Novels by Jaxon Vale

“Read the last line again.”Theo didn’t argue.He handed the phone back to me.I stared at the message like it might change if I looked long enough.NOW YOU’RE EXACTLY WHERE WE WANT YOU.A slow breath left my chest.“They wanted that scene,” I said.Theo nodded once. “Yeah.”Victoria crossed her arms. “Which means we gave them something.”“More than something,” I replied. “We gave them leverage.”Silence.Not the comfortable kind.The kind that pressed in from all sides.“So what now?” Theo asked.I looked up.Straightened.“We take it back.”Victoria’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You think that’s still possible?”“I know it is.”“That’s confidence,” she said.“That’s survival.”I turned toward the mirror again.Adjusted my posture.My expression.Because whatever this wasWhoever was behind itThey were watching.And I was done reacting.“They think they’re ahead,” I said quietly. “Let’s show them what that really looks like.”The room felt different this time.Heavier.Charged.Word ha

“You weren’t invited.”I didn’t turn immediately.I didn’t need to.His voice had a way of cutting through everything else.Sharp. Familiar. Unwelcome.“I didn’t think that would stop you,” I said, still facing the mirror.Behind me, the room buzzed with quiet conversations, clinking glasses, and low laughter. The event was supposed to be controlled. Polished.It was anything but now.Damian stepped closer.I could feel it.That shift in the air.That tension that didn’t belong anywhere else but between us.“You handled the press well,” he said.I met his eyes through the mirror.“You handled showing up uninvited… less well.”A flicker of something crossed his face.Amusement? Annoyance?Maybe both.“I needed to see you,” he said.My grip tightened slightly on the edge of the table.“That’s not a reason. That’s an excuse.”Silence stretched.Heavy.Then he said quietly, “You’re in deeper than you think.”I turned then.Fully.Facing him.“And you think you’re not?”A pause.Then, “I k

The lights flickered once, and my screen went black.I froze.Not panic. Not yet.Just stillness.Then the screen came back on.Same files. Same reports.But one thing had changed.A single line sat in the middle of the document I had been working on.WE SEE YOU CLEARLY NOW.My throat went dry.“Theo.”My voice came out quieter than I expected.He was in my office within seconds.“What happened?”I didn’t answer. I just turned the screen toward him.He stared at it.Didn’t speak for a moment.Then, “That wasn’t there before?”“No.”He moved closer, already pulling up system logs.“Don’t touch anything,” he said.“I didn’t.”Good.At least I still had that instinct.His fingers moved fast across the keyboard.“Someone accessed your system,” he muttered. “But not in a normal way.”“What does that mean?”“It means they didn’t break in,” he said. “They walked in.”A chill slid down my spine.“Inside access?”“Or something close to it.”I leaned back slowly.The room suddenly felt smaller.

“You lied to me.”Lila didn’t even look up.She kept scrolling through her tablet like the words hadn’t just landed between them.“Good evening to you, too, Damian.”His jaw tightened.“This isn’t a greeting.”“No,” she said calmly. “It’s an accusation. Those usually need proof.”He stepped further into her office, closing the door behind him with a quiet but deliberate click.“I’m done asking nicely,” he said. “Start talking.”That made her pause.Just for a second.Then she set the tablet down and leaned back in her chair, studying him.“You’ve been busy,” she said. “Running around. Asking questions. Chasing ghosts.”“I’m not chasing anything,” he replied. “I’m finding patterns.”“And you think I’m part of one.”“I think you’re closer to this than you should be.”Silence.Then Lila smiled.Slow.Measured.“And what exactly is ‘this’?” she asked.Damian took a step closer to her desk.“The leaks. The media pressure. The internal hits on both companies.”Her expression didn’t change.

“They’re calling you a fraud.”I didn’t flinch.Theo stood across from my desk, tablet in hand, eyes sharp, waiting for a reaction.I gave him nothing.“Anything new?” I asked.He let out a short breath. “You don’t want to ask what they’re saying first?”“I already know the tone,” I said. “Give me the damage.”A pause.Then he nodded, turning the screen toward me.Headlines filled it.ELENA VOSS UNDER FIRE, INTERNAL CHAOS EXPOSEDLEAKS SUGGEST MISMANAGEMENT, POWER STRUGGLE INSIDE VOSS MEDIAIS THE COMEBACK COLLAPSING?My jaw tightened slightly.Not at the words.At the time.“They moved fast,” I said.“Too fast,” Theo replied. “This isn’t organic.”Of course it wasn’t.Nothing was anymore.I scrolled.More articles.More speculation.And thenA document.Leaked.Internal audit fragments.Not enough to tell the full story.Just enough to twist it.“They’re framing it like I’m hiding something,” I said.“You are,” Theo pointed out.“Not like this.”“No,” he agreed. “Not like this.”I le

“The leak came from inside your own press circle.”Theo didn’t knock.He never did when it mattered.I looked up from my desk, already tense. “Define ‘inside.’”He dropped a tablet in front of me. “Close enough to hear everything. Far enough to stay invisible.”That wasn’t comforting.I leaned forward, scanning the screen.Articles. Timelines. Publication patterns.All the same tone. Same angle.Too consistent.“That’s not a coincidence,” I said.“No,” Theo replied. “It’s coordination.”My chest tightened.“Walk me through it.”He dragged a chair closer, already pulling up another file.“These stories about you,” he said, tapping the screen, “they don’t just appear. They build. Step by step. First admiration, then curiosity, then doubt.”“I noticed.”“Yeah,” he said. “But look at the bylines.”I scanned quickly.Different outlets.Different journalists.Different names.“What am I looking for?”Theo zoomed in.Highlighted one name.Nina Reyes.My brows pulled together. “She’s just a c

The first blade missed my throat by a breath.I twisted just in time, but the force behind it knocked me back hard into the snow.“Move!” someone shouted.I rolled, barely avoiding the next strike.These weren’t the same creatures.Not the ones from before.Faster.Smarter.And this time, they came without warning.No signal.No leader in sight.Just chaos.I pushed up, heart racing, scanning the treeline.We weren’t at Frostveil.This was the northern ridge.A patrol mission.Routine.Or so we thought.“Fall back!” Rowan’s voice rang out.“Too late!” Darian shouted, already deep in the fight.I shifted partially, claws out, senses sharp.There were too many.“They tracked us,” one of the warriors yelled.“No,” I said under my breath.“They hunted us.”A creature lunged.I slashed across its chest, felt the resistance, then the tear.It dropped.Another came from the side.I blocked, but the impact pushed me off balance.“Stay focused!” Rowan called.“I am!” I snapped back.But someth

I almost destroyed them all.The force rose fast, sharp and wild, ready to tear through everything in front of me, enemy and ally alike.“Elara!” Kael’s voice cut through the noise. “Pull back!”I froze for half a second.That was all it took to see it.My power wasn’t just pushing the creatures.It was cracking the ground beneath our own warriors.Rowan stumbled. “Watch it!”Mira grabbed a falling soldier. “Careful!”The realization hit hard.If I kept going like this, I wouldn’t just win.I would wipe everything out.Including us.I clenched my fist.Forced the surge back.Pain shot through me, sharp and deep.“Don’t lose control,” Kael said, closer now.“I’m not,” I replied through gritted teeth.But it wasn’t that simple.The creatures didn’t stop.They pressed harder, faster, sensing the shift.“They’re pushing again!” Darian shouted.“Hold the line!” Rowan ordered.The formation tightened, but cracks showed.Too many angles.Too much pressure.Mira moved beside me. “If you don’t

The first scream came from the east tower.It cut through the air sharp and wrong, the kind that didn’t warn, it confirmed.“They’re inside!”Everything moved at once.Steel rang. Boots hit stone. Orders overlapped.Kael turned fast. “East wall breach. Move!”Rowan was already running. “Archers to the ridge! Don’t let them climb!”Darian drew his blade with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “About time they stopped watching.”I didn’t move.Not yet.Because I felt it.Two forces.Not one.“Elara,” Mira said, voice tight, “they’re attacking from both sides.”I turned.West.The original line still stood there.Still waiting.Still watching.But the east?That was different.That was chaos.“They split,” Kael said, reading it fast. “One holds us. One breaks us.”“Smart,” Rowan muttered.“Too smart,” I replied.Because that meant something else.Something worse.“They’re learning,” Mira whispered.A second horn blasted.Closer.Louder.“They’re through the outer gate!” someone shouted.

I heard them before I saw them.Their voices carried through the hall, low but sharp, like something trying not to break and failing anyway.“You should stay behind the second line.”“That’s not your call anymore.”I stopped at the corner.Didn’t move.Didn’t step in.Just listened.Kael and Elara.Of course.“I’m not giving an order,” Kael said. “I’m asking.”“And I’m saying no,” Elara replied.Her voice was calm.Too calm.The kind that didn’t bend.“You’re walking into something we don’t understand,” he pushed.“So are you.”“That’s different.”“How?”Silence.Then Kael said, quieter, “Because if something happens to you—”“Elara.”My voice came out before I could stop it.They both turned.I stepped into view.“Say it properly,” I added.Elara’s gaze softened slightly.Kael’s didn’t.Not yet.“Mira,” he said, “we’re in the middle of—”“I know,” I cut in. “That’s why I’m here.”Elara tilted her head. “What is it?”I hesitated.For the first time in a long time.“I need to understan

They all looked at me, and I hated it.Not the fear.Not the doubt.The distance.It spread through the room like a quiet wall, even though we stood only a few steps apart.“Say something,” Darian muttered under his breath.I heard him.Of course I did.But I didn’t answer right away.Because every word I spoke now carried weight.Too much weight.“They’re not attacking yet,” Rowan said, trying to steady the room.“Not yet,” Mira added.That word sat heavy.Not yet.Kael stood beside me, close enough to feel, far enough to respect the space I had chosen.“They’re waiting for her,” someone whispered from the back.Not quietly enough.Not far enough.I turned slightly.“Say it louder.”The elder froze.Then straightened.“They’re waiting for you,” he repeated.“Why?” another voice cut in. “What does she have that calls them?”More whispers.More eyes.All on me.Always on me.I stepped forward.The room shifted.Not back.But not closer either.“I don’t know,” I said.Truth.Clear.No c

The blade slipped from his grip, and the younger warrior knocked him flat.A few laughs broke out around the training ring.Kael hit the ground hard, breath pushed from his chest. Dust clung to his clothes as he stared up at the sky for a second.He didn’t move.Didn’t snap.Didn’t command.“Get up,” the young warrior said, offering a hand. “Or are you done already?”Kael took the hand.Pulled himself up.“I’m not done.”The circle tightened.Eyes watched him.Not as an Alpha.Not as a leader.Just another fighter.Rowan leaned against the fence, arms crossed. “You’re slower today.”Kael rolled his shoulder. “I noticed.”Darian chuckled. “You used to bark orders instead of taking hits.”“I deserved that one,” Kael said.The young warrior smirked. “Then come again.”Kael nodded.No pride.No anger.Just focus.They circled.This time, Kael moved first.Faster.Cleaner.He blocked, stepped in, and struck low.The young warrior stumbled but recovered quickly.“Better,” Rowan muttered.Dar