The world around us seemed to fade away as we lay there, the forest a private sanctuary for our love. Tyler's touch was gentle and reassuring, his kisses slow and tender. The anxiety and fear that had gripped me earlier was gone from my mind, replaced only by Tyler and the connection we shared.As our kisses deepened, Tyler's hands moved with gentle care, exploring my body with a reverence that made me feel important... appreciated... loved. My own hands followed suit, tracing the lines of his muscles, committing every detail of his body to my memory.The forest floor was soft beneath us, the scent of the rich earth and the fallen leaves and pine needles filling my lungs with each breath I took."Are you sure?" Tyler whispered, his breath warm against my ear. "There's no rush."I nodded, my heart filled with love and affection for him. "I'm sure," I replied softly. "I want this. I want you."His eyes searched mine, looking for any hint of uncertainty. When he found none, he kissed me
The afternoon air had cooled significantly as I stood in front of the kettle, waiting for it to finish boiling so that I could make Tyler and me a nice hot cup of coffee.He hovered behind me, his hands resting on my hips and his breath warm against my ear. "I can't wait to mark you," he whispered, his voice sending shivers down my spine. I giggled, enjoying the closeness between us."Let's just get through the Lunar Eclipse Celebration, okay?" I replied with a smile as I added sugar to our mugs.I'd been so nervous about the celebration, but now, it seemed kind of trivial.As I lifted the kettle to pour the hot water, Tyler's hands roamed up, under my shirt, his skin warm against mine as he wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly. I turned my head slightly, catching his playful grin. "You're making it hard to concentrate over here," I teased, but I didn't really mind.Just then, Ryder strode into the kitchen, his footsteps light but unmistakable. "Hey," he greeted us casually,
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. I needed to stay calm if I was going to get through to him. “Ryder, I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me. You’ve been cold and distant all day. If something’s bothering you, we need to talk about it.”Ryder leaned back in his chair, giving me a pointed look. “You did it, didn’t you?” His tone was sharp and accusing.I frowned, confused by his sudden hostility. “What are you talking about?”“You slept with Tyler,” he clarified, his scowl deepening.I shrugged, still not understanding where this was coming from. “Yeah, I did. But you told me—”“I knew it,” Ryder cut me off, putting his headphones back on and turning back to his work, as if dismissing me.My anger began to bubble up. I lunged forward and yanked the headphones off his head, slamming them down on the table in front of him.“You told me to, Ryder! You said it couldn’t be you, so who the fuck did you think it would be? Should I become a fucking nun or something
We lay there in silence for a while, Tyler’s heartbeat a soothing rhythm against my ear.Despite the turmoil in my mind, his presence provided a sense of comfort and security. Eventually, I managed to drift off to sleep, exhaustion finally catching up with me.Morning came too soon and I woke up feeling groggy and miserable. The events of the previous night still loomed in my mind and anxiety gripped me. At some point today, I had to face Ryder again, and I wasn’t sure how to handle that situation.Tyler was already up, dressing and getting ready for the day. He glanced over at me with a grin. "Morning," he said, his voice warm and cheerful."Morning," I replied, my own voice sounding groggy and hoarse. I tried to smile, but I just didn't have it in me.He sat down on the edge of the bed, concern etched on his face now. “You ready to tell me why you were so upset last night?” he asked, his eyes searching mine.I shook my head, avoiding his gaze. “No...” I murmured guiltily.Tyler sigh
(Ryder's POV)I had tossed and turned all night, barely getting any sleep at all. Kate had just shoved all the blame back onto me, as if this was somehow all my fault. In her warped mind, it was all my fault that she treated me like shit.When we had agreed to this situation in the beginning, I was under the impression that the split would be more fair, but that wasn't the reality.Instead, she chose Tyler... Every single fucking time. Even when it was just her and I together, it felt like she was constantly pining over him, waiting for him to come home, waiting for the weekend so that she could spend time with him. As if I was just his fucking understudy... a stand-in to pass the time until he was available.When morning came, I woke up with a sense of determination I hadn’t felt in a while. Katelyn had called me jealous the night before, and now we would see how she felt when those tables were turned.My heart raced as I sent Bailey a message.Ryder:Hey, wanna hang out today?Just
(Tyler's POV)The meeting at the neighboring pack had been canceled, so I figured I would head home to surprise Kate with a little impromptu visit now that my schedule had opened up.Excitement bubbled up inside me at the thought of seeing her. I'd known her moving in was a great idea and little opportunities like this only proved it to me. I'd be able to see her more often now and we'd even be able to spend evenings together from time to time.Just then my mind wandered back to the day before... The way her hair framed her face as it lay sprawled about her, the purple contrasting the brown hues of the earth beneath her, the way her skin felt so warm and soft against mine, how she'd seemed nervous yet so certain at the same time, the way her smile made me feel...As I parked the car, the only thing I could think about was her smile. I loved the way she smiled when she looked at me. The way her eyes l
(Tyler's POV)With that, I rushed out to my car, my mind racing. Kate was either in the forest somewhere, or she'd gone to her aunt's house. It felt more likely that she would have sought the company of her aunt than headed out into the forest by herself, but I couldn't be certain. I figured I'd try her aunt's place first, and if she wasn't there, I'd try the forest.I sped past Bailey, who was standing on the side of the road waiting for her Uber as she glared at me. I reversed back, stopping beside her as I opened the window. “Don't ever set foot in my house again. Understand?”She scoffed with annoyance and I wanted to say more, but I wasn't going to waste any more time on her. Instead, I drove away, heading down toward Kate's aunt's house.When I arrived, I found the front door unlocked and apprehensively made my way inside."Hello?" I called out, but there was no answer.I was already giving up hope that she was here, but then I headed down the hallway and glanced into her room.
(Tyler's POV)Mrs Harris was in the kitchen preparing dinner by the look of things. She saw me approaching and stopped what she was doing, setting her knife down and wiping her hands on her apron.“Tyler, what’s going on?” she asked in a low voice, probably hoping that Kate wouldn't overhear us. Her tone was weary rather than accusing. “You boys assured me that you would take care of her, but here she is, barely two days later, sobbing her heart out. Again...”"I know, I'm sorry Mrs Harris," I replied, feeling guilty even though I wasn't the one at fault here. “I know how it must look, but I promise, I have only the best intentions for Kate.”"I know that..." Mrs Harris replied with an exhausted sigh. "I know that. You're always here to pick up the pieces and I really am grateful for that. But this..." she went on, choosing her words carefully. "This doesn't seem right. It feels like at least once a
(Katelyn's POV)"You're okay," Tyler whispered over and over again, but I wasn't sure whether he was talking to me or to himself.“What the fuck was that, Kate?!” Ryder's voice demanded.I shook my head, against Tyler's chest, still trying to come to terms with where I was and what was going on here."I... I just..." I tried to reply, but my voice was weak and hoarse.Tyler kissed the top of my head, his own breathing uneven as he gently stroked my hair, still holding me against him in a death grip. "Sshhh... Sshhh..." he hushed me, shaking his head as he rocked me back and forth."Never again. Never a-fucking-gain. Okay? You're never doing that again, Katelyn," Ryder's voice was sharp and firm, leaving no room for argument or debate. "Never again..." he repeated, sounding more exhausted now.It took a few minutes for me to regain my bearings as Tyler continued to whisper soft reassurances in my ear, rocking me back and forth against his chest like a child.I heard the sound of footst
(Katelyn's POV)The airplane’s engines droned softly as I stared out the window, the world below reduced to quilted patches of green and brown earth divided by winding roads.New Haven, Connecticut... The Council Headquarters. We were still a few hours away, but the gravity of what awaited me felt like a noose around my neck.I adjusted my seatbelt for what felt like the hundredth time and closed my eyes, leaning back into my seat and letting my thoughts drift back over the last two days at home. The two days I’d spent trying, and failing, to harness my telekinesis. The two days that had left me feeling more exhausted, more frustrated, and more anxious than before.I’d wanted so badly to figure it all out before I faced The Council. I’d tried everything I could think of. At first, I tried to recreate the conditions of those emotional surges, thinking maybe I could trick my mind into somehow flipping that internal switch. I thought about arguments. About fear. About sadness. But nothin
(Katelyn's POV)The next day started off like any other, but with the new weight and responsibility of pregnancy pressing down on me. I'd made a call to Dr Connors's offices to try and get a better idea of how far along I was and we managed to gauge that I was about three weeks in. She said they would be able to confirm by checking measurements and all that stuff at my first scan, but for now, I was three weeks in. Three out of forty. It somehow felt like too much and not enough at the same time.Shortly after the call, Alpha David's voice called from upstairs. My blood went cold and the twins and I exchanged worried glances."Jesus, do you think he overheard that?" I asked, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.Tyler shook his head. "I doubt it..." but still, he looked as concerned as I felt.The fact that David had bothered to call us upstairs personally, rather than sending Tyler a message like he usually did, didn’t escape me. This time, he’d taken the effort to personally
(Katelyn's POV)Ryder's hand lingered on my stomach for a moment, but then he sighed and dropped it."So... What do we do now? I mean, I guess this thing is happening. Do we have to start picking names and shit?" he asked, his eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.I shook my head. "I don't really know. Can't say this has ever happened to me before. I don't even know how far along I am... I kinda freaked out and left the doctor's office before she got to tell me..." I admitted."Well, you should probably find out," Tyler suggested, slipping his hand into mine and giving it a squeeze. "A timeline might be helpful here."I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll try get hold of the doctor's office tomorrow to see if she can give me more details. She said something about an OBGYN. I think she gave me a referral or something. Maybe Jen knows more of the details. My brain was all over the place," I explained, feeling a little stupid for not paying more attention to something so fucking
(Katelyn's POV)Ryder fell into silence, not finishing his thought as his jaw tightened and his hands balled into fists.Tyler’s hand rested reassuringly on mine, his presence a steadying force, but Ryder’s tense silence was killing me. He looked like a caged animal, his eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.“I…” Ryder started, but his voice faltered. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as frustration flashed across his face. “How am I supposed to do this?!” he suddenly blurted, his voice sharp and rising with each word. “For fuck’s sake! I’ve just agreed to take on the role of Alpha! Now I need to play dad too?! When is it going to stop?! When is it going to be enough?!”He stood up again and began pacing, his movements erratic and tense. “I can’t! I can’t do all of this at the same time! It’s too much! How the fuck am I supposed to deal with this?!”His words hit me like a slap, leaving me momentarily stunned. The fear and uncertainty I had been feeling all day were
(Katelyn's POV)The drive home had felt too short. Jenna and I had spent lunch talking in circles, and I knew she was just trying to distract me, to lighten the load, but there was no amount of banter or brainstorming that could make this easier.When she’d suggested checking out some stores for the twins’ birthday gifts, I’d briefly considered it, but ultimately, I'd ended up saying no. I was way too distracted to focus and it felt like it would be a total waste of time. So, instead, she called the Uber, and we headed home.The drive was quiet, my thoughts too loud to leave room for conversation. All I could think about the entire way was what I was going to say, rehearsing it in my mind and trying to come up with the right words, but I guess there are only so many ways you can say, 'I'm pregnant', right?When the Uber pulled up outside the house, Jenna gave me a tight hug. “You’ll be fine,” she murmured, her hands gripping my shoulders as she looked me in the eye. “You’re going to t
(Katelyn's POV)"You can tell them the truth, babe," Jenna said with a reassuring smile. "I mean, that's what I'd recommend.""What if... What if I can't do this? What if... What if I don't want this life?" I whispered softly, ashamed to be saying the words out loud.Jenna squeezed my hand. "Well, that's something you need to think about. It's not a decision to make on a whim. But if that's what you decide, I'll be there for you every step of the way. I'll hold your hand in the appointment and tell you that everything is going to be okay. I would never let you do this on your own, okay? Never," she assured me, looking into my eyes with a fierceness that told me she wasn't kidding."Do you want to think it over for a while before you talk to the twins about it?" she suggested, her hand still clutching mine across the table.I shook my head. "No. I can't keep this from them. Even if I wanted to, I know I wouldn't be able to.""Babe, I'm sure they're going to be super supportive," she ins
(Katelyn's POV)The words echoed in my ears, bouncing around my skull but refusing to settle into anything coherent.“No,” I whispered, shaking my head as tears began to well up in my eyes. “I can't... That can't... This wasn’t...” but the words evaporated into thin air as I tried to reason this out.Dr Connors watched me carefully. “I know this might be a lot to take in,” she said, keeping her tone professional but supportive. “But you have options, Katelyn. You don’t need to make any decisions right now. Perhaps you should just take some time to process this.”“Options?” I repeated numbly, the word tasting foreign on my tongue.Her meaning was clear, but I couldn’t focus on it. I couldn’t focus on anything. The tears spilled over, sliding down my cheeks as my chest heaved with quiet sobs.Jenna was at my side instantly, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “It’s okay, babe,” she murmured. “We’ll figure this out, okay? You’re not alone in this. I'm here with you.”I couldn’t even bri
(Katelyn's POV)The silence in the room was unbearable as Dr. Connors studied the test. My heart pounded, each beat feeling sharper than the last and I could feel sweat beginning to pool at the base of my spine.“It’s positive,” Dr. Connors said, looking down at the test on the desk in front of her.My stomach flipped violently. “What?!” I blurted, my voice echoing in the hollow room.“It’s positive,” she repeated, looking at me with a measured expression.I blinked at her, my mind scrambling to process the information. “No, no, no,” I stammered, shaking my head furiously. “That can’t be right. How many stripes should it have?" I demanded to know, certain that she must be mistaken."One stripe is negative, two is positive," she explained, pushing the test toward me for verification."Well then you're wrong, when I—" The words died on my lips as I looked down at the test in front of me. Two stripes. One was faint, but very clearly a stripe.My mouth went dry, my lungs forgot how to wo