(Katelyn's POV) Standing there, wrapped in the ever-deepening shadows of the forest, my mind struggled to process everything. Tyler's words seemed distant and unreal, like a half-remembered dream.It didn’t make sense, not really. Could my markings really have changed so drastically without me even knowing?But if it was true, and in honesty, I had no reason to doubt him, I suppose I could understand why he might have attacked me.It didn't make me feel much better, though. The memory of his jaws around my neck, the sharp pain and the terrifying helplessness lingered like a ghost on the edge of my consciousness.We stood there quietly, watching one another apprehensively. The air between us was thick with unsaid words and a shared, uneasy understanding.His expression softened, but I could still see concern etched deeply in his eyes.“Shane said you can use the classroom anytime,” Tyler said gently, breaking the silence. “You can go through the books there and see if there’s any inf
The forest was a blur around me as I sprinted through the undergrowth, branches whipping at my face and tearing at my clothes. My heart thundered in my chest, each beat pounding in my ears as adrenaline coursed through my veins.Behind me, I could hear the relentless pursuit of the huge black wolf. Its footsteps were silent, but its deep growls resonated through me, low and menacing and reaching me on a primal level. I KNEW I should be afraid. I KNEW I had to run.The wolf’s jaws snapped dangerously close to my heels, its breath hot against my skin. I pushed myself harder, every muscle in my body screaming in protest as I forced myself to keep going.'It’s just a dream,' I kept telling myself over and over, a desperate mantra that I clung to in the face of my terror. But even as the words circled around and around in my mind, I couldn’t bring myself to stop.I tried to shift, to transform into my wolf form and gain the speed and agility that might save me, but nothing happened and I r
The house was now silent, save for the dull thud of my own heartbeat echoing in my ears. I leaned back against the door, the chill of the wood seeping through my shirt and causing me to shiver while I caught my breath.Ryder sat beside me, his eyes boring into mine as he waited for answers I didn’t have.“It was a wolf,” I said vaguely, not really certain what else to say.“Obviously, it was a wolf,” Ryder replied incredulously, a mixture of disbelief and impatience etched across his face. “I saw it before I closed the door. But who was it? Why was it chasing you?” he demanded, wanting to understand.“I... I don’t know,” I hesitated, shaking my head.My mind was a storm of confusion and unanswered questions. None of it made any sense, but then, dreams often didn’t.Still, there was a gnawing feeling in my gut, a suspicion that tugged at me relentlessly. Was the fearsome creature some kind of twisted representation of my own wolf? Or was it something else entirely? Tyler had said my wo
Morning light streamed through a crack in the blinds, basically blinding me into wakefulness. I was instantly irritated.I groaned as I rolled over, but it was too late, I was awake now. The dream about the black wolf and Ryder meandered its way back to the front of my mind, which didn't do anything to improve my mood. The wolf had been terrifying and I missed Ryder more than ever.With a frustrated sigh, I rolled over again, facing toward Tyler now. He lay there so peacefully, his face relaxed and his handsome features only enhanced by the shadows of the morning light.I loved him so much it hurt sometimes.He shifted slightly, reaching his arm out in search of me. A sleepy smile found its way to his lips when he found me and he shuffled closer, wrapping his arm around my waist and resting his hand on my butt.With his eyes still closed, a sigh of contentment escaped his lips, his feelings mirroring my own.I pressed my hand to his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath
"Uh... Do you need anything?" he offered apprehensively as waves of nausea rolled through me.I groaned. "Uh-uh," I managed to murmur from the bathroom, shaking my head, even though he couldn't see me from where he was.When I was certain there was nothing left in my stomach, I freshened up and headed listlessly back to his room.He'd already made the bed and was getting dressed, so I guessed our day was beginning."Are you okay?" he asked, noticing my presence and looking over at me with concern.I nodded, but in truth, I still felt incredibly nauseous."Was it the vision?" he asked, coming toward me now as I hovered near the bed on unsteady legs.Once again, I nodded in confirmation. "Both of the wolves ran through me," I explained, feeling goosebumps spreading down my arms as another wave of nausea coursed through me. "And... and I had a bad dream about a black wolf last night too, so seeing one in the vision now didn't help," I went on to admit with a shake of my head, trying to pu
"Not much," I replied with a frown.Tyler hovered over the books. One was an ancient leather-bound volume, its pages yellowed with age and filled with hand-drawn illustrations. The text either appeared to be printed somehow, or handwritten by someone with more patience and consistency than I could ever hope to possess. It was titled A History of Lycanthropy, and it detailed some notable packs, wars and werewolf related incidents of the past.The other book also had a leather cover, but it was much thinner and seemed to be completely different in nature to the first. From what I could tell, it was a personal journal belonging to the Alpha of The Ironwood Pack from many years ago. I wondered where they were from and whether an Ironwood Pack even continued to exist today. If they did, I had never heard of them.Tyler leaned over the thicker book first, reading the excerpt I had marked with a Post-it note out loud:The Elysian LineStatus: ExtinctDuration: Indeterminate - 1700sOrigins:
The drive home was quiet aside from Tyler's adamance that we talk to his father as soon as possible... as in, the second we got home. He seemed really concerned and I could feel the underlying tension radiating off of him as he stared ahead, frowning the whole way home.The thought filled me with trepidation. I agreed that we should tell Alpha David, but being in agreement with the idea hadn't suddenly filled me with the words I would need to articulate the issue to him.I mean, what was I going to say exactly? 'Hey Alpha David, I see weird things, but don't worry, I'm not crazy'?I frowned as I tried to think of a softer way to deliver the news and desperately hoped that a demonstration wouldn’t be necessary.As we walked into the house my anxiety only grew. We didn't even head to our rooms first. Tyler just dropped his bag in the entryway, then took me by the hand and led me upstairs in search of Alpha David. My heart raced with each step and my stomach twisted itself in knots.When
The room was thick with tension as I prepared to delve deeper into the revelations about my abilities. David and Liz’s expressions were a mixture of curiosity and skepticism, their gazes fixed intently on me.I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “Well, like I said, it all kind of started at the Lunar Eclipse Celebration,” I began, trying to keep my voice steady and matter-of-fact. “At first, I didn’t understand what was happening, and eventually decided it was maybe just some weird side effect of the Lunar Eclipse or something, but then, when it happened again, I figured there had to be more to it,” I explained.David stared at me wordlessly, waiting for me to continue, so I did. "That was when Ryder started to help me. He was like, a guinea pig, I guess. A willing test subject, if you will. He allowed me to practice with him while Tyler was in classes. I eventually got an idea of what I had to do to make it happen and got a better grasp on how it worked. I guess I'm stil
(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
(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