JAXON “I didn’t think you would come see me again,” Professor Storm’s voice was a hoarse slur. She was a wreck, a shadow of her old self. Slumped against the stonewall with silver-coated chains binding her wrists and ankles, she looked drained.“I have questions,” I said, drawing out a chair. She scoffed weakly.“And what makes you so sure that I have the answers that you want?”She’d better not test me. I was certainly not in a good mood, and if she pissed me off, I was more than ready to maim her.I lowered myself onto the chair, twirling a knife between my gloved fingers. “It’s your last chance to prove yourself useful. You’d better hope that you have the answers.”Her eyes darkened. “What? Are you going to kill me?”My gaze met hers. “No. That’s too easy. I’ll make you spend the rest of your life drowning in agony.”She gulped, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes. “What do you want to know?”I leaned back on my seat, trailing a finger along the edge of the knife.“What do
CLARISSA Earlier that day, The rumours were spreading like wildfire. In the blink of an eye, I'd become popular for being the girl who had 'murdered' the director's daughter."You're not going to eat?" Nina asked me, her voice laced with concern. We were all sitting in the car park, and there was a warm box of doughnuts on my lap."I got you the best ones," she continued, and I heaved a sigh, opening the box to see the three coated doughnuts in it."Don't let the rumours get to you, Rissy. The truth will come out eventually," she added, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.That was the problem. What if the truth they discovered was the one someone wanted them to see? I had a feeling that this was a setup. And if it was what I feared, the culprits would definitely plant false evidence."You're thinking too hard about it. Do you need me to get your favourite professor over here?" Stefan asked in between mouthfuls of a rather large croissant.Gwen shot him a
CLARISSA I was terribly bothered by Jaxon's absence. I'd awoken earlier in his bed, only to find out that he was gone. And when I'd tried to reach for him through our mind link, it had felt as though he'd just blocked me out. I'd just stepped into the academy's premises when two uniformed men grabbed me. I panicked immediately, fear clouding my senses."What are you doing? Let go of me!" I hissed, but they ignored me, slapping silver cuffs around my wrists. I cried out in pain as my flesh sizzled, nausea washing over me. At this point, I wasn't just afraid for my life but for the life of my unborn child.Students watched us with wide eyes, murmuring and gossiping among themselves. My heart sank. Had my fear finally come true?The uniformed men dragged me into the disciplinary building, pushing me to my knees before the academy's council members. Standing in the corner was my mate. Jaxon.My eyes widened in surprise.What was he doing here?I tried communicating with him throug
DORIAN Jaxon didn't have to tell me. I knew he'd done something that would probably haunt him for the rest of his life.I stood in the doorway of his office, watching him with concern. He hadn't moved in over an hour.Jaxon sat slumped at his desk, head in his hands, his breathing ragged and uneven. Papers were scattered on his desk and claw marks had shredded through the wood beneath his elbows. His palms were bloodied again with self-inflicted wounds. He didn't say a word for a while.Suddenly, he tried to reach out to her through the bond.He closed his eyes tightly, his brows deeply furrowed.“Clarissa..." he choked out, his voice laced with desperation.She must’ve blocked him out. His eyes snapped open, haunted.I finally stepped inside, but he didn't look up."You look like a man who just murdered his soul."Jaxon's breath hitched. Slowly, he dragged his bloodied hands from his face and leaned back, letting out a low, hollow laugh. It didn't hold a shred of humour."Tha
CLARISSA The door jerked open, and I was greeted by the sight of Jaxon, my mate. The one who'd betrayed me. He was paler than usual, and his eyes were bloodshot and clouded with grief. For a moment, I wavered. I moved backwards as he approached me with urgency."What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded.He swallowed thickly. "Getting you out of here."Anger flared inside of me. Did he really think it was okay to do whatever he liked?He'd smashed my heart into pieces, and now he was here to...what? Save me?"I don't need your help," I said through gritted teeth. He brought a hand to massage the back of his neck, my gaze zeroing in on the dried streaks of blood on his hand.I faltered, and despite myself, I worried about him, stupidly.He released a shaky breath, reaching out to grab my hand with trembling fingers. "We have to go. Now."I frowned, noticing the way he glanced behind me with a haunted look on his face. My frown deepened. Had he started seeing the hallucinatio
JAXON I was freezing. Not the usual chills from a fever. But the kind that felt as though I'd slept in the snow naked throughout the night. I must've passed out at one point because when I opened my eyes, I was lying on a table, silver chains wrapped around my middle. I cried out in pain as my flesh sizzled, the smell of burnt flesh flooding my senses. My arms were spread wide apart, and so were my legs. My wrists and ankles were bound as well, with the same bloody chains.I was in so much agony, I thought I would die. Above me on the ceiling was a glistening silver mirror where several golden runes glowed.The pain ebbed, and I squeezed my eyes shut, a scream ripping out of my throat. It felt as though my organs were being crushed and ruptured.I coughed hard, a warm liquid pouring down the sides of my mouth."Fucking kill me already," I croaked, squeezing my eyes shut."Not yet, we can't," a familiar voice said, and I turned my head to the side, my teeth chattering.It was t
CLARISSA "Is he dead? He looks dead," Stefan said as he eyed Jaxon's immobile form. He obviously didn't want to sound like he cared, but I could see the concern written all over his face. When I'd heard the knock on the door, I'd been afraid, thinking that people from the academy had arrived to apprehend us. But thankfully, it was just Stefan.I watched as Dante carefully lifted Jaxon's shirt to expose his midsection. Anger heated my insides at the sight of the gruesome mess on his body. Zoe whimpered, and Stefan let out a heavy sigh."He's got to be in an insane amount of pain," Stefan commented as Dante wrapped a bandage around Jaxon's torso before securing it with tape.My mate let out a groan, his eyes fluttering open. I smiled at him through my tears, stroking his hair to comfort him."Stefan, tell me you didn't come here just to watch us," Dante suddenly said, and Stefan nervously shifted his weight, rubbing the back of his neck."I just needed to make sure that Clariss
CLARISSA It felt like déjà vu. Like I was reliving the moment when I found my father in his study with a dagger buried in his body. I had been unable to do anything back then. And now, that same sickening helplessness was overwhelming me.Jaxon stirred awake, halfway through my attempts to keep him alive. I stroked his hair, pressing a kiss to his burning forehead.“Don’t…cry…” he wheezed, his voice breaking off into a heartbreaking whimper.“I’m not,” I lied even as the hot tears rolled down my cheeks.“It…hurts…” he croaked, and I shattered. Jaxon was definitely not the type of person to admit his pain. But as he lay there in my arms, he suddenly looked like a scared little boy.“You’ll be fine. I’ll fix you.” I croaked, and he coughed up more blood, his eyes slipping closed once more.“Jaxon, please,” I sobbed, holding on to him."I found the wolfsbane neutralizer and the stabilizer serum. But it won't be enough." Dante said as he dropped to his knees beside me, yanking
CLARISSA It felt like déjà vu. Like I was reliving the moment when I found my father in his study with a dagger buried in his body. I had been unable to do anything back then. And now, that same sickening helplessness was overwhelming me.Jaxon stirred awake, halfway through my attempts to keep him alive. I stroked his hair, pressing a kiss to his burning forehead.“Don’t…cry…” he wheezed, his voice breaking off into a heartbreaking whimper.“I’m not,” I lied even as the hot tears rolled down my cheeks.“It…hurts…” he croaked, and I shattered. Jaxon was definitely not the type of person to admit his pain. But as he lay there in my arms, he suddenly looked like a scared little boy.“You’ll be fine. I’ll fix you.” I croaked, and he coughed up more blood, his eyes slipping closed once more.“Jaxon, please,” I sobbed, holding on to him."I found the wolfsbane neutralizer and the stabilizer serum. But it won't be enough." Dante said as he dropped to his knees beside me, yanking
CLARISSA "Is he dead? He looks dead," Stefan said as he eyed Jaxon's immobile form. He obviously didn't want to sound like he cared, but I could see the concern written all over his face. When I'd heard the knock on the door, I'd been afraid, thinking that people from the academy had arrived to apprehend us. But thankfully, it was just Stefan.I watched as Dante carefully lifted Jaxon's shirt to expose his midsection. Anger heated my insides at the sight of the gruesome mess on his body. Zoe whimpered, and Stefan let out a heavy sigh."He's got to be in an insane amount of pain," Stefan commented as Dante wrapped a bandage around Jaxon's torso before securing it with tape.My mate let out a groan, his eyes fluttering open. I smiled at him through my tears, stroking his hair to comfort him."Stefan, tell me you didn't come here just to watch us," Dante suddenly said, and Stefan nervously shifted his weight, rubbing the back of his neck."I just needed to make sure that Clariss
JAXON I was freezing. Not the usual chills from a fever. But the kind that felt as though I'd slept in the snow naked throughout the night. I must've passed out at one point because when I opened my eyes, I was lying on a table, silver chains wrapped around my middle. I cried out in pain as my flesh sizzled, the smell of burnt flesh flooding my senses. My arms were spread wide apart, and so were my legs. My wrists and ankles were bound as well, with the same bloody chains.I was in so much agony, I thought I would die. Above me on the ceiling was a glistening silver mirror where several golden runes glowed.The pain ebbed, and I squeezed my eyes shut, a scream ripping out of my throat. It felt as though my organs were being crushed and ruptured.I coughed hard, a warm liquid pouring down the sides of my mouth."Fucking kill me already," I croaked, squeezing my eyes shut."Not yet, we can't," a familiar voice said, and I turned my head to the side, my teeth chattering.It was t
CLARISSA The door jerked open, and I was greeted by the sight of Jaxon, my mate. The one who'd betrayed me. He was paler than usual, and his eyes were bloodshot and clouded with grief. For a moment, I wavered. I moved backwards as he approached me with urgency."What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded.He swallowed thickly. "Getting you out of here."Anger flared inside of me. Did he really think it was okay to do whatever he liked?He'd smashed my heart into pieces, and now he was here to...what? Save me?"I don't need your help," I said through gritted teeth. He brought a hand to massage the back of his neck, my gaze zeroing in on the dried streaks of blood on his hand.I faltered, and despite myself, I worried about him, stupidly.He released a shaky breath, reaching out to grab my hand with trembling fingers. "We have to go. Now."I frowned, noticing the way he glanced behind me with a haunted look on his face. My frown deepened. Had he started seeing the hallucinatio
DORIAN Jaxon didn't have to tell me. I knew he'd done something that would probably haunt him for the rest of his life.I stood in the doorway of his office, watching him with concern. He hadn't moved in over an hour.Jaxon sat slumped at his desk, head in his hands, his breathing ragged and uneven. Papers were scattered on his desk and claw marks had shredded through the wood beneath his elbows. His palms were bloodied again with self-inflicted wounds. He didn't say a word for a while.Suddenly, he tried to reach out to her through the bond.He closed his eyes tightly, his brows deeply furrowed.“Clarissa..." he choked out, his voice laced with desperation.She must’ve blocked him out. His eyes snapped open, haunted.I finally stepped inside, but he didn't look up."You look like a man who just murdered his soul."Jaxon's breath hitched. Slowly, he dragged his bloodied hands from his face and leaned back, letting out a low, hollow laugh. It didn't hold a shred of humour."Tha
CLARISSA I was terribly bothered by Jaxon's absence. I'd awoken earlier in his bed, only to find out that he was gone. And when I'd tried to reach for him through our mind link, it had felt as though he'd just blocked me out. I'd just stepped into the academy's premises when two uniformed men grabbed me. I panicked immediately, fear clouding my senses."What are you doing? Let go of me!" I hissed, but they ignored me, slapping silver cuffs around my wrists. I cried out in pain as my flesh sizzled, nausea washing over me. At this point, I wasn't just afraid for my life but for the life of my unborn child.Students watched us with wide eyes, murmuring and gossiping among themselves. My heart sank. Had my fear finally come true?The uniformed men dragged me into the disciplinary building, pushing me to my knees before the academy's council members. Standing in the corner was my mate. Jaxon.My eyes widened in surprise.What was he doing here?I tried communicating with him throug
CLARISSA Earlier that day, The rumours were spreading like wildfire. In the blink of an eye, I'd become popular for being the girl who had 'murdered' the director's daughter."You're not going to eat?" Nina asked me, her voice laced with concern. We were all sitting in the car park, and there was a warm box of doughnuts on my lap."I got you the best ones," she continued, and I heaved a sigh, opening the box to see the three coated doughnuts in it."Don't let the rumours get to you, Rissy. The truth will come out eventually," she added, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.That was the problem. What if the truth they discovered was the one someone wanted them to see? I had a feeling that this was a setup. And if it was what I feared, the culprits would definitely plant false evidence."You're thinking too hard about it. Do you need me to get your favourite professor over here?" Stefan asked in between mouthfuls of a rather large croissant.Gwen shot him a
JAXON “I didn’t think you would come see me again,” Professor Storm’s voice was a hoarse slur. She was a wreck, a shadow of her old self. Slumped against the stonewall with silver-coated chains binding her wrists and ankles, she looked drained.“I have questions,” I said, drawing out a chair. She scoffed weakly.“And what makes you so sure that I have the answers that you want?”She’d better not test me. I was certainly not in a good mood, and if she pissed me off, I was more than ready to maim her.I lowered myself onto the chair, twirling a knife between my gloved fingers. “It’s your last chance to prove yourself useful. You’d better hope that you have the answers.”Her eyes darkened. “What? Are you going to kill me?”My gaze met hers. “No. That’s too easy. I’ll make you spend the rest of your life drowning in agony.”She gulped, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes. “What do you want to know?”I leaned back on my seat, trailing a finger along the edge of the knife.“What do
CLARISSA The moment I stepped into the Reflection Chamber, the temperature dropped. The walls shimmered with unnatural light, and the floor beneath my feet rippled like the surface of a pond. Suddenly, the ground tilted beneath me, the world spinning on its axis.I was falling. Not physically, but through time and memory.And suddenly... I was there again.The scent of old books and sandalwood oil hit me first. My childhood home. The familiar corridor outside my father's study. My feet moved without my permission, padding over the polished wooden floors as a younger version of my voice called softly into the silence."Dad?"There was no answer.I remembered this. Gods, I knew this moment, and yet every fibre of my being screamed for me to turn around and run. But the magic of the chamber wouldn't let me. It forced me forward, step by step, until I was standing in the doorway of the study, the fallen birthday cake crumpled at my feet.And there he was.Slumped in his armchair,