His [Elijah Mikaelson]

Two

Elijah was in his classroom, planning his lessons for the week and enjoying some of Finn's signature banana bread.

He'd been a teacher at Mystic Falls High School for nearly a decade, and became head of the history department two years ago.

Elijah was also a marked dominant.

He was not the kind of dominant that flaunted his designation; he preferred to let his actions speak for themselves. Some marked dominants assumed the mark alone made them superior; Elijah believed the deference you are given as a dominant is earned. In order to be respected, one must be worthy of respect.

Elijah had long since earned the respect of his colleagues and students. He was not one for loud or vulgar displays, but it was exceedingly clear that he was a dominant. His demeanor was intimidating and his person unyielding. He was notorious amongst the students for his strictness and no-nonsense attitude. It was rare that a teen dared be disruptive during his class.

His position as a teacher, and an older sibling, helped to curb his dominant urges. Each dom naturally experienced an impulse to express their dominance. Obviously, the ideal would be to satisfy those impulses with one's bonded submissive. However, many doms are not mated. They have to find alternative ways to healthily express themselves. If not, those urges might cause them to lash out and could result in harm to submissives around them.

A dominant without a safe outlet for their impulses was a very dangerous thing.

As a high school teacher, Elijah encountered many young dominants who did not yet understand their own tendencies. On many occasions, he had to meet with a student to teach them a life lesson in addition to their history one.

There were also a few instances when young subs required his care and assistance as a dominant. It was rare for a teenager to be in a true bonded relationship, so they would sometimes need a bit of attention and a reassuring ear.

There was more to being a dominant than ordering submissives around.

He hoped that over the years, he'd developed into the kind of dominant his future submissive deserved.

Elijah was one of those doms lucky enough to have a soulmate.

He'd been fascinated by the name behind his ear since he first discovered it. He wasn't very open about it, but Elijah was quite the romantic. It was a marvelous thing to him, that he was blessed with a perfect partner.

She was out there somewhere.

Occasionally he would wonder about her: what she was like, how they would meet, etc. Every year when her birthday came around, he would celebrate. It was nothing large, just him taking the day off and spending it by himself; he would sometimes purchase a treat in her honor.

Her birthday was coming up soon, actually, just ten days away. He'd bought a singular cupcake and a nice bottle of wine for the occasion.

A knock on his classroom door was followed by a clear, "come in," from Elijah. In walked the Vice-Principal and a student—Stefan—Elijah remembered from a previous class.

The concerned look on their faces indicated he should give them his undivided attention. Elijah smoothly turned his chair to face them and folded his hands tidily in his lap.

"What seems to be the problem Ms. Shepard?" Elijah inquired.

It was not uncommon for others to seek him out when problems arose. He was an experienced and well-respected dominant without a mate, making him an ideal candidate to handle certain situations.

Obviously, this was one of those times.

"Mr. Salvatore," Shepard gestured to Stefan, "came to me because his teacher—our recent hire—is experiencing some severe distress. She's a marked submissive, but she doesn't have a dominant we can contact. We were hoping you could come help her."

"Of course," Elijah stood and buttoned his suit jacket, "lead the way."

—

It was loud in her classroom.

Adelaida could hear every sound like the scratch of a nail on her skin. Her senses were crawling and overwhelming her until she'd retreated so deeply inside of herself that she could not be found.

She vaguely recalled Stefan going for help.

Help, she needed that.

She wanted to not be there. She wanted to not feel the presence of strangers around her. She wanted to be wearing decadently soft clothing, and sitting comfortably on her couch.

Comfort, what she wanted was comfort.

Nothing about her current environment was comfortable. It only reminded her of how terribly she'd failed her first day.

She'd ruined it. Everything had been going so well, but then she'd ruined it.

Why did she ever think she could do this? How could a tiny, neurotic sub ever be a successful teacher? She was only kidding herself by showing up today.

God, would she have to do this tomorrow? Would they even let her? Adelaida didn't know which would make her more upset.

The classroom door opening registered weakly in her mind; the person behind it rendered each student silent.

A striking man in a grey suit took smooth and purposeful strides into the room before stopping. Vice-Principal Shepard and Stefan stood behind him.

"You are all dismissed," the man spoke. He barely spared the students a glance, tossing the sentence offhandedly in their direction. His tone was polite, but it was very obviously a command.

The man was a dom, through and through; he had to be. Adelaida had never meant anyone else whose very presence made her want to crumble to her knees. She probably would have if she could move at all.

The dominance in his voice was incredibly comforting. It was an atypical kind of dominance; it was calm. He was exactly what Adelaida needed.

He was beautiful, too, in so many ways: his sharp features, his steady tone of voice, the graceful way he moved...It was like a work of art just entered her classroom.

Adelaida was still in full panic-mode, but now her gaze was locked on the beautiful stranger. She was so focused on the dom, that everyone else managed to leave the room without her noticing.

If her emotions weren't already so turbulent, she might have noticed her body's reaction as he moved toward her.

When he reached her, the man removed his suit jacket and placed it neatly on top of her desk. The strange dom then crouched down to her level and looked her in the eyes.

She was helpless to do anything but stare at him, wide-eyed.

It was a pleasant view.

"Hello, I'm Elijah," Adelaida's heart fluttered as he spoke the name, "Can you tell me your name?"