I am happy that there are those who have favorited and followed the story. I hope you are enjoying it. If not, feel free to move on to another story. I am certainly not forcing you to read this.

Here is a brand new chapter. It's shorter compared to others I've written.


Chapter 29

"Oh my god," Stiles droned out. His shirt soaked up the sweat from his chest and back creating an inkblot on his shirt. "It's only eight o'clock."

The heat wave hadn't broken yet. The sights this early in the morning were not disappointing, though. He watched two sophomores walk past in short shorts. Their legs glistened like soft, fine sand under the hot summer sun. Their tops were smaller and tighter too. His head tilted a little, enjoying the view.

"It's been a week. When do you think it'll break," Scott asked.

"No idea," Stiles replied, pulling out his phone and looking down at it.

Scott watched him closely. He'd been looking at his phone a lot, like his life was in it. The lockers were cool against their backs as they waited for the bell.

"Does the dress code mean nothing to you people," Finstock yelled, coming down the hall. "Seriously!?"

Stiles and Scott rushed off to class, keeping their heads down. Finstock called them anyway.

"You two! Where are you going!?"

They both stopped and turned, cringing under his glare. Scott couldn't tell if he had too much coffee this morning or not enough.

"Class?" Scott said, his eyebrows pulling together nervously.

"Right," Finstock said after a few moments. Melanie and Danny passed by him. He followed both of them with his furious eyes. "Rouxe, what the hell!? Put on clothes!"

"Whatever," Melanie said and went on with her conversation with Danny who snickered.

She waved Finstock off. She wore black short shorts and a dark blue halter top that tied around the neck, showing her bare back and the scars. The scars had gotten brighter as her skin had darkened during the week. She had her hair put up messily in a clip. Lazy tendrils were tucked behind her ears. Her skin glistened with sweat.

"Nothing's happened," Stiles commented. "It's like this heat wave has given us a break in the never ending, life threatening battle."

"Yeah, that's not the only thing," Scott said.

The sexual drive of people had been driven up too. He could smell the hormones everywhere, and it was driving him nuts. He had never been so wound up and tense. Whoever was occupying Stiles through his phone was driving him crazy too. He didn't talk about it, and Scott's hints of curiosity weren't getting him talking.

When classes ended, Melanie went over to the loft. Derek was out, and so was Cora. However, Peter was not.

"You look like a treat today. Come to threaten me some more," he asked, taunting her.

"It's not a threat Peter. It's a promise," she said, smiling.

She kept her distance and remained by the door, her hands hanging loosely in her back pockets. Peter bore his usual sneer as he leaned against the spiral staircase.

"Why are you here," he asked.

"I came to see Cora," she replied.

"Really, or did you come to get away from home? Tell me, how is the life with your roommate?"

Melanie ignored the tone in his voice, but not the emphasis. He knew whatever was making him like this too. Everybody knew but her. Her haw clenched.

"Fine," she hissed, her eyebrow twitching.

Peter grinned officially intrigued.

"Hmmm, fine. That is something I highly doubt. You're tense, frustrated," he said, purring.

He paced across the room. Melanie felt more and more uneasy. The last person she wanted to analyze her was this prick. She broke his eye contact but couldn't help notice the muscle tone of his shoulders and arms. For an older man, he was well endowed.

"You honestly don't know…" he trailed off. "I thought you were smarter than that."

"Screw you," she snapped.

"Let me guess, you're emotions are clouded. You can take his pain if he lets you. The attraction is undeniable as is the sexual tension. There's a wholesome feeling when he looks at you, and you can't stand to see him with his girlfriend. It physically hurts. How are your dreams?"

Melanie paled. Her stomach flip-flopped at the word girlfriend. How the hell did he know about all of this?

"I think you need brush up on your legends," he told her, craning his neck.

"You don't know anything," she snapped low then spun on her heel and sped out of there. Truth was, she was the one who didn't know anything. She just didn't know what to say to make him stop.

She took the stairs instead of the elevator down to ground floor. Taking them two at a time, she nearly fell a few times. She sat in her car, Peter's words resonating in her head. He was wrong. The possibility of him being onto something pissed her off. She pulled out of the parking garage and drove off.


Stiles stayed after school. He was sitting at one of the computers in the library doing more research. There wasn't enough known and there had to be more info somewhere. And, Dad couldn't bug him to quit. Focusing through this heat was proving difficult, though. Nobody was in the library. Detention had been cancelled because the air conditioning broke, so he got the place to himself. The air conditioning wasn't worth shit even when it wasn't broken. The sweat soaking him through and through made him sticky and agitated. He'd caught several people making out today, including Lydia and Aiden.

Stiles pushed himself back from the desk and got up. The midafternoon sun made the room glow a fiery orange. He stretched, yawning. He didn't sleep much last night. There was a lot of tossing and turning, but he couldn't get comfortable. Looking over the paragraph on the PC again, he ran his hand through his damp hair. Warriors. The darach only need one more. Two more philosophers. Healers and Guardians hadn't even been touched. Healers were easy to guess. Mrs. McCall came to mind first. Guardians weren't easy. What classified as a guardian? Melanie and Scott? They were always saving people, putting themselves in front of harm's way to protect others.

Sighing, he made his way back into the shelves to pull a few more books from the history section.

"Hey."

Stiles jumped, hitting his head off of one of the shelves. He glowered at Cora. She smirked at him, trying not to laugh. She got a kick out of his small pains and he knew it.

"What do you want," he asked, pulling out a thin book.

"I thought you'd like some help. If not, I can go."

"No, it's fine." He handed her four books without even looking at her and continued sifting through the shelves. The librarian was going to get mad at him again for pulling so many books.

Cora huffed. This wasn't what she thought of doing when she offered help. She set the books on a shelf nearby and eyed him closely. She leaned against the shelf he was scouring causing him to stop. The tension coming off of him was strong. Her eyelids were heavy. He stood up straight, using the bookshelf to lean against. There was an unnerving look in her eyes. She wanted something. He swallowed hard, watching as a small bead moved down over her collarbone. If he didn't take a break soon he was going to feel fried.


"No, I haven't seen her since school let out, why?" Scott asked, walking down the barren hallway. Derek asked for updates on everyone. There was a hint of aggravation in his voice. "Isaac didn't even show up today. Have you noticed him acting weird? Has he talked to you?"

'No.'

"Okay. I'm grabbing Stiles then heading to work. Deaton says that the animals have been going crazy," Scott said as he turned the corner and walked into the library. He didn't add that they were in heat. This heatwave was making everybody go into heat. It was odd.

Scott noticed Stiles's bookbag at one of the computer tables that had a few books on it. He was here somewhere. Scott walked along the shelf line and stopped quickly at the fourth aisle, his eyes widening.

"Derek," he whispered, "I'm going to call you back later."

He hung up, not catching what Derek tried to tell him. He ducked behind the end of the shelf, his mouth hanging open and his eyebrows arched. His thoughts had gone blank. He poked his head around the corner. Yep, it was happening.

Stiles had Cora pressed against the shelves and was kissing her. It wasn't some innocent make out either. Books piled around their feet. She had one hand on the nape of his neck and the other splayed over the middle of his back, keeping him there as he towered over her, his hands holding the shelf behind her head, keeping them balanced. She bit his lower lip, making their obvious lascivious intentions more aggressive. Stiles moved his hand to her hip, pressing his thumb into her pelvic flesh as he trailed down to her neck. Cora's knee rose and her combat boot pressed on one of the shelves making it creak.

Neither of them caught Scott's presence.

Nobody had seen this develop. If Derek found out about them, he'd kill Stiles. Isaac would be burying him in the graveyard, leaving the grave unmarked. Scott smirked and let his best friend have his moment. The two were direct opposites. She was serious and humorless, and he was…Stiles.

Scott walked out of the library. He'd have to find another way home. This heat wave was making everyone crazy. He let out a long winded breath then chuckled. He pulled out his phone and called Derek back.

"Hey, sorry. I found Stiles. He's busy stuffing his face in books. I'm going to head to the clinic." He grinned at Derek's reply. He was shocked that Stiles was reading so much. "Yeah, I know. I'll see you," Scott replied.


Melanie squealed to a stop, and stared up at the stained glass window of the church across from the GEM house. The setting sun really made the colors beautifully vibrant. Peter was just getting under her skin, she told herself. She went to the local library for a couple of hours. There was nothing on what he'd told in lycanthropy legend. The closest thing she found to what he'd said was mates. That was incredulous, though. That was a forever kind of thing, and she didn't do forevers. She couldn't. Isaac wasn't…

She couldn't finish the thought. Last night shouldn't have happened. She was stressed, and Isaac nearly watched somebody die but that wasn't making her feel better about her actions. Everyone was having problems.

Melanie got out of the car and rushed across the street and up the stairs of the GEM house. Stuffing her keys in her pocket, she knocked on the door. A stoned frat pledge answered the door. His eyes were glassy, and he looked like he hadn't showered in days with the way dirt clung under his nails. He smelled like piss too.

"Where's Drake," she ordered.

The pledge didn't reply. He just stared at her with a goofy grin. Melanie huffed in disgust.

"Mel?"

She looked past the smelly lanky moron and walked inside.

"Hey, can we talk?"

He paused.

"Yeah," he said. "Come in."

She followed him upstairs to his room. One of his brothers sat at a desk when they entered. Drake shooed him out then closed the door.

"What's wrong," he asked, his eyebrows furrowing with actual concern. It was sweet. "I was worried when you left, but you never contacted me. Are you okay? It's not that guy is it?"

"No," she replied then shoved him against the door and kissed him.

Drake was stiff against her advance. She bit his lower lip and still he didn't respond. She pulled back, confused.

"What is going on?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see you. Usually a guy doesn't resist a girl throwing herself at him. Don't tell me you've changed," she said condescendingly.

His eyebrow arched, and he pushed himself from the door, pressing his chest to hers so confidently. Melanie's stomach flipped as she stared up at him through her eyelashes. That trick always worked.

"Don't give me that innocent look. I fell for it a few years back," he said, shaking his head.

Melanie pressed her palms against the firmness of his chest. She could feel his quickening heart underneath her hands. Her skin thrummed from the heat. Behind them a single fan whirred producing nothing but warm air. Her knee slid up along the inside of his leg.

"It's really hot," she told him.

"Mel, you're in high sch-" he stopped at feeling her hand move lower to his abdomen. She sucked in a deep breath, feeling the toned muscle.

He grabbed her firmly by the shoulders, stopping her. Cursing himself, he leaned down and kissed her hard. She gasped at rush. It made her dizzy. He walked her backwards towards what she presumed was his bed. The sheets stuck to her back. Tilting her head back, she sighed airily as his hands caressed her lower back and down over her buttocks. She focused on the poster over his bed of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Leatherface stared back at her with his chainsaw in hand. She wished he was real. Deep in her gut she knew she deserved to get her ass handed to her for going through with this.

Drake was a good guy, but the thought of this made her slightly ill suddenly, though it felt really good. He'd learned a few things since she'd last been with him. Drake moaned her name as he untied the strings keeping the top half of her halter up. It disgusted her. He caressed along her jawline and kept on, unbuttoning her shorts. This wasn't as pleasure driven as she hoped it would be. It was fucking terrible actually. He wasn't doing it wrong. It was doing it all right and then some.

Melanie went through the motions, wanting to scream and wrench free. As he moaned her name, and she rolled over to take control, her thoughts trailed back to everything Peter had said.

For a split second, she imagined how it could be with Isaac. The single thought sent a shockwave through her body, sending her spinning, and Drake followed. Damn it, she thought out of breath. She fell over the frat boy, her heavy breathing breaking even with Drake's. Not even this was getting her to stop thinking about it, about him.