My Grief Counselor’s a Liar のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

Jaxon woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows.For a disoriented moment, he did not remember where he was. The sheets beneath him were too soft, the mattress too comfortable. The room smelled like cedar and something wild he could not name.Then memory returned.The clearing. The wolf. Elijah's body reforming from beast to man. The light that had pulsed beneath Jaxon's skin before sputtering out like a dying star.He sat up slowly. His body ached in strange places, as if he had been holding tension he did not remember carrying. His hands looked normal. No glow. No power. Just skin and bone and the faint tremor of exhaustion.The clock on the nightstand read nine thirty. He had slept for fourteen hours.Jaxon swung his legs out of bed and stood. His clothes from yesterday lay crumpled on the chair. He pulled on his jeans but hesitated over his shirt. It smelled like coffee shop and fear and the alley where shadows had hunted him.He opened the bedroom door and stepped into

The drive back to the loft was silent.Jaxon stared out the window, his reflection ghostly in the glass. His hands rested in his lap, fingers occasionally twitching as if trying to grasp something invisible. Elijah kept glancing at him, cataloging every sign of distress."I can feel you watching me," Jaxon said quietly."I know.""Does it ever stop? The hyperawareness?""No. It is part of what I am."Jaxon turned to look at him. "That sounds exhausting.""It is necessary.""For survival.""Yes."Jaxon's gaze returned to the window. "I think I am starting to understand that."They did not speak again until the elevator doors closed behind them in the loft. Jaxon immediately crossed to the windows and stood staring out at the city. His shoulders were tight, his posture defensive."Talk to me," Elijah said."I do not know what to say.""Start with the truth."Jaxon's laugh was hollow. "The truth is I feel like I am being watched. All the time. Even before tonight. Even before the coffee

Elijah returned to the loft to find Jaxon standing at the window, perfectly still.Too still."Jaxon?"No response. Jaxon's hands were pressed flat against the glass. His eyes were open but unfocused, staring at something Elijah could not see.Elijah crossed the space quickly. "Jaxon. Look at me."Jaxon's head turned slowly. His pupils were dilated, the brown of his irises reduced to thin rings. His breathing was shallow and rapid."Do you hear it?" Jaxon whispered."Hear what?""The sound. Beneath everything. Like a heartbeat but not mine. Not yours. Something else."Elijah's wolf stirred uneasily. "What does it sound like?""Like..." Jaxon's eyes fluttered closed. "Like the earth breathing. Like roots growing. Like stone shifting beneath mountains."His knees buckled.Elijah caught him before he could fall. Jaxon's weight sagged against him, his body trembling. His skin was fever-hot beneath Elijah's hands."I have you," Elijah murmured. He lifted Jaxon easily and carried him to the

Elijah returned to the loft to find Jaxon pacing.Darius stood near the windows, arms crossed, watching Jaxon move back and forth like a caged animal. The Beta's expression was tight with concern."He has been like this for an hour," Darius said quietly when Elijah entered.Jaxon's head snapped up. His eyes found Elijah immediately, and something in his posture eased. "You are back.""I am."Darius moved toward the door. "I will give you privacy. But Elijah, we need to talk. Tomorrow. Before the pack meeting.""Agreed."Darius left. The elevator doors closed. Silence filled the loft.Jaxon stopped pacing. "What happened at group?"Elijah crossed to him. "Curtis spoke. About his son's death. About his guilt.""And Dr. Chen?""She admitted the group was designed. That all of you were chosen deliberately. That she has been observing your reactions to my presence."Jaxon's face went pale. "She admitted it? Just like that?""Yes.""Why?""Because she thinks she can control what happens nex

The following Tuesday arrived with a tension that felt almost physical.Elijah and Jaxon had survived the pack meeting. Barely. Rafe's challenge had been issued formally. The fight was set for the next full moon—three weeks away. The pack had seen Jaxon, assessed him, and remained divided. Some saw him as weakness. Others, surprisingly, saw him as the first thing that had made their Alpha seem alive in months.But the meeting with Dr. Chen loomed, and neither of them could shake the feeling that something was building toward a breaking point.They descended the church stairs in silence. The basement felt colder than usual, as if the walls themselves were bracing for impact.Curtis was already there, his expression haunted. Sarah sat with her cardigan pulled tight, her eyes red-rimmed. Margaret arrived last, and the moment Elijah saw her face, he knew something had changed.Her spine was rigid. Her jaw was set. Her hands were clenched so tightly her knuckles had gone white.Dr. Chen en