(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
(Tyler's POV)As we headed into the kitchen, Aunt Mara dropped what she was doing and made her way over to Kate with outstretched arms.I saw Kate's eyes misting up with tears once again, but she fought them, only allowing one to roll down her cheek before she wiped it away with a sniff."I'll give you guys some privacy," I said, placing Kate's used mug in the sink before I headed towards the front door."It's okay," Kate murmured as her aunt released her from the hug. "Stay."I hadn't wanted to leave, but it felt like the right thing to do, so I was grateful when she told me to stay."Are you okay, honey? What happened?" Mrs Harris asked, her concern obvious in the lines on her face.Kate took a deep breath, steadying herself. When she spoke again she sounded so numb and detached, like she was talking about someone else's life. "I think Ryder cheated on me," she said mechanically. "He was in his bedroom with his ex-girlfriend or ex-fling or whatever you want to call her... I didn't se
(Tyler’s POV)I barged into Ryder's room, expecting to find him there, but the room was empty, only fuelling my irritation. I clenched my fists as I set about the rest of the house, determined to find him.As I searched, my fury only grew. He'd better not have decided to leave...At last, I stormed into the kitchen, and as luck would have it, there he sat, innocently eating his dinner in the last place I decided to look.Ryder glanced up at me with an expression of concern. “Did you find—”Before he could finish his sentence though, my fist connected with his face and sent him reeling. He went flying off of his chair, but somehow managed to catch himself before he went sprawling to the floor.He glared at me, his teeth clenched as he touched his fingers to his face, scoffing when he looked back down at them and saw the blood that was pouring from his nose."Did you just fucking sucker punch me?" he asked, his voice low and threatening.I didn't even bother to respond, instead, I grabb
(Tyler’s POV)I headed to my room, my body aching from the fight and my mind still reeling. I'd made my point though, which gave me some sense of satisfaction. Each step reminded me of the blows I’d exchanged with Ryder, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the turmoil in my mind.Sneaking into my room, I made sure not to wake Kate. I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and glanced over at her. She was still fast asleep, her face peaceful. A wave of relief washed over me.I sat on the bed beside her with a sigh, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from her face, but as I extended my arm, I saw in the dim light that my hand was full of blood. I retracted it quickly, not wanting to soil her or taint her in any way.Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself to my feet and headed back to my mom in the kitchen. As I approached, I heard more yelling echoing through the house. My mom stepped out of the kitchen, her brow furrowed and a pained expression on her face as she gestured for
(Ryder’s POV)I slumped down on the cold kitchen floor, my back against the cracked pantry door. Blood trickled down my face from my nose, dripping onto my chest drop by drop. The entire left side of my face throbbed where Tyler’s fist had connected, and every breath I took sent a sharp pain through my ribs.The fight had been brutal, and now the aftermath was even worse.Dad stood in front of me, his arms crossed and his face a mask of controlled fury.“What the hell were you thinking, Ryder?” he asked, his voice still ringing with anger and accusation.I wiped the blood from my nose with the back of my hand and shrugged. “I told you, nothing happened.”“Nothing happened?” Dad’s voice was a low growl. “Your brother nearly killed you, and you think nothing happened?”“He overreacted,” I muttered, looking away. "Nothing happened with Bailey. Him and Kate are just jumping to conclusions."Dad stepped closer, his presence looming over me. “How did you think it would look, Ryder? How did
(Ryder's POV)"Son, we don't favour your brother. Your mother and I love and care about you both equally. When you told us you didn't want to be Alpha, it broke our hearts. This is my legacy, our lineage. I can't lie to you and tell you that I wasn't disappointed, but we've tried to support you as best we can on the path you've chosen," my dad explained gently.I scoffed. "Bullshit... It's clear that you look down on me and my choices. You think I just play songs with my friends, but there's so much more to it. You don't even acknowledge the hard work I have to put into it!" I flared."Ryder," my dad went on, "I'm disappointed that you turned down your role as Alpha, but that doesn't mean I want you to fail at life. Perhaps I may come across a bit condescending at times, and I'm sorry about that. I'll try and work on it. But when you started these studies, your mother and I would often ask you how it was going and the only response we ever got from you was, 'fine'. We tried to engage,