CLARISSA I was silently fuming. The voices around me had faded into the background, and I was lost in my own world. I still couldn't believe that despite how hard I'd tried to make Jaxon open up to me, he'd refused to tell me anything. Annoyed, I'd walked out of his property, determined to make it back to school on my own. But to my surprise, Dante had been sent to me. He'd driven me back to the academy."What's got you brooding like that?" Gwen asked, nudging me. I turned to look at her, forcing out a smile."It's nothing."Her frown deepened as she searched my eyes. "My lady, you shouldn't forget that I've known you for a very long time. There's no use lying to me," she said, and I heaved a sigh.I wasn't sure if it was okay to tell her my grievances, but I badly needed someone to rant to."Get up, let's go somewhere more private." She took my hand, steering me to my feet. Together, we both left the classroom. She led me to the school's orchard, where we settled down under
CLARISSA I was speechless, my emotions were clogging my throat so much that I could hardly breathe. Jaxon was mocking me. Why? Was it because I'd finally seen him for what he was? Clearly, he was no hero. I'd always known of his morally grey tendencies, but this...he was pushing it too far."Since you've got it all figured out, what are you waiting for?" He said, his eyes sparkling with mischief and barely restrained psychosis. "Kill me."I shook my head in disbelief, tears welling up in my eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to assure me that his intentions were pure.He moved closer to me, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. "Do it."I brought a hand to his chest to push him away. "Stop it, Jaxon. Stop!" I screamed at him, my voice trembling. "Please..."He didn't flinch. He watched me, his head tilted, as if I were a puzzle he no longer cared to solve."This is not you," I croaked, and he arched a brow."And how do you know that? We're both strangers, don'
JAXON My body didn't feel like mine. Even my thoughts were broken and disoriented, like they belonged on a shattered puzzle piece."...Jaxon?"I looked up, startled by the sound of a familiar raspy voice which had turned that way because of how much he used to smoke. Dorian.I blinked at him, wondering when he'd stepped into my office. Wait, what if he'd been here for a while already? What if my blackouts were getting worse?"Were you listening to me?" He asked, and I shook my head slowly.His gaze softened, and he drew closer to me. "You look...cold," he said, moving over to me. I zoned out as he picked up my coat from the hanger and placed it around my shoulders.I didn't realize how much I'd been freezing until I felt the warmth of the fabric."How long have you been here?" He asked, and he gave me a smile. "Barely two minutes. I just got here."Relief sank into me."What were you saying?" I asked him, and he sank into the seat in front of my desk."I was talking about the si
CLARISSA Something changed after Callum's visit. Though he didn't say anything concerning, the look on my mate's face had indicated that something was wrong. Still, no matter how much we asked him what was going on, he refused to speak. Instead, he decided to go home, saying he needed some rest.Jaxon's condition took a downward spiral from that moment.The days that followed bled into weeks and months. And worse, my mate began to spiral.He barely ate or slept. Instead, he seemed to be digging into some mysterious information.According to the book I'd taken from the archive, conjuring the twin moons was risky, and there was a high chance of me losing my life. Still, for Jaxon's sake, I wanted to try it. There was a good chance that I could be successful. But my mate wasn't having it.He stopped me from coming over to his house, and he also took the book from me. Little did he know that I'd taken screenshots just in case. And I was secretly practising and preparing for the r
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 mish
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 Garrick 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, and I
JAXONA 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 respond. What
CLARISSA Something changed after Callum's visit. Though he didn't say anything concerning, the look on my mate's face had indicated that something was wrong. Still, no matter how much we asked him what was going on, he refused to speak. Instead, he decided to go home, saying he needed some rest.Jaxon's condition took a downward spiral from that moment.The days that followed bled into weeks and months. And worse, my mate began to spiral.He barely ate or slept. Instead, he seemed to be digging into some mysterious information.According to the book I'd taken from the archive, conjuring the twin moons was risky, and there was a high chance of me losing my life. Still, for Jaxon's sake, I wanted to try it. There was a good chance that I could be successful. But my mate wasn't having it.He stopped me from coming over to his house, and he also took the book from me. Little did he know that I'd taken screenshots just in case. And I was secretly practising and preparing for the r
JAXON My body didn't feel like mine. Even my thoughts were broken and disoriented, like they belonged on a shattered puzzle piece."...Jaxon?"I looked up, startled by the sound of a familiar raspy voice which had turned that way because of how much he used to smoke. Dorian.I blinked at him, wondering when he'd stepped into my office. Wait, what if he'd been here for a while already? What if my blackouts were getting worse?"Were you listening to me?" He asked, and I shook my head slowly.His gaze softened, and he drew closer to me. "You look...cold," he said, moving over to me. I zoned out as he picked up my coat from the hanger and placed it around my shoulders.I didn't realize how much I'd been freezing until I felt the warmth of the fabric."How long have you been here?" He asked, and he gave me a smile. "Barely two minutes. I just got here."Relief sank into me."What were you saying?" I asked him, and he sank into the seat in front of my desk."I was talking about the si
CLARISSA I was speechless, my emotions were clogging my throat so much that I could hardly breathe. Jaxon was mocking me. Why? Was it because I'd finally seen him for what he was? Clearly, he was no hero. I'd always known of his morally grey tendencies, but this...he was pushing it too far."Since you've got it all figured out, what are you waiting for?" He said, his eyes sparkling with mischief and barely restrained psychosis. "Kill me."I shook my head in disbelief, tears welling up in my eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to assure me that his intentions were pure.He moved closer to me, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. "Do it."I brought a hand to his chest to push him away. "Stop it, Jaxon. Stop!" I screamed at him, my voice trembling. "Please..."He didn't flinch. He watched me, his head tilted, as if I were a puzzle he no longer cared to solve."This is not you," I croaked, and he arched a brow."And how do you know that? We're both strangers, don'
CLARISSA I was silently fuming. The voices around me had faded into the background, and I was lost in my own world. I still couldn't believe that despite how hard I'd tried to make Jaxon open up to me, he'd refused to tell me anything. Annoyed, I'd walked out of his property, determined to make it back to school on my own. But to my surprise, Dante had been sent to me. He'd driven me back to the academy."What's got you brooding like that?" Gwen asked, nudging me. I turned to look at her, forcing out a smile."It's nothing."Her frown deepened as she searched my eyes. "My lady, you shouldn't forget that I've known you for a very long time. There's no use lying to me," she said, and I heaved a sigh.I wasn't sure if it was okay to tell her my grievances, but I badly needed someone to rant to."Get up, let's go somewhere more private." She took my hand, steering me to my feet. Together, we both left the classroom. She led me to the school's orchard, where we settled down under
JAXON That look on Clarissa's face struck me like thunder. It was a mix of disbelief and distrust. My gaze drifted and rested on Callum, the one who'd clearly planted the seeds of doubt. He'd hinted at all the things I couldn't bear to talk about, and now, I was torn. Clarissa lowered her gaze, unable to look me in the eye. "Let's go, Professor Hale," she said, and I stiffened. It felt as though she'd just created a barrier between the two of us. I followed after her as she walked away from Callum, who reeked of desperation. He'd always been at loggerheads with me for no clear reason. And now, he'd taken things too far, making me realize just how far he would go to take me down.Once my mate and I had settled down in the car, I drove off. The tension between us was suffocating."Did you...hear everything Callum said?" Clarissa asked, awkwardly clearing her throat.Was she trying to set up a confrontation? Knowing her, she would much rather ask questions than keep to herself.I
CLARISSA They couldn't believe it. In their sight, a mere omega had subdued an alpha. Aaron, who was kneeling before me, was trying so hard to defy my command, but his body was quickly betraying him. Blood was oozing from his nose and ears as he grunted, his brows creased with determination. Finally, his body collapsed to the ground, breaking under the weight of my power. If this wasn't a training, I would've asked him to crawl to me and apologize for everything he did to Tara and me. But now wasn't the right time."Is there anyone else who would like to challenge her?" General Vale asked, and three third-year alpha bloods stepped out. They were tall and leanly muscular. They had mischievous smirks on their faces."Clarissa Nightbourne, we are the future Alphas of the Night Flame Pack," the first one said, and I raised a brow, surprised.I'd heard of the notorious princes of the Night Flame Pack. Three brothers who were literally joined at the hip. Their reputation spoke of noth
CLARISSA I should've known. Damnit, how could I be so gullible? Stefan smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "Unfortunately, your kindness has led you into my trap," he drawled, and I clenched my fists, rage simmering inside of me. Half an hour ago, I'd received a message from an unknown number, telling me that my friends were in danger. I'd been overcome with worry, so much that I'd dived right into danger without reaching out to my allies. Jaxon would definitely be pissed off if he knew what I'd just done.I heaved a sigh, already feeling a headache coming on. "What do you want, Stefan?""How are you still standing? You should've been sedated by now," he said, his voice laced with disbelief."It's shocking how you've learnt nothing, even after everything that happened between the two of us. Are you really that hungry for your own death?" I droned.He shrugged, his gaze roaming over my features with an unreadable expression on his face. "Marry—"I cut him off instantly
JAXON Clarissa held me in her arms as I shivered under the blankets, my teeth chattering. I'd just stepped out of a freezing shower, hoping the shock would numb the fever clawing through me—but it hadn't. If anything, it had made things worse.My breathing came in short, strained gasps, my eyes squeezed close. Yet, even in my agony, Clarissa's sweet scent kept me grounded and prevented me from slipping. She didn't know this, but I'd been at the verge of entering the void. But the moment she'd rushed into my office, her presence had held me back. And now, the whiplash was beating down on me with an intensity I'd never experienced before. It felt as though I was dying."Stay with me, Jaxon," Clarissa whispered, running her hand over my bicep. She pressed a lingering kiss to my burning forehead.After a while, I stopped shivering. I was drenched in sweat now. And at the same time, I was as weak as a newborn kitten...which was a first for me.My mate gently lowered the blanket and p
CLARISSA My mind was reeling, my thoughts overwhelming. I couldn't wrap my head around everything I'd just heard."Surprisingly, the three players your friend mentioned are somehow connected to the academy," Zoey said, and I swallowed hard. I turned to look at Jaxon, who was watching me with a worried look on his face."What about Professor Storm? You mentioned something about looking into her personal information," I told him."About that..." his expression faltered.A few minutes later, we were standing inside his basement. A basement I didn't know he had. The stone walls were cold and unnerving. The space itself sent unwelcome shivers through me.It struck me then how much I still didn't know about my mate.And yet... I wasn't afraid of him.Not truly.There was darkness here, yes, but not the kind that made me want to run. His darkness didn't threaten me—it shielded me. I didn't need to know all the pieces of him to understand one truth: he would go to terrifying lengths