The evening was disastrous.

It seemed like every fighter Avery had trained had stage-fright for a while, and some of them had even refused to fight the next day.

Avery had ordered a tonne of pizza and ice cream to calm them down, even though the Generals didn't exactly approve of her methods, one of them going as far as to call it a 'bribe'.

Sure enough, after they all had some carbs, they calmed down, and Avery had gotten them to talk about why they were afraid of fighting the following day.

Some were afraid of disappointing their parents, and for those kids, Avery organised phone calls home to the families, with the parents under strict instructions to only be encouraging about the event taking place.

Some were terrified they'd just do terribly, and Avery told them there was no shame in not winning. Her words did nothing to help, so Avery enlisted the help of some of the counsellors who were supplied by the Council, who organised the Trials with the help of some of the Senior Alphas.

The elder kids were a little sad and a little nervous.

Some of them needed to place in the top fifty in their category for courses or placements in training courses that they wanted to do.

Some of them were sad that this was technically their last pack sanctioned event as kids, because after their final Trial, they were considered to be fully functioning members of adult society.

Avery sympathised with the older ones and told them about the Trial she won.

It had been a surprise to everybody there when she had won because she had been the definite underdog.

Teenage Avery was all legs and arms, without much muscle definition anywhere really.

Everyone had expected the gangly teen to be knocked out in the first few rounds.

When she made it to the girls' semi-finals with twenty others, they had put it down to her Alphas blood heritage.

When she had won all of the female matches, she had been pitted again a male twice her width.

Miraculously, to her father's utter shock, she had beaten him in all of the rounds bar the first one.

The stadium had been completely silent when she had won, as opposed to the usual cheers and screaming.

Everyone had been so surprised she made it so far and then actually won that nobody knew how to react.

When the umpire had raised her arm, the stadium had stayed in complete silence for a minute.

Avery didn't blame anybody for the disbelief, she had watched the videos of her fights afterwards, and even she had no idea how she managed to beat half of her opponents.

What she did remember, however, was the University interview she had to attend the next day, covered in bruises and cuts from all of her fights, and how the interviewer was horrified until he saw that she was proficient in martial arts from her questionnaire.

That embarrassment had been hard to push down, and she still cringes sometimes at the memory of the interviewer's horrified face.

The fact that their terrifying Alpha had been the underdog before had given some of the teenagers some of their confidence back. Still, some were inconsolable and just needed to be left alone for a while to mope before they could be spoken to or motivated.

Avery left the children to their own devices, making some of them promise to call her if there were any issues with anything at all.

She was a very hands-on Alpha, and her pack certainly appreciated.

On her way back to her room, she consoled some fighters who were scattered throughout the halls crying or shaking.

She had summoned their Alphas to check on them and slipped the teenagers her number as well in case they needed somebody to talk to.

Eventually, she reaches the door of her hotel room, opening it and slamming it within five seconds, resting her body against the door as soon as she gets inside.

"Where have you been?" Roman asks with a laugh, looking up from where he's laying on the bed on his phone.

"Managing my fighters, they're all so miserable today," she sighs, and Roman opens his arms to offer a hug.

"I'll hug you in a few minutes, I'm really warm right now," she promises, fanning herself as she unbuttons her shirt.

"Are you excited to watch the fights tomorrow? The Alpha of Split Sunrise said you were going to judge some of the fights," Roman states with a raised eyebrow, picking his phone back up to finish responding to emails and text messages from his pack.

"I'm more nervous than scared, because my pack are terrified. I'm supposed to be judging some of the older males, but I don't know if I'm judging the whole thing or just some of it," she sighs, shaking her head with irritation as she slips into her fluffy pyjama top.

She and Roman both like to sleep with the cold air on, which means they both wrap up before going to sleep.

"The Council is so unorganised that I don't actually understand how they've lasted this long," he grumbles, rolling his eyes as he presses send on an email, "that's why I don't think that they tried to kill Katya."

Avery raises an eyebrow and turns to him while wiggling out of her skirt.

"I disagree with you there, they didn't like that she wasn't enforcing the strict mating rules they wanted her to," she disputes, shrugging her shoulders as she hops into her pyjama pants and fluffy socks.

"I think they have more issues than worrying about Katya's laws; she's always been historically rebellious, remember," he notes, putting his phone on the bedside table and clasping his hands on his chest, his eyes following her around the room.

"Just because she's a lesbian doesn't make her rebellious," Avery reprimands quickly, pointing a finger at him before beginning to remove her makeup.

"No, she's always had her free love theories, and her high wages," he disagrees quickly, trying to explain himself before Avery tackles him.

"She pays her workers higher wages because they work harder and deserve to live good lives," Avery sing-songs, making sure she has all of the makeup off her skin.

"Can we not argue about this tonight?" Roman pleads, sitting up on the bed.

"You brought it up, and I didn't realise we were arguing, but okay," she sighs, shaking her head as she walks into the bathroom.

She brushes her teeth quickly, washing her face and then using the toilet, washing her hands and then walking back out into the bedroom.

"What are we watching tonight?" She asks, diving onto the bed beside him.

She took the time in the bathroom to focus herself and to do some breathing.

We're getting really good at being the bigger person, Sonya snorts, and Avery hides a smile.

That isn't hard when we're taller than most of the people who try to argue with us, she retorts, keeping a straight face as she looks at Roman.

"I think I'm in the mood for some Disney, maybe, but I don't know. What do you want to watch?" He asks, avoiding her eyes.

"I'd love to watch the Princess and the Frog," she says after a moment, nodding firmly after she makes her decision and gets settled, burying under the covers of the bed and wiggling around until she finds her spot.

She does the same with the pillows, fluffing them and nuzzling into them until she's totally satisfied that she's comfortable.

Roman watches her do all of this in amusement, shaking his head and getting comfortable himself.

He switches the movie on, putting his arm around her shoulders and drawing her a little closer to him, pulling her into a side hug.

She willingly accepts the hug, resting her head on his chest as the movie starts.

Before she knows where the time has gone, the movie ends, and she glances at Roman to ask him if he wants to watch something else.

To her surprise, he's fast asleep, eyes closed and chest rising slowly as he leans back on his pillows.

She gently eases the remote control out of his hand, switching off the screen as quietly as she can.

She eases out from under the duvet, putting the remote in front of the television as she moves around the room in complete silence.

Avery gazes around and glances at the time, raising her eyebrows when she discovers that it's only 9 pm.

Sighing quietly to herself, and feeling wide awake, she taps her fingers against her hip gently.

Maybe we should wander around outside, Sonya suggests, equally awake and bored of doing nothing.

Avery grudgingly agrees to listen to her wolf, sliding on a pair of trainers over her fuzzy socks, and struggling into a jumper silently, grabbing her phone and room key before leaving the room.

She closes the door behind her gently, cringing when it makes a tiny amount of noise.

She releases a deep breath once she gets into the hallway, pausing in her tracks for a moment as she looks up and down the corridor.

It's totally empty, and Avery wanders down the well-lit hallway towards the floor's kitchen.

Once she arrives, her eyes land on Scott and Mike.

She gives them both a genuine grin, jumping up onto one of the counters near them.

"Hey, guys," she beams, swinging her legs happily, "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"You're not," Scott says with a frown on his face as he stares at her.

His eyes are on her neck, and her own eyes shoot open as she realises that she doesn't have her mark fully covered.

Fluffing her hair in an attempt to make it less visible, she looks around the small kitchen, stopping on Mike.

"How are you?" She asks with a cough, glancing at Scott to see him still staring intently at her throat.

"I'm pretty good, I'm missing Meredith," Mike says with a sigh, running a hand through his short black hair as he leans against the sink, a bottle of beer in his hand as he gazes over at Scott.

"You're looking at her like she's going to vanish, take a chill pill," Mike groans, shaking his head.

"Sorry, he's been like this since we left the bar a few minutes ago. We're only out here because neither of us wants to talk to our roommates," he sighs, shaking his head again.

"Who are you guys sharing with?" Avery asks curiously, "I'm rooming with Roman, I'm only out here because he fell asleep and I'm too awake to sleep."

"The son of Alpha Lexus," Mike grumbles, his lip curling upwards in disdain and disgust.

Nobody really knows the child, but Avery thinks his name could be Shawn.

"I'm with fucking Alpha Carlton," Scott hisses, slamming his hands against the marble countertops as he tries to steady himself.

"Every time he gave out about the man, we all had him take a shot of vodka," Mike explains, seeing Avery stare at the shorter man in curiosity as he wobbles a little.

"Oh, he's totally drunk then," Avery observes, trying not to laugh.

"He's actually sobered up a lot since we got upstairs, but since he's sharing a room with Mr Almighty, I don't think he should go in there until he can spell his own name," Mike chuckles, filling a glass with some water and putting it in front of Scott.

"If I drink it, can I sit down?" He asks tiredly, and Mike nods enthusiastically.

"Of course, you can even sit down and drink it," he suggests, helping Scott lower himself to the tiled floor.

"Thank you for taking care of me," Scott mumbles with wide eyes and Avery coos at her friends.

"You guys are adorable," she grins, and Scott blinks at her in confusion.

"I don't want to go back to my room," he says plainly, and Avery sighs.

"We could try and get you a room swap," she suggests, and Mike clenches his jaw.

"We tried to organise a room to share together, but Mr Delayed over here got here so late that there were none left," he grumbles, slapping Scott's head lightly.

"Ave, he hit me," Scott whines, resting his head against the wooden cupboards.

"I know he did, I saw him," Avery responds disapprovingly, reaching over and swatting Mike.

"Are you guys ready for tomorrow?" She asks after a moment of silence, and Mike shrugs.

"My pack are mediocre, we'll be sticking to the middle of the table, and we're happy to stay there," he snorts, shaking his head.

The McConaghy pack produces some of the smartest wolves who go on to become professors in all sorts of subjects. They're generally non-violent, and that stance is respected among the other Alphas.

"We're fucked," Scott slurs, giving them both a thumbs up, "I've lost so many of my fighters to the vampires that everyone that's here is afraid to go near anyone else."

"They could pull through, you never know," Avery tries to convince him, and Scott stares at her.

"They're shit," he states bluntly, "and that is by their own admission, not mine."

"You guys have enough to deal with without the Trials, why didn't you get an exemption?" Avery asks, and Scott shrugs reluctantly.

"Too much paperwork and not enough time," he mutters, chugging his water and passing the empty glass to Mike to refill.

The upright male obeys, handing the refilled glass to the man on the floor.

"I'm going to cart him to bed now," Mike sighs, shaking his head sadly.

He and Scott have a strong alliance, and they've been friendly for years, even before Scott and Avery were dating.

"Do you need any help?" Avery asks, and Mike nods slowly.

"Yeah, he's heavier than he looks," he mutters, squatting down beside his friend and warning him that they're about to lift him.

Scott merely blinks at them, raising his arms in the air like a child waiting to be lifted into the air.

Avery exchanges a look with Mike, and then she squats down too, sliding an arm under his and scooping him up with the other man.

"Whereabouts is he staying?" She gasps, adjusting her grip on him to try to make the weight easier to move.

"Six doors down, we can do it," Mike nods, gritting his teeth as they walk as quickly as possible towards the door.

"His key card is in his pocket on your side," Mike grunts, holding his free hand out for the key.

Avery reluctantly shoves her hand into his jeans pocket, fishing around for a minute until her fingers grasp the cold metal.

She passes it to Mike, and he inserts it immediately, forcing the door open as soon as the light flashes green.

Carlton is sitting on his bed, a book in his hands and glasses on his nose.

He looks over his spectacles and raises an eyebrow, rolling his eyes as he returns to his book.

Avery scowls, helping Mike to put him onto the bed with his glass of water.

"Goodnight, Scotty," Avery smiles softly, kissing her friend's head as she tucks him in.

Mike bends down and ruffles Scott's hair with a grin, patting his cheek as he double-checks that his friend is tucked in.

"He better not throw up on my stuff," Alpha Carlton states in disgust, his squeaky voice seeming higher than usual.

"Don't worry; he never throws up when he drinks," Avery refrains from rolling her eyes.

"How is your baby doing?" Mike asks James Carlton politely, trying not to send a biting remark his way.

"The child is fine, strong and healthy. He'll be a perfect heir," he declares, and Avery raises a brow.

"How is your mate?" She asks, forcing a smile onto her lips.

"She's fine. She has served her purpose delivering my son," he dismisses, not even looking up from his book to address her.

Mike notices this before Avery can remark on it, and he quickly grabs her wrist.

"We must be leaving, it was lovely to see you," he beams, dragging Avery out of the room before she can open her mouth.

I wasn't even going to say anything, Sonya complains, miffed by her friend's apparent lack of trust in her.

Yeah, but I probably would have, Avery admits, allowing herself to be yanked outside of the room.

"Go to sleep, Ave, tomorrow is gonna be horrible," Mike sighs, shaking his head.

"Well, for the kids it will be," she corrects him, hugging him tightly before wandering the opposite way down the corridor to her room.

She opens the door and pads in quietly, glancing at Roman to make sure that he's still asleep.

She slides into the bed, curling up beside him after she turns off the lights and plugs in her phone to charge.

He wakes up before she does, startling himself awake as light shines in through the curtains.

He sits up frantically and checks the time, panicking at the thought of them both being late.

They're not late, of course, he just woke up ridiculously early, and his alarm hasn't gone off yet.

Slightly reassured, he eases himself back down into the bed, gazing down at Avery silently.

We got so lucky, Booker comments, staring at his mate dreamily as she continues to sleep.

He's happy he didn't wake her up accidentally because he probably would have never heard the end of it for the rest of the day - she likes her sleep, and he likes his life.

He gently strokes her cheek, his eyes glued to her face as her mouth opens a little every few minutes to take a deeper breath.

Her eyelashes flutter as her eyes slowly open, and he grins at her, leaning down and gently kissing her forehead as she slowly wakes up.

"Why are you staring at me?" She croaks, raising an eyebrow as she stares up at him, rubbing her eyes.

He grins as he watches her miss the small smudge of mascara under her bottom lashes, and he gently runs his index finger over it to try to get rid of it.

She stares at his fingers, her eyes widening as it gets closer to her face.

"What are you doing?" She mumbles, swatting his hand away and rubbing where he touched.

"You've got some mascara there," he explains, and she raises an eyebrow, rubbing it away herself.

"That would have been really cute if I didn't need my eyes to see," she giggles, looking at him with a wide grin.

His heart melts a little, and Booker is howling inwardly with happiness.

"What time is it?" She groans, laying back down and rubbing her temples.

"It's almost seven," he nods after checking his phone again, raising his eyebrows slightly.

He had been watching her for over an hour.

That's like, really creepy, Booker pipes up, and Roman refrains from snorting at his wolf.

You were staring too, he protests immediately, rolling his eyes at the creature.

Only because you were, Booker argues.

Roman sighs dramatically and shuts the link off, his sigh making Avery raise her eyebrows at him.

"Booker is being a pain, ignore me," he laughs, rolling his eyes.

"Get him to keep Sonya company, she woke me up," Avery grumbles, pulling the duvet back up to her neck and cuddling into the sheets.

"We need to start getting ready soon," Roman warns her, and she sighs grumpily.

"I know, I'm just so cosy," she sighs, looking around the room.

Roman slides out of bed, turning the heat on and opening the curtains to the room, letting the light flood in properly.

"Come on, lazy bones, it's time to get up," Roman cheers, walking around to her side of the room and bending down to be at eye level with her.

"Carry me," she demands dramatically, and he obeys without a second thought, scaring the living daylights out of her as she's suddenly not in contact with the bed anymore.

"Where are we going?" She whines, and he grins down at her, raising his eyebrows.