JAXON I was seething. Clarissa's message had reached me crystal clear, and I was barely restraining my wolf, who was desperate to get to our mate. Even now, my body rebelled against me—weak, burning up, my muscles trembling from the aftershocks of the void's pull. I was still vulnerable from slipping in and out of existence, but none of that mattered.She was pregnant. Yet she was out there playing hero.Damnit, did she really not care about her own life?The reserve was off-limits for a reason, and I sure as hell hoped she wouldn't have to find out why. I doubled over at the gate of the reserve, panting hard as my exhaustion made itself known. I really wasn't supposed to be moving about in my state, but this was an emergency. My head pounded, a dull ache radiating behind my eyes, but I shoved past the pain.I needed to pull myself together. Only a couple of minutes earlier, Clarissa had almost walked in on me in my most vulnerable state, slipping into the void.If she'd walked
CLARISSA It made perfect sense now. Callum was Elias, Kieran's elder brother whom I hadn't seen in a long time. He was the only one who ever called me Evie.All the same, why did he change his name? Why didn't he make it clear from the very beginning that he was Elias?There had to be more to him that I still wasn't aware of."Do you remember? I always doted on you," he said, and I scoffed."My father was wary of you each time you said you would marry me," I replied, chuckling.A grin tugged at his lips, a tender look in his eyes. His expression spoke volumes about his affection for me, but things were different now. I had a mate now, even though he was yet to accept me."I really don't want you to get hurt, Evie. Please be careful," he said, and I flashed him a small smile.Just as he turned away from me, I caught a whiff of a familiar scent.Professor Hale—No, Jaxon.He must be close by.Was he here to see me?I wanted to see him too, to make sure he was okay. Holding back th
CLARISSA I had the upper hand in this situation. So, I decided to take advantage of it."Why should I help you?" I asked, steeling my gaze. “You stole from me."Stefan's lips curled in a sneer."Have you forgotten? I know everything about you and Professor Hale," he said through gritted teeth.I stared at him in silence for a while. He must've been watching us. But there was no way he knew everything. He was bluffing. If it boiled down to exposing us, I would simply come clean and confess that Jaxon was my fated mate."Everything?" I rasped, feigning bewilderment.His smirk deepened. He thought he had me cornered, that I was crumbling under pressure. Idiot."Everything." He confirmed, and I let out a humourless laugh."Fine. I'll tell you what I can see," I finally told him."Come closer," I gestured at him with my head.His frown deepened as he leaned closer to me to hear what I had to say.The corner of my lips curved upwards, and I knocked my forehead into his. A sickening cr
JAXON The blood hunt was a yearly event designed for first-tier elites. Usually, the chosen elites would pick other students of lower class to join the contest. They claimed it was merely a strength training test. But I knew better. It was an opportunity for massacre and brutal oppression. Most students either killed others to survive, or they got killed by the mysterious creatures involved in the hunt."Who chose her?" I said to Nina, barely restraining my growing fury.She gulped, a worried look on her face."It was Stefan," she replied, and Clarissa blinked, an expression of utter disbelief on her face."This must be his way of seeking revenge against me," she stated, and I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck."You don't understand, Clarissa. You can end up dead," I said to her and she looked at Nina who nodded to confirm my statement.My mate brought her hand to her lower belly, a blank look on her face."Can I forfeit the hunt?" She asked and my chest tightened. The las
CLARISSA All of a sudden, the ceiling of the cave lit up, everyone gazed up at it in awe. There were creepers on the ceiling, but they were far from the ordinary. They had golden leaves that glowed brilliantly. My gaze met Stefan's, and he smirked. Then, he instantly took off. The others followed after him. Blowing out a breath, I followed behind. My feet came to a grinding halt when we were all met with a five-way passage. Instantly, I sensed that I'd seen this before. My eyes widened when I realized why. The map of the Golden Leaf Cove.I'd seen this exact same layout in it. This meant we were in the Golden Leaf Cove.According to the map, the moonstone was on a sword located in the third passage. This was an opportunity. Yes, this was good.Feeling my torn flesh mend, I sucked in a sharp breath and walked into the third passage, which was brightly illuminated just like the rest of the cave.Jaxon had told me that it was dangerous to go to the cove alone. Did he already kn
JAXONA While Ago, I had to get to Clarissa. It wasn't just instincts, it was a necessity. I could think of all the things that could go wrong in the hunt, and every single one of them involved her getting hurt.I moved in a blur of movements, making my way towards the Golden Leaf Cove. And soon, it was in my line of vision. I was close now. But then, shadowy figures surrounded me faster than I could blink. There were too many of them. It wasn't supposed to be possible. If they were gathered there like that, they must've been summoned through a blood ritual. I had a feeling this was strongly related to Clarissa's involvement with the hunt. Whoever had summoned the shadow people didn't want me to get to her.Curling my fists, I released a sharp breath, my claws making an appearance.Snarling, I slashed through the nearest figure, its form disintegrating into mist before reforming again. No matter how many I cut down, more took their place, circling me like wolves scenting blood
CLARISSA I felt the change within him before he pulled away. His temperature had spiked up and his body had gone stiff. Something was wrong.I reached for him, and he moved away from me, his gaze fixed on the ground in front of him."Jaxon—" I started to say, and he shook his head."Not now. Don't ask," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. His breathing was uneven, his fists clenched so tightly that his blood stained knuckles turned white.My heart sank. The last time I'd seen him like this was in his office, when he had tried to hide whatever was tormenting him. Now, it was happening again.I hated being clueless, and seeing him in this condition made me worry that whatever was affecting someone as powerful as him was much bigger than anything I could think of."Give me your hand," he said, and I swallowed hard, holding out my hand to him.Quietly, he slashed his claws across the inside of his wrist, and blood welled to the surface. Then he allowed his blood to drop on
CLARISSA I narrowed my eyes at Stefan, crossing my arms. "What do you mean?"His gaze dropped to the ground, his shoulders hunched."I can't tell you everything right now," he muttered. "But I need you to meet me in the school garden tomorrow night."A dry laugh escaped my lips. "For someone who needs my help, you sure are bossy."His head snapped up, panic flaring in his eyes. "I do need your help. I swear I'm not trying to set you up."I exhaled sharply, already turning away. "Then forget it.""You're wasting my time." I added, already regretting listening to him in the first place."I'm dying!" He blurted out.I froze."You're the only one who can save me. You saw it when we first met, didn't you?" He added, his voice laced with desperation.I halted, balling my hands into fists.The memory clawed its way back—the way he'd seemed lost in a poisonous haze, the way he'd been frozen in place. Something had been terribly wrong with him.A war raged inside me. I didn't trust h
JAXON They attacked from all sides, wielding silver blades. But I was more worried about Clarissa, whom I could no longer see, as a result of the thick fog. I hoped Zoey had played her part in securing my mate. I hissed in pain as the edge of a blade sliced through my forearm, the silver causing the wound to sizzle. Still, I was distracted, constantly searching for a way to find Clarissa while I defended myself against the attackers.'I've got Clarissa,' Zoey mind-linked me, and relief sank into me.The masked attackers surged toward me, but this time I was ready. I moved like a storm, my claws tearing through flesh and knocking blades from trembling hands. There was no hesitance.I cut them down as quickly as they lurched themselves at me.From the corner of my eye, I noticed a flash of movement heading for me.I barely managed to move out of the way just in time to dodge Callum's attack. I scoffed, not surprised that he was the one they'd sent to get rid of me."The rest of
CLARISSA I had finally found a comfortable position after what felt like an eternity of tossing and turning, trying to accommodate the stubborn curve of my baby bump. Curled on my side, one leg drawn up and an arm tucked beneath my head, I let out a slow breath, the cool sheets offering a small moment of relief.I was dressed in a pair of joggers and a bralette. The simplest things felt like a chore tonight.Across the room, I could hear the sound of the shower running. My thoughts were a mess. If Callum hadn't reminded me of the consequence of getting involved in the silver gauntlet, I might've truly stayed ignorant until that day. My gaze wandered to the glass door of the bathroom. Steam had heavily fogged up the glass, but I could still see Jaxon's silhouette.My gaze trailed up his strong legs and thighs, my cheeks heating up when I noticed his firm ass.The ridiculous urge to smack him hit hard. But knowing Jaxon, I'd probably end up over his knee.The tattoo on his back
CLARISSA My heart thudded madly in my chest, my attention focused on my mate. The silver gauntlet had just begun. Callum stood by Jaxon's side as his partner. They stood on a raised silver platform on the field. There were twenty-eight teams on the arena. According to Jaxon, the gauntlet was based on elimination. Only five teams would advance to the finals. And from there, the winning team members combat with each other for the silver gauntlet crown.I knew the rules. Once the Gauntlet began, there were no substitutions. No interruptions.But rules were made for people with nothing to lose.And I had everything to lose.The sound of an ear-splitting whistle cut through the air, and each team leaped from their platforms and took off into a sprint towards the obstacle course.I balled my trembling hands as I watched the obstacle course shift and transform.Jaxon leaped across platforms that vanished behind him, dodging enchanted blades that sliced through the air and manouevre
JAXON We hadn't seen each other for more than ten years. Looking at her now, she looked much frailer and smaller than the fierce woman I used to know. Our resemblance was striking. We were mother and son after all. Beside her stood Dante, who had his head lowered. "I tried to stop her, but she insisted that I give her your address," he mumbled. This was how bad my relationship with my mother had become. She didn't even know her son's home. My feelings towards her were complicated. A part of me hated her for never speaking up for me or believing in me even before my sister's death happened. The other part of me felt sorry for her. She'd lost a child after all. Maybe my father had influenced her, convinced her to isolate herself from me. But seeing her now, I wasn't sure if my thoughts were wrong or right. "Jaxon," she said, her voice cracking. I blinked at her, a storm welling inside of me. Why was she here? Why show herself now? "Mother," I droned, and her grey eyes welle
JAXON I was a coward. I should've told her everything. I'd told myself I'd kept it from her to protect her, but that was a lie. I knew that the void played a big part in my growing negative emotions. However, I was also aware that some of it was all my fault. When Callum had forced me to raise questions about his involvement with the void, I should have confronted him head-on. But I had a feeling that many other people were involved. And I feared the truth. The knock on the door of my bedroom had me sitting up in bed. I could feel Dorian's presence behind it. "Come in," I said, and the door jerked open. Dorian stepped in, his gaze softening when it landed on me. "How are you feeling?" He asked, shutting the door behind him. I shrugged. "I've experienced worse." A sad smile ghosted over his lips as he moved over to sit on the edge of my bed. "I found what you asked me for," His voice was tight and brimming with tension. My chest tightened with unease. "The CCTV camera
CLARISSA Kieran visibly sized him up as he strode towards us, but Stefan didn't flinch or bat an eyelash. It was true that I'd somehow turned him into an errand boy, but I hadn't expected him to 'come to my rescue' like this. Stefan grabbed Kieran's wrist and pried his fingers off my arm. Then he pushed him away from me, moving to stand in front of me. Kieran's expression twisted into one of disdain."You whore. Is this another one of your boy toys?" Kieran spat, and Stefan folded his arms across his chest."Why? Do you want to sign up?" His voice was tinged with so much sass, I couldn't help but let out a laugh.Kieran's green eyes darkened with rage, and he lurched forward in a bid to strike Stefan. Unfortunately, Stefan kicked his legs from under him, sending him crashing to the ground."Stay away from her. I won't give the same warning twice," Stefan said and took hold of my hand. Then he walked me far away from Kieran."Thank you," I mumbled, and he snorted."You alrea
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'