fangs²[wyatt lykensen]

1.4

SICKLY-SWEET ENCOUNTERS

"CORA, HEY! CORALINE!" Wyatt called out worriedly, finally reaching me and grasping my shoulders. "Where were you? I woke up and you were gone and—" he cut himself off and grasped my chin, tilting my face up. His brows furrowed as his head cocked to the side softly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

I didn't know how he knew that something was wrong. I'd been sure to keep my expression fairly normal as to not worry the other wolves when I came back to the den. But Wyatt was...well, himself and he always seemed to know better.

"I'm sorry I left and didn't tell you," I apologized.

"It's okay," he assured, "I don't care about that right now. You're upset. What happened?"

My eyes travelled around the den, taking note of all the werewolves who were around. I shook my head gently. "Not here." I took his hand from my chin and laced my fingers through his. "Where's Willa?"

He gave a short nod across the center of the room. The curly-haired girl was on the other side and glanced over to us, most likely already listening to our conversation. She motioned with her head to the exit and gave a nod, already knowing what we were going to ask. I gave her a thankful smile and tugged Wyatt out the door.

We were met with a cold wind that blew my hair across my face, reminding me that wintertime would be here soon. I led Wyatt farther away from the den and prying ears, making sure that the information I was about to tell him stayed between us until we decided it was okay to share. I let out a breath and stopped a few feet into the tree line of part of the forest.

"Cora...you're scaring me. What is it?" He took my hands into his and rubbed his thumb across my skin.

"I know, I'm sorry, I don't mean to." The weight of the situation was hitting me again, causing tears to begin to well in my eyes. "I went to see my parents in town, to ask about my birth parents, and..." I trailed off, unsure of how to word it. I took a deep breath as a tear found its way down my cheek.

Wyatt was quick to move one hand to my cheek and brush it away. "It's okay, take your time." He gripped my hand carefully again.

"It was their fault." I looked up to him sadly. "It was their fault my old pack died. They helped the hunters, Wyatt. And—and now they're here. That's why they sent Declan! They're not here for me, they're here for the pack," I said softly, my voice cracking as I spoke.

"Cora, slow down. What do you mean they're here for the pack?"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "My parents said that when they found out Josh and Willow made a new pack, they were wondering where they found so many wolves that needed one. So, they dug around a bit and they found out that other packs had been attacked and wiped out just like mine."

Wyatt's brows furrowed. "You're saying they're going to attack us? They don't know where the den is. That night they took me, I had to go to them."

"It's not that hard to find, especially if they pick up on the pack's scent. They were close that night."

The sudden crunch of leaves echoed through the forest, making Wyatt and I freeze. The vulnerability I was previously showing was quickly masked by the facade of an alpha as the situation turned into a different type of serious. My ears perked up slightly as my canines extended. Someone was watching us.

Another crunch. The wind blew again, adding to the odd feeling beginning to run through the air. A twig snapped. Wyatt let go of my hands and I could see the stone around his neck starting to glow blue. Whoever was watching us wanted us to know they're here. A soft growl reverberated off the trees, it wasn't too far from us.

My eyes began to glow threateningly as Wyatt's formed into a golden color. It was a silent warning to the unwanted intruder to leave, but once another growl was heard, all bets were off.

My eyes scanned through the forest and then I saw it: the blur of a darkly clothed figure through the trees. They were getting closer to us.

"Wyatt," I warned.

"I know."

"I honestly didn't think you would figure it out, Coraline," Josh's voice echoed to us. "I was prepared to keep up the act for a little while longer," he said lowly. "But Cassidy and Sam just had to tell you everything. They could never stay out of other people's business. That's why they took you away from us."

A low, threatening growl was let out by Wyatt.

"You're not hurting my pack. This isn't gonna be like the last one," I said firmly. I could still see his figure moving through the trees, getting closer to us. I could see his eyes, they shone a vibrant blue just like mine; it was unsettling.

"Carter and Madison were terrible leaders. They deserved what happened to them," he snarled out. He was close now, barely ten yards away.

Wyatt gently pushed me behind him, making Josh's head tilt to the side. He let out a chuckle. "Are you like them? I'd hope you'd take after me and your mother. Y'know, be a good leader. A good alpha."

Anger was rising in my chest and I could feel myself wanting to shift completely. My claws were beginning to emerge and it nearly took all of my self control to hold back. "What you did isn't good. You killed innocent wolves." I shook my head. "That's not going to happen here. You're not ruining my pack like you did Alpha Carter's."

Josh's eyes scan over Wyatt and I. "Maybe we could come to an agreement, then, since you seem so hellbent on protecting your pack and...because you are my daughter," he proposed, making me hold back a growl. "Meet me here tomorrow night and we can discuss it." His eyes wandered over to Wyatt and he let out a soft chuckle. "I suppose you can bring him if you want. He seems awfully attached and I'd hate to get in the way of that," he taunted.

Josh let a sickly-sweet smile grace his face before he retreated into the forest and out of sight.