"Hello, Elizabeth, it seems you've had quite the evening." Madame Richert smiled at Ellie, looping her arm around Ellie's shoulders and walking with her back toward the school. She was calm, with no panic or excitement marring her face. The tan wolf took off running back into the woods, presumably to help the other wolf now that Ellie was safe in the arms of the professor.
"I'm so sorry, Madame Richert, I didn't mean to take off. I just, it's just that," Ellie stumbled over her words as tears finally coursed down her cheeks. "I just, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't breathe and I needed to get out. I needed out." She sobbed as Madame Richert pulled Ellie into her arms, holding her close.
"I know. It's alright. You're safe now." Madame Richert said soothingly as she rubbed Ellie's back, encompassing the young girl's small body with her arms. "You're alright, you're safe. We found you."
After a few minutes, Ellie calmed down and was overcome with embarrassment.
Thank you so much for reading! I would love your thoughts :) this is my first time writing and editing a story longer than a couple of chapters and I'm loving the journey. I can't wait to tell you the next few chapters and I hope you enjoy them, too!
The week had gone by slowly and steadily for Ellie. After her run-in with a scary werewolf in the forest, she was relieved to find the rest of the week was mundane in comparison. Jake had avoided being alone with her Wednesday and Thursday, despite the fact they had several classes together. When she realized he hadn't told any of their friends about the chase in the woods, she breathed in relief, she wasn't sure when she would be ready for the fuss Sam was sure to throw over her adventure, but it wasn't today. When Friday afternoon finally came, she sighed in relief, glad that her classes were done for the week. She was looking forward to going to town with Sam and Meredith, looking through shops and trying out the Italian restaurant they'd been raving about all week long. Ellie was coming to realize that while she missed her friends at home, and she was desperate to return the first chance she got, her friends at the academy were pretty likable too. She had a lot in common
Ellie had never had pasta quite as tender and delicious as Fiorelli's. If she ate here every day, she was sure she would never have another worry in the world, except maybe how she would afford all of the new clothes she would need as her waist expanded. The food tasted like the embodiment of comfort and home, it was a warm hug in her stomach. She watched as Sam finished the last of her risotto and sighed in happiness. "I'm going to get fat," Sam said to the table. "From one meal?" Ellie asked. "No, but I'm going to eat here every day. Probably for the next month or two. I have dreams of this sauce," Sam said as she scraped her fork along the bottom of the plate, licking it clean. Firash closely watched her mouth; his eyes were trailing the path Sam's tongue took across her lips. His face was a mask of something close to desire before he shook his head and looked away. "You can not possibly be serious about eating here every day, it wo
Ellie raced back to campus, she thought how ironic it was that she had spent the last 16 years avoiding any physical exertion that caused her to break a sweat but since coming to The Academy, twice in one week she found herself sprinting as if her life depended on it. The last time she had been sprinting, her life had depended on it. This time she was sprinting as if Jake's life depended on it, which it did. A glimpse of the building flashed in her mind as she tried to work out where the shooter was going to be and when it would happen. The last time she had seen a vision, she had apparently saved a mall of wolves from a bombing but she didn't remember any of it. She didn't know if the vision seven years ago had happened right before the event or if it happened a few times leading up to it. Was the shooter going to try to kill Jake tonight? Right now? Did she have time to save him? Had it already happened? Ellie looked behind her and noticed with relief that Sam and Meredith
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
Ellie walked back to her room next to Meredith, the two were behind Sam and Jake. Sam was asking Jake about the meeting he had earlier and whispering questions about Hannah, trying not to bring attention to her when Ellie was walking so close. Ellie's thoughts were focused on the image of Jake, lying on the ground, covered in blood. There was no way to prove her visions were true, there was no way to prove her visions actually happened since she was the only person who could see them. In fact, other than Jake, Sam, and Meredith, she wasn't sure anyone else would believe what she told them had happened in the vision, except Firash. Ellie wondered briefly where Firash had been during the attack and remembered that he was going to be in his room, picking out a movie for tonight. "Listen, you can't tell anyone about the vision," Ellie looked up as she spoke softly but firmly, realizing she didn't want everyone on campus to know. She didn't need stares and w
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.
Monday came quickly, and with it, a flurry of nerves as Ellie thought about facing Jake. She knew she had done nothing wrong, but by planning a date with Stefano, she somehow felt like she had betrayed him. Every time she thought of her date with Stefano, her stomach did cartwheels and her face sported a small, pleased smile. She woke up early Monday morning, she was up and dressed by 6 am, bouncing around her room getting her books and things in order for the week. She managed to waste about an hour before she decided 7 am was late enough to wait before waking up Sam. She peeked her head out and noticed that the light in Meredith's room was on, which meant she was up for the day. If she woke Sam up now, they could hit breakfast by 7:45 which meant she would have enough time to get a coffee and sneak out to her first class without seeing Jake. 'As if. You secretly want to run into him, admit it,' the voice inside her head sneered. 'NO!'
"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
As soon as Halloween was over, it felt like life was on fast-forward. The days flew by and suddenly it was two days until Ellie and Jake's shared birthday. The campus had turned to fall, decorations and trees alike reflecting the orange and red hues typical of this time of year."We're going out for dinner tomorrow night," Amanda said, nudging Ellie with her arm as they headed in toward class. "I don't know," Ellie said, shaking her head as she gestured toward four books in her hand. "I need to get these read by the end of the weekend.""It's your birthday, Els, you can take a break for dinner with your best friend," Amanda teased.Ellie looked at Amanda with surprise then scrunched up her face in confusion and looked up at the sky, silently counting."Tomorrow is the 12th," Amanda replied with a snort. "Your birthday.""Shoot, I forgot it was tomorrow," Ellie said with a small laugh. "Dinner sounds good."Amanda laughed as they sat in their seats, waiting for the lecture to begin."
Ellie paced in her room, Amanda was sitting on the couch watching as she walked back and forth. "Maybe we should figure out how to-" Amanda's voice was cut off by a knock on the door as Sam and Meredith swung the door open and walked in without preamble. Hannah came behind, walking slower, her face pensive as she pondered some private conundrum. Ellie could guess that her mind was preoccupied with her mate. "It's time to get dressed!" Sam said with her normal exuberance. "We are going to have the best time tonight! I can't wait to see you in your dress, you will seriously make the BEST demon." "Because that's what I want to be doing right now," Ellie muttered. Sam was still talking and didn't hear her mumbling as Ellie walked to her window, looking at the destruction in the courtyard beyond. Remnants of buildings were piled to the side of the walkways and Ellie's heart clenched at the memory of the students that had died in the blast. There had been a few in her class, the student
Ellie could feel herself clam up, her nerve flying right out the window in retreat of the icy green stares that pierced her resolve. There were six emerald-green eyes staring her down. One set was icy, one was angry, and one was almost disappointed, a sadness seeping in. "Els," Jake started, shaking his head as he paused. He looked disappointed and Ellie knew she was the cause. She was surprised to realize that she cared how he felt about her actions, but she supposed that happened when you grew closer to a mate. You suddenly want to please them. That was a weird feeling. She shook her head at her wayward thoughts, realizing she had been caught visiting a prisoner that she wasn't supposed to see. It was just Stefano, though. He was innocent. This was her Stefano. Her friend, not some dangerous criminal. "He didn't do it," she started, her voice soft and shaky. The glare of Eloise was enough to send her stomach into twists of nerves. She was certain she was going to be sick if she ha
Ellie's head was spinning. She was concentrating hard and it was giving her a headache. Determined to keep the brick wall sturdy in her mind, keeping her thoughts private, for once, she crept down the dark corridor of the teacher's hall and glanced to her left, searching for a staircase leading downstairs. She was on the ground floor, looking for something that would point her in the right direction of the basement. Dungeons are always in the basement, she thought wryly as she tried to determine which way to go to find Stefano. She crept forward slowly, trying to keep her step light, knowing the hall was filled with werewolves with super-hearing and super-senses. She didn't live under the illusion she would make it all the way down to the dungeons and back without getting caught but she was hopeful she would be able to sneak in and see Stefano before the werewolves clued into her presence. So far, the werewolves on campus had been doing a pretty good job trying to keep her away from
Marcus looked at the building Ellie was pointing toward, his eyes widening a fraction as he glanced back at Ellie. "You stay here, understand me? Don't move. I need to go help," Marcus replied, distracted, his hand gripping Ellie's arm in a tight, death hold. Ellie nodded, her eyes wide with fright. She couldn't bear the thought that Jake had been in the building when the blast occurred. A building that was now a pile of rubble. If he had been inside, he was very likely dead. No one could survive that. She felt tears coursing down her cheeks as she watched Marcus run across the quad toward the stones, glancing back at her every few feet to make sure she was still alright where he had left her. She watched him go, her eyes not daring to look at the ground around the building. In her peripheral vision, she could see hands and feet and she couldn't bear to look where she might find a body. Those were her friends. She had very likely lost friends in the blast and until she knew which
It was 3:36 in the morning, Ellie had been out for three days. In a rush of breath, she sat up in bed, gasping in air as she woke suddenly from her deep sleep. If you could call it a deep sleep. Meeting the Fates wasn't exactly a restful experience. Her hair was wild, she had a very distinct and very pungent odor that made her nose cringe and she felt like she had been underwater for a very long time as she gasped for breath. The sound of her pulling air in and pushing it out with the force of someone that had just escaped death was enough to wake Jake from his sleep. He had stayed by her side for days. He refused to leave her. Even when he was supposed to go visit his mother, he canceled the trip to stay with Ellie. He may only have a few weeks left with her and he planned to stay as close to her as possible for however long he had. No one would take this time from him. "ELLIE!" Jake's voice rang through the infirmary. Between the sound of Jake's cry of surprise and Ellie's gasp
Ellie was out cold, there was no getting her back. She had been lost in the recesses of her mind, the darkness enveloping her in a calm, deep sleep. Jake watched her sleep, running his fingers gently over her face as she lay in a bed in the infirmary. His cousin Stacy walked toward him and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "She will wake up," Stacy whispered softly, trying to offer comfort where there was none. Ellie's face was serene and calm. She was at peace, wherever she was. Her mind was gone, lost in a sea of darkness that Jake couldn't access. Wherever she was, her thoughts were elusive, he couldn't hear them. "What will I do if I lose her again? Not just here, to this, but what happens if I can't get the contract void and I lose her forever?" Jake's voice broke. He didn't cry but he dropped his head in his hands in sorrow. He wanted to scream but he settled on a frustrated growl. Stacy squeezed his shoulder in understanding. "You won't," Stacy replied. Her confidence wa
Stefano stood to the side of the restaurant and watched with an amused expression as Amanda walked slowly toward the man sitting at the booth. Amanda moved as if in a trance, her feet involuntarily taking her closer to the man with the intense gaze. He was watching Amanda's every move, seemingly memorizing them. Ellie smirked and followed, looping her arm through Stefano's. "About time it's someone else," Ellie murmured under her breath at Stefano. He chuckled and pulled her arm, hurrying her along behind Amanda. The man sitting in the booth was staring at Amanda, watching her advance slowly. His eyes were hungry, bordering possessive. He had shaggy brown-blond hair and ice-blue eyes. His eyes were mesmerizing, even to Ellie and she shook her head in exasperation as she realized she was lusting after Amanda's mate's eyes. Because it was obvious that this was Amanda's mate. 'Seriously, Els. Lusting after another man's eyes?' Jake's voice sounded amused. 'If you could see them, you
Ellie knew something would happen to thwart them. It was her destiny to forever be left on the outskirts, forgotten and thrown aside by the Fates. She sat in her seat watching Jake with a pained expression as he spoke in low tones to Hannah, Firash and Mark. They were discussing Rand. Firash looked ready to turn around and find Rand so he could drag the man back to the Academy with them but Ellie knew he wouldn't come. Rand was long gone and he wouldn't reappear at his pack house until he was sure they had left. He wouldn't risk seeing Hannah again. She was his kryptonite. He may not know it, but it had happened to Ellie too. She thought she was safe from Jake. She had made the choice to stay away from him no matter what happened, no matter how many pretty words he spoke, and look at her now. She had lost that battle. "You're glad you lost that battle," Jake turned to speak softly to her. "How are you able to have a fully immersed conversation and still hear my thoughts and pro