Avery wakes up the next morning to somebody banging on her bedroom door.

Well, it isn't her bedroom, and she doesn't know how she got to this room, but she's fully clothed and tucked in like a burrito, so she knows one of the girls probably put her to bed.

She has a slight headache, made worse by the banging on the door, but she doesn't move.

"Where is he?" She croaks out loud, and Sonya sighs dramatically.

He isn't here, you dumb bitch, she responds, and Avery furrows her brows.

Where is he, then?, she asks, her tone a little sad.

I don't know, probably his room? It's 6 am, I imagine he's still asleep, Sonya grumbles, and she can picture her wolf flinging herself back onto the ground.

Why are we not in his room?, Avery asks, and as she asks, she remembers their almost argument, and her walking out.

That's why, Sonya chirps helpfully, now please answer the door, or I'll shift and scare them away.

Avery reluctantly climbs out of her warm burrito, a scowl on her face as the cold air of the room hits her legs.

Opening the door dramatically, her eyes land on her fully dressed brother, who looks ridiculously unwell.

"Hello, we're leaving in twenty minutes," he mutters, leaning against her door frame.

As he gets a little closer to her, the smell of alcohol hits her nose, and she gags, pushing him away from her.

"Did you go for a swim in tequila last night? Jesus Christ, it's coming out of your pores," she groans, her voice scratchy and her throat a little raw.

Yeah, you cried for two hours last night, I'm surprised you can open your eyes, Sonya grunts, and Avery ignores her.

"Why twenty minutes?" She asks curiously, and York states at her blankly.

"Because I don't want to talk to Alpha Connors," he says as if it was apparent.

Avery raises a brow at his attitude but attributes it to his drinking.

"Are you okay?" She asks, moving over so that he can walk into the room.

"I feel like death defrosted," he mutters, diving into the sheets on the bed, and putting his head under the pillows.

"Why?" She calls as she rummages through her cases, slightly horrified by the messy packing awaiting her in them.

"I got smashed. I got annoyed with Louisa, and I always drink after I talk to her," he says into the pillow, his words muffled.

Avery just about makes out what he's trying to say, and she simply raises an eyebrow as she pulls out a pair of leggings and a sweater, along with underwear and toiletries.

"Don't fall asleep, I'll be ready in two minutes," she warns, walking into the bathroom, which, she notes, is much nicer than the one she had in the room she and Roman shared.

True to her word, two minutes later she's out of the bathroom, and is greeted by the sight of her two friends and York all sitting on her bed, the two girls looking a lot more human than her grey sibling.

"Good morning," Meredith grins, a nervous smile on her face.

"Hello, we brought breakfast to you so that you didn't have to see him," Lilith adds, pointing to a tray of pastries and fruit which sit on the dresser.

"Oh, thank you," Avery says after a moment, not really sure what to say to her two friends.

"So it was you who tucked me in, I hope?" She directs to Meredith, as she forces the clothes she slept in to fit into one of the suitcases.

"Yep, just like a burrito," she smirks, flicking her ponytail back.

"You did a good job, I couldn't move," Avery rolls her eyes, spearing a strawberry with the fork on the tray.

"That was the goal, sweetie, no crawling back into his bed," Meredith cackles, and York flinches at the loud noise.

He flops back down onto the bed, and Lilith observes him silently.

"Has he always looked this bad? Or is it new, because he really doesn't look very well," she comments, squinting at York's face, half of which is smashed into a pillow.

"He's hungover," Avery replies, finishing off her fruit happily.

"So you're going home with York?" Lilith asks, glancing up from the phone she had whipped out without anybody realising.

"Yeah, I guess. I wasn't sure what to do, but Roman made that choice for me I guess," she shrugs and stops eating suddenly.

"Did you grab the files from the bathroom?" She asks, her tone urgent and stressed.

"Yes, of course I did, Mike's file was in the pile," Meredith rolls her eyes, "you really have zero faith in me."

"No, it isn't that, other Alphas gave them to me to look at for a reason, and I don't want Roman getting involved - it doesn't concern him, and I don't want any Alphas to think that I broke their trust because he can't keep his nose out of my stuff," she shrugs again, deciding to have a blueberry muffin off the tray.

It's less disappointing than she expected after the first bite, so she quickly demolishes it, sipping the juice the girls brought for her as well.

Lilith's eyes suddenly flash, and she stands up.

"Zeph is ready to go if you wanna say goodbye," she smiles, her eyes sparkling as she mentions her mate.

"You two are so cute that it's sickening," Meredith voices, and Avery stares at her in horror.

"Excuse you, who is the one who wouldn't leave her mates side to dance with me? You are," Avery shoots at her, and Lilith laughs.

"I'll take that as a yes, let's go," she chuckles, linking arms with the two girls and leaving York to rot on the bed.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Yorkie, you better be ready to move then," Avery calls over her shoulder, and the three descend the stairs, unlinking halfway down as it makes it too awkward to walk.

Zephyr is waiting at the end of the staircase, and he sweeps Lilith into his arms, grinning down at her.

"Time to go home, my angel," he murmurs, kissing her nose.

Avery looks away from the scene, not wanting to be a downer, merely looking away instead.

Meredith ruins the cute moment, squealing "ew!" as loudly as she can.

Zephyr glances over at her, a small smile on his face, shaking his head.

"You and Michael are a lot worse, don't make me remind you of what I walked in on this morning," Zephyr warns with a light laugh, and Meredith goes bright red, making a zipping motion over her lips before staying quiet.

"It was lovely to meet you, Avery," Lilith says sincerely, wrapping her arms around the other girl tightly.

"Please don't be afraid to call us, we don't mind what time it's at," Zephyr adds, hugging Avery once Lilith releases her from her death grip.

Lilith hugs Meredith and whispers something to her, to which the dark-haired girl nods with a smirk.

Zephyr and Lilith leave after another few minutes of goodbyes, during which Avery tears up a little.

"I can't believe I've only known you a day," she mumbles into Lilith's hair, hugging her short friend tightly.

"We're platonic soulmates, get over it," Lilith laughs, rubbing her back gently before the couple leaves for their pack.

Avery and Meredith wave as they drive away, waving frantically until their car is out of sight.

"I'm going to miss her," Avery sighs, and Meredith nudges her gently.

"We can meet for lunch next week, and we can video chat! Especially if you're going to be at home, we'll all be on nearly the same time zone," Meredith grins, hugging her friend tightly.

"I have to go find Mike now, he told me to rescue him if he didn't resurface from a meeting by now," she says sadly, looking up at her friend.

"Call me when you get home, please," Avery sighs, drawing her into a hug.

"I always do, dumbass," Meredith mumbles into her shoulder, the hug fierce and tight as people side-step around them to get out of the door.

Meredith vanishes into the dining room, and Avery walks back up the stairs, passing some familiar and some not-so-familiar faces on the way up.

"Hey, Kali," she smiles, nodding to the tiny woman who wanders by her.

"Oh, hi Avery," she smiles back politely, her nervousness radiating off of her.

"Have a safe journey home, and if you ever need anything, I want you to know you can always call Rapid Rock," Avery murmurs to her as she pulls her off to the side.

"Even if you just need a chat - I know that your pack can be a little unfriendly, so I'm here if you need a rant or a cry," she smiles, sliding her the business card she keeps in all of her jacket pockets.

Kali puts it into her clutch carefully, shocked into silence for a moment.

"I really do appreciate it, and I might take you up on that offer one day," she whispers, surprising Avery by hugging her.

Some passing Lunas watch the scene with raised eyebrows, observing Avery hugging the shorter woman back.

"I hope you have a safe journey home," Avery smiles, and Kali grins shyly.

"You too, please be careful, and I hope everything goes okay," she smiles back, before hurrying down the stairs in a flurry of flowing colourful material.

Avery reaches her new room pretty quickly, and shoves York off the bed to wake him up.

"Come on loser, we need to go," she announces, slinging a bag over her shoulder before deciding she needs to use the toilet again before the leave.

York lets out a high-pitched whine, making Sonya flinch at the sudden noise.

"You have one more minute," Avery warns him over her shoulder before she goes into the bathroom to quickly do her business.

She really doesn't want to risk running into Roman.

"Where's Dad, I haven't seen him this morning," Avery asks, shoving another blueberry muffin from her tray into her mouth, while York steadies himself against one of the wardrobes.

"He wanted to run to the airport; he woke me up at 4 am to tell me that," York whispers, massaging his temples.

"What did you drink last night?" Avery asks curiously, staring at her brother in mild concern.

"I have no idea, alcohol usually has no effect on me," he mumbles, grabbing one of his sister's bags, and beginning the descent down the stairs.

Avery furrows her brows, and mindlinks her father.

Dad, something is wrong with York, but I don't know what, she sends urgently, and receives blank silence back.

He should get back to her soon enough, so she grabs the rest of her bags, looking a bit like a packhorse, and trudges down the stairs, a maid chasing her with the final bag.