Chapter 3: The Initial Meeting

"Are you insane?!" Finn shouted.

The static sensation that clouded Waverly's brain moments ago subsided and once the weight of what she had just done set in, she was left with the overwhelming sense of immobilizing fear.

Everyone was staring at her, utterly shocked.

Her father stepped forward and the pack made room as he approached his daughter. He placed his hands on her shoulders and Waverly saw her own facial features staring back at her, almost an exact copy.

"Are you sure?" he asked, calmly.

Waverly looked at Finn, who gaped at her with a mixture of anger and distress, and her mother, who's strong demeanour remained, despite her terror-stricken gaze. It felt like Waverly had no control over herself. She gulped and slowly nodded her head, disregarding the horror that screamed inside of her.

"So it is." Her father gave her a reassuring smile, mixed with both pride and worry. He turned towards the crowd once more and spoke in a louder voice. "Waverly will take the place of Isadore as the chosen sacrifice."

The pack chattered. Something like this had never been done before; no one had ever offered themselves for what was essentially suicide.

A man within the gathering spoke out. "Can she do that? We've already made our selection!"

Waverly's father nodded his head. "Yes, you have. But as Waverly has offered herself in a surprising twist of fate, I do not see any reason to reject her claim."

"She can't go!" Finn stood tall, his shoulders held back, making him seem sturdier than he appeared. "It's not regulation, it's changing everything we ever do and if she goes, then what—"

"She can and she WILL!" Waverly's father's voice boomed throughout the town, bouncing off of the trees. His composed appearance shifted to sudden fury. "She has made her choice and it is her duty to fulfill it! And the next time you undermine my authority, you will be stripped of your Alpha training and the position will fall to your sister, am I clear?!"

Finn shrunk back into place beside his mother and remained silent. Waverly felt every eye on her as Aviana gently made her way to her and her father. She placed a hand on Waverly's cheek and smiled through closed lips.

"My beautiful Waverly, let's get you fed before the send-off, hm?"

Waverly nodded in agreement. Once inside the farmhouse, her mother lit a fire and brought herself and Waverly a glass of wine and leftover pasta, which they shared in peace.

A feeling of pain replaced her once fear and she began to observe every detail of their home, memorizing the creaking of the window upstairs when the wind hit it in the right way, and how the clock's ticks became louder in utter silence. That was, until the sound of footsteps made their way up the front porch and through the door.

"Lee, I can't let you do this," Isadore said the second she entered the house. "I can handle it."

Waverly set her empty plate down on the coffee table and turned her body on the couch to face her sister. "I never doubted you could, Iz. It's just…you're 17. You're too young."

"And you're not?" Isadore argued. "What happens if you're not his mate?"

"I guess we will cross that when we get to it."

Isadore's face dropped, causing Waverly to feel immediate guilt. "Lee, please, let me go."

Waverly looked at her sister for a minute, as she felt her mother's hand touch her back. "Waverly, dear, it's time to go."

Isadore's eyes swelled with tears. "Please."

"I can't, Isadore. I've made my choice." Waverly reached for her coat, which dangled on the rack beside the door and put it on before hugging her sister. "We'll see each other sooner than you think, alright? In the meantime, make sure Reina stays out of trouble. You know how spirited she is."

Isadore let out a tiny chuckle as a tear dropped from her eye straight to the floor. Aviana kissed her younger daughter's cheek before ushering Waverly out the door.

**

As far as summer evenings go, this particular night was cooler than most. The moon shone on the grass, brightening the dark forest ahead. Waverly's senses were especially heightened and her ears were attuned to any sound that may indicate the Crimson Wolf's arrival.

"No need to worry about the meeting just yet," her father called back to her, as if he could read her mind.

Waverly, her mother and Finn walked behind the Alpha as he led them up an incline that seemed to get steeper the more they travelled.

Her father continued to speak. "He never arrives until after the Alpha and the pack members leave. It is his way of remaining apart from the others, a separate unit."

"He likes the mystery," Finn added, with a small mocking tone to his voice.

"Have you met him?" Waverly asked. Her legs were getting increasingly more tired, as her human form was not as used to climbing extreme slopes for long periods of time.

"No one has," her father replied. The walk didn't seem to faze him at all. "Only those who are the sacrifice have, aside from his pack."

Then unexpectedly, her father stopped. "We're here."

Waverly searched around her. They stood at the peak of a hill, overlooking another rural town. The lights from the landscape, the only brightness for miles, shone in the distance, making her feel a small sense of peace.

"As the sacrifice, you must wait here until his arrival," her father stated. "He knows the location and will be here to claim you. Once that happens, it is in the hands of Lycan."

Waverly felt the pit in her stomach intensify, but she swallowed it down with a forced sense of determination. She nodded in agreement.

Her mother walked towards her and kissed her forehead. "We will see you soon," she said as she followed her husband and son who were already headed down the hill.

Waverly looked at the grass and began stomping on it to create a flattened surface. She sat down and played with the strands on the hilltop as she stared at the town, so peaceful and serene. The night was but a whisper when she curled up on the ground and fell asleep.

**

As Waverly slept, her mind continued to drift towards the figure of a man. He had a firm stance, one that commanded attention, and his outline was piercing black. His aura was one of strength and nobility.

As Waverly stepped closer to him, she could hear him faintly beckoning to her and a cloud of red smoke appeared, surrounding the both of them, concealing his face. She lost her sense of direction and fear consumed her, until she heard him call to her again from far in the distance. The smoke faded and immediately, a figure jumped at her, startling her awake.

Waverly's eyes shot open as she let out a frightened scream. She jolted on her spot in the grass and hit her leg off of something. When she turned to see what it was, she found herself staring at a pair of leather ankle-high boots. She lifted her gaze, slowly, and met the two of the most intriguing eyes she had ever seen: one black and one blue.

The man looked back at her, his long eyelashes touching each time he blinked. His face was stoic and his voice was deep.

"Let's go, we haven't got all night. The mountains aren't close."

He reverted and followed the hill in the opposite direction she and her parents had come. Waverly remained in her patch of grass, unsure of how to gain the strength to move. She looked at the town once again to hopefully find her courage.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice quivering as she spoke.

He stopped walking and stood still. "You don't really need me to tell you, do you?"

Everything Waverly was thinking and feeling vanished as the knowledge sunk in.

He was the Crimson Wolf.