fangs²[wyatt lykensen]

.7

THE TRUTH OF DECLAN

MY WRISTS WERE still sore from where Declan had clawed them, but other than that, they'd healed. The entire event left no room for uncertainty on who he was. He still wasn't saying much, but he was a wolf from a outside pack, that much we were sure of. That meant that there was probably going to be others looking for him and it only fueled my worries.

I looked over the stone that held the prophecy of the threat, taking note that the rivals did have glowing blue eyes. Just like Declan's. I set it down with a sigh and watched as Willa left the room we'd put the blond in. She had been trying to get answers out of him all morning, but he was keeping quiet. "Anything new? Or does he still think growling is an appropriate answer?" I asked with a small laugh.

"I think he's just sticking to staying quiet now." She sat down beside me. "He did ask about you, though." That piqued my interest. I sat up straighter and rose an eyebrow at the girl, silently wanting her to elaborate. "He wanted to know who you were. I told him that if he wanted to know, he could ask you himself."

"He's gonna have to ask later then. I'd rather not interrogate him right now." I handed the stone to her. "Their eyes—Declan's looks just like them. Our mystery rivals are an outside pack of werewolves. The only question now is why they're here." I leaned my elbows onto my knees as she examined the stone for herself.

"How do you know he's not alone?"

I shrugged. "He can't be any older than we are, and on top of that, he can't fight very well. Why would a wolf go out on his own to a territory that's already claimed? It wouldn't make sense," I explained. "Besides, if he was alone, why would he be staying quiet? He wouldn't have anything to protect."

"Good point," she agreed. She set the stone back down. "We just gotta get him to talk."

☽

I leaned against the wall as I stuffed a blueberry in my mouth, watching as Wyatt played with a few of the pups that had been running around the den. It hadn't been that long and they were already going stir crazy, which I couldn't blame them for; I wouldn't want to be cooped up for days either.

I chuckled as one of the kids I looked after frequently, Wesley, jumped onto Wyatt's back and ordered for him to give a piggyback ride. This caused the rest of them to crowd around and demand the same. I had to stifle a louder laugh with my hand, earning a playful glare from the boy. "Why don't you guys get Cora to give you a piggyback ride?" He rose his eyebrows at me, knowing that the kids would then target me.

"Get her!" one said. "Yeah!" they chorused as a few ran to me. I picked a girl up and put her on my back, beginning to walk around with her and spin a bit, earning giggles from her. I did this with a few more of the kids for the next few minutes, spinning and running around with them. It was actually taking my mind off of thing and I was glad to see that the pups were happy, but it couldn't last forever.

"Coraline," Willa spoke up, Wynter standing by her. The shorter girl looked better already and I gave her a smile.

"Alright. I gotta go take care of some alpha business," I told the kids, setting the one girl down and ruffling her hair. "You coming?" I directed the question to Wyatt. He nodded and said goodbye to a few of the kids and ushered them to go keep playing. He entwined our hands as we walked to the room Declan was being kept in.

"Anyone talked to him yet?" Wyatt asked, his thumb gently rubbing my hand.

"Willa tried to earlier this morning, but he didn't say much," Wynter notified. "What was it he asked? Who Cora was, right?" she asked Willa, earning a nod from the curly-haired girl.

I let the three converse for the moments we were walking, keeping to myself and thinking over what I would say to Declan. Asking where he was from and what he was doing here would be a good start, but if he had a pack it might be hard to get information from him. I'd then have to ask who attacked Wynter; hopefully it wasn't him. I'm not completely sure how I'd react if it was. I needed to be calm and collected, have a sense of authority about me that made him realize I wasn't one to mess with.

"What're you thinking about?" Wyatt asked quietly as the two girls walked ahead of us.

"What I'm going to say mostly," I answered, giving him an assuring smile. "Last time I tried asking him a question he growled at me. Maybe he has a different response now."

"You want me to go with you?"

"Might be a good idea. If he says he's the one that attacked Wynter, you might need to hold me back."

☽

I sat on a chair across from Declan's position on a stone ledge. He hadn't said anything, only given a once-over to Wyatt, who stood about a foot away from me.

"You wanted to talk, Declan. Here I am." I leaned forward and rested my arms on my knees. The blond seemed timid, but I knew he had a bite underneath that exterior. I looked over him carefully. Now that I could see him in the light, there was something familiar about him that I just couldn't shake.

"I didn't know you bring a bodyguard," he commented quietly. At that, Wyatt let out a chuckle and gave me a knowing look.

"He's not here to protect me," I said simply. "After our...altercation in the forest, you should know I'm more than capable of protecting myself." I tilted my head to the side slightly. "Now, what did you want to ask me?"

"Your name's Coraline, right?" He didn't make eye contact as he spoke, only looking to the floor between us.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"And you're the alpha?" He looked up this time and met my eyes, making me nonchalantly straighten my posture.

I squinted at him skeptically. "I am. Why do you want to know?" Declan didn't answer for a moment, as if he were contemplating on whether I should know. "I answered your question. You answer mine." He visibly swallowed.

"I was just wondering. The way you told the others what to do in the forest...it showed you had authority over them," he played it off. I knew that wasn't the real reason, but I also knew that if I pushed too hard I might never get any real answers from him.

"Okay. And what about a few nights ago? A girl from my pack was attacked while on patrol. She said it was a wolf. Was it you?" Declan shook his head quickly, which meant he knew exactly what I was talking about. "Then who did it?"

"I-I don't know," he stuttered.

"I wouldn't lie right now, Declan. If it wasn't you, then it was someone you know. Someone from your pack, maybe?" My last few words became sharp as they left my mouth and his eyes widened as I said them. "Don't say you came here alone, we know you didn't."

He let out a shaky sigh that grabbed Wyatt's attention a bit further, causing the beta to adjust his stance. "It—she didn't mean to. Your friend came towards her and she must've saw it as a threat. I'm sorry...I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Why are you here?" Wyatt stepped in, his arms crossed over his chest.

Declan glanced between us before nodding towards me. "I was told to find her."