Her heart seemed to seize as the wolf jumped forward and for the first time in her life, she didn't have the strength to transform. It was as if everything had shut down on her—her instincts, frozen. The man's eyes grew larger the closer he got and then just as quickly, they turned their attention to beside her, and Matteus' form seemed to shrink as she fell back onto the ground. Sawyer leaped in front of her, attacking Matteus full force, still in his human form. Matteus, caught off guard, staggered back. He paused and looked up at Sawyer, his eye colour illuminated by his dark fur. Then, he charged forward, pushing Sawyer into the trees behind him. As Sawyer's body made impact with the base, he crumpled and slid down into the pile of leaves on the ground. Matteus watched as Sawyer attempted to stand, only for him to fall back down. Matteus huffed and then turned to join the others when he was knocked from the side. He rolled near the slope of the hill and once he slowed, he glanc
The next time Waverly awoke, the sun had set and her room was dark, given a small light that sat on her nightstand. She sat up in her bed slowly and agony jolted through her arm, which was held up in a sling, making her wince. She raised her other hand and touched the bandages on her face, covering what was deep cuts and scrapes."You're awake," a voice said, somewhat surprised. Beside her in an armchair sat Sawyer, who was watching her intently. "Wh-what happened?" she said, bringing her one hand to her forehead, which was pounding almost as badly as her arm. Sawyer leaned over to the nightstand and handed her medication and a glass of water. "You fell unconscious after the fight. One of the rouges attacked you and you broke your arm. Here, take this." Waverly took the pill and chased it down with a drink. She reached over and placed the cup back on the table. "Ugh, my head." Then almost instantly, she got an overwhelming feeling of nausea. Waverly blew up her cheeks to pre
By the second day, Waverly began to regain alertness and awareness of her surroundings. By the fourth day, she had reclaimed her strength, and by the sixth, she was feeling more like herself. While recovering, she was often visited by Felicity, who brought her meals and anything else she needed, as well as Christopher, who still made his rounds to ensure her safety, but also her compliance with their ongoing plan. The fate Christopher presented to her—burning under the Blood Moon—was not a favourable outcome, but the more she came to know Sawyer and the Crimson Shadow pack, the more leaving also didn't seem ideal. Every day since the battle with the rogue wolves and Waverly's injuries, Sawyer had come to check on her, tending to her dressings and having the pack healer examine her arm, which now was placed in a cast. Her pain had subsided, and so had the vomiting; however, she still had the occasional headaches, which were more intense than usual. She swung her legs over the bedsid
Sawyer sat in the same armchair he had for several days when Waverly was recovering from her injuries only less than a week ago. Now here she was again, laying in her bed, sweating profusely to rid herself of the toxins. Sawyer reached for the cloth on the table and dabbed her forehead dry, making her stir in her sleep. Her eyes opened slowly as she awoke, and she caught his gaze. "Hmm…Sawyer?" "Shh," he whispered. "Go back to sleep. You need to rest." He tapped all around her face getting the excess sweat, then set the cloth back down on the nightstand. Waverly moved to her other side and moaned at the pressure she felt in her stomach. "Don't move too much. The healer said it's best if you rest and let the antibiotics do their thing." She agreed and laid her head back down on the pillow. "I'm so…sweaty," she replied weakly, kicking the comforter off of her. Sawyer stood and helped her, sliding the blanket to the edge of the bed. "It's the toxins leaving your body. He said
After the poisoning attempt, Sawyer had done everything he swore he would—security was raised, each beverage within the house, including both alcoholic and non-alcoholic were dispensed of and replaced instantly. Unsure of who the perpetrator could've been, Sawyer had each staff member searched for any traces of the poison, which was unsuccessful. As Waverly regenerated and recuperated, Sawyer often came to visit her and once she was fully recovered from both attacks, which thanks to her shifting abilities, was only a few days, they moved their search to either the grand room or Sawyer's office. During their meetings, they would overlook documents and convolute with Christopher, Katia and the rest of the advisory to hear their opinions, as well as any odd behaviour they observed in either the town or the house. "I haven't seen anything, Sawyer," Christopher stated, his hands rested on the table of the great room. "Nothing's any different than it was two days ago." "So, what're you
After spending her afternoon in the town, Waverly entered through the front door of the house, her hair consisting of pieces of dirt, which she shook out on the shoe mat. She pulled the hair tie on her wrist off and grabbed her curls, setting them in a quick bun. A few pieces fell from the elastic, framing her face. Waverly took off her shoes and jogged up the entryway stairs to her room, where she grabbed a book and blanket before heading back down to the living room. The sun was setting over the mountain view outside of the large, wall-sized window that decorated the sitting area, generating an orange and yellow haze across the hardwood flooring. Waverly spread the throw length-way across the couch facing the window and laid underneath it, curling her legs up to her chest. She flipped open the page to where her bookmark was placed and set the book on her lap, but not long later, she caught herself gazing at the mountainside, while the sun swept over it. "Enjoying the view?" a voi
For the next three hours, Waverly sat curled on the couch, absorbed in her novel about a World War II couple writing letters back and forth to one another during the height of the event. Even though Waverly had never given much consideration until late about finding her match, she still was passionate about reading stories surrounding the idea of fantastical love found in the most conventional and trope-like characters. She scanned every page, flicking through them faster than she imagined she would, completely captivated by the characters she was studying, until the front door of the house bust open. Waverly looked up from her book and noticed Sawyer walking through the entry, heading through the dining room. She quickly shut her book and threw off her blanket, racing behind him. "Sawyer," she called out, attempting to grab his attention. He kept walking forward, through the doors that led to the kitchen, and then out the other side, to the other end of the hallways leading from h
Waverly never understood what her mother had meant when she said that wolves feel 'a connection' when they find their mate, or when their mate bond finally appear. There were many people in Waverly's life that she felt she had made a connection with, and like with any teenager, whenever she had a boyfriend, she always felt that they were 'the one' until they eventually split up. So, how was the 'mating connection' any different than the others? What made it so special that it stood out above everyone else? But in that exact moment, all of her questions were answered. Waverly's senses were overwhelmed, competing with one another for her undivided attention. Sawyer's hand slinked around from her cheek to the back of her neck, and he pulled her in closer, until their bodies were pushed against one another. He opened his mouth just enough for his tongue to slink through and meet with hers, before retreating back. She had never felt so free in her entire life. Her hands rummaged throu
Waverly stared down at Christopher's motionless body. It was over—all of it. She turned to Sawyer, who was now in human form, and was standing over Christopher. He was breathing heavily and held his chest wound with his hand, but with his other free hand, closed Christopher's eyes and whispered: "Until we meet again." He then backed away from the body and turned to his pack, who were watching the moment unfold. "Alright. Everyone who is able, let's get the injured inside to entry and cared for. Then, we can go from there."The pack all bowed their heads at the same time and began helping one another up, one at a time, carrying any wounded individuals indoors. Waverly put her arm underneath Sawyer's and used her body to support his weight, aiding him in walking back to the house. Once inside, she set him down on a chair and grabbed the first aid kit out of the living room before beginning to address his wound. Sawyer flinched at the touch of the alcohol against the cut on his chest
Waverly watched as the pack stepped out onto the gravel. To say the atmosphere was tense would've been an understatement: it was downright hostile. She stared as one by one, they transformed and launched themselves forward, starting the battle for Sawyer's life. Faintly in the background, she could hear Christopher screaming for his pack to ready themselves and not long after, the sound of snarling and bodies being thrown against the house began. She looked to her right to see Katia come up beside her, flash her a smirk, and then leapt out of the door, shifting in an instant. Waverly shrunk back into the house. What was she going to do? She couldn't fight as a human—she'd die. But she couldn't stay here either. Sawyer needed her; what kind of Luna would she be if she didn't defend her Alpha and her pack when they needed her the most? She took a deep breath and focused her energy on shifting, trying to feel herself transforming…And nothing. She shook it off and tried again, but on
Waverly felt as though the world had been ripped out from under her. He was there, in the flesh; his gap teeth exposing themselves as he grinned. "Waverly?" Sawyer said questioningly. "What are you doing here?" His gaze flickered up to the cuts on her cheek and the dried blood trail on her face, prompting him to rush over to her and examine her. "What happened? Are you okay?" Instinctively, he reached for her stomach, but Waverly stopped him. "I'm alright," she replied. She then corrected herself. "We're alright." Sawyer's eyes widened and then he looked at her, intensely. "You—" Waverly nodded, and Sawyer hugged her tightly, beaming. "I'm so sorry I missed it—but your cuts…how?"Waverly looked to Christopher, who sat still, grinning mockingly. Her face hardened. "I ran into his friend." "What friend?" Christopher chuckled to himself, causing Sawyer to spring at him, taking a strong hold of his ripped and bloodied shirt. "What friend?!" he yelled in a deep, husk voice. "The
Waverly closed her eyes the second she saw Felicity open her mouth, but because of her sharp senses, she could hear every single sound as Felicity finished the job. When she opened them again, Felicity had transformed back into her human formation, and was standing over the body of the siren. Not even a second later, Mia's frame changed back as well and in front of them, instead of a siren, laid a woman, who's blue eyes were glazed completely over. Felicity was still and her hands shook while she stared at the body; her eyes were wide and blood dripped from her mouth. "I—I didn't know what do to…I just…acted on instinct." "Well, your instinct was obviously correct. How did you know?""I—I didn't. I just thought…she was really annoying me." Waverly chuckled. She wasn't wrong; the siren did talk a lot.Felicity turned her gaze to Waverly and she looked at her, amazed. "Miss, your face…"Waverly wiped where her nosed was bleeding prior. "I know. I can feel it," she said, half-j
It all happened so fast—everything was a blur as Waverly raced forward, attacking Mia with all the pent-up anger and aggression she had felt not only for herself, but Sawyer, Pietro, and Darren. They were behind it all: the burning of Tillbury's, Pietro's death…Darren. Her arms swung in front of her while she moved to deliver a blow. She knew it wouldn't kill her, but it might just be enough to wound her so she could buy more time. Except when she was inches from her target, Mia stepped to the side, causing Waverly to almost fall forward."Now come on, let's be a little realistic here. You just gave birth. Do you really think you can really take me on right now?" Waverly looked at her, breathlessly. She knew she had a very slim chance of succeeding, but she still had to try. If not for herself, for Sawyer and her son. She built up her strength and then, once again, leapt towards the siren, hoping to catch her off guard.But it was like she knew it was coming. Once again, Mia dodg
Waverly held her baby tight to her chest while he continued to snore the night away. "You," she said in utter shock. "You're—" Mia laughed. "You still think you're hallucinating, huh? Well, let me ruin the suspense for you. Surprise, love. I'm here, flesh and bone." "H-how…? This place is remote…Sawyer said…""Sawyer said, Sawyer said. Listen here," Mia said as she walked towards Waverly; her heels clicking against the flooring. "We need to have a small girl-to-girl chat. This reliance on Sawyer is tiresome. You need to be independent and stand up for yourself." "Is that why you kill the men you enchant?" Waverly asked, forcing the strength to rise from the pit of her stomach to show some sort of dominance. "Precisely," Mia stated enthusiastically, pointing a finger in Waverly's direction. "I'm glad you've finally heard about me." "I've heard more than enough," Waverly retorted, cradling her son closer as Mia approached. "Is that the baby—?" she asked, narrowing her eyes
"What?!" Waverly shouted. Having her baby—now?! No, no way this was happening. This had to be a dream. Only when a long-lasting pain pushed through, she knew it wasn't. "But how—" she said between broken breaths. "It's not time! I'm too early!" Felicity took a deep breath and centered herself. She knew Waverly wasn't wrong. "Unfortunately, it is time, miss. But thank goodness you're a wolf and the baby's large enough to survive." Somehow, this didn't bring Waverly any comfort. A severe pang ripped at her insides, feeling as if it was tearing her apart. "Sawyer!" she suddenly shouted. "He's not—he's not here. I can't do this without him here!" "I'm sorry, miss, but you might have to if he isn't here within the next few minutes." "I—" Waverly's speech was instantly cut off by her shrieks. "I have to help you move," Felicity stated. "We need to get you to a flat surface and the bed is too high." She left the common area and emerged from the bedroom carrying two pillows. Felicity
While the day trickled into night, Waverly became increasingly nervous. She sat folded up on the couch with a hot drink, checking out of the window every few seconds to see if she could get a glimpse of Sawyer as he returned home. The cup clinked against her nails as she moved for the third time, but when she didn't see his silhouette, she slunk back down. "He'll be here soon, miss," Felicity stated as she continued washing the dishes from their late-night dinner. "I'm sure he just got tied up helping Katia with some things. It's her first time running the institute, you know." Waverly looked to her. "Really? I thought with her experience, she would've taken over when Sawyer was…cursed." The longer she waited, the more distasteful the word was in her mouth. "With her personality, it comes off that way, doesn't it? But no. Mr. Sawyer put in a lot of the work while she delivered messages. Speaking of, have you tried calling him?""Twice. It's just going to voicemail," Waverly repl
"Welcome home, brother," Christopher said manically. Sawyer treaded forward and Christopher instantly moved the knife by Katia's throat. "Don't," he said sternly, changing from friendly to cold in an instant. Sawyer halted and looked to Katia. Her makeup was running from the tears that she had shed, but she showed no fear. He glanced around the house for any sign of help, but no one was coming."Don't bother looking for anyone—they're all…a little unconscious.""What are you doing here?" Sawyer sneered, baring his teeth. It was taking everything within him to not attack. "Can't a man come visit his long-lost best friend? It's been what—a year now? Wow, time does fly, doesn't it?" Christopher grinned and his gap teeth revealed themselves. A chill went through Sawyer. This wasn't the same Christopher he had known his entire life, or the same Christopher that he had banished last year. This man was entirely different and more sinister. His usually neat curls were more wild an