I awaken alone, before the first bell, my internal alarm now fully synced to this place.
The second bunk is empty, as it has been every morning since I arrived, and my thoughts race to the worst-case scenario: images of Jax speaking with Headmaster Archer, teachers walking toward my dorm, ready to toss me out of the school into the snow.
I shake my head to clear it. Jax is my ally. I try to force any doubt from the crevices of my mind. After last night, I should have none.
But why is he always gone in the mornings? The first few times, I chalked it up to discipline. Some wolves are just born for it, they thrive on the edge of dawn. But after ten days, two weeks, nearly three, it’s impossible to dismiss the pattern: Jax is gone before sunrise, every single morning. No matter how fast I m
