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