My throat was burning and my chest felt like it was going to explode. It was a painful pressure that reminded me to not stop going for anything. Mine and Isaac's heavy footsteps were pounding down the corridor as fast as we could. It had all gone so horribly wrong. Keep running. Each step I took throbbed in my shoulder. Keep running! Isaac was slightly ahead of me, but wasn't checking back to see if I was following – I was panting so hard, the Alpha could probably hear us a mile off. The others must have gotten to Allison's car. They must have. It was only the two of us now; Trapped in a nightmare that I hadn't foreseen.

It had been going so well, we had reached the roof with no trouble.

And then-

He's clever, whoever he is. He knew the exact moves that each individual would take. He knew how to catch us off guard. But why?! What's the point of all this? Power? Amusement?

Whatever the reason, Isaac and I were definitely in trouble. And if this feeling in my gut was right – it wasn't me that the Alpha wanted his claws on.

…

"Here," Lydia passed Stiles a vial of the concoction she had mixed together and then gave the other to Allison, "Only throw them if we're all out of the way. I do not want all my hair burnt off, thank you."
They both nodded, trusted to be the responsible ones of the group. Scott was having a rough time dealing with the full moon, his head had completely gone haywire but the flexing of his fingers seemed to be keeping him sane, for now anyway. Isaac and I brought up the rear of the group as we unlocked the science room door and made our way to the roof. He kept one hand on the small of my back and I loved it. Despite how terrifying our situation was, Isaac caring about keeping me safe made me feel amazing. I knew I was going to have to explain the full story sooner or later, but for now, he was still wanted me.

The cold air rushed over us as Stiles tugged open the door at the top of the stairs. We clambered out into the fresh air and stood around in a circle, making sure that everyone was still okay.
"My car is just over there," Allison pointed at the ground to the parking lot, where her car was thankfully unharmed. I hadn't even thought about my slashed tires since the start of the night. What the hell were my parents going to say?
I could have sworn that I heard a crunching sound, but couldn't put my finger on it. We were almost out now, so I figured there was no point worrying.
"I'll try and give my Dad another call, just in case," Stiles said, raising the phone to his ear again.

Now that we were out in the open, the moon's light was soaking into Scott – I could see his eyes changing, flickering yellow then brown in a constant battle. Sweat was splattering his forehead. I went over to him as soon as I noticed and clutched his shoulder tightly.
"Come on, you can do this," I whispered, out of earshot, "You're okay. Think of Allison, Scott. Listen to me."
"Is he okay?" Isaac called to me, eyeing us curiously.
"Yeah, he's just, uh, got a headache," I replied, digging my fingernails into Scott's jacket. Scott was giving me no answer, simply staring at the ground, breathing hard. It's game over if he changes in front of us. The Alpha will have won and we'll all be dead.
I whipped my head up and looked around as the crunching noise sounded again. What is that?

Then, a sharp yell of pain escaped my lips as Scott suddenly gripped my forearm forcefully. My eyes widened in horror as yellowing claws started growing out of the ends of his fingernails.
"Emily?" I heard Stiles ask, after finishing leaving another voicemail for his dad.
"Stiles, get over here," I replied, trying to keep my voice from wobbling. I tried to yank my arm out of Scott's grip, but he was too strong. The boy was shaking and a grumbling sound was vibrating from his throat. I was sure that my heart had stopped beating.
"Scott! Scott!" Stiles tried to shake him out of it by clapping his friend on the back.
"What's going on?" Allison stepped forwards, cautiously. Her eyes narrowed at us.
Scott's grip was tightening so hard that I was almost whimpering, and on top of that, I was sure that the growing crumbling noise wasn't in my imagination.

Everything happened so fast.

Scott, eyes yellow and beastly, let go of me and pushed Stiles with both clawed hands. Stiles flew roughly into Lydia and Allison, causing them to all collapse to the floor. The bottle in Stiles's hand flew in an arc through the air and shattered in the distance between Isaac and I. Fire and smoke exploded before my eyes. I flinched away feeling a blast of heat. Isaac was rushing towards me in a panic, but a second later, he had disappeared. I stood there in shock, listening to Scott's growl and a noise like thunder, trying to work it out in my head.

Then the floor gave way under my feet.

I fell through the air, my scream caught in my throat, before my back hit the floor with a heavy crash a moment later. All of my breath was swept out of my body. I lay there, winded and dazed. What just happened? Dust was swarming around me and a sharp pain was throbbing in my right shoulder. Chucks of the ceiling crumbled down around me and crashed loudly next to my ears. A roll of my head to each side told me that I narrowly missed landing on a science lab desk. Oh god. I screw my eyes shut to try and cope with the ache of my body.

"Isaac!" I cough out, trying to twist on to my side. I grimaced as the slightest movement made my shoulder scream in agony. Blinking away the dust proved to be useless – I could hardly see a thing.
"Emily?" I could hear his voice calling out to me.
"Where are you? Isaac?!" I sucked in a deep breath and braced myself for the pain as I rolled around onto my knees.
My tormented scream brought him to my side almost immediately. His hands searched the ground in a hurry before he managed to find my hand.
By the light of the moon shining through the newly made hole in the ceiling, I could see Isaac's outline crouched next to me, his hair covered in dust and tiny pieces of debris. Abruptly, his lips were on mine before I could take in my next breath. I grabbed his collar with my good arm and forced him closer as if nothing else mattered. Isaac kissed me with such vigour that it cleared my mind of everything except him and his touch and his breath. We are alive. And my heart was telling me that I needed him like I had never needed anyone before.

Isaac ran one hand up my arm and I had to pull away and gasp out in anguish.
"M-My shoulder," I breathed out sorely, my eyes watering.
An ear shattering howl rang out in the school, triggering Isaac and I to freeze. In the moment that it faded, we said nothing, until a second different pitched howl began to wail in response. Oh no. Scott. He's changed.
"…What was that?" Isaac mumbled nervously, trying to be as quiet as possible. His hand was clutched on my good shoulder protectively. Isaac had managed to not get too injured from the fall, but the heat from his hands told me that he'd probably gotten a bit too close to the explosion.

Just then, a head popped over the hole in the ceiling and I felt a rush of relief.
"Stiles! Are you okay?" I cried up to him, trying to focus in the darkness.
"Me? I'm fine, Em, you're the one who fell through the floor!" Stiles shouted back, cupping one hand to his mouth.
"What happened up there? Where's Scott?!" I called up to him.
Stiles glanced over his shoulder and another head joined him: Allison. Her brown curls fell down towards us as she gives a slight wave.
"Are you two okay?" She asks, concerned, before Stiles can answer my question.
"…I think I might have dislocated my shoulder or something."
"Well hold on, we'll get you out-" Allison made a move to pull back but I made a noise and stopped her.
"No, Allison. Throw us down the janitor's keys. You guys get out of here, like planned. We'll take another route," I commanded in a strong voice that did not reflect how I was feeling inside.
Isaac peered at me and whispered, "What are you doing?"
"They can go and get help, Isaac. I can hardly climb a rope up, can I?"
His mouth twisted to the side – he didn't trust my decision.

"No way! We have to find Scott as well – he just took off back down the stairs," Allison informed me, causing a knot of worry in my stomach. Our chances are small. But if they can get to the car, at least some of us will be safe. And who knows, the police might show up soon.
I kept thinking of the Alpha staring at me in the video store before taking off. He didn't kill me. He didn't even touch me, which made me think that my newfound ability had more power than it was letting on. Even Derek was confused by his actions. Maybe he couldn't touch me. Maybe there was some sort of rule, or something, stopping him from touching me. It was this idea that I was counting on to save us.
"Yes, Allison! You, Lydia and Stiles get to the car – it's safer there. We'll probably bump into Scott on the way," I said, trying to get to my feet. Isaac steadied me at my elbow.

The keys landed at my feet. They jangled as Isaac bent down to pick them up and shove them in the pocket of his jeans.
"Alright... Be careful. See you in a minute," Allison smiled down at us encouragingly before her head disappeared from view. Stiles remained still for a moment and flashed us a wary expression.
"Just… just get out of there, okay? And Em…" Stiles looked as if he was going to say something more, but he glanced at Isaac and must have thought better of it, "…Good luck."

Once they had gone, Isaac helped me over to the door slowly, careful not to trip over any of the plaster and wreckage from the collapse. I whack my hip on the corner of a desk and it shoots a jolt down my arm. I curse the darkness and have to bite my bottom lip so hard to stop me crying out again. Isaac pulled out the keys in silence and tried a couple in the door before it clicks open successfully.

"You ready?" He gulps, examining the dark corridor that stretched out either side of the door.
"Yeah," I answered quietly, clutching my elbow to steady my bad shoulder.

At first, it was easy. A bit too easy. We tried getting back into the other science lab to take the door up to the roof again, but a row of lockers too heavy for Isaac to move had been pushed in front of it. Someone knows what we're trying to do…
We crept down the stairs, each floor down raising the tension. Why is it so quiet? Where is he? When we reached the bottom, we tried the fire exit again, but something was still in the way. The only option left was to try to front doors again.
"How are you doing?" Isaac asked softly, nodding towards the shoulder that I hadn't stopped grasping.
"Could be worse," I whistled out through gritted teeth. Liar. For every step that I took, I was reminded of just how badly my shoulder needed popping back into place.
"Here," Isaac took off his jacket and then his jumper before replacing his jacket again. Tenderly, he stepped towards me and wrapped the jumper across my body so that it tied at my elbow, as a sort of makeshift sling.
"You can't push it back in, can you?" I whispered out like a pouting child.
He shook his head, looking upset, "I don't want to do it wrong. Trust me, if I could, I would." Isaac took this moment to affectionately reach out his fingers and tuck a stray hair behind my ear. I gazed up into his worried eyes and bit my lip.
"I never wanted you to get mixed up in all of this," I thought out loud, my voice cracking at the end. My eyes started stinging.

But before Isaac could reply, a huge crash shocked us out of the relaxed moment. Our heads snapped to watch the darkness of the corridor behind us. A pair of red eyes gleamed and I found my feet stepping backwards. The Alpha had waited until we were off guard.
"Go!" Isaac bellowed, sprinting away in the opposite direction.
I took after him, wincing at each heavy step. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and after a while, I stopped concentrating on how much my shoulder hurt and thought instead about what they would say when they found Isaac and I dead in the school. No. Stop. I can't let that happen. But would he kill us? I was useful to him because of my power, and he couldn't touch me if he wanted to, if I had assumed rightly. But Isaac… Isaac would be a perfect member of his pack, being already strong and agile from all the lacrosse he plays. If the Alpha got his hands on Isaac, he wouldn't have to use Scott. He would have the pack and the power he wants. But Isaac – a werewolf? I couldn't think of anything worse. Isaac wasn't a predator. He was mine, and I would never let the Alpha turn him.

My throat was burning and my chest felt like it was going to explode. It was a painful pressure that reminded me to not stop going for anything.

We were chased down the corridors by the scratching footsteps until I figured there was no point keeping up the hunt – we were going to have to stop running sooner or later. A glance back told me that the Alpha was gaining on us. We had to hide now.
I sped up to pass Isaac and yelled to him, "In here!"
Turning suddenly, I pulled open the nearest door and threw myself inside. Isaac followed suit and we leant our backs against the door to try and hold it shut, our chests heaving up and down.
"What the-" Isaac tried to breathe out, but I shushed him and inclined my head against the cold door.

Simply breathing, I kept my ears out for any sign of the Alpha passing, but weirdly, there seemed to be no commotion outside the door. Maybe he ran past already? Maybe my heart beat was so loud in my ears so I couldn't hear anything else? After a few minutes of excruciating wait, I felt like it was safe to step away from the door.
Sweeping my hair back, I asked Isaac in a hushed voice, "Where are we anyway?"
I heard his hand search against the wall looking for a light switch. There was a click and light flooded the space. Well, the little space that there was: We were in the supply closet and there was about enough room for 5 people to stand comfortably.

Almost immediately, I know something is wrong. Isaac let out a noise as if he had just been kicked. I run my eyes over his face quickly – oh crap. He is completely panicking. His eyes had a far away, wild glint in them, as if he had stepped into a nightmare and didn't quite believe it. Turning, Isaac twisted the door handle that we both expected to open the door. But nothing happened. Isaac turned it again, with both hands gripping so hard that his knuckles were white.
"Open. Why won't- Open- No no no-"
I tried to help him push open the door, but nothing was working.
"I think there's something against it," I pointed out, but I doubted Isaac could even hear me. The Alpha must have blocked us in with something.
"Oh my god," Isaac stepped away and ran his shaking hands over his head, "Oh god." His jaw clenched anxiously on his pale face.
"Okay," I tried to reason with him, "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Isaac, relax, just relax." I held up my open palms, but he whipped around in a panic and knocked over a box by accident, making him jump like a frightened rabbit.
"No, no, no," Isaac kept on muttering, twisting the door handle again frantically. He leant his fists against the door and stared at the ground, breathing heavily, "Come on, come on."

I sniffed and felt myself start crying, completely terrified of him as he started pounding on the door hysterically. I had never seen this side to him before… he was so desperate. I hugged my arms to myself as tears started dripping down my face. Isaac's knuckles were starting to look red from his attempts to escape. Without thinking, he hurled around, bringing his hands up behind his head, but in the process, his elbow collided with another box and it came hurling off the shelf. Almost in slow motion, it whacked into my shoulder, the contents spilling all over the floor. I screamed louder than I thought I ever could.

All of a sudden, the door flung open and Scott stood there, human, panting and shaken. The vision of him went blurry as the pain from my shoulder threatened to knock me out. Isaac fled from the enclosed space instantly and he leant on the floor against a locker, his eyes not focused on anything in particular.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that, I'm so sorry," Isaac sobs and runs his fingers in his hair, clearly troubled.
I feel my legs collapse underneath my weight, tears still flowing uncontrollably and Scott grabs under my knees to carry me. Darkness creeps into my vision. I'm almost certain that I can hear sirens in the distance, I remember thinking to myself before I passed out in Scott's arms.

A.N.

Hi! Sorry this one took so long, I'm currently in the process of moving to Uni so I have little time on my hands. I hope it's alright! I feel like I kind of rushed it… I wanted to do so much in this chapter!
Next chapter, I'll be moving on from the school and dealing with the consequences of everyone's actions, but it might take a few days because I don't know what free time I'll have!
As always, thanks to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed! You guys are awesome, whether you have stuck with me from the beginning or have just found this story! Thank you :D