"It's gone"
I chill creeped its way up my spine when I saw the deathly glare Willa and the pack of wolves sent my cousin's way.
Even Wynter's bubbly exterior diminished once she heard this words.
"You lost it?" Wynter asked, slight anger and worry was shown through her usually sparkling eyes.
"Do you know how precious a moonstone necklace is?" Willa scoffed after her rhetorical question before continuing.
"If she was serious about being a wolf, if she was the Great Alpha, she wouldn't have been so careless."
The saliva forming in my mouth seemed to get lodged in my throat at Willa's scolding, causing me to harshly swallow because of it, automatically showing my discomfort to anyone who might've been paying attention to my cowering posterior.
"No I-I don't know how-"
Swiping the hair away from her eyes, Willa let out an angry sigh before staring at me with a look that could and definitely would kill.
"At least tell me you still have it princess" the name meant to be used adoringly came out of her mouth with a high level of venom, seeing as how she was still angry at Addison and now had me to direct it at.
Wyatt, who had been stiffly standing next to his sister, refusing to say anything to hide his clear disappointment decided to make his presence more clear to his sister.
Clenching his fists he spoke to his sibling, while looking at me in the eyes with much concern and dare I say, adoration. "She did nothing wrong, Willa" he grunted to her disapprovingly.
The girl, still fuming with anger, only rolled her eyes before repeating the question with much more ferocity.
"Do you still have your moonstone?"
I meekly nodded and pulled out the small box from my pocket, opening it out to the werewolves, showing the gem which reflected the hallway lights. My knuckles were turning slightly white with how tight I had been holding the wooden box. In fear of it somehow disappearing through my fingertips.
Willa, already choosing anger as her emotions to portray for the next few moments only let out a grunt of approval, signalling her brother to step forward.
Still tense from the situation, Wyatt gave me a closed lip smile, reaching his hands out towards the necklace.
I knew what this meant.
He was going to put it on me.
But do I want that?
Clasping the box shut, almost taking Wyatt's fingers with it, I pulled it away from his expecting hands. The noise resulting had startled the wolves, Wynter letting out a help at the sound.
Willa's eyes held confusion, while Wyatt's only had signs of concern.
"M-maybe I should place it on later, a-as in when we're there, y'know so I can, um-" I tried my best to think of an excuse, not wanting to startle them even further with stating my doubts, "mentally prepare...myself?" As I had continued on with my excuse my voice had risen tremendously, making it seem like I had asked them a question.
Wynter had easily bought it and pouted her lips with understanding and proceeded to give me an encouraging smile.
Willa only raised a finely done eyebrow, leaning more on her right hip. The wolves copying her actions, waiting for her to tell them what to believe.
Wyatt, noticing the way my breathing had gone erratic, and how my pupils were shaking, eyes looking around for some type of signal, had come up with two conclusions.
1) I was lying.
Or 2) I was as I had said, nervous and wanted to prepare myself for this life changing moment.
And Wyatt, having shown throughout the days that have passed that he completely trusts me, and cares for me instinctively, chose to believe that I had been telling the truth.
He stepped closer to me and rubbed my arms lovingly, softly trailing his hands to my own. The wolf boy rested his warm hands on top of mine, engulfing my petite ones.
Bring a clawed hand up to my face, he brushed a nonexistent hair to the side as an excuse to lay his hand on the side of my head.
As he gave me his award winning smile I felt my heart doing summersaults, and my guilt level had risen immensely.
"Fine, you may have your time."
Willa, who had been watching our interaction grudgingly caved in. Anger now starting to slowly make it's exit, she let the want for making her brother happy take over.
Taking her he's away from us she turned to Addison once again. "But you, stay out of our amazing hair." The girl stated, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she walked away for emphasis.
The wolves followed after their leader, Wyatt staying behind, hands still placed on the same spots.
I tilted my head towards my cousin, who Wyatt was extremely uninterested in at the moment, silently asking for permission to go with.
She gave me a tight lipped smile, "go on" she told me, barely above a whisper.
I smiled back, trying not to give her the feeling of pity.
Wyatt soothingly rubbed his thumb on my temple before bringing that hand down on the wooden box, still securely wrapped in mine.
Gently pulling it from my python-like grip he placed it into his furry vest pocket.
"I'll hold onto this, you shouldn't have to worry about losing it at a time like this."
Pang, another feeling of guilt surged through my veins.
He wanted to be the one to clasp it around my neck, to give me a future in his pack.
But I was only saving that rejection for later, making this much more painful.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me snugly into his side, unnecessarily showing his assertiveness in front of my cousin.
"Guys c'mon!" Willa angrily spoke from her unseen place outside.
The two of us chuckled softly and picked up our pace, boots for sure making marks on the white floors.
Before stepping outside to the slight breeze and sunshine Wyatt leaned down and swiftly planted a kiss to my forehead from where he stood on my left.
Cheeks for sure beaming red and heart for sure melting I stopping my movements.
Thankfully Wyatt had read my flustered state thoroughly and recognized my reaction was one of shock and enjoyment, not disgust. And so, he chuckled and pulled me with him to the pack who had already continued walking, obviously fed up with having to wait for us.
Gaining feeling back into my body, I giggled girlishly and broke free from his grasp, running ahead to meet up with Wynter, teasingly turning back to the now grinning boy.
Charging at me ecstatically I shrieked with glee as he scooped me up into his arms and spun me around, making sure to keep up his pace with his pack.
Willa, not even bothering to turn back, and not even really caring that the laughter diminished this serious moment, allowed us to us continued with our foolishness. Fully knowing that when the time comes, we'd still be alert and on our A-game. Her refusal to pay any mind to us caused the wolves to do the same, trying their best to block out the giggling mess at the back and keep facing forward.
***
Eventually the two of us, yet to say out loud our feelings for each other, had calmed down and limited our affection simply holding hands. His thumb tracing different shapes and letters on my skin, while I would sometimes swish our hands back and forth, just to put a smile on our faces.
***
Willa had barked out orders to us all, Wyatt along with the others obediently listened, not questioning her authority. We snuck in through a busted in window, at an area of the building with the least construction workers and security. The others easily pushed their way up and through, while Wyatt kindly offered me a hand before swiftly jumping in as well.
We then went off on our trek to find the moonstone, not knowing where to begin we made our way through the building in an almost reckless abandon.
This was our big mistake.
The pack had thoroughly observed from afar, and had also seen the blueprints of the place. They knew where security workers would be and when the construction workers had their breaks. But we all did not expect that they would go to such lengths to keep people out, that they would set up an alarm system.
The frightening blare of the alarm bounced off the dormant walls. We stood frozen for a moment before realizing, they now know we are here.
Willa stood with a clinch between her eyebrows, thinking, having an internal conflict. She had to save her pack, but she couldn't leave the moonstone since the demolition was tonight.
In her mind, in all our minds, the only thing we seemed to grasp was run. Run to or from the moonstone we didn't know, we just had to get away from this location where the alarm had caught us.
Although I did my best to stay calm on the outside I was full blown panicking, and Wyatt could definitely sense it, with or without the enhanced abilities he was given as a werewolf.
He ran beside me, pulling me by the arm- not roughly, but enough to keep me with the lace of the werewolves. He made sure to observe the dark surroundings with his heightened senses, making sure no harm came our way as we ran possibly for our lives.
The flashing lights were the only warning we were given before turning a corner to come face to face with the Seabrook police force, who all looked ready to stop us at any means necessary.
The blinding flashlights and the barking of police dogs overwhelmed my senses. I pushed my face to Wyatt's chest, shakily trying to focus on his erratic heartbeat.
He firmly brought his left hand to the back of my head, and brought his right to interlock our fingers, holding me as close as possible and away from the snarling dogs and angry officers.
"Wolves, freeze where you are!"
I squeezed my eyes shut, the familiarity of the voice not comforting me in the slightest. The person that spoke harshly had been Addison's dad, but the only response I could muster was burrowing my face further into the fur Wyatt was wearing.
The pack surrounded their leader instinctively. And noticing I wasn't the most accustom to the harshness of this reality, surrounded Wyatt and I as well.
Lifting my head up I saw their eyes glow gold defensively, Wyatt's matching the sparkling color. Some only bared their teeth, while others (like Wyatt) snarled as the police approached, closing us in.
I felt weak. Not having any power to do anything but shrink back and stay out of the way from the ready-to-fight werewolves.
The men in blue stepped aside to let through my uncle, along with Zed's father.
"You're trespassing werewolves!"
The group only growled in response.
Wyatt, letting go of me, stepped forward fuming with anger. His posture representing the rage within him, an emotion I hadn't seen before on him.
"How can we be trespassing on our own land?" He asked, making sure to show off his sharp fangs.
"This is werewolves territory" Wynter sternly added on, also showing a great rage, unfamiliar compared to her normal happy and easy going self.
"I don't know anything about that" my uncle responded, trying to hide the fact that his voice began to shake with the action of puffing out his chest.
His eyes drifted, mentally counting the amount of werewolves versus police before coming across to me, his niece.
"Rebecca?"
I cringed at the use of my extended first name.
"What are you doing? Get away from them!" He commanded, gesturing for me to stand by him.
But the thing is, I didn't want to. I didn't want to chose him, a family member, over the friends I had made, who are willingly ready to protect me in a way I couldn't ask for from him.
I firmly shook my head no. Trying my best not to show any emotion on my face while doing so.
He stared at me incredulously, making me want to curl in on myself, causing me to start fidgeting my fingers and wrap my arms around my waist.
Wyatt felt absolute happiness, knowing that the girl he cared for, much more than anyone he'd ever known, had chosen him and his family, over the blood relative ordering the police force to close in on them.
This only fueled his need to protect his pack.
To protect Becca.
And although Willa didn't show it, she felt almost proud to say the least. To know that someone outside the pack, let alone a human chose to stand by them even when their world's collided.
Seeing the man signal for the officers to advance forward, Willa spoke to her own force.
"We can take them!" She encouraged, her and her brother stepping in front of me before letting out the most gutteral and most frightening growls and snarls I had ever heard. Gemstones glowing from around their necks, signalling that the wolves were using their full power, ready to defend themselves at any means necessary.
They were ready to protect.
The were ready to fight.
They were ready to defend.