wolves¹[wyatt lykensen]

.15

DANCING AND TREMORS

"WHAT IS THAT?" Bucky asked, shock beginning to take over his features. "Zombies?"

"And werewolves," Jacey added.

"In formal wear?" Stacey crossed her arms over her chest with a glare.

"They look good," Lacey let out, earning glares from the other Aceys.

"You guys can't be here," Bucky protested as we stood in front of the entrance. "Okay, there are laws against this." He stepped in front of the walkway and blocked us.

"Bad laws are meant to be broken." Zed shrugged.

"And monsters don't follow the rules," Eliza snapped to Bucky.

My head cocked to the side slightly. "And last time I checked, according to you guys, that's what we are." I looked to Bucky and gave a sickly-sweet smile.

"Zombies are a part of Seabrook, Bucky," Eliza added. "We deserve to be here." Her words only annoyed the peppy cheerleader more, causing his jaw to visibly clench.

"And we're a part of Seabrook, too. The originals, in fact," Wyatt spoke up, a challenging tone in his voice as he smirked.

"Someone's gotta stop you," Bucky huffed, moving to reach for the alarm lever on his left, but Willa stepped forward. She raised her claws and bared her teeth, growling at the boy and causing him to cower slightly.

"Welcome to Prawn," he said defeatedly, moving away from Willa and going inside.

Willa lowered her hands as he left and began coughing. Wyatt and I rushed to her side as she gripped her necklace tightly. "You okay?" I asked, earning a nod from the wolf as we helped her inside.

➤

I sat beside Wynter and the other wolves. They were getting more sick by the minute, making me realize they didn't have as much time as I originally thought. I let out a sigh as I looked around the pack. Some were still okay, laughing and drinking punch with the others.

"Would you like to dance?"

The voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Wyatt holding out his hand for me to take. He held a small smile on his face, making me feel guilty for shaking my head. "I should stay with the pack and make sure they're okay." At that, I felt a harsh nudge to my shoulder. I let out a small 'ow' and turned to see Wynter with wide eyes, motioning for me to go.

"What are you doing? Go, we'll be fine!" she whisper-yelled.

I glanced between her and Wyatt. "Are you sure?" She quickly nodded. "Thanks, Wynter." I turned back to see Wyatt holding out his hand for me to take again, and this time, I took it. He gently pulled me to my feet and led me over to the dance floor.

He grabbed both of my hands and guided them to his shoulders before settling his around my waist. We both swayed to the music, leaning into one another as we did so. "You know," I began. "I've never danced with anyone before."

"Really? Well, if that's the case, then—" he cut himself off as he leaned away, making me step outwards as he lifted my arm and spun me around before pulling me back into his chest. I couldn't help the childish laugh that left my mouth as we both grinned at one another. "For someone that hasn't danced before, that looked pretty good to me."

I rolled my eyes playfully at his words, knowing fully-well that if I messed up he would've caught me before I fell. "You did that, not me."

"Okay," he scoffed lightheartedly. "I wasn't the one spinning around like a princess, was I?"

"Touché." I nod, taking the subtle compliment before letting him spin me around again. "I could get used to this." The words slip from my mouth without me thinking of what they truly meant, making me stiffen once I realized my mistake.

"Hey," he said softly, reaching up and brushing a piece of my hair back before resting his hand on my cheek. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," he assured.

"You promise?" I knew that it was a stupid and unrealistic thing to promise, but I couldn't help myself from asking. I wanted more than anything for him and the wolves to be okay. Within the while that I've gotten to know them, I cared about them all a lot; they became my pack—my family.

"I promise, Cora," he said the reassurance seriously, holding my gaze as he spoke.

Wyatt leaned his forehead against mine, both of us taking in the moment and relaxing. I could see his eyes flicker down to my lips before meeting my gaze again and I caught myself doing the same. Within the few seconds, I could feel his face move closer. His eyes flickered again, glancing to my mouth then back to me before leaning further in. His nose brushed against my own and I instinctively closed my eyes.

A loud cracking noise and the shaking of the ground caused us both to pull away and look around. His hand fell from my cheek and gripped mine tightly. The tables of refreshments and food were shaking as everyone began to panic and fill the room with chaos.

"C'mon!" Wyatt shouted, pulling me along with him as we ran outside the gym and into the hallways of the school with the pack and others following. We turn around a corner and as soon as we make it into the next hall, a large hole in the ground opens, causing everyone to slide to a stop.

The crack in the floor began to glow a bright blue color, causing my eyes to scan down the line. Everyone crowded around it, curiosity getting the best of us.

"The energy from the moonstone must've created the fault line," Zed announced.

"Wait, so you're saying if we follow this crack, it could lead us to the moonstone?" I ask, hope filling my tone.

"That means it was only buried, not destroyed!" Addison celebrated.

The ground began to shake again, this time a lot now violent than the last, causing me to almost stumble forwards. Wyatt wrapped his arm around my waist, keeping me standing upright. The tremors subsided after a moment.

"We have to get to it!" Wynter spoke up, looking to the pack.

I nod. "Hurry, while we still can!" I move from Wyatt's grasp and hike up my dress a bit, maneuvering down into the fault line and taking the lead to the moonstone.

"Wait up!" Willa shouted after me, quickly following behind me. We both speed up a bit, trying to reach the end of the fault as quickly as possible. I dodge a few stray rocks and make my way to the turn ahead of us.

"I see the light, it's coming from Seabrook power," Willa informed.

We bend slightly, the tunnel the fault created getting a bit smaller the further we go. Power lines and electrical circuitry spark everywhere once we get to the opening. "Watch your step!" I shout behind me to warn the others.

The tunnel leads us into one that must've been below the power plant. We follow it until the glowing of the moonstone can be seen. The rest of the pack follows us into the room, everyone a bit worn out from the trip down here. My eyes fall onto a large, glowing crystal-like stone that was housed in a sort of cage.

"There it is."