The doors to the elevator opened and two people exited the small confined space, their rubber soles making no noise on the roof as they crept toward the edge facing the faculty office building. They were dressed in all black, with masks covering their hair and faces. They walked with purpose toward the edge of the building, whispering to each other. They were easily twenty feet from the edge and Ellie and Meredith stood frozen on the roof watching them. The adrenaline that had pushed Ellie into action now froze her in fear, the threat was there, in front of her and it was up to her to handle it. She wasn't sure she was ready for a fight but the face of Jake swam through her mind and she knew she had to do something. There was no one else. The crates Ellie and Meredith were crouching behind were set at such an angle that the girls had a view of the faculty building from the left side of their position. Ellie could see the doors of the building where she had seen Jake exit in

The weekend went by slowly. Ellie tried to avoid Jake as much as possible, which was more difficult than she hoped given the fact that they had all of the same friends at school. Hannah stayed for the weekend visiting Jake. Thankfully, Jake spent most of his time entertaining her away from everyone else. Ellie was able to avoid them, for the most part, in peace.  Sunday afternoon brought rain, hard downpours, and thunderstorms. The lightning and thunder crashed in the distance and the trees swayed violently in the wind. Ellie sat on her couch, a blanket tucked around her and a book in her lap. She was reading Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. It seemed appropriate given her mood. It was a story of unrequited love and sacrifice. When she saw Jake with Hannah, she knew how Carton felt as he watched the woman he loved with another man. She didn't know how it happened, or when it happened, but Jake had wormed his way into her heart and set up camp, for better or worse.

"Jake," Ellie said softly, her voice shaking as she looked into his eyes. Her heart was pounding, her stomach lurching into knots but she stared calmly at the man in her doorway, willing her body to remain calm and her voice to remain steady. Jake leaned against the doorway to her room as he watched her, his eyes shooting flames. "Care to let me in?" Jake asked as he gestured inside her room. "I don't think that's a good idea," Ellie replied, her breathing getting shallow. Her stomach was in knots.  Every time he was near butterflies took over and she could hardly breathe, she could hardly think straight. "I heard some interesting news just now. You're going on a date with Stefano this Saturday?" Jake asked her, his eyebrows raised, his voice accusing. "Yes, I am," Ellie replied, willing her body to listen and not give her away. "Do you think that's a good idea?" Jake asked. "Obviously, or I wouldn't have said yes." Ellie

Ellie slept restlessly that night. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact the mate bond with Jake was going to get stronger and stronger until they turned 17 which is when they were supposed to claim each other. Sam and Meredith had sat with Ellie in the common area, explaining more about mate bonds once Stacy had left. On your 17th birthday, once you find your mate, you bite them to mark them as your own. The law of werewolves states you can only mark a mate that is also over 17, but since Ellie's birthday happened on the same day as Jake's they would have the same desire at the same time. Ellie woke Tuesday morning in a fog. She made her way toward the hall for breakfast, her bag slung over her shoulder. She saw Sam and Meredith and dropped her bag next to a chair before getting a cup of coffee. She set the coffee cup on the table and sat, staring into the dark depths of the liquid. She loved coffee. The bitter taste of the roasted bean matched her mood this morning as

Ellie froze in fear, holding onto Stefano's hand tightly, watching the eyes of the wolves as they slowly walked toward them. "Do you think they're friendly?" Ellie asked Stefano in a whisper. "No. No, I don't," Stefano said frantically as the wolves jumped toward them. Stefano grabbed Ellie's hand and pulled her behind him. He took a fighting stance, grabbing a stick from the ground, something to use to fight against the wolves. The first wolf jumped toward Stefano and Ellie and Stefano swung at the wolf with the stick like a bat, making contact with one of his back legs. Ellie saw the leg shatter and the wolf went down with a crash. She quietly marvelled at how strong Stefano had to be in order to shatter his leg so easily. A large, grey wolf jumped from behind Stefano toward the two attacking wolves. He snarled, ready to attack the second wolf jumping toward them. Ellie realized with a start that it was Thatcher. Her guard was here, ready to protect. Ellie