The next morning, I woke up with my body entwined with Ember's — her back was pressed against my chest. Her legs were tangled with mine. My arms were wrapped around her body. My face was buried in her hair, which had somehow fallen out of its hairband in the night. Her hands were holding onto my forearms.

I sighed; why do we keep ending up like this?

Enjoying the moment for a few more minutes, I lay there — until I remembered that it was a school day, and we'd have to get up pretty soon.

"I'm sorry., I whispered to Ember and placed a kiss on her cheek, stroking her hair back. Then I got up, extracting myself from Ember's limbs — sadly leaving the warmth of the bed and the feeling of Ember's body so close to mine.

"I don't want you to go..." Ember murmured, and I froze in my actions.

She's probably just having another dream, I shook my head and continued.

I grabbed a towel and headed into the guys' bathroom, rubbing my tired face. Despite having that night terror, after that I actually slept pretty well — dreamless nights are always better than nights filled with nightmares.

I guess it was just having Ember by my side again.

As I stepped into the shower, I could hear Ember grumble something to herself before heading to the girls' bathroom for a shower, though what she said I didn't quite get.

I flicked on the hot water, running my hands through my hair underneath it.

The water turned on next door, in Ember's shower as well.

Okay, now it's really hard not to think about her naked in the shower...

Washing quickly before the hot water ran out, I silenced my thoughts and my raging passion for her.

Ember walked into me as I was leaving the bathroom, or maybe I walked into her, I wasn't entirely sure.

"Theo!" She exclaimed, grabbing desperately at her towel that was slipping off her body.

"Sorry, I—" At a loss for words, I shut my mouth.

She sloped past me into my room (or was it now our room?) and shut the door.

Damn it, she looks so good in just that towel...

I really needed to start getting my feelings in check; there were plenty more serious things going on to worry about than my relationship with Ember.

Like Jade, for example, and whether the stuff Chris gave Ember would actually work, or just end up worsening her condition. My trust in Chris was already pretty crap but after that nightmare, I'd rather put my life and my pack's life in the hands of a non-supernatural who knew nothing of this world.

Wow, that sounded a lot like something an Alpha would say.

I was only trying to protect them still — what more could I say? I'd already lost them once, and I didn't feel like going through that ordeal again.

Finally dressed, Ember opened my bedroom door and stepped out, eyeing me with a towel wrapped around my hips. Her cheeks reddened and she looked away. She was wearing those awful, unflattering, shapeless leggings again.

They do nothing for that incredible ass of hers.

I moved past her to get changed myself, but she stopped me.

"Are we going to school today?" She frowned.

"I guess so." I shrugged. "Unless you think that your new BFF Chris has nothing else to spill."

Ember chewed her lip anxiously.

"What's wrong?" I asked, chemosignals highlighting to me how stressed she was.

"Something... something just doesn't feel right." Her eyes darted around the corridor, looking everywhere but me.

Rapidly, I questioned, "Is it about Abi and Storm?" Part of me felt hurt that Abi and/or Storm would send a message to Ember instead of me.

Or, like Jason, the Alpha.

"No." She shook her head, continuing to chew at her lip. "It's not them, I don't know — it could just be nothing."

Saying nothing, I simply nodded and closed the door so I could get changed. Thoughts stampeded around my head like a herd of elephants whilst I got dressed — Abi and Storm had been gone for a while now, and we'd heard nothing from them so far.

Disturbingly, other than everything going on with Jade, and Chris, not much seemed to be happening with the hunters, or the 'agency', whatever. Were they lying low for some reason, or were they simply out of town — hunting down another pack or rounding up some Omegas and stray supernaturals?

That made me think, as I walked to the kitchen, fully dressed, were they 'experimenting' on other packs as well? They most likely were, and then surely it would only be a matter of time before bodies started showing up.

But what about Sienna's and Hayden's bodies? Where are they?

Jason was sitting at the kitchen island next to Ember, looking tired as hell.

"You okay, man?" I eyed him as I sat down opposite him.

"Yup." He rubbed his face, feigning excitement as he explained, "Just psyching myself up for another day dealing with Evil Jade."

"How did that lead turn out?" I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl in front of me.

"I got answers." Jason bobbed his head. "Just not the ones I was looking for."

"That stinks," I directed at Ember, as she sipped some sort of green smoothie which was clearly a blend of multiple different types of fruit and veg.

"It's healthy," she insisted, looking upset at my words.

Jason frowned.

"Can't you smell that?" I questioned.

"I told you the night Coloma burnt down that it would be a while before I got my sense of smell back."

"I thought you would've gotten it back by now..." It'd been weeks since Coloma burnt down — what did those bastard hunters do to my Alpha?

"It'll return eventually." He dismissed, twiddling the vial Chris gave Ember between his fingers — Ember must've explained everything to him then.

Realising I needed to redirect the conversation, I asked Jason, "D'you think it'll work?"

"It's the best option we got," he replied with a sigh.

"Even if it kills her?" My voice raised challengingly.

"Ryder didn't tell you?" Jason frowned at me, confused.

"Tell me what?" I snapped back at him.

"The silver's already killing her." His eyes were focused on the vial in front of him. "It's been in her system for too long... She gets worse hour by hour."

"Shit," I groaned, with my face planted in my hands.

Ember spoke up, "Have you tried cutting it out?"

I propped my chin up on my knuckles to see Jason shake his head, "It's infected and spreading — so even if we could cut it out, there'd be no guarantee that we got all of it."

"So, you're telling me that that tiny vial of what looks like swamp matter that we got from a hunter is the only shot we've got at saving her?" I questioned incredulously, wondering if that was what all this boiled down to.

"Basically." Jason nodded.

"We're going to school today," I directed harshly at Ember, "And you're going to get everything you can out of Chris — I don't care what it takes." I stood up. "We're not risking Jade's life on the word of a hunter."

"Why can't you just trust him?" Ember got to her feet, glaring at me, voice rising, "He's risking everything he's ever known to help us — why would he do that if he wasn't trustworthy?"

"Because he's a fricking hunter!" I yelled back, exploding at her, "And I don't care if he saved your life in Lake Oldoy; he's still the enemy!"

"You don't care if he saved my life...?" Ember echoed, merely a whisper.

"No, Ember — I didn't mean it like that, I—" I started apologising for my rash words, but she shook her head and ran off. "Ember, wait!"

I sighed as I slumped back down into my chair.

Jason chuckled. "She's fiery, that one."

"You have no idea." I shook my head.

When did everything become so serious? When did we stop playing with fire? What happened to us?

I want to play with fire again, with Ember... But all the fire's gone now, burnt out.

"I should get us to school." I stand up again.

"Have fun trying to live an ordinary teenage life!" Jason exclaimed sarcastically.

"Oh, that reminds me. Coach Burkes wants you, me and Ryder to join the Hellgate Knights again."

"Of course, he does." Jason laughed. "We always were the best players on that team."

"So...?" I raised an eyebrow, "You down? There's training every other night, and we've got a game against Big Sky High this weekend."

"Sure." He nodded. "I'll try and make it to training when I can. Ryder and I might have to alternate between watching Jade and playing basketball, though."

"See you later." I grabbed the keys for the truck and headed out to where I parked the night before.

Ember was already there, kicking at the ground beneath her feet, waiting for me to unlock the truck.

"You okay?" I asked bluntly.

"Let's just get this day over with."

Of course, when we actually needed him, Chris wasn't around — he was sick, according to the admin office, and so he wasn't in school for the entire day.

"This is just typical." I sighed to Ember as we sat in American History. "We finally need him and he's just not around."

"Give him a break," she hissed back at me, "He probably got in a ton of shit for giving me that vial."

"Where did even get the vial from?" I turned to face her a little more; she was sitting at the desk next to me.

"I don't know!" She exclaimed, "Maybe he got it from a creepy underground cellar that is underneath his ranch — oh wait, no! That's us that has the creepy underground cellar!"

"Since when is a cellar not underground?" I mused.

"Whatever!" She snapped back. "Since when is History so hard for me?"

"Since it's American History," I offered, despite her blatantly rhetorical question.

American History did tend to drag a little, but that was most likely because of the teacher who taught the class — he was boring and looked like he'd been alive for roughly a hundred years.

"Can you help me with the homework?" She skimmed over the sheets that had just been handed to her. "I've got extra because I'm failing."

"Of course," I agreed. "We can go to the library now; it's lunch break after all."

"I was thinking maybe after school," she explained to me as we leave the class.

"We don't have a study at the ranch," I told her, "The library's probably the best place to do it."

"Fine." She sighed, making me wonder what she was getting at by implying we study at the ranch instead.

"What's wrong with the library?" I frowned at her.

"It's just very... formal." Ember pulled her bag tighter over her shoulders.

"And you'd rather study informally because?" I pressed.

She shrugged a shoulder. "It's more intimate."

My eyes nearly fell out of my head at her words; she wants to be intimate with me.

"I think we'd focus better in the library," I told her, sounding like a jerk. "You need to get good enough grades in American History in order to pass."

"Fine." She huffed, "I'll see you at the library."

"Wait, where are you going?" I called after her, as she started walking in the opposite direction to the library.

"The loo." She rolled her eyes at me.

Well, there I go again — being overprotective.

Waiting for Ember to be done, I hovered awkwardly in the corridor, figuring that she would have no idea where the library would be.

"I thought you'd never be done in there," I told her when she finally appeared.

"Guys always say that." She rolled her eyes. "And besides, it was busy in there anyway."

I noticed a look on her face, a hurt look. Glancing back to the toilets, I saw Brooklyn stalk out of them; heels clicking, hair swishing.

"What did she say to you?" I gripped Ember's arm, concerned, and annoyed.

"Just that I don't have a chance with you because you're way out of my league and I should just go back to the UK, where I came from." Ember spat out, "Friend of yours, is she?"

Growling, I let go of her arm. "No, not a friend. She shouldn't have said that to you."

Something that my mom once said to me echoed through my memory: always protect those you care about — even if it means you lose everything in the process.

Why am I thinking about Mom? It didn't make sense. But I knew that I would lose everything if it meant protecting Ember — and my pack, of course.

"Theo — are you... Are you okay?" Ember asked hesitantly.

Noticing my heartbeat rising with a wave of insuppressible anger, I glanced down at my hands to see my claws beginning to lengthen and sharpen.

"What the hell are you doing?" She exclaimed after dragging me out of the busy corridor into a storage closet.

"I... I don't — know..." I was struggling to breathe, struggling to maintain control.

"I thought your anchor was your pack?" She grabbed hold of my shoulders, looking me in the eyes.

"Me... too..." I could tell that my eyes were changing colour — that's bad.

"Why are you losing control?" Ember was worried, I could smell it so clearly in the claustrophobic closet.

"I think..." It felt like my throat was closing up, not allowing me to breathe, "I think I'm having... a... panic attack — and my wolf's coming out... trying to help me—"

"Have you ever had a panic attack before?" She rushed.

"No... n-never."

"What do I do?" She pushed her hands through her tied-back hair.

"Get outta here," I growled, my teeth now sharpened canines. "Get out, Ember!"

I didn't want her to see me fully transitioned, just like I didn't want to hurt her when I was fully transitioned.

"I'm not leaving you," she told me firmly. "I'll think of something."

"There's no time." I growled at her again, "Get out, please Ember, I don't want to hurt you—"

Surprising me, Ember pressed her lips against mine, forcing me to shut up. And despite how Ember made me feel, I could feel my heartbeat slow, my claws and teeth retract, and my eyes return to normal.

"How did you—?" I pulled away from Ember.

"I don't know." She shook her head but stayed in my arms. "I just did it."

"I'm glad you did." I tucked some hair behind her ear, before kissing her again.

Her arms snaked around my neck and moved her body closer to mine.

I pushed her against the wall of the closet and began undoing the buttons on her checked shirt with (strangely) trembling hands. Her tongue was in my mouth and she tasted so good, I'd almost forgotten how much I lo— liked the taste of her.

Suddenly, the door of the storage closet opened, and Ember and I sprung apart.

"Oh Lord, help me." The janitor looked skywards, before glaring at us, "Git outta 'ere, 'orny lil teens!"

We got out of the closet, both suppressing laughter at the janitor.

"Should we take the rest of the day off?" Ember asked, redoing her shirt buttons and smoothing her hair down.

"Why? D'you wanna finish what we started in there?" I smirked at her.

She blushed. "No, I was thinking maybe because you just had a panic attack and almost transitioned at school?"

"Fine." I shrugged. "I'll go sign us out — wait at the truck."

The lady on the admin desk eyed me. "You sure you should be takin' more time off?"

"It's important," I assured her.

"Isn't it always?" She asked rhetorically, tone coated with sarcasm.

It was a Friday anyway, so it didn't really matter that much that we were taking time off.

On the car ride back to the ranch, silence hung uncomfortably in the air. We exchanged a total of 12 words:

"Maybe this was why I thought something was wrong this morning?" Ember glanced across at me.

"Maybe." I shrugged, not thinking it was.

When we got back to the ranch, Ryder was on a break, and Jason was watching Jade.

"What are you two doing back here so soon?" Ryder frowned.

"Theo had a panic attack at school and basically transitioned whilst we were in a storage room," Ember explained.

"Oh, great. Thanks, Ember." I smiled sarcastically, "I guess you can tell Ryder everything about me then."

"Well," She shrugged, "Now you know how I felt when you told Kaden my entire life story in the space of ten seconds."

"That's fair." I winced, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Who's Kaden?" Ryder frowned, confused.

"Another werewolf that I met back in Lake Oldoy," I explained briefly; that was all that Ryder really needed to know — the fact that Kaden came back from being basically dead wasn't particularly relevant at that moment in time.

Unexpectedly, I heard the sound of someone outside the ranch.

"Can you hear that?" I questioned Ryder.

He nodded. "Yeah, I can."

"What is it?" Ember exclaimed. "I've not got super-hearing, remember?"

"Someone's outside," I told her quietly, before turning to Ryder again; "What if it's Abi, Storm and Zack?"

"I don't know, Theo." He shook his head, but I was already heading towards the door, aware that one or more of them could be hurt.

"Theo, wait!" Both Ryder and Ember called after me, but all I could think about was if they were hurt, or needed help.

I didn't even hesitate when I opened the front door.

It wasn't Abi. Or Storm. Or Zack.

I frowned; I recognised the girl crawling towards me on the floor.

"Maia?!" Ember cried from behind me.

Maia, Maia Silva... She went to Challis High, in Lake Oldoy — what the hell is she doing here?

"Please... Please help me," she whimpered.

Ember rushed out to her, helping her up from the floor.

Something's not right. I can smell something, and it's just not right at all.

"What happened? Why are you here? Why aren't you in Lake Oldoy?" Ember brushed Maia's light brown hair away from her sweaty face.

Maia tried to say something before she passed out.

"What's that on her leg?" Ryder pointed at Maia's leg, from the side of me.

Ember gently peeled off the bandage that Maia had somehow wrapped around her bloodied right leg, revealing a bite.

"What did this?" Ember trembled slightly, holding her friend close to her.

"A werewolf." I swallowed, dread filling me; that's what was so wrong. "She's been bitten by a werewolf."