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
Pietro's funeral was held the following weekend at the local church. Waverly walked up the staircase and past the abundance of individuals gathered outside, mourning and discussing the life that he had led. Followed by Sawyer, Waverly entered through the large wooden doors and was greeted by a large photo of Pietro at the head altar surrounded by flowers. A guest book sat on a table right by the entrance beside another image of Pietro with his parents and grandparents outside of their family restaurant. Sawyer placed a hand on Waverly's lower back and led her towards a seat at the pews. They sat together and Waverly's eyes watched as members of the Crimson Shadows trailed in behind them, taking their own seats one after another. Once everyone was seated, the Pastor nodded at Sawyer to indicate the beginning of the service. "Hello everyone," the Pastor began. "We are gathered here today for what is a truly tragic occasion. Before we begin the service, as tradition, our Alpha will gi
Waverly snatched the headphones off her ears and threw the cassette player aside, horrified by the tissue held in her hand. She tossed it directly in the trash bin and quickly stood; her head rushed, creating speckles across her vision and she gripped her forehead, straightening her other arm onto the table to catch herself. Once they disappeared and she felt ready, Waverly let go and made her way out of the bedroom and down the hall to find Sawyer. She wasn't exactly sure what she was going to tell him. Should she tell him that she just coughed up blood, or should she start with the fact that she was always unsure whether all of this was due to the pregnancy? When Dr. Stevenson first told Waverly and Sawyer that she was pregnant, it was like everything had been explained; her headaches, stomach pains, pale skin, and inability to heal or even shift. But as last month faded into this month, she got progressively worse and her symptoms intensified. Despite visits with Dr. Stevenson a
Mia? Waverly paused. Wait, how did she know her name? Had they met before?"You're looking sicker than the last time we met," she said, dropping the flower. "Then again, I guess pregnancy does that to a wolf, doesn't it? Mind you, I wouldn't know." Waverly's mind whirred, but she suppressed all her emotion with a single gulp. "Who are you?" she repeated.Mia looked to her and sighed. "You know, as a Luna, your manners are something to be desired." Despite her lack of healing and changing capabilities, Waverly was grateful she could still sense danger when it was near and although she was fearful, she placed herself on guard. "You've been following me around town for weeks. I have a right to know who you are."Mia laughed. "Following you around? Don't flatter yourself. I'm merely in the neighbourhood for a friend."A friend? Could Waverly be wrong? But then again, why else would she be out here, in the woods alone? Something wasn't adding up."What friend?""Oh, just a recent
For the entire walk back through the forest and to the house, Waverly couldn't grapple with what had just happened. Did she make it all up? Was everything she had seen—Christopher, Mia, Pietro singing—was it all merely a hallucination? What was going on with her?On autopilot, Waverly followed Sawyer into the house and started taking off her shoes. Everything was a lie. She was ill to the extent that her mind had begun playing tricks on her and all of her demons had bubbled up to the surface to join in on this fiasco. But in the midst of everything, she wasn't sure if she was more scared that her subconscious had created this nightmare-ish fantasy, or if she was truly sick enough to be at the point of auditory and visual delusions. The closet door banged as it hit against its twin beside it, snapping Waverly free of her increasing fears. Sawyer sat on the bench in the entryway to remove his shoes. His movements were swift and forceful, and he struggled to undo his laces. "F*ck," h
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