For the next couple of hours, Waverly's mind ran in circles. A baby? How—why? Everything merged and she instantly felt sick to her stomach. It was all too much to handle at once: the fires, Christopher, and now…this? Not even to mention the woman…whoever she was. She hadn't seen her in days, but her existence still plagued Waverly's mind. What did she want? And more importantly, why was she there? She didn't seem like a normal tourist, yet Waverly didn't get the sense she was like her either. So, what was she? Waverly looked out the window at the mountains which were a hazy orange due to the setting sun. What will her family think? How will she tell them? Since her wedding to Sawyer, the Crimson Shadows and Lycan pack had worked in tandem, so she needed to find out how to tell them before they heard it from someone else and she wasn't exactly sure how they would react. Her parents always spoke of the day they would have grandchildren, but they probably weren't expecting it so soon,
Dust swirled around Waverly, pulling her around in circles like the tornado did to Dorothy. She couldn't see straight—particles flew in each direction, obscuring any vision she had left. Then through the debris, she began to see a slim face. A woman's face. It swirled in the fragments, appearing to move side to side and her hair flowed in the opposite direction, as if the wind was catching a hold of it. She smirked and then winked at Waverly. Then, she flew forward, launching herself at Waverly. Waverly tossed in her sleep, waking herself in her restlessness. She shuddered as her eyes opened and took in her surroundings, realizing not long after where she was—still in bed. The room was now dark, except for a spotlight that came through the window cast by the moon above. Crickets chirped outside of the window, signalling the beginning of the evening, and shadows were placed upon the walls of the bedroom, generating an eery image. Waverly felt the pillow beside her, realizing that Sa
Her pencil scraped the paper as she continued to draw line after line into the late hours of the night. Waverly's mind was so entranced in the image she was capturing, she didn't realize just how much time had passed, or that her body was sweating more than it ever had. Her hand furiously sketched the deeper she fell into her drawing. Waverly's eyes flipped from the outline to the photograph, back to the outline; the lines growing darker and more erratic with each stroke. The woman inside of the image appeared to be getting larger the longer Waverly paid attention to her and it was as if she had no control. Her hand moved sporadically, rubbing against the lead of the pencil on the page until…it stopped. She set her pencil down beside her book and it rolled back and forth until it settled in its chosen position. Waverly's gaze was stuck on the drawing she had just completed and casually picked it up by the edges, bringing it to the forefront of her sight. It was unlike anything she
A week passed by and with her regularly scheduled medicine, Waverly began to feel more like herself. On occasion, she would get a migraine, but otherwise, was able to walk and was easing back into her normal routine. She readied herself for the day and looked at the picture she had painted for Sawyer hanging above the fireplace in their bedroom. Waverly smiled to herself and closed the door behind her as she exited before heading downstairs to the entry. Grabbing her coat from the closet, Waverly stepped inside and reached to the back, taking a hold of a pair of old boots. She tossed both items on and shut the door. "Where are you going?" Sawyer asked, entering from the living room. His eyes were fixated on the tablet in his hand."Ch*ist," Waverly jumped, her hand falling to her heart. "The last thing I need is a heart attack."Sawyer's gaze peeked up through his lashes and he smirked. "Stop being so dramatic," he said, swiping left on his screen. He then pressed the button on t
Waverly watched from the sidewalk as the people who had come to help Darren rebuild Tillbury's returned. They were blurred around the edges and their bodies moved slowly; their voices were almost inaudible. The blood had dried on both her nose and finger and she sat on the curb with her legs bent and elbows resting on her knees.Through the vibrations of the silence, Waverly could sense the tones of Sawyer's voice, but she kept still. Her thoughts clamoured together. Had she imagined it all? These days, she couldn't be sure whether what she saw was true or not, but if it was…Then again, it didn't prove Pietro was involved in the fire. Except Waverly knew better than to ignore coincidences. And Pietro singing the song she had been hearing for a week each time she looked at the woman…it couldn't be just a coincidence. A tap pushed her shoulder forward. "Hey, are you hungry? Darren and I—" Sawyer paused when he came around to face her. She looked up at him and blinked. "Whoa," he said,
Everything for the next month continued as usual. There was a lull—almost like once Waverly and Sawyer came to terms with her pregnancy, that life had slowed down. There were no more incidents after the fire and renovations on Tillbury's were half completed. Sawyer and Katia moved forward in their efforts to find the perpetrator, with Pietro still at the top of their list. Except, without any solid evidence, they had no way of pushing forward, and with the main attack being a fire, well…that burned any chance they had.In the span of four weeks, Waverly's baby had grown to the size of a grapefruit, which to her, was still a shock. Growing up with younger siblings, Waverly recognized that wolves only carried for 5 months instead of 9, as the fetus used the healing energy from its mother to power its own growth. Yet, she wasn't fully prepared to be experiencing it so fast. She and Sawyer had agreed to hold off on the announcement for as long as they could; at least until they were sure
EARLIER THAT AFTERNOON:"Ya need to hammer that in a lil' closer to the edge," Darren instructed from across the foundation. "Otherwise, they won't hold tuhgether." Sawyer kept one hand on the nail and let his other fall, hanging his head low. He chuckled under his breath. "You don't think I know how to start a frame?" "Hey now, I said nothin' of the sort," Darren replied, defending himself. "I was jus' offerin' some advice." "Well, advice noted," Sawyer answered, getting a grip on the head of the nail before hammering it into place. "How's Waverly been these days?" Sawyer paused. "She's getting worse—she doesn't believe she is…but I can see it in her face.""Her healin' still isn't workin'? What about those meds? Have ya tried somethin' different?" Sawyer's gaze dropped to the ground and he kept quiet for a minute. He hated lying. "Yeah…we switched but it's still the same." Sawyer pounded the final nail in and then dropped his tools. He made his way to the empty chair
Waverly's mouth fell open and she felt a pang pulse through her heart. "W—What do you mean?" "Two boys were playing in the forest and they came across his body in the river. They ran to town, and I guess Darren was the first person they saw…he called Katia immediately and well…" Waverly couldn't make sense of it. As much as they suspected Pietro, he was a good kid and this is not what he deserved. It's not what anyone deserved. "Do you think it was an accident or…?" She couldn't bring herself to say it. The murder of a child…it made her sick. And if that was the case, it was worse than if Pietro had just burned Tillbury's over a decade's old family affair. "It's too soon to tell," Sawyer responded. "But we're looking into it.""Did you tell his parents?" Sawyer solemnly nodded. Her stomach turned at the thought of how Mr. and Mrs. Donovan must feel in that very moment. She hadn't even met her child yet and couldn't fathom something like this happening to them."So, what doe
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