Kaelen's POV
The alarm clock shattered the silence of my study with ruthless precision. I reached across the desk and crushed it into silence with my palm. The quiet that followed felt almost oppressive.
Every bone in my body screamed in protest. Sleeping hunched over paperwork in this damn chair had been a terrible decision. My spine felt like someone had twisted it into knots. When I tried to straighten up, my neck cracked loud enough to echo off the walls.
I forced myself to stand despite my protesting muscles. The room tilted slightly before my vision cleared. I pressed both palms against my face and checked the time. Six in the morning. Dawn was breaking somewhere beyond these walls.
The door creaked as I pulled it open. The hallway stretched empty except for one figure approaching with determined strides. Jaxson moved toward me with the confidence of a Beta who had handled everything in my absence.
