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 'Mate!' Snow, my wolf, echoed in my head as a sweet scent flooded my nostrils. Tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes, and my heart started to pound a lot faster as I quickened my pace and followed the smell of my mate. It had to be Kieran. I was his chosen mate, and tonight, our mating ceremony was about to take place. My excitement went up a notch, and I broke into a sprint, hiking up my ceremonial red dress. All of a sudden, pain slammed into me so hard, I doubled over. With my eyes watering, I dropped to my knees. Whimpers escaped my lips as the pain continued to build, searing through me like a red-hot knife. I was confused and disoriented. I couldn't understand what was happening to me. I parted my lips to call out for my fiancé, but in an instant, I heard the sounds of his moans in my head. 'Fuck, MIA. You feel so good,' I heard him say and my confusion swelled within me. Mia? My bully? That couldn’t be right. My mind had to be playing tricks on me. Maybe I
CLARISSA I was thirteen years old when my father was assassinated. His beta took over his position, and my life took a terrible turn. Although my father's beta had promised to investigate his death and bring them to justice, nothing had been done. Kieran, the new Alpha's son, had comforted me during those times, and I'd been fooled into believing that he truly cared about me. And now, it was up to my new mate to save me or toss me to the wolves."Help me," I said to him, and he fixed his gaze on me for a moment before glancing at the street ahead. Silently, he took off his velvet jacket and placed it around my shoulders."You're better off not associating yourself with me," he said, placing a small dagger in my hand."Go left. There's a river close by. If you can make it past the river, they won't get to you," he said, and I swallowed hard, unsure of what this meant for me.Was he rejecting me as well? I wondered.However, there was no time to dwell on this; I took his advic
CLARISSA "Clarissa, you're pregnant," the healer announced. I felt the world tilt. Pregnant. The word felt foreign, unreal. Yet, deep down, hadn't I already known? The nausea, the exhaustion, the way my body felt different... I'd ignored the signs, unwilling to face what they meant. Six weeks had passed since I last saw my mate. The man who claimed me and then vanished into the night. It's been six weeks since the guards captured me and threw me back into this miserable cell. And now this? "She's pregnant?" Kieran asked, his voice laced with disbelief. The healer nodded, and he stormed towards me, his palm colliding with my cheek. "You whore!" He yelled, and I glared at him. "That's enough, Kieran," Alpha Garrett hissed, redirecting his gaze on me. "Who is the father of your child?" I bit my lower lip, unsure of what to say. I barely knew who my mate was. All I knew was that he had the brightest golden eyes I'd ever seen. "Are you going to stay silent?" Kieran demanded, a
JAXON A few hours before, "Jax?!" Dante's voice cut through the fog in my head, laced with concern. His footsteps were urgent as he stepped into my office, glancing around. He couldn't see me—not at first. I was slipping. Again. My vision flickered between reality and the void, the cursed abyss where my wolf had been torn from me. The air felt thin, like I was being pulled under water. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to hold on. "Jax, come on, don't scare me." His voice wavered as he stopped in front of my desk, scanning the room. "I'm here," I croaked, anchoring myself back into reality. Dante released a sigh of relief when he finally saw me. "Are you okay?" He asked, and I grunted, pinching the bridge of my nose. "For how long were you slipping this time?" He said as he poured me a glass of water and handed it over to me. "Maybe thirty minutes?" I croaked, bringing the rim of the glass to my lips. "It's getting worse. The old woman was right," he muttered. I didn't r
CLARISSA Probing stares lingered on me as I stepped into the spacious school grounds, clutching at the straps of my backpack. I could hear them whispering to themselves, probably gossiping about how shabby I looked and how someone like me had sneaked into the Academy.That's right.I'd somehow made it to the Werewolf Academy after my bargain with my mate.He'd tried to talk me off my decision, but this was a matter of life and death.Lifting a hand, I knocked on the door of the registration office. A high-pitched voice responded, urging me to step in.When I strode in, I was greeted by the sight of a plus-sized red-haired woman. She wore thick-framed glasses and a red dress. On her table was a polished nameplate with the name 'Lauren Philips.'She eyed me from top to bottom with a look of barely concealed irritation."Are you lost?" She asked, her voice laced with impatience."I'm here for registration," I replied, and she frowned."Where's your invitation?" She asked.I froze.
JAXON Her offer was tempting. Too tempting. I didn't want to turn her down, especially since I could see beyond her mask of confidence. She was desperate. It could've been easy to say yes to her, but I couldn't bring myself to. Not when my fate was bound to my curse. Not when choosing her meant dragging her into the darkness that chained me."You're going to be late to class," I said with an impassive voice.Her expression faltered, hurt flashing in her purple eyes."Is this you rejecting me...and your child?" She demanded, angry tears filling her eyes.I could've made it clear to her without hurting her feelings, but I was afraid she wouldn't give up.Turning away from her, I moved towards my seat and sank into it, a heavy weight pressing down on my chest."You refused to listen when I warned you not to involve yourself with the Academy," I deadpanned. "Whatever happens from this moment on... it's on you."She let out a bitter chuckle, her fingers trembling as she wiped away a
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,