Weeks had passed since the New Year, and change was in the air.Jaxon made a decision â one that had been growing in his heart for a while now. He no longer wanted to share a house full of friends and chaos. He wanted something calmer, something that belonged just to him and Elena. A home. A future. A family.So, he handed over the keys of his other house to Rick and Jack, telling them, with a crooked smile and a thump on the back, âItâs yours now. Fill it with whatever madness you want â but Iâm leaving with Elena. Weâre building something new.âThat morning, Jaxon had stood in front of the mirror adjusting his shirt collar, eyes steady but laced with nerves. His heart thudded like a drum. His jaw was freshly shaven, and his hair neatly brushed back. Tonight had to be perfect. There were no do-overs for moments like this.He pulled out his phone and called Elena.She was with Elizabeth in the living room, her fingers braiding Mimiâs hair as Jimmy napped on a blanket. She picked up on
The soft creak of the wooden stairs echoed in the quiet hallway as Jaxon carefully carried Elena up to her new room. The house had been bustling with celebration just moments ago, but now, it felt like a world apart â a calm stillness that seemed to hush every sound.Elenaâs voice broke the silence as she spoke softly, slurring just slightly from the alcohol. âJaxon⌠itâs so different here. I never imagined Iâd have a room all to myself.â Her words floated between them like a fragile thread, her eyes heavy but restless.Jaxon smiled gently, trying to steady her wobbling steps. âYeah, itâs safer this way. I didnât want you sleeping downstairs with us boys anymore after I found out⌠well, youâre a girl.â His tone was soft, almost protective, but there was something in his eyes â a flicker of something unspoken.They reached the door to the new room, and Jaxon set her down gently. The walls were painted a calming shade of pale blue, and a neatly made bed sat in the corner with fresh whit
Hooray! It was New Yearâs Day, and Elenaâs birthday celebration was everywhere â colorful balloons, shimmering lights, laughter echoing through the house. The atmosphere was alive with joy, the kind that wraps around you like a warm hug on a chilly evening. For once, the house was filled with a lightness that felt almost unreal after months of tension and uncertainty.Elizabeth was visiting for the first time. The moment she stepped into the house, a broad smile stretched across her face, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She looked around with amazement at how Elena had transformed â no longer the introverted, quiet girl she once knew, but someone who had forged deep bonds with the three boys, especially Jaxon, Rick, and Jack. Elizabethâs heart swelled with happiness seeing her friend surrounded by such genuine affection.Elena, usually so reserved, was laughing freely, her cheeks flushed with warmth. It was clear she felt comfortable here, loved and accepted. Elizabeth could see i
One month later, the atmosphere had shifted. It was a new time, a new beginning, and a fresh start, yet the weight of Elenaâs absence still lingered heavily in the air. Jaxon and the other two boys had been thinking about her constantly. None of them were truly themselves anymore. Since Elena had left and hadnât come back, a part of their world felt incomplete. They tried their best to cope with her disappearance, to fill the emptiness she left behind, but no matter how hard they tried, something inside them was missing. They sent her messages regularly, but there was no reply. Had she forgotten them? They couldnât help but ask themselves the painful question.That morning, the three boys scrambled to get ready for school. The clock was ticking, and they were running late. Jaxon, who had been attending the same school all along, just wanted to finish strong. Graduation was this month, and he was determined to stay in school so that if Elena ever came back, it wouldnât be difficult for
Everything felt like a movie.Elena didnât remember how she got home, nor how she ended up in this soft bed, wrapped in clean, lavender-scented sheets. All she remembered was Jaxonâs faceâpale with worry, eyes burning like wildfireâjust before everything had gone black.Now, sunlight streamed through the cream curtains, brushing her cheeks with warmth. She blinked, momentarily stunned by the brightness. Then slowly, she sat up.Her hand instinctively reached for her stomach. There was no pain.Startled, she peeled back the blanket and checked the spot where the deep gash had once been. Nothing. Her skin was flawlessâlike nothing had happened. She blinked again, lips parting in disbelief.âA wolfâs superpower,â she muttered to herself, breathless.She looked around the unfamiliar but tidy room, then saw her phone resting neatly on the bedside table. Next to it, a steaming bowl of noodles sat, garnished and served with care. Hot breakfast⌠in bed?Her brows furrowed. Mr. Damien had alwa
Elena was gobsmackedâutterly stunned.She couldnât process it all at once. The man they feared the most, the cruel and manipulative Rock, had been brought down⌠by a baseball. A simple, spinning baseball thrown with so much force and power from Rickâs hands. She blinked rapidly, struggling to grasp what she had just witnessed. The sight was surreal, almost like her mind was playing tricks on her.Rick? With that kind of strength?And Rock? Defeated?Her chest heaved up and down, overwhelmed by the chaos, the noise, and the burning pain in her side. She couldnât hold on much longer. Her vision blurred, dark spots dancing before her eyes. Her body gave in. She collapsed to the ground, her knees folding beneath her as everything turned to a swirling black.But just before darkness swallowed her, Jaxon was thereâarms wrapping around her tightly.âElena!â he shouted, panic evident in his voice. His arms trembled as he scooped her up from the floor, holding her tightly against his chest lik