SYDNEY

The next morning she woke feeling like a train had hit her. After the incident in the bathroom, Jay's parents relocated her, or more so Jay and her, to a guest room down the hall. Jay tucked her into the guest bed and after having some silent conversation with his parents and a few others, never leaving her eyesight, everyone left and Jay explained what was going on.

He and his parents were sending some of their packmates to patrol the surrounding area and were starting their own kind of investigation into what Jay informed her was a white swan in the bathroom.

Despite not personally knowing Jay for long, Sydney could sense something was wrong, but her own cloud of fear was weighing her down too much to further scrutinize him.

In the end, the overhead light of the room was turned off, but Sydney insisted on the side table light being left on, and Jay sleeping in the same bed with her. With her tucked under the amazing hotel like sheets and comforter, Jay slept on top of all the bedding.

By the time all of the night's events had finished, it was three in the morning, and while Jay encouraged her to get some sleep so she could better decide what the plan was for tomorrow, she tossed and turned and only closed her eyes for no longer than ten minutes. Her eyes would flutter shut and she would lean closer to Jay, but then the visions of Elliot and the attack and the blood covered floor would come back and fear tore her from her rest.

Needless to say she was grateful when six-thirty rolled around and Jay finally let her get out of bed and start preparing to leave.

Now they drove down a dark road surrounded by woods. Her window was down and she was breathing in the fresh and humid morning air. The sight of the woods uneased her, but the speed at which Jay was driving his Hummer, along with it being him driving, one hand on the wheel and other rested on the center console, close to her, she felt the sight was bearable.

The sun was slowly rising, but the sky was patchy with clouds hindering all of it's brightness from illuminating the sky.

Jay slowed and pulled off the main road and towards a small coffee shop.

"What do you want, Star?"

Sydney leaned over the consol, and felt the warmth surrounding Jay as she read the adorably decorated chalk sign for the coffee stand.

"A white mocha, medium please. Oh and a lemon poppy seed muffin top," Sydney went to grab money before remembering it was all in her car back at school.

She surprised herself by having some resemblance of an appetite, and was grateful for it, knowing that later today she would feel the effects of the sleepless night and battering her body had been taking.

Jay greeted the barista good morning before reciting her request and ordering himself a vanilla chai latte and breakfast sandwich. They sat in comfortable silence waiting for their order, and once they had it, Jay thanked them and pulled back onto the main road, sandwich in hand.

Sydney sipped her warm beverage and signed.

"Better?" Jay asked with a mouthful of egg, bacon, and bread. She snorted, "Yes, thank you."

He took another bite of his sandwich before asking, "What's so funny?" They were coming up on a turn, and with his one hand full, he raised his knees up to hold the wheel straight while his free hand flipped on the turn signal and then returned his hand to the wheel in order to make the turn.

"I don't know what to make of you Jaycen Ward, little piggie who's also on the lacrosse team-"

"Captain of the lacrosse team Star, I thought you were a fact checking journalist!"

This provoked a laugh from Sydney as she thoughtfully pulled a part of the muffin top for her to eat.

"What do you think the school will make out of this headline: "Red Mountain's Star Lacrosse Player, Jaycen Ward, Tea Drinker by Day, Werewolf by Night..."?"

This caused Jaycen to laugh full blown with his head tossed back.

Despite her own laughter, she snapped her figures at him and said, "Aye! Eyes on the road! I survived last night, don't want to die because of your reckless driving!"

Jay rolled his eyes but complied. He licked his fingers, finished with his food, but Sydney diverted her eyes his action.

'Sydney!' She mentally chided, feeling a blush fill her cheeks..

"Hey Star, mind handing me my ​tea."​ He exaggerated the word, hand extended for her to

pass him his drink so he wouldn't have to take his eyes off the road. A small part of her liked that he took her joking concern seriously. "Don't know what you have against tea, but I guess to be fair this is also fru-fru tea."

Sydney cocked her eyebrow to him while handing him his beverage, "Fru-fru tea?"

He was finishing his first sip and let out a long 'ahhhh,' before answering her, "It's a latte, has fru-fru sugar and milk and stuff in it. Don't get me wrong I love it, but it's my guilty pleasure, so don't go telling all the lacrosse guys."

Once again she laughed unable to help herself. She recognized on some level he was simply trying to raise her spirits, but it was nice.

With that they turned into the school parking lot.

Sydney had decided she wanted to go to school, firstly to collect her things, but then she decided she actually wanted the mundane flow of a school day. It would anchor her. Between that and how many people were in the school, she would feel safer.

Jay was sceptical and offered to drive her to collect her things, then they could do whatever she wanted or ask any questions, but after no real sleep she figured she wouldn't put the day to good use anyways.

He parked his car next to hers and got out alongside her. They were a good forty-five minutes before the warning bell for class even rung, but she was fine with that, and Jay suggested they go by the lacrosse field and see if his things were there or if someone had collected them after he had left in a hurry yesterday.

Sydney pulled her stuff from her back seat, then closed and locked the doors. A chill rushed down her back at how much had changed the last time she had left her jeep.

"I'll take that!" Jay broke her train of thought and swung her bag over his large shoulder.

"Hey!" Sydney cried, but didn't really have an argument against his carrying her bag, after all it was a little heavy.

Side by side, they walked into the school and were avoiding the clearly quicker path through the forest to the field.

"So, the omega-"

"Mat."

"Mentioned someone stopping by you after school yesterday."

"Yeah, what about it?" Sydney was curious.

"Just thinking it's a little odd how that happened right before Elliot."

Sydney frowned but agreed it was too coincidental.

"Oh, which reminds me, where is your phone?" Jay asked her.

Sydney pulled it from her back pocket and handed it over. She watched in horror as he

typed in her pincode and it unlocked. "How-"

"I've just watched you unlock it before," he said as though it was clear as day.

"Why you! Now I'm going to have to change it!"

Jay raised an eyebrow but was busy on her phone, "And why is that, Star? Am I going to

find naughty pictures on here for your make believe boyfriend?"

Sydney growled, not a werewolf one but an annoyed teenage girl growl. "Give me that!"

Taking the phone from him, she saw he had entered his contact under 'Make Believe Boyfriend,' followed by a flame and heart emoji.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

☽✣☾

JAY

He had to admit it took him by surprise when Sydney decided she had no better place to be than school, but understood that she was also craving normalcy and her friends after everything that had happened yesterday.

They had talked and joked walking through the school and ended up finding a team mate of his had returned his bag to his locker. He thought it was adorable seeing how shy Sydney was when he said she could come into the mens' locker room, despite it being just the two of them. When he had popped open his locker, he saw from the corner of his eye Sydney looking at the picture of him, his parents, and his sister after his first game his freshmen year. A few sticky notes with little reminders hung in his locker, and he thought that also amused Sydney.

After that, the two of them just aimlessly walked around the halls lightly talking before other students started to stream into the school for breakfast and a few early morning activities. It was nice in Jay's opinion, but he also knew they were avoiding a giant dark cloud looming over their heads.

After their talks last night, he felt they were in a good place, but when he heard Sydney's scream from behind the bathroom door, he felt the floor drop from beneath him. Busting down

the door was his first and only instinct, but he later scowled himself for not considering he could've seriously hurt her with his rash actions.

He knew Sydney struggled to sleep those few hours, and it ate at him how little he felt he could actually help her. To add to that, his wolf and him were concerned that she shouldn't be at school with such little rest, and with threats seemingly lurking in every shadow.

'We failed not only once last night, but three times...'

His wolf's words were one of heartbreak but Jay felt attacked not just as this forced position of being her mate, but just as a man who felt he should be able to protect a girl when all she wanted to do was shower and sleep.

That led to an even more concerning topic...Sydney's seemingly lack of a wolf conscience. He had mentioned it to his dad after easing Sydney into the guest room, and was talking with his parents about the next steps. His parents had exchanged a concerned look, but just as Jay had tried to ease Sydney's mind, his parents attempted at the same thing, saying maybe it really was due to all the stress of the evening, but that she had clearly shifted so she must have a wolf conscience now.

Thankfully Jay caught sight of Terrence and a few of his fellow packmates, but then a sudden nervous tick bit at him. He didn't want to outright say Sydney was his mate, firstly to prevent drawing attention to her, but also because they were both fine being friends and nothing more. Of course Terrence as his beta knew, and some of the others had heard the commotion of yesterday, but for the most part his parents and him wanted to keep everything quiet. Secondly, he didn't want to claim her when they both decided a friendship would suit them best.

How has life gotten this messy in the span of two days?

"Aye, Jay what's up my man, you ran out on practice yesterday, everything good?" Riley came and pulled Jay into a handshake half should pump.

Trying to take a page from Sydney's book he tried acting normal, "Just some business to tend to, sorry about that. I'm sure Terrence was fine taking over though,"

Jay knew that Riley suspected something more than just business had occurred, but then Riley's eyes found Sydney tucked behind Jay, leaning against a set of lockers pretending to look elsewhere.

"And what do you have here?" Riley had a smug smile on his lips before Mia came to his side and elbowed him.

"Guy's this is Sydney, she's a part of the newspaper club-"

"Journalism Team-" Sydney intervened.

"And we were just talking about her coverage of the team."

Jay felt the small waff of confusion radiating from her, but she didn't say anything or question why he would just use the more honest answer of the English Department being highlighted and Jay's involvement with that.

Riley burst out in full smile, "That's awesome! A great way to make sure we have a good spread or two about the team, especially the seniors?" He asked hopeful.

A forced laugh came from Sydney, but Jay didn't think his teammates realized it, "Yeah something like that."

Then Jay felt a wave of happiness emanate from her, but was disappointed to see her attention had turned to Mat and her friends coming into the school.

"Ah, looks like my ​newspaper club​ is here so I'll talk to you guys later." Sydney went to walk off sparing Jay and his friends a wave, but Jay snagged her hand before she left off to her friends, who now were headed their way.

He bent his lips down to her ear and whispered, "Text me if anything out of the blue happens and I'll be there at a moment's notice. Wait for me after school on the front steps, not at the cars, by the front steps ​near people​."

Jay knew she wanted to argue but, she nodded and he released her hand and she went off to her friends.

"Damn, are you banging the reporter girl for some pictures in a yearbook?" A teammate of Jay's laughed.

'Demand respect for our mate.'

Jay pulled his gaze from Sydney seeing her make it across the hallway to her friends, and despite not liking Mat, he made eye contact, knowing that Mat would watch her. "No you dick, can't I just have myself a few friends outside of you assholes?"

The guys burst out into laughter, all except Terrence, who grimaced more so, before the whole group pulled him down the hall away from Sydney.