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The wolves ran into the fissure as quick as they could, the bright purple glow the first sign of hope they had felt since they watched Seabrook Power crumble in the distance. They stumbled down the wreckage, moonstones glowing a sickly green. Willa could hear Wyatt and Wynter close behind her, both out of breath but just as determined to make it to the moonstone and hoping it was still intact. Maybe later she’d regret leaving everyone behind, but they couldn’t risk wasting more time and right now all she cared about was getting her pack back to full strength.
“We’re almost there! The glow’s getting stronger!” Wynter’s voice carried through the tunnel, Wyatt’s excited voice not far behind. “It did survive the demolition!”
Soon enough, they ran into an open area that was clearly on the verge of collapse. That didn’t matter to the pack at the moment, all they could see was the moonstone. Whole and radiating energy.
“It’s here,” the relief in Willa’s voice was palpable, and without wasting a second everyone placed their necklaces to the rock, the energy visibly charging them. Strong growls and glowing eyes filled the room, the pack now finally back to full strength. Their relief was short lived, as soon after everyone had put their moonstones back on, the cavern shook, rubble and dust falling from the ceiling.
“We need to get it out of here, now,” they had no idea how long this would hold, and Willa refused to die after they had just found the stone. She turned to Wyatt, who clearly had similar thoughts. “According to legend, together our pack can move the stone.” He grabbed the bronze cage, the rest of the pack following suit. Eyes glowing, Wyatt shouted.
“Lift!”
For a second, it seemed like everything was going to be ok. The moonstone lifted and they started to move, but soon its weight became too much. The stone went crashing back down onto its pedestal, all the wolves catching their breathes. Wynter’s voice was the first to break the brief tense silence.
“It’s too heavy.”
“There’s not enough of us,” Willa’s voice shook, unbelieving at the situation. She had led her pack down here to save them, but all she’d done was lead them to a different demise. She looked to her brother and her best friend, similar looks of despair on their faces. None of them were ready to die, there was so much they wanted to do. Wynter talked about joining the football team, the idea of being able to roughhouse outside the den and show what was left of the anti-monster part of Seabrook know they meant business major selling points. The fact that Zed told her she was good helped, her face lighting up when he told her she should try out. Wyatt wanted to learn to read, to actually show he could be something other than the alphas brother. Zed’s offer to help left him stammering, and Willa’s playful teasing didn’t help matters. The two boys had clearly been dancing around feelings since he came to the den to apologize, and when they were closer than friends would usually be when they walked to Prawn, no one batted an eye at their brushing hands. Willa tried to think beyond saving her pack, wondering what she could do when they were all safe. She knew most of the pack wanted to stay, had grown fond of the humans and zombies around, herself included. Until now, she had never been able to think about the long run. Finding friends, maybe even romance, it was never possible, their looming doom always hanging over their heads. Now it was back, and Willa didn’t know what to do.
She looked to Wyatt and Wynter, hoping to see some sort of their ever-present optimism. Waiting for them to give it another go, to refuse to give up like they always did. They just stared wide eyed back at her, hope fading as fast as the moonstone fell. Maybe this was it, maybe this really was the end of the line for them.
“Maybe it’s time you expanded your pack.”
The wolves all snapped their heads to the voice, them looking in shock and possibly awe. Even Willa couldn’t hold her tongue. “Addison?”
Addison stepped over rubble in her dress and stood next to Willa while everyone filled in, Zed and Eliza not far behind her. Zed walked up to Wyatt and crushed him in a hug, hands on the werewolves back and cradling his head while Wyatt held on tightly. They pulled apart and whispered something to each other, the moment between them ending when Zed kissed Wyatt, clawed hands clasped behind the zombies’ neck. They pulled back, soft grins on both their faces while they looked at each other before the smiles turned goofy, Zed knocking his shoulder into Wyatt’s. He grinned back, fangs showing as he placed his hand on Zeds where it rested on the moonstone’s cage. Eliza, Bonzo, and Bree followed behind, while even more students trickled in, zombie and human alike. They all looked to Addison, waiting for her to speak. The wolves were speechless, and even Willa was struggling to form words. Wyatt was grinning at them, wide and bright while he leaned into Zed who grinned at them too. They’d never felt this before from an outsider. Care. Acceptance. Addison looked to Willa, who nodded in return, a small smile on her face. Time to expand their pack indeed.
“Come on everybody, we can do this! Lift!” Addison’s voice broke out while she lifted, and everyone followed suit. The wolves couldn’t help their excitement, the moonstone rising easily in the hands of the new pack.
“It’s working!” Wynter’s excited voice carried through the chamber again, everyone slowly making their way to the exit.
Everything was going fine, when a sudden crash came from around the group. The floor, walls, and ceiling all shifted, rumbling while more rubble and dust came raining down, a large slab of concrete falling in front of the exit they were about to take, blocking their escape completely.
“The exit’s blocked!”
“What do we do!”
The panic began to resurface, the gravity of the situation sinking in. They had found the moonstone, but were now trapped with it as the walls and ceiling gave out around them. Wyatt, Willa, and Wynter ran to the concrete slab, Addison and her friends right behind them.
Wynter looked to the alpha, eyes wide with terror. “Can we lift it?” Willa went to nod, sure that they could, but was cut off when she saw Eliza shaking her head.
“That weighs at least two tons, there’s no way just one wolf would be able to lift that. If you all did, it would probably work, but then we wouldn’t be able to lift the moonstone.”
The wolves all felt their expressions fall, despair once again taking the group. Willa looked at the humans and zombies among them, who willingly put themselves in harm’s way to help them. They were going to die along with them, and it was her fault. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Addison standing with a sad but determined look. Willa laughed to herself, no wonder her brother thought she was the great alpha, she was a leader through and through. Pulling out of her thoughts and taking strength from the friendly support she could feel Addison giving her, she looked around the group in front of her. Her eye’s landed on her brother, and Willa felt her heart ache at the scene in front of her.
Wyatt curled further into Zed, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders in return, pulling him closer to place a kiss on his temple. The wolf whined, burying his face in the zombies’ neck while Zed buried his face in Wyatt’s hair. Bree and Bonzo had placed their hands on Wynter’s shoulders, the she wolf trying desperately not to show how much this was affecting her. Her eyes were glassy, and she leaned into the kind gestures, a shaky smile making its way onto her face.
“I’m sorry,” Willa’s voice cut the tension, solemn but strong, “it’s my fault you’re all here right now. I charged in without thinking and now you have to pay for my mistake.”
The alpha looked around her, and though she could scent the sadness in the air, there was no regret. No one down here regretted their decision to help, and Willa felt her eyes tear up. Maybe they would’ve fit in here after all.
A sudden change in scent had Willa’s head snapped to the source, where she saw Wyatt and Wynter do the same out of the corner of her eye. Eliza had a contemplative look on her face as she stared at the slab. Her eyes then darted down, and suddenly her eyes lit up, her scent spiking with excitement and hope. The three wolves all had their brows furrowed in confusion, not understanding why Eliza could feel hopeful so suddenly.
“Zed, your Z-band, it’s still broken!” The wolves’ eyes darted to the zombie in question, becoming confused and worried when they scented a strong spike of fear. “Take it off. Lift the slab.”
Zed trembled a bit, and Wyatt wrapped his arms around him, getting as close to Zed as he possibly could when the smell of his boyfriends’ distress and fear permeated the area. The zombie held him tightly, but he was still shaking.
“I can’t”, Willa was confused, what could he have been worried about. Maybe he didn’t care about them after all, maybe his apology wasn’t as heartfelt as she thought. Looking around it seemed like Wynter had the same thought. That possibility quickly subsided, however, when she thought about it more and what exactly removing his Z-band entailed for him. She felt a bit of shame well up in herself, which only grew when Zed’s shaking voice spoke up. “What if I can’t control it,” his voice grew quieter, unconsciously pulling Wyatt closer to him, “what if I hurt someone.” Wyatt snaked an arm around Zed’s waist, holding him tightly while Zed continued to tremble beside him. Yep, Willa was ashamed.
“You can, and you won’t.” Eliza’s voice was strong, confident when she spoke, eyes on Zed.
“I’m scared.”
The admission threw the wolves, the zombie seldom showing true vulnerability, choosing to always outwardly seem happy and to be a rock for others. Wynter and Willa shared a shocked glance while Wyatt whined again and kissed Zeds neck from where he was cuddled under the zombie’s arm. He pulled away from Zed, grabbing a hold of his hand, placing the other on his cheek. “We believe in you, Zed.” Wyatt’s voice was soft as he pulled him in for a kiss, a chaste sweet thing that had Zed’s friends smiling like idiots and the wolves looking away from the intimate scene. “I believe in you.”
Zed’s hand grabbed Wyatt’s where it rested on his cheeks. Quickly pulling him in, Zed kissed him, hands on his waist before he pulled away and rested their foreheads together, whispering something to the wolf. When they pulled away, Wyatt grinned and his eyes glowed amber. “I love you too, zombie. Now go save the day.”
Zed nodded; eyes nervous but still determined. Slowly, he unclasped the Z-band from his wrist, black veins starting to cover his skin while instinct took over any coherent thought. Thrashing, his transformation completed, letting out a roar in the cavern had the wolves grinning and hollering. The room held their breath, but the zombie rushed to the slab, picking it up and slowly lifting. Zed was clearly struggling, but within moments the slab was completely lifted, the zombie holding it above his head with shaking hands. Wyatt looked at his boyfriend in concern, but Addison’s voice snapped him out of it.
“Quickly!”
Everyone grabbed the moonstone and lifted, slowly making their way through the entrance, and taking care not to jostle Zed. Another rumble shook the tunnel and chamber, the slab in Zed’s hands falling with the added weight while Zed struggled to hold it up.
“Zed!” Wyatt cried out, wanting to reach for the zombie, but he yelled out first, voice lower and distorted.
“Go!”
“We need to hurry!” Willa’s voice cut through Wyatt’s panic. She couldn’t imagine what seeing Zed like that was doing to her brother, but right now they needed to make sure that they got the moonstone out in one piece. She looked at Wyatt, could see the tears in his eyes, but soon after his expression hardened and he nodded. Willa nodded back, glad that he was getting back to the situation at hand. He could hold and cling to Zed all he wanted when this was over. Hell, she might even give him a hug too. Maybe.
It took longer than they would’ve liked, but they managed to shuffle through the passageway. The moonstone, everyone who carried it, and all the rest who came to help were clear of the slab. The moonstone was set down gently, but another rumble shook the ground around them. The slab Zed was holding fell, darkness consuming the end of the passage while a large cloud of dust billowed in its wake, falling rubble muffled behind the concrete. Everyone ran forward, but it was still too dark to see. The only light came from the moonstones glow, but there was no sign of movement. No sign of the zombie who saved them. Addison and Eliza yelled out at the same time, their voices cracking when they screamed.
“Zed!”
The rest of the group ran to where Wyatt stood, denial etched in their faces while they looked for any sign that Zed made it out. Eliza, Bonzo, Bree, and Addison all continued to scream Zed’s name, the rest of the group looking on in complete shock. Willa and Wynter ran to Wyatt, who hadn’t moved or spoken since he turned when the concrete fell. The alpha and the she wolf looked at each other in concern, not quite sure what to do to handle Wyatt’s clear fragile state. The two girls were broken out of the silent conversation when a pained whisper fell from Wyatt’s lips.
“Z-zed?”
The despair laced in that one whispered word had the two wolves run to his side, unsure of how to help but needing to be near him. Willa reached out first, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder while Wynter did the same. They could feel him trembling under their hands, and soon he looked up to them, the agony in his gaze clacking their jaws shut.
“Willa, he…h-he,” Wyatt’s voice broke, the tears falling while he sobbed, throwing himself at Willa and clinging on for dear life while the alpha just stared wide eyed. She’d never seen Wyatt like this before, but Wyatt had also never had to watch his mate get crushed saving their pack. She put her hand in his hair, trying to think of kind words she could say when another rumble shook the tunnel. Her eyes grew wet, knowing what she had to do but wanting to do anything else. For her brother’s sake, but also for hers, for everyone else who had just lost a friend.
“We need to go.” The words pained her to say, the second she spoke them aloud her gut twisted and her heart clenched, leaving her feeling rotten inside. She didn’t want to leave Zed behind, but there was no way of knowing how long the tunnel would hold. She couldn’t risk everyone for one person, no matter how much she wanted to destroy that concrete wall herself and look for the man who saved them. Wyatt’s reaction was instantaneous, pulling away from her like he’d been burned.
“What? No, no we can’t!” Wyatt’s eyes were wet, his cheeks red and tearstained as he stared his sister down, voice getting louder and angrier. “What if he’s still alive? We can’t leave him!”
Willa’s eyes watered, seeing her brother in such a state weighing on her while a few of her own tears fell. She needed to think about everyone, though, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t risk it. “We can’t know for sure, Wyatt. I don’t like this either, I want to try to move it just as much as you do, but—”
“Well then do it! If you talk about wanting help then why don’t you!” His eyes and necklace were glowing, bright amber flashing in the dark next to the flash of his moonstone. His voice though, was growing more desperate than angry. “He deserves it, and we owe it to him.”
“We can’t risk everyone who came to save us for him.”
“He’s the only reason there are people left to save, Willa!” The alpha went to respond, but Wyatt continued, his trembling voice stopping her in her tracks. “Everyone down here risked everything to save us, and then Zed risked everything to give us a way out. If he’s still alive, how can we just abandon him. How can we not even try?”
Willa was breaking, seeing her brother get so emotional in ways he never has before. She wanted to help, she really did, but it was like she said, she couldn’t risk everyone. That justification kept swimming through her mind, trying to think of a way to fix this, all the while thinking that if she repeated it enough times maybe she would believe it too.
“I can’t lose him.”
And it was decided.
She closed her eyes, and opened them with new determination. She yelled out behind her, “wolves! To me, get ready to lift the slab,” the howls of agreement reverberated through the tunnel, surprising her a bit, apparently Zed made more of an impression on the wolves than she initially thought. She put those thoughts aside while she continued to give orders. “Eliza, Addison, get ready to go inside!” Finally, she turned back to her brother, his hopeful expression making her believe she was making the right call. “Find him.”
Together, the wolves ran to the slab, moonstones glowing and waiting for the command. Willa grabbed the bottom of the concrete, her own necklace bright blue and eyes a molten amber, and howled. Together, the wolves lifted the slab while the three tasked with going inside followed their instructions and sprinted inside. It felt like forever had passed, the wolves struggling to hold it up but now refusing to leave anyone behind. Soon enough, Wyatt howled from in the chamber, an affirmation. “They found him! Just a bit more!” Willa’s own arms were shaking, but like everyone else she held strong.
Seconds later Eliza ran out, Wyatt close behind with a limp Zed in his arms, Z-band clasped around his wrist. Addison ran out last, the second she was past the wolves she yelled out. “We’re clear!”
All at once, the wolves dropped the concrete as the sound of the chamber collapsing filled the air, immediately running back to the group. By some miracle, the sounds of rumbling had stopped, the chambers collapse somehow keeping the tunnel stable. The immediate danger now passed, Willa and Wynter instead ran to where Wyatt sat down, Zeds prone form in his lap. The zombie was in rough shape, completely covered in bruises and scrapes, his green hair stained red from a gash on his head that trickled blood down the side of his face. Willa looked to Wyatt in concern, the wolf clearly in severe emotional pain holding his broken mate in his arms. She slowly reached for him; her voice gentle. “Wyatt?”
To her shock, he growled at her, eyes and moonstone brighter than she had ever seen before. She had to force herself not to react on instinct to the challenge, knowing that Wyatt was running mostly on instinct himself. Suddenly, his eyes snapped down to the man in his arms. Minute passed like days, but movement caught their eyes. Like it was in slow motion, Zed’s eyes fluttered open, clearly hazy and disoriented. The zombie looked up, a smile making its way onto his face.
“Hey,” the tears in Wyatt’s eyes fell freely hearing the zombie speak, a whine leaving his throat while he gently helped Zed stand. Seeing him struggle, Willa grabbed his other side to help him up. Once he was standing, Wyatt threw himself into the zombies’ arms, loosening his grip when he heard a grunt of pain come from the man, making him whine even louder. His shaky voice spilled into the air, muffled by where his face was pressed into Zed’s dusty shirt. “I thought I lost you.”
Zed’s eyes softened, bringing his hand to Wyatt’s cheek while trying to hide his wince of pain. He leaned in, pressing their foreheads together while he placed Wyatt’s hand over his heart. “You didn’t, I’m right here. See? I’m not going anywhere.”
The two stayed like that for a moment, lost in their own world while everyone else just watched. Eliza and Addison were watching with smiles on their faces, Bonzo holding Bree while they grinned at the couple. Soon enough, their moment ended, Wyatt pulling his forehead from Zed’s to place a gentle kiss on his lips. The zombie hummed happily, grinning again when the wolf buried his face in Zed’s neck.
“Thank you.” He looked to Willa, something in his eyes she couldn’t quite place at first. Moments later she placed it. Gratitude. Her smile fell as her mind wandered, thinking about how she had almost left him behind, forgetting the rule the elders had told them time and time again, to never leave a wolf behind. To never abandon pack. She didn’t deserve his gratitude.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when Zed cleared his throat. A different look was now there, like he could see her spiraling in her head. The look in his eyes told him he understood, that they could talk later. Willa sighed in relief, knowing when they did talk, she would need to apologize for what she had been willing to do, what she had almost done, and hope he didn’t hate her for it. The elders were right, as usual, and she promised herself she wouldn’t make that mistake again. Wolf or not, he was part of their pack now, their family. A lot of these people were, they had earned it. Zed certainly had.
The zombie’s next words caught her off guard, almost like he knew exactly what he needed to say at the moment.
“Thank you, for coming back for me.” Zed was grinning, eyes bright while he held Wyatt close to him. She couldn’t help but grin back.
“You never leave pack behind.”