"Do you promise to defend this pack no matter what the reason?" Warner went on.
"Yes." They, once again, said in unison.
"Good." The elder breathed out. "Than it is my pleasure to welcome the Lykensen siblings, the heirs to the throne, into the great battle for alpha!"
Each of the head elders, Wendy, Whitney and Warner, standing around them scurried backwards, giving the two werewolves room.
Wyatt sucked in a breath, raising his arms into a defensive position.
Willa did the same.
"Let it begin!" Warner ordered, flashing his eyes.
Every wolf standing around Waverly lifted their heads, howling up at the sky.
Waverly didn't join them.
She was too focused on the siblings.
She couldn't understand why the pack found this so entertaining when one of them was about to endure a crushing and painful defeat.
The two of them just stood there, taunting each other and slowly moving around in a circle-like formation.
They looked like vultures fighting over prey.
Willa's proud expression faltered slightly as Wyatt nearly lost his footing.
He wasn't ready for this.
Neither of them were.
What the hell were they thinking?
"Now!" Warner snapped, becoming annoyed by their hesitation.
Willa's eyes lit up yellow, and she leapt into the air, slashing her freshly-sharpened claws through the air just inches from uncovered Wyatt's throat.
Waverly lunged forward, becoming fueled by anger.
Willow yanked her back.
"Stop." The werewolf muttered. "You can't interfere."
Wyatt practically fell backwards, hurling himself away from her nails.
His eyes were wide and filled with something that could only be described as betrayal, as if he were surprised that she would actually attack him.
Waverly squeezed her hands into two tight fists, listening to his heart beating rapidly.
Willa went to strike again, but before she could, Wyatt kicked his left leg out, jabbing her in the stomach.
The werewolf fell back, barring her teeth.
"Come on!" Wyatt roared, pounding a fist against his chest.
He had an unnatural look in his eyes that Waverly had never seen in him before.
Bloodlust.
Willa jumped up, tackling him to the ground.
Her claws thrashed across his chest, leaving four large tears in his vest.
Wyatt cried out, shoving her off.
Their eyes were exploding with color.
Whatever hold Warner had put over them with his 'alpha influence' or whatever the fuck it was, Waverly was not happy about it.
The wolves around her cheered, watching in awe as their pack-mates attempted to kill each other.
Wyatt scrambled to his feet, dark red blood dripping down his vest.
Willa circled him again, her canines glistening under the sun. Her hair bounced with every step she took.
Wyatt retracted his claws, holding his hands out on either side of his body. He threw his arm out, nails slicing across his sister's right cheek.
She roared in pain, stumbling off to the side.
"This is insane." Waverly mumbled, chewing nervously at her bottom lip.
Willow nodded her head, but seemed to be too enthralled with the fight to actually notice how cruel it was.
What the hell was happening?
Why was no one stopping them?
"I can't let them kill each other." The werewolf whispered under her breath.
Just as the words slipped past her lips, the color in Wyatt's eyes seemed to dim, as if he had heard her.
Willa took that as her chance, swiping his legs out from underneath him.
He fell hard on his back.
Wyatt coughed, rolling onto his side while his sister landed on all fours beside him.
Waverly held her breath, watching as Willa grabbed him by the shoulders, flipping the werewolf onto his back.
She held him down, snarling like a wild animal.
It was a sight Waverly had never seen from a moonstone werewolf before. They were normally so tame.
Wyatt struggled underneath her grip, thrusting his arms out in every direction, desperate to knock her off.
But it was no use. Willa had her knees on his thighs and her hands on his forearms, completely pinning him.
Just as Willa lifted her arm, preparing for the final few blows, Waverly shoved her way through the crowd, ignoring the warnings from Willow. She pushed her way to the front and dashed onto the field, watching as Willa's claws ripped through Wyatt's skin.
Blood splattered across the grass.
Waverly sucked in a breath and pounced on top of Willa, knocking her to the ground.
Once she made sure that the murderous werewolf was far enough away from Wyatt, Waverly positioned herself in front of him, acting as a shield.
"Waverly!" The elders shouted, storming over to her. "Get off of the field!"
She shook her head, flashing two bright blue eyes at them.
Willa managed to push herself up from the grass and growled, her eyes still shining a blistering yellow.
She wasn't going to give up. This whole thing was a game, testing how far they would go when succumbed to their bloodlust.
Wyatt lied underneath Waverly, spluttering and wheezing.
Just as Willa lunged forward, focused on finishing the job, Waverly roared as loud as she could.
The alpha heir immediately snapped out of whatever trance she had fallen under, and the yellow light in her eyes diminished.
Once the last bits of noise escaped Waverly's lips, Willa was back to normal, standing there with a horrified look on her face. She remembered everything, Waverly could see it on her face.
"This is crazy!" Waverly cried, turning to the elders. "You were going to let her kill him."
They didn't object. Instead, Warner looked down at whatever was in his hands and smiled.
"That's sixty seconds."
He held up a stopwatch.
Waverly's mouth fell open and she quickly shifted her gaze back over to Willa, who was too focused on what she had done to notice.
"Willa Lyksensen is the new alpha!"
*End of Flashback - Present Time*
Waverly lay in the dirt, listening to the sheer sound of blood splatter.
Wyatt's voice rang out a few times. Not loud enough for her to worry, but that didn't stop waves of fear traveling through the shapeshifter's form.
She could hear Willa too, spitting out orders like a Z-Patrol officer.
Waverly shifted her head on the ground, deciding what to do. She knew she was too weak to help, hell, she was too weak to move.
"How many of you do we have to kill, before you give up?" An unknown voice rang out, catching the shapeshifter's attention fast.
It sounded like a hunter.
Waverly's body tensed.
It was her fault that they were in this mess, why should any of them die?
Willa's demanding words became louder and louder until they stopped.
Waverly's heart dropped, but it was still pounding as if she had just run a marathon.
Her mind went blank and she suddenly couldn't feel the excruciating pressure stabbing along her lower thigh.
Numbness washed over her.
She wished she could accept the feeling and allow it to overlook the pain, but Waverly was too worried about Wyatt and the pack to relish in the freedom.
The shapeshifter attempted to open her eyes but it was almost like they were glued shut, burning with an unusual sensation of pain that Waverly couldn't quite describe.
Once they cracked themselves open, everything looked like giant colorful balls of fur dancing across her line of sight.
She slowly gained control of her neck and lifted her head about an inch away from the ground.
Pieces of soil stuck to her chin. The ground was still wet from the rain.
"Waverly," A second voice cried out. It sounded like Willa, but she wasn't sure over the ringing in her ears.
Suddenly, a yell erupted through the trees.
Wyatt.
Waverly's eyes shot open wide. She could barely see, or think, but the shapeshifter managed to position her hands beneath her body, thrusting herself up and away from the ground.
"Waverly!" That voice called out again.
It was definitely Willa.
Two hands gripped her shoulders and a figure appeared in front of her. A pair of bright yellow eyes came into view.
The alpha stared at her, her face covered in blood.
She looked concerned.
"Are you okay?"
Waverly didn't waste time answering her. Once her vision focused, she slowly got up from the ground and scanned the forest.
There were bodies scattered across the grass, werewolves and hunters.
She couldn't get any signs of life from then, no heartbeats, no breathing, nothing.
What the hell happened?
Had she passed out?
Then, her eyes landed on Wyatt about ten feet away from where she was standing. He was on the ground, an arrow in his leg.
Anger and terror flooded through the shapeshifter.
Hunters surrounded what seemed to be left of the pack, slashing their arms and torsos with poisoned blades.
Blood splattered across the grass.
Her pain seemed to be a distant memory now.
She was too worried about the rest of the wolves—Wyatt—to be concerned for herself.
Wyatt groaned on the floor, the sound of his anguish piercing her like a knife to a balloon. She was still having trouble seeing and the noises around her were overloading her senses.
Waverly fell to her knees and put her hands over her ears.
She screamed.
Invisible energy exploded from her figure, causing everyone to freeze.
"Enough!" Waverly shouted, blinking away the tears forming in her eyes.
She never thought things would get this bad...she thought that after Matthew was dead, the hunters would stop. She was a fool. Of course they wouldn't stop. They had been brainwashed to believe that werewolves were the demons and that hunters were superior.
A hazy fog was hanging in the air above everyone.
The hunters all turned their attention towards her, their weapons raised.
"Get the girl." One of them ordered.
Willa suddenly appeared beside Waverly, grabbing the shapeshifter by the forearm. "We're with you."
Waverly turned to her, examining the werewolves crimson-covered features. She still looked beautiful, even under the scars and blood.
Her expression was sincere. She actually looked like she wanted to help.
The rest of the pack—what was remaining of it—circled around them. Even though they were all gravely injured and seemingly exhausted, they kept their heads held high.
"Whatever you say," Willa began. "We'll do."
The shapeshifter couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Willa."
Willow stumbled into Waverly's line of sight, headed over to Wyatt who was still on the ground. She was limping badly.
The werewolf fell onto her knee and grabbed Wyatt's arm. He winced as she pulled him up into a seated position.
They were all dying, all poisoned by wolfsbane.
But they were still standing.
Wyatt managed to get onto his feet and was practically dragged over to the group. Waverly hurried over to him, sparing Willa a glance before she did.
"Wolves!" Willa commanded, understanding what she had to do. "Create a wall."
They all exchanged confused glances then obeyed.
"I got it." Waverly said to Willow, taking Wyatt's arm.
He was very unsteady and was much paler than he should've been, but he was still on his feet. That was good enough for her.
"How much strength do you have?" Waverly asked.
His lips parted.
Waverly could see a sheet of sweat forming on his forehead. She knew he felt like shit, but he just nodded his head and said, "Enough."
The shapeshifter heard the bang of a rifle. Her head snapped around. Winston, who had been standing in front with Willa, fell to the ground.
"No!" She screamed, sliding her hand into Wyatt's. He shuddered uncomfortably, but she didn't have time to worry about it.
Her eyes flickered blue.
"Get down." Waverly ordered, clenching her jaw. She still didn't have much control of her powers, but she wasn't about to let the hunters win after everything the pack sacrificed to get her here.
The wolves in front of her dropped down onto their stomachs, pressing themselves against the ground.
Waverly focused on Wyatt's hand in her own and almost instantly, a burst of energy shot through her body, triggering her powers. She shivered from the strange sensation.
It still took some getting used to.
The hunters ran at them, gunfire ringing through the air. Just as the shapeshifter focused her energy on them, the hunters stopped, dropping their weapons.
Waverly paused, her eyebrows knitting together. She hadn't done anything yet?
Wyatt swayed beside her, his eyelids heavy. She wrapped her arms around him to steady the werewolf, but his weight was too much and they both fell to the ground, now completely vulnerable.
Waverly began to panic, then realized the humans were still frozen in place.
What the hell was going on?
Suddenly, they lit up in flames. Bright purple flames.
Waverly looked away for a moment, blinded by the light.
Each of the humans screamed in agony, their skin being seared by fire. They fell to the ground in unison, all wheezing and flailing their arms around in an attempt to save themselves.
Then they all went slack moments later, heartbeats fading into nothing.
They were dead, lying in piles of charcoal. A vile scent filled the air.
Waverly stayed on the ground, hovering over Wyatt who was lying unconscious below her. She was panting heavily, glancing around the forest for the source of such suffering.
"What the hell was that?" Willa gasped, looking back at her with wide, fearful eyes.
"I...I have no idea."
She looked down at Wyatt, scanning his features. He seemed okay other than the poison in his leg and the fact that he was...well...unconscious. She figured it was brought on by the pain.
"Waverly," Willa said, her voice barely a whisper. "Who is that?"
Waverly shifted her focus back up to the alpha, then followed her gaze over to a figure standing across the way. It was a wolf. A small one. Standing in front of an unusually shaped tree towering above them.
She recognized the faint purple light radiating around the creature.
"Hadley."