LOGINAlpha Jaxon:“C’mon, Emberlyn.” Wake up Emberlyn’s body went limp as I held her in my arms. The entire building was covered in thick smoke that choked and covered my view.I had managed to navigate the building and lead the other students out.One at a time we ran out of the building to safety. Emberlyn was still unconscious in my arms, I lay her down on the grass and slowly we were surrounded by students.Some filming, some calling for help and some just watching.Her face was pale, as if she were lifeless. She must have inhaled too much smoke. Wake up baby, I had almost yelled but it came as a mutter.I pressed two fingers to her neck. The pulse was there, present but irregular, at least it was better than the alternative which was nothing.I watched her chest rise, barely, and fall.My wolf, which had been howling nonstop, went silent.Not calm but the silence of an animal that has stopped howling because it was deathly afraid and paralyzed by it.I tilted her head back trying to
Alpha Jaxon: The committee meeting had run forty minutes longer than it needed to. I'd sat through it patiently learning to keep two things running simultaneously: the surface, which was attentive and professionally engaged, and the underneath, which was doing the actual thinking. The outcome was straightforward enough. The Harlow Competition preparation committee had selected four faculty members to mentor the qualifying students through their exam preparation and early research stages. My name had been on the list before the meeting started. I'd seen it in the preliminary email and had chosen not to comment on it, which was its own form of acceptance. I gathered my folder and my jacket and exchanged the minimal post-meeting courtesies and left. The hallway outside the conference room was quite like it should be on a typical Friday afternoon which was lighter than Monday, with the week's momentum already released. The students moved happier and chippier with a “Thank God it’s F
Emberlyn: That took much longer than it should have. The laptop closed with a sound that felt more final than it had any right to. Two tabs and two confirmations later, The REX Pharmaceutical internship had been accepted, signed, submitted, the thing that three weeks ago had felt like a door I wasn't ready to open. And then of course, Harlow Medical Research Competition registration, my name in the field, the qualifying exam date circled on a calendar I'd updated for the first time in months. Done. I sat in the campus café with both hands flat on the closed laptop, looked at the middle distance and thought about how a person could spend weeks resisting two things and then arrive eventually at doing both of them in the same afternoon without it feeling like a decision and more like an obligation. Like I'd been walking toward it the whole time and had simply stopped pretending otherwise. He did say I was going to do it but now I hate proving him right. The café was its usual Sat
Emberlyn: Kimberly’s grip on my hand was tight and firm. She glanced at her sides before reaching and grabbing the door knob. She turned it and pulled it open and slipped into the room, pulling me in right after. I stumbled backward the instant her grip left my arm, my body reacting before my mind could catch up. My balance wavered, my feet dragging clumsily against the floor as I fought to steady myself. The sudden loss of her hold sent me reeling, as though the force she’d used to keep me rooted had somehow been the only thing keeping me upright. For a second, the room tilted. My eyes found hers. The distance between us was barely a few steps now, yet it felt much wider. It took me a few seconds to get my footing while she backed me. She pushed the door slowly, tilting to the side and peeping through the gap she made. When she was sure no one followed right after, she shut the door and reached for the lock and turned it. Kimberly searched my eyes till I averted my gaze f
Alpha Jaxon: Someone had managed to get into the REX - building. I had been somewhat surprised when Lewis reported that to me, but a name quickly sprang to mind. Carver. I had a feeling that it would definitely be him. Of course, who else would be reckless enough to make such a bold move if not him? I almost wanted to laugh at the news. Whether it’s Carver or someone else, it was either the person had the brain of a fish or he definitely had something better up to his sleeves. I leaned back against the seat, not actually bothered. If anything, I was more entertained and curious. Very few people were stupid enough to make such a reckless decision, such as entering my place without authorization. I can’t help but wonder what was going through his mind when he made that step. And even fewer had the ability to succeed or achieve something and past the first layer of security. If it was really Carver, then he probably had a plan and he probably had something off his sleeve he wasn’
Emberlyn: My eyes slowly fluttered open as I blinked against the soft morning light that spilled through the windows. The sheets were tangled around me, soft and warm. Instinctively, I turned slightly, my hands doing the same as I felt for the other side of the bed, expecting to touch Jaxon’s familiar body. But there was nothing. The space beside me was empty and cold, a sign that he had probably left a while ago. My brows furrowed instantly, and I pursed my lips together. For some reason, I felt somehow disoriented not seeing him beside me as soon as I woke up. I blinked the remaining sleep from my eyes and sat up gently, yawning in the process. I scanned the room with my eyes and could not find his figure anywhere. Where had he gone? Before I could dwell on the fact that he was absent, my phone began buzzing on the bed stand repeatedly. It was relentless, enough to make me let out a frustrated groan. With a tired sigh, I reached out for the phone and grabbed it. The bright







