it's been two weeks since we got here, since I told somebody, and he's in jail," she whispers, staring at the wall in front of her.

"Now all you have to focus on is raising your amazing boy," Avery smiles, rubbing Freya's arm.

"He's going to have the best childhood I can give him, especially now that I'll be able to see him more," she whispers, nodding determinedly.

"I'm absolutely certain he will," Avery grins, standing up.

"I'll leave these files with you. I'd like you to stay here another few days, just until we have all of the paperwork sorted out, if that's okay?" Avery adds quickly, and Freya nods.

"That's okay. We've gotten settled here; it feels safe," she smiles weakly, standing up as well, and surprising Avery with a hug.

Avery pats her back awkwardly, forcing down her shock and mild claustrophobia.

"Sam, come say goodbye to the Alpha," Freya shouts, and the pitter-patter of little feet is heard a moment later.

"Goodbye, Alpha," he parrots, and Avery grins at him, ruffling his hair gently before she makes her exit.

"What's on my list today, Kathleen?" She asks into her phone, and she hears a disgruntled sigh.

"You have a few calls. Maybe deal with a prisoner or two, there's nothing too interesting," the woman grumbles, and Avery frowns.

"Okay. Once I finish those calls, you and Kali can get out of there, it shouldn't take me too long," she nods thoughtfully, strolling along at a leisurely pace.

Avery lets herself out of the bunker, walking back to the packhouse deep in thought when her phone rings.

I forwarded you a call, he rang early, Kathleen quickly babbles, and Avery scowls a little.

I guess we'll have a working lunch, Sonya grumbles, I swear this is the only time any of them will ring early.

Avery takes a moment to compose herself, sweeping her hair over her shoulders and tilting her chin into the air.

"Alpha Wilcott, who is this?" She asks coldly, her tone full of power.

"Guess," a deep voice growls, and she rolls her eyes.

"What do you want?" Avery snaps, her voice instantly twenty degrees chillier.

"To talk," Roman finally sighs, and Avery grinds her teeth a little.

"About what?" She asks, genuinely slightly confused.

"What happened between us," he replies quietly, and Avery clenches her jaw in an attempt not to snort.

"What do you mean what happened between us? Do you mean the argument we had that offended you so much that you decided to place a ban on Unfortunates being, I don't know, happy? You can't just break apart families because I didn't fall on my knees and beg for your attention," Avery spits, slamming open the packhouse door.

The kids in the entryway stand back, getting out of her way - she's in Alpha mode, and they can tell by the power radiating off of her that she's royally pissed.

"You can't just keep talking to my Beta Female and not me," he retorts, and Avery is actually speechless.

"Actually, I can. The guidelines state I can speak to any of your officials, not just you. I don't have to speak to you, I'm not obliged to report my every move to you," she responds calmly, her tone spiteful as she opens her office door.

Kali and Kathleen look at her with wide eyes, and Kathleen can spot her Alpha's jaw ticking.

Kathleen pulls Kali off the floor and leads her out quickly.

"You don't want to be there when she explodes, trust me," Kathleen mutters, bringing Kali to the kitchen.

"You should be speaking to the Alpha, your equal," he barks, and Avery sits down in disbelief.

"Goddess, this must be the first time you've said I'm your equal," she scowls, "and don't you dare avoid answering my questions. How dare you separate families? You have no idea what it's like to have no mate."

She quietens down after that, realising she may have stepped on sensitive territory.

"I have banned Unfortunates and rejected wolves from being together because it's unnatural," he scowls, and Avery snorts.

"Right, so you should get over yourself if you think it's unnatural. Thank Goddess we didn't do anything except kiss if that's how you feel," she hisses, and Roman seems to realise his mistake almost immediately, trying to take his words back.

"I'm sorry for trying to make you tell me about what happened between you and Alpha Petty," he groans, and Avery gasps.

"Oh my Goddess, no. That apology should have been given almost a month ago. I appreciate it, but don't you dare try to use it as an excuse for getting out of this conversation," she snarls, "I'm reporting you to the Council."

"Reporting me for what?" He asks, aghast and running his hands through his hair.

"For your disgusting practices of casting out Unfortunates. We're already outcasts, we don't need help from you," she sneers, her temper at its peak.

Roman sits back in his seat with an eyebrow raised.

"You say 'we' as if you know the life of an Unfortunate who was cast out," he notes, and she grimaces.

"When I was Branded, my mother couldn't look at me for two months. My sister wouldn't speak to me for a year, and my father practically had to denounce his title," she snarls, "my wolf vanished, and I was without her for two years."

Roman is quiet.

He doesn't really know what to say to that.

"I think that's the most you've opened up to me in all the time that we've known each other," he shrugs, and then hears the dial tone.