The next morning, Tyler and I ate a quick breakfast in the restaurant before packing our bags. The peaceful days we’d spent together already felt like a distant memory as the weight of reality loomed over us.We checked out early, as we'd planned the night before, in hopes that we'd get an opportunity to discuss our little issue with Alpha David before the commencement of the Lunar Eclipse Celebration that evening.The drive back went far quicker than the drive there, and before I knew it, we were already back at Tyler's house.I should have been feeling positive and well-rested after our trip, but instead, I felt miserable and uncertain.Tyler reached over and squeezed my hand as we sat in his car in the driveway, apparently both procrastinating, not wanting to head inside just yet. "We'll handle this, okay?" he assured me.I nodded and tried to force a smile, but I couldn't muster the strength to even fake it.Tyler carried our bags as we headed inside, both looking despondent as we
The three of us left Alpha David's office and headed back downstairs. Tyler held my hand, offering his silent support, while Ryder trailed behind a little. His looming presence was a constant reminder of the unresolved tension between us.As we reached the bottom of the stairs, Ryder finally spoke up, his voice hesitant. "Kate, can we talk?"I shook my head. "I don't know what there is left to say, Ryder," I replied, not slowing down as I headed toward my room."Please," he persisted, "I just want to explain things to you. You don't have to say anything, just listen."Tyler stopped and stepped between us, acting as a barrier. "She said no, Ryder. Just leave it." His voice was firm, but not unkind, which I was grateful for.I didn't want another fight on my hands. At least the remnants of bruising were gone from both of their faces now, otherwise, that may have raised some eyebrows at the Celebration."Five minutes, Kate. That's all I'm asking for," Ryder begged, desperation creeping i
Afternoon wore on to evening, and I eventually decided it was time to shower and get ready for the Lunar Eclipse Celebration. The anticipation of the event had my nerves frayed, and the feeling of my heart racing in my chest had become normal to me by that point.With a groan, I reluctantly pulled myself off of Tyler's bed and headed back to my room. I took a long, hot shower, hoping to wash away some of the anxiety that had built up inside me, but when I got out, I felt exactly the same as I had when I got in.My dress was hanging on my bathroom door, waiting for me to slip it on. I eyed it out with a smile.I'd bought it from a small boutique store in Colorado where they sold clothes made by student designers. The second I saw it, I fell in love with it. The fabric was soft, flimsy and feminine and the skirt had a flattering flare to it. The straps were thin and dainty and crossed over at the back where you would then tie them together in a bow.I'd had it for at least a year but ha
"Tyler!" I heard a man's voice calling out.I looked around, trying to find the source, when a guy about our age with light brown hair began walking towards us from the tables that were being set up.Tyler's face lit up in a smile as he approached."Hey!" Tyler greeted him as he neared, then they shared a brotherly hug."You must be Katelyn," the stranger said, wrapping his arms around me in an unexpected hug now too. I hugged him back awkwardly, feeling like I should probably know him, but if I did, I couldn't remember where from.“Kate, this is my best friend, Kyle,” Tyler introduced him.“Oh, Kyle!,” I exclaimed, registering at last. "Nice to meet you," I added with a friendly smile.“Tyler talks about you all the time. I feel like I know you already," he said, giving Tyler a teasing look. "Glad to finally put a face to the name.”I continued to watch the setup while the guys chatted. Listening with half an ear, I overheard Kyle saying that his dad had been aimless without Tyler ar
More and more pack members began to arrive, and Tyler kept introducing me to new people. Eventually, the names and faces began to blur together as darkness settled over the clearing.Alpha David made his way up onto the stage as I watched. It felt like time stood still. My heart was racing, my ears were ringing, I was sweating, it felt like I had pins and needles in my toes and fingertips. I couldn't remember the last time I had inhaled and I began to feel momentarily faint."You okay?" Tyler asked with concern.I nodded, unable to speak."Good evening!" Alpha David called out, his voice carrying through the air with purpose and authority.Silently, Ryder emerged through the throng of people with Ash at his side. Ash gave me a warm smile and a small wave in greeting as David continued, "I'd like to welcome you all to our Lunar Eclipse Celebration."The world seemed to blur in and out of focus for a moment. Alpha David was talking, but he sounded so far away I couldn't make out what h
The crowd began to disperse, leaving only the Valentine family and myself standing on the stage. Their eyes were all on me, watching me as if I had grown a second head.Tyler's expression was a mixture of admiration and surprise. "Where the hell did that come from?" he asked, his voice tinged with amazement.I shrugged, still feeling the adrenaline coursing through me. "I don't know. I just got so upset when I heard Jess boo. I wasn't going to let her get away with it."Alpha David stepped forward with a rare smile gracing his usually stern features. "Katelyn," he began with a hint of uncertainty, "That was... unexpected. You handled yourself well up there. I'm impressed."Ryder and Liz nodded in agreement, their faces reflecting their own astonishment at my impromptu speech."Thank you," I replied, feeling a flush of pride. "But right now, I really need something to drink." My throat felt drier than the desert.Tyler chuckled, taking my hand as he led me towards the tables of food an
I felt an overwhelming heat coursing through my body as I stood, staring at Tyler. It wasn't just hot, it made my skin feel prickly and then my vision began to blur. The world around me seemed to spin and I was sure I was fainting again. The thought made me panic and my heart raced uncontrollably."Tyler," I gasped, reaching out to grab him for support.Before he could react, I felt my legs give way beneath me. I was falling, the ground rushing up to meet me, but instead of hitting it, I fell through it and everything went black.Panic surged through me, my heart racing as the empty black void swallowed me whole. It was like one of those dreams where you’re falling but you never hit the ground. I struggled to catch my breath. Time felt like it was both moving incredibly fast and standing still all at once and the sheer disorientation made it impossible to process what was happening.Suddenly, the darkness gave way to daylight.The abrupt change was jarring. I could hear the gentle sou
Had Tyler experienced the same thing as I had? Had I had some kind of seizure or a waking dream or something equally strange?“What just happened?” Tyler asked, his eyes wide with confusion as my chest heaved for breath.His question confirmed it had been real, that we had experienced it together. Or maybe it had been some kind of shared hallucination?“How did you do that?” he went on, taking a tentative step towards me.I wiped my lips with the back of my hand and rounded on him. “I didn’t do that!” I exclaimed defiantly. “That was you! It was your memory, right?!”Tyler seemed bewildered as he contemplated my response.We heard a few angry shushes coming from the clearing as our conversation grew heated.It made me feel self-conscious, so I lowered my voice as I continued. “I didn’t do that,” I reaffirmed with certainty. “Maybe it’s some weird Alpha shit,” I suggested, grasping at straws for an explanation.“Weird Alpha shit?” Tyler scoffed. “I think I would have known by now if I
(Katelyn's POV)We stepped out of the council chamber and into the hallway, the doors clicking shut behind us. My head felt dizzy, like I'd been spinning around and around in circles and now that I'd come to a stop, the world didn't seem to get the memo and continued to turn beneath my feet.An attendant, who’d been waiting nearby, nodded her head respectfully and began walking without a word, clearly intending for us to follow her.The place was surprisingly quiet for being so large. There was no echo of footsteps against the polished floors, no hum of distant chatter. I guessed it was the thick curtains and the huge framed paintings that were to blame. Absorbing all the sounds and swallowing them whole, leaving the space dead.Ryder and Tyler flanked me just the same as before, but the tension in their shoulders seemed to have eased somewhat. Still, they were silent as we walked, as if any sound we made might disturb the hush that hung low and oppressive over our heads.We followed
(Katelyn's POV)I felt a little more confident once I knew that not every single person in this enormous room was out to get me. A man's voice, rough with age, spoke next from somewhere in the second row. I had to tip my head a bit to pinpoint him because of the angle and the unusual acoustics. He was tall and lean, with silvery hair pulled into a low ponytail, and when he lifted his hand to speak, his knuckles stood out like ridges. “Your powers, Kate...” He paused, as if to confirm I wouldn’t mind the nickname. “May I call you Kate?” But he didn’t actually wait for an answer. “Your powers are obviously unusual. Have you met any others with abilities similar to your own?”I hesitated. It felt like a trick question. Was I supposed to know about Helen? Or was her existence and her tie to The Council supposed to be some kind of secret?Without thinking, my gaze briefly flicked toward her, but she said nothing and her face remained completely neutral.Obviously that didn't help at all,
(Katelyn's POV)The doors swung open with a soft thud, revealing an amphitheater-style room with rows and rows of older men and women watching us from elevated seats.They were all Elders, each face lined with years of experience... decades, maybe even fucking centuries for all I knew. Here they sat, their faces stern and composed.It was almost surreal. There were about fifty of them, I might guess. Fifty people who were basically going to determine my future on my behalf.Can't say I liked the sound of that at all.Tyler, Ryder, and I stood at the center of the space, where a single wooden chair awaited me. Just one. Obviously they hadn't anticipated that I'd be bringing an entourage.My heart clenched in my chest and I swallowed hard, hoping I wouldn’t choke on my own nerves.In the front row, I spotted Helen, Roderick, and, much to my disappointment, Simon. Helen nodded and gave me a small smile in greeting, while Roderick kept his expression neutral, though I could see his eyes s
(Katelyn's POV)The cab pulled up outside a weathered, ivy-clad building on a quiet street in New Haven, Connecticut. From the outside, it looked like an old academic institute. Just the type of place someone might come to pore over dusty manuscripts or discuss obscure theories with professors who wore tweed jackets. But I knew better.This was The Council’s headquarters, masquerading as the “Institute for Cultural Anthropology” to the human world. I'd heard about it, but I never thought I would actually get to see it in the flesh.My stomach churned as I stepped out onto the sidewalk. The air was crisp, carrying a hint of autumn even though it wasn’t quite the season yet.Behind me, Tyler and Ryder followed closely, their postures tense and alert, flanking me like a pair of protective bodyguards. It was an odd comfort, knowing I wasn’t walking into this alone. But the weight of what lay ahead pressed down on me like a lead blanket.“Looks normal enough,” Ryder muttered, eyeing the st
(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