wolves¹[wyatt lykensen]

.03

UNWANTED INTERROGATIONS

"Who are you?" The boy, Wyatt, was continuing to ask the same question, following me around school like a lost puppy—pun intended. "Why don't you need a moonstone to survive? And where are your claws?"

I sigh, turning to face him and crossing my arms. "Frankly, that's none of your business. You can stop following me around now. I have classes to go to."

He rolled his eyes. "For the second time, most of our schedule is the same!" I still didn't say anything, causing him to sigh and look around the hallway. Almost everyone was gone and in their classes already, giving Wyatt the advantage to grab my arm and yank me into a nearby supply closet.

"Hey!" I snapped, my eyes beginning to glow. "Let me out," I demanded, moving to leave, but Wyatt shut the door and put himself in front of it.

"Not until you give me some answers," he said.

"Dude, I barely know you! Move out of the way," I said, trying to go past him but he cut me off again and gave a glare. "I'm from a different pack. Happy now?" He continued to glare, making me run a hand through my hair in frustration. "Not all packs are the same, I don't know the technicalities. All I know is that I don't have to rely on a rock to survive and shift." I gesture to the stone that hung around his neck.

"Is your pack here?" His voice quickly became quieter as did the atmosphere of the room. His question was warranted; wolves usually didn't wander around by themselves like me, but it was none of his business.

"Don't worry about it." I didn't mean for my tone to be snippy, but I didn't apologize for it. I maneuvered past him, finally opening the door and beginning to leave.

"Wait, Coraline. I'm—" Wyatt was cut off by the door closing behind me.

➤

"They don't know about you, do they?"

I pressed the pencil led to the paper, copying the notes the teacher was writing on the board. It had been two days since the wolves showed up and and two days that I had to put up with all of Wyatt's questions. I could practically feel his stare as he waited for me to respond. Despite not wanting to admit it, his inclusive and persistent nature was growing on me and I didn't help that he was...well, Wyatt.

"Coraline, c'mon." He nudged my arm. "You don't have to hide who you are. You're a wolf, be a wolf," he encouraged.

I set the pencil down harshly, turning to look at him. "You think I want to hide? Of course not. I want to be able to show who I am and shift when I want to, but I can't. When zombies first integrated here no one liked them, and Addison, the girl you guys think is your "Great Alpha"—all of them were made fun of because of who they are. No one knows about me."

He was quiet for a minute as the bell rang and the class began to pack up and leave. I slung my bag over my shoulder as he gently grabbed my arm. He waited a moment for the class to disperse before gesturing to the door.

"Come on. I need to show you something," he insisted, leading me out of the room.

➤

"Wyatt, we have classes we need to go to. We can't just skip school. You better stop dragging me around, we still barely know each other."

"I like to think we've bonded through my numerous questions and you continuing to ignore them," he smirked as I tried to cover a small smile at the comeback.

Wyatt had brought me to the forest and was leading me towards a large cave entrance. He'd looked back a few times to make sure I was following. My curiosity had gotten the better of me and I wanted to know what he wanted to show me. Despite our first encounter, I knew deep down that Wyatt was a good person and had good intentions. He was just doing everything for his sister and pack because he cared about them.

"You're scared." He turned on his heel and faced me, saying the words bluntly.

"What?" My nose scrunched up in confusion. "I'm not scared."

"Yes, you are. You're scared of not being accepted, but out here"—he lifted his arms an gestured to the large forest around us—"you can be whoever and whatever you want. Be a wolf, Cora." My brows raised at the new nickname as he took a few steps towards me and grasped my hands softly. His eyes began to glow a bright golden yellow, trying to get me to shift as well.

The wolf side of me yearned to give in, but I was still unsure. "I haven't shifted in a long time..." I trailed off, but he smiled a little. "Why are you doing this?"

"You don't trust us. I want you to. Believe it or not, my pack and I aren't a threat. So, show me what you got," he challenged.

I breathed in deeply, debating with myself. Out here, it was safe to be who I was. Wyatt understood that and he wanted to show me that he could be trusted, and that's something wolves don't take lightly. Until I was ready to show people who I was, I could just shift here. Wyatt gave an encouraging look, waiting as he did so.

I blinked and pulled my hands from his grasp, letting myself be taken over partially by my wolf side while my eyes began to glow and my fangs and claws emerged.

➤

"What was your pack like?" After Wyatt had convinced me to shift, he had shown me the den his pack stayed in. I suppose we bonded in a way and became a bit closer, but I couldn't tell if that was a good thing.

"Everyone got along. We were able to shift into complete wolves because of pack heritage and where we originated." He listened intently as I explained. "But then...hunters got too close. My pack—I was the only one left. My godparents took me in and adopted me. We've been here ever since."

"They aren't wolves?" I shake my head at the question. "You haven't had a pack since you were a kid?" His brows were furrowed and a sad look took over his face.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," I tried to cover, just wanting to change the look on his face. I sighed after a moment, setting a hand on his shoulder as I gave a smile. "Don't worry about it. Just...thanks for taking me out here today, I needed it. When you're not trying to be all threatening, you're actually kinda sweet."

"You think so?" Wyatt asked quietly, perking up slightly and causing me to chuckle.

"Yeah. The den's really cool, by the way. Maybe we could do this again sometime, wolf-boy." I nudge his shoulder with my own, slightly leaning into his. "Preferably not while skipping school, though."

He gave a wide grin. "Y-yeah. I'd like that, actually."