We ended up in a pitch-black room and I tried to make sense of whether this was our final destination or was I still being ripped through time and space.The sound of soft whimpering indicated that it was likely we had arrived wherever it was that we were going, but it did nothing to put my worries to rest. It sounded like someone was crying into a pillow and the whole situation made me feel uneasy and sad.The area we found ourselves in was so dark that the only way I knew that Ryder was with me was the feel of his hand in mine."Do you know where we are?" he whispered, clearly as disoriented and confused as I was.I whispered back, "I don't know," shaking my head as I looked around, trying to see if anything was familiar, but it was too dark to tell.Suddenly, we heard loud footsteps approaching from behind us, like some very large person was stomping up a flight of stairs with purpose and determination.The whimpering stopped immediately, and I heard a strangely familiar female voi
(Ryder's POV)Staying by Kate’s side, I watched her battle the internal demons conjured up by the vision. Her eyes were blank, staring into the abyss as if searching for answers in the emptiness.I tried to comfort her, my words echoing in the quiet room, but it was as if she couldn’t hear me. She was trapped there, still in the vision, replaying it over and over in her mind.“It wasn’t real, Kate,” I whispered, trying to reassure her. I hoped my words would get through to her, but so far, she barely acknowledged my presence aside from the fact that her hand was gripping mine tightly. “It was just a vision. It doesn’t have to mean anything,” I went on, desperate to soothe her and pull her back from the edge.She remained silent, her face pale and her hand trembling slightly in mine. I wasn’t sure whether she believed me or if she was too lost in her own fears to respond or maybe she wasn't even hearing me at all. I felt helpless, unsure of how to reach her. The only thing I could do
(Ryder's POV)Tyler pulled the covers over her as she curled up, the weight of the vision that clung to her evident in her every movement.Tyler shot me a look, half annoyance and half gratitude. I knew he was just as desperate as I was to see her find some peace, even if it was through borrowed medication.“Are you sure that’s okay?” Tyler asked, his voice a mix of concern and frustration.“They’re just for anxiety and to help me sleep,” I replied, keeping my tone even. “It should help her get some rest.”Tyler nodded, though he still seemed uncertain.“Thank you,” she whispered, looking at me now.All I could do was nod in response though as I watched Tyler take a seat beside her on the bed, holding her hand and kissing her fingers gently.Jealousy began to rise inside me, but I knew I needed to smother it immediately. I'd had this... I'd lost this... It was my own fault. Not his. Not hers. Mine. And if I had any hope of any semblance of a relationship with her, I needed to get over
(Katelyn's POV)I woke up feeling groggy and disoriented. Blinking against the morning light, I opened a sleepy eye and saw Tyler curled up on the other side of the bed, but he was so far away I could barely reach him.I groaned and shuffled closer to him, craving his comfort. He was lying on top of the sheets, which I couldn't help but be annoyed by because I wanted to be closer to him without any barriers. I didn't want to wake him up though, so I just nuzzled against him, hoping he would wrap his arms around me.He stirred, opening his eyes groggily and looking down at me with surprise and confusion. "I'm not Tyler," he mumbled sleepily."Oh," I responded, pulling away slowly as my face flushed with embarrassment.Ryder sat up and rubbed his eyes. "How are you feeling today?" he asked, his voice still heavy with sleep."I feel okay, but I really need to pee," I replied, my voice groggy.He chuckled softly. "You better go then."I groaned again as I climbed out of bed, swaying sligh
Once I was dressed, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and messaged Tyler to let him know I was up and feeling a bit better. I thanked him for being there for me yesterday. Then I followed my nose to the kitchen as the smell of pancakes wafted through the house.When I walked in, Ryder looked up at me. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "You doing okay?"I nodded. "Better than yesterday," I replied, which he seemed relieved to hear."Do you want to talk about it?" he offered tentatively.I shrugged, "Yeah, I think I do," I replied, surprising us both.Ryder spooned pancake batter into the pan as I took a seat at the kitchen island."So, what did you see?" I asked, wanting to get a better idea of his perspective so that I could compare it to my own.He hesitated before replying, probably concerned that delving into the vision again might be some kind of trigger for me."I just want to try and see whether we saw the same thing and whether we have the same interpretation of it,
I spent most of the day with my nose buried in a book, trying to lose myself in the pages and escape the persistent thoughts swirling in my mind.Ryder had gone to do some work in his studio. It kind of felt like he was keeping himself busy as a way of avoiding me. Maybe that's not the right way to phrase it... More like he was trying to give me space and was keeping himself busy in his studio as a means of distraction.I figured it was probably for the best. Things were better between us. We were civil with one another. But sometimes when I looked at him, Bailey's laugh rang through my head. It was my painful reminder that I couldn't trust him... I couldn't forgive him and pretend it never happened. We could coexist, but I couldn't see it going much further than that.Despite my efforts to focus on the story in front of me, my mind kept drifting back to the vision from the day before. Who was the man Ryder had seen? Was he the one keeping me there, or maybe he was my rescuer? If I co
The next few weeks blended together into a rather monotonous routine, each day indistinguishable from the last.Tyler spent his days as he usually did. Classes, physical training, and other pack business, while Ryder bounced between being my willing subject to test visions on, along with his own study and work schedule, and then also his therapy appointments.Initially, I had planned to practice daily, but it soon became apparent that that wasn't going to happen. It was so taxing that realistically, I couldn't manage more than two or three days a week without burning myself out.The sessions left me exhausted and often feeling sick, especially if I touched someone in the vision. After I figured that out I made a conscious effort to avoid any type of physical contact with the subjects in the visions, which seemed to help alleviate some of the aftereffects.I spent most of my days reading or making notes on the things I had learned in an effort to keep some kind of log for my own records
It had been almost a month since that terrifying vision where I saw myself pregnant and battered. Ryder and I had made significant progress with the visions, but spending so much time together was taking its toll on me and it was getting harder and harder to remember why I was holding a grudge against him.On weekends, I sometimes showed Tyler the progress I had made with the visions. We had a really rocky start, which was kind of my fault because I hadn't mentioned to him that when you tell yourself not to think about something, the possibility of the vision being about that thing seems to be exponentially higher. So when we found ourselves standing in his bedroom as him and Jess came barrelling in while making out. It was awkward, to say the least.He handled it really well though. As soon as he saw what was happening, he stood between me and what was going on in the vision behind him, covering my ears with his hands and just looking straight into my eyes. At first, he seemed panick
(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
(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