When Darkness Falls ༄ Wyatt Lykensen

Chapter 58

Waverly stayed on the ground. The bruises on her neck were raw and throbbing from the amount of force Wyatt used.

For some reason, none of her wounds from him seemed to be healing. Her arm was still bloody and her lungs felt like they were collapsing. She felt...human.

The shapeshifter looked around at the disaster she created. Wyatt was on his back a few yards away, two hand-prints burned into his shirt like brands.

Willa was lying underneath a tree—more like a stump—fairly far away with closed eyes and blood at her lips.

How was Wyatt able to channel that much force? William was never strong enough to hurl an entire werewolf across a field.

The rest of the world around her looked vacant. The trees were all torn up, stubby and black. Ash filled the air and an ominous blue mist sat around her. She had never felt power like that.

"Wi—" Waverly attempted to speak again, but the pain in her throat and strained vocal cords quickly prohibited her from doing so.

She swallowed painfully and pushed herself onto her knees. Her head was on fire.

Wyatt began to stir on the ground and Waverly took that as a sign to pick up the pace. She scrambled, hands and knees, all the way over to Willa.

Once the shapeshifter plopped down beside her, Waverly immediately knew she was in no position to help. Willa's spine was cracked like a twig. Dark purple bruises were forming on her lower back.

She put her hand over her mouth and gently pulled up the alpha's shirt. Waverly was already able to see the damage through the tears in her top, but the bloodied fabric was making the injuries seem much worse than they were.

Waverly was pissed. She hated that she was angry at Wyatt, but he did cause this. Well, not him—but some horrifying version instead.

Suddenly, Waverly heard a huff behind her. She spun around, preparing to be pummeled by Wyatt again, but instead, a small figure stood on the ground in front of her.

It was Hadley. She was in her wolf-form, a much smaller version than the one Waverly had encountered in the hunters cave. The same one from the valley where Willa spotted her.

"Hadley?" Waverly whispered, ignoring the anguish from her sore neck. "What are you-"

Hadley's eyes suddenly exploded with color, practically blinding the shapeshifter. Two purple orbs spread across her irises like wildfires. The hybrid trotted past her.

Waverly watched her small wolf legs move back and forth like furry sticks. Even though the hybrid's body was mostly light, there were some patches of dark gray speckled across her fur as well. And of course, the purple line drawn across her back.

She sat down beside Willa, sniffing the alpha's beaten body thoroughly. Just as Waverly went to ask another question, the hybrid bit her on the arm.

"No!" Waverly gasped, shuffling to stop Hadley.

Before she could, Willa's eyes shot open, glowing an obnoxiously bright yellow. Hadley let go of her, slowly moving her muzzle away from the alpha.

Waverly felt her eyes flash blue. She had no idea what was happening, but why would Hadley attack Willa while she was down?

The shapeshifter ignored the strange protective nature she felt for the girl and retracted her claws. She knew she didn't stand a chance against a fully-powered hybrid, but she wasn't about to let her hurt anyone else.

Just as Waverly prepared to fight the hybrid, Willa shot up into a seated position, taking in a very large sum of air.

"Holy—" The alpha gasped.