Chapter Sixty-Five
Avery’s feet moved in rhythm with the forest. The longer trail Auron had shown her wound through tall pines and mossy clearings, the air crisp and clean. She paused at a sun-dappled overlook, heart steady, and marked it in her mind — this one’s for Riven. Further along, a quiet glade with a fallen log and a canopy of golden leaves made her think of Molly.
She swung by Mark and Elena’s cabin, noting the smoke curling from the chimney and the faint sound of music drifting through the open kitchen window. Everything was peaceful. Everything was hers.
Back at the cabin, peace was not the prevailing mood.
Riven stirred first, blinking into the morning light. His arm reached instinctively for Avery — and found only rumpled blankets. He sat up fast, scanning the bed. No Avery. No warmth. No scent. His heart kicked.
“Where is she?” he muttered, already throwing off the covers.
In his scramble, he elbowed Lucien, who jolted awake just in time to not catch Molly as she rolled off the edge of the bed with a thud.
“Ow,” she groaned from the floor. “What the hell?”
Lucien tried to sit up but got tangled in the sheets and tumbled after her, landing with a muffled curse.
Kael, startled by the commotion, leapt to his feet — on the bed — crouched like a warrior mid-battle. “Where are the intruders?!”
Riven, now halfway dressed and halfway panicked, suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. Everyone froze.
Lucien blinked from the floor. Molly groaned again. Kael looked around, still crouched. “What?”
Riven doubled over, wheezing. “She’s not here. I woke up and she was gone. I panicked. I thought—” He gestured helplessly. “I don’t know what I thought.”
Lucien stood, brushing himself off. “So she’s not in the bed. That’s it?”
Kael jumped down, already scanning the room. “She’s not in the bathroom either.”
Lucien checked the hallway. “Not in the kitchen.”
Molly, still on the floor and now thoroughly grumpy, muttered, “She’s probably on a run. Because she’s insane and wakes up at the crack of dawn to go running. Every. Morning.”
Riven paused, then nodded slowly. “That… tracks.”
Lucien sighed. “Next time, maybe check the trail before launching a full-scale evacuation.”
Kael flopped back onto the bed. “I was ready to fight a bear.”
Molly rolled onto her back. “I was asleep. Deeply. Blissfully.”
Riven grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. I just… I’m not used to waking up without her.”
Lucien’s voice softened. “None of us are.”
By the time Riven, Kael, Lucien, and Molly made it to the kitchen, they were dressed for training but still wearing the unmistakable expressions of people who’d been thoroughly humbled by their own panic.
Remy was plating breakfast — eggs, roasted potatoes, and Elena’s fresh herb biscuits — while Elena leaned against the counter, laughing softly.
“I told you,” she said to Remy, “Mark and I saw Avery on her run. She waved, looked perfectly content. I came straight here to see the fallout.”
Remy snorted. “And you weren’t disappointed.”
The four mates stood sheepishly in the doorway, Kael rubbing the back of his neck, Lucien adjusting his shirt like it might restore his dignity, Molly still grumbling under her breath, and Riven trying very hard not to look guilty.
Remy slid plates toward them with a smirk. “Breakfast for the brave.”
Elena added, “Or the easily startled.”
Just then, Auron and Mark walked in from outside, both dusted with dew and carrying the scent of pine and fresh air. They paused at the sight of the four faces staring back at them like guilty puppies.
Auron took one look and chuckled. “Let me guess. Riven woke up, Avery wasn’t there, and you all lost your minds.”
Mark walked over to Elena, kissed her cheek, and asked, “Were they freaked?”
Elena nodded, eyes twinkling. “Completely. I think Kael was ready to fight a bear.”
Kael muttered, “I was ready.”
Lucien sighed. “We were just… concerned.”
Molly, finally seated and halfway through her biscuit, said flatly, “She’s probably halfway through her cooldown stretch by now. She’s insane. She runs every morning.”
Remy raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t know?”
Lucien looked mildly betrayed. “No one told us.”
Mark laughed. “Everyone knows. It’s how she clears her head. She’s been doing it since she was a kid.”
Riven shook his head, finally smiling. “I guess we’re still learning.”
Elena winked. “Welcome to the Avery Experience. It comes with early mornings, chili from scratch, and the occasional panic attack when she disappears before sunrise.”
Lucien had just finished muttering about waking up “at an ungodly hour” when Avery walked into the kitchen, cheeks flushed from her run, braid slightly damp with morning dew. She was all smiles, her energy bright and effortless, like the forest had gifted her its calm and clarity.
“Morning,” she said, voice light as she leaned in to hug Remy and Elena, then Mark and Auron. Her parents — both biological and adoptive — greeted her with warmth and knowing smiles, already aware of the chaos she’d left in her wake.
Then she turned to her mates.
One by one, she kissed them — Lucien first, who looked like he was still recovering from the morning scramble; Kael, who accepted the kiss with mock dignity; Molly, who raised an eyebrow but smiled; and finally Riven, who caught her around the waist before she could pull away.
“Don’t do that again,” he said, voice low but firm. “Don’t leave without telling at least one of us.”
Avery blinked, then laughed. “Molly knows. I’ve dragged her out for a couple runs before we even knew we were mates.”
Molly, still nursing her coffee, muttered, “Dragged is the right word. I still have trauma.”
Avery wiggled out of Riven’s grip, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “You’ll survive,” she teased, already heading down the hall. “I’m going to shower before training.”
As she disappeared around the corner, her laughter echoed back — especially when she heard Molly grumble, “Insane people. Absolutely feral. Who chooses to run before sunrise?”