***TRIGGER WARNING - SEXUAL ASSAULT***I finished the last bite of cheesecake, disgusted with myself for eating everything on the tray. The food had been delicious, but accepting it felt like defeat and I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me. Not just because I had eaten, but because I had succumbed to this tiny act of submission and I hated myself for it.I pushed the tray away in disgust and headed back over to the bed, flopping down and staring at the ceiling.Time seemed to crawl by in this room. With no clock and nothing to do, I was left alone with my thoughts, and they weren't exactly pleasant company.I kept picturing Tyler and Ryder's faces, wondering if they were looking for me. How would they even know where I was? I clung to the hope that they would somehow find me, but it felt like I was fooling myself. I had left no clues, no hints, no trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow. I was a needle in a haystack.I was pulled from my brooding by the sound of the lock turni
The door clicked shut behind Harlan, leaving me alone once again. My throat ached, the pain a sharp reminder of what this man was capable of. The lengths he would go to to ensure my compliance.Miserably, I curled up on the bed, allowing myself to sob myself to sleep.The room was dark when I woke up. Night had fallen and I hadn't had any need to put lights on during the day, so the room had plunged into darkness, which was kind of unnerving in the unfamiliar setting.With a sigh, I sat up, searching for the lamp beside the bed and clicking it on.I'd shed my tears and acknowledged my shitty situation, but now I needed to try and figure a way out of it, because crying all afternoon hadn't magically resolved the issue.It was clear, Harlan was dangerous. More dangerous than I'd ever imagined. The fact that he seemed to want me was in my favor, but that would only go so far... He had said he didn't want to hurt me, but he would. I couldn't rule out the possibility that he might push tha
I knew there was no getting out of this. Harlan's eyes bore into me, expectant and demanding. With a resigned sigh, I nodded."Okay," I relented softly. "But I need you to understand, I can't control what I see. It might not be anything useful."Harlan nodded eagerly, scooting even closer to me on the bed. "That's fine. I just want to see how it works."I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. "I need to be touching you," I explained. "And I need to look into your eyes," I went on, already knowing that such an intimate act with Harlan was going to leave me feeling dirty for days.Without hesitation, he grabbed my hands, his touch making my skin crawl. He leaned in close, his blue eyes locking with mine. I took a deep breath, trying to focus on something trivial, hoping to find a memory that wouldn't be helpful or relevant in any way. Something boring and mundane.As I stared into his eyes, I felt the familiar sensation of being sucked backward through space and time
(Ryder's POV)The moment Dad confirmed Nathan as the new Beta of Aspenwood Pack, I was ready to go. My heart raced, with a resurgence of adrenaline. We knew where Kate was, now we just needed to get to her."Let's go," I said, picking up Tyler's car keys and heading for the door.He grabbed my arm, stopping me. "Hold on, Ryder. We can't just go."I spun around, glaring at him. "Are you kidding? We know where she is, let's go get her. Why are you making this so much more complicated than it needs to be?!""I'm not trying to make things complicated. I just want to make sure we do shit right," Tyler countered, his voice annoyingly calm. "We need our IDs to travel. We should pack some clothes, maybe grab some supplies. We don't know how long we'll be gone. We can't just run in there all guns blazing."I groaned in frustration. "Fucking hell, Tyler! Every second we waste here is another second she's at their mercy!""I know. But if we show up unprepared, we'll be no help to her at all," Ty
(Ryder's POV)It felt like time was moving so slowly it might as well be going backwards.The wait at the airport felt like torture. The flight itself was a nightmare because some Karen felt like she deserved a window seat, even though she hadn't been assigned one and she, of course, had to make a big scene about it. Then we had issues at the car hire place because insisted on something with four-wheel drive and they didn't have anything, so we had to try another dealership.Now we were finally on the highway headed toward the Medicine Bow Pack. The monotonous hum of tires on the asphalt filled me with anxiety. It felt like we were headed further away from Kate rather than toward her.I glanced over at Tyler as he yawned, blinking his eyes furiously as he tried to keep focus. He was exhausted. We both were. We hadn't slept in over 24 hours and it was starting to take its toll on us."Want me to drive?" I offered, knowing I wasn't doing much better than him, but seeing that he might ne
(Katelyn's POV)I heard Harlan's footsteps echoing as he retreated down the hallway, and to my relief, I felt like I could breathe again.It only lasted a moment though, and was quickly overshadowed by a crushing wave of defeat as my eyes darted around the room for the millionth time, desperately searching for an escape route I might have somehow missed.Of course, there was nothing. No magical doors had suddenly appeared, none of the windows opened up onto lush green fields where I could disappear into the distance, there was no forgotten cell phone waiting on a desk that would allow me to call for help.For a second, I clung to the hope that Tyler and Ryder would come bursting through the door at any moment. But deep down, I knew I was just setting myself up for disappointment.They had no way of finding me. The harsh truth crushed me beneath its weight. I realized that if I ever wanted to see them again, I was going to have to figure this out on my own.The admission felt like a ki
He halted for a moment, giving me an opportunity to continue, but he didn't release my wrist and I was certain it was going to snap if I so much as breathed too hard.In that split second, an idea formed in my mind. He was so set on me being his. He was possessive and jealous. If I could use that to my advantage..."Please," I begged as tears rolled down my cheeks. "It's just... I've been waiting for my Mating Celebration," I falsely confessed. The tears in my eyes now served a new purpose. Besides being a clear indication of my pain, they also helped me look more weak and vulnerable.Harlan released my hand immediately, but suspicion still clouded his features. "Bullshit!" he spat, though I could see the tiniest hint of doubt beginning to form in his eyes.I rubbed my aching wrist as I shrugged awkwardly, not knowing how to further sell the lie and hoping my silence might be more convincing than words.Wiping the tears from my eyes, I looked down at my feet, avoiding his searching ga
The words left a bitter taste in my mouth.There was a moment of silence, and I wondered if Harlan hadn't maybe already fallen asleep. But then I felt him shift, his arm tightening around me."What do you mean?" he asked, his voice a low rumble against my ear.I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for what I was about to do. For the lies I was about to tell. I didn't want to do it, but I knew I had to play this game if I wanted any chance of escape."From the River Gorge Pack," I elaborated, forcing a tremor into my voice. "I... I never wanted two mates..." I went on, once again trying to mix the lies with the truth to make my story more believable.Harlan's hand stilled on my arm, and I could practically feel his curious eyes on me."I... It's just hard, you know? The mate bond... I guess it makes you kind of crazy," I explained, figuring he probably had no idea what I meant because he had never felt it before."It's disgusting," he stated, the revulsion clear in his voice.
(Ryder's POV)Tyler's belief in me should’ve felt reassuring, but instead, it felt like a heavy weight pressing down on my chest.“No,” I said again, more forcefully this time. “I’m just… It’s not me...”The conversation spiraled from there and we ended up in a shouting match with him trying to point out how good I had been at things like art and creative writing, as if that just somehow magically made me a more capable leader than I was giving myself credit for.It all just kept going downhill from there..."Fear of what, Ryder?! What are you afraid of?! It's sure as shit not being a disappointment because you've prided yourself on that fact for years now. So what is it? What are you so fucking afraid of?!" he snapped, his frustration and patience finally reaching its limit.“Of letting people down!” I finally admitted, the words bursting out before I could stop them. “I’m just—”But Tyler wasn't having it. Before I could even finish my sentence he spoke over me, his words tumbling o
(Ryder's POV)My eyes were focused on the ripples from my failed stone-skipping attempt, but I could feel Tyler's on me, waiting for a response.His question hung in the air and I didn't know how to answer it. I didn't know what to say.With a sigh, I dragged my hand down my face. “I’m just trying to figure shit out.”The answer was a cop-out, but I didn't know what else to tell him. I was torn between letting every word and thought pour out of me so that I could just get it out in the open or shutting down completely and internalizing everything until I finally imploded.“Figure what out?” he pressed, his tone firm but not pushy.Jesus... Did I tell him? Should I just spill the fucking beans and let the chips fall where they may? Or did I keep my mouth shut and deal with it myself?The silence hung over us, heavy and awkward as I struggled to make a decision. Why did this feel so fucking complicated?!He looked like he was going to ask again, to press harder for an actual answer and
(Ryder's POV)I sat on the mossy log, staring at the still surface of the pond in front of me. The air was cool and damp, the smell of earth and pine heavy in the air. I looked up as gray clouds swirled overhead, the threat of rain imminent.This was Tyler's spot, but I'd come here a couple of times before when I needed to get some space to think about shit. Back home, everything just felt so... consuming... overwhelming. Not that it was much better here. It's not like the problems just magically disappeared as soon as I stepped out the front door. But here... I don't know. It was quiet. There was no chaos.This wasn't exactly what I had had in mind when I left this morning, and truth be told, I had no clue how long I had been here. I'd turned my phone off, not wanting to have any distractions or interruptions.Kate had probably messaged, but I just needed this time to focus. To focus on this one stupid problem. A problem that shouldn't have even been a problem at all.There had been
(Tyler's POV) Before I had a chance to put together some kind of response, Ryder continued, “You’ve always been better at everything, Tyler. You could always run that much faster. You were always that much stronger. You always scored that much higher. Everything you ever did... Everything you ever do... You just do it better than me. You can even skip a fucking stone further than I can..." he went on, scoffing at the absurdity of it but I could see that it weighed him down.I bit my lip, still not knowing what to say. To some degree it was true, but there was so much more to it."And I don't hate you for it or anything, okay?" he said, as if trying to set the record straight. "It's not like it's your fault that I couldn't measure up. It's just the way things panned out, and that's fine. I guess the pack needs a leader and that's you. You were always the one everyone looked up to and I guess I just figured that the best thing I could do was stay out of your way and not hold you back.
(Tyler's POV)Ryder hesitated for a moment before shaking his head again and replying, "I'm just... trying to figure shit out.”“Figure what out?” I pressed, trying to sound curious rather than forceful.He was quiet for a long moment and I was almost one hundred percent sure he was going to give me the generic 'stuff' reply again, but he surprised me.“That empty feeling I told you guys about after the marking? Well, it’s still there. I tried to ignore it, figuring that The Elders being here was more important. I thought that maybe it would go away if I didn't think about it, but it hasn’t. It's just gotten worse and with all the shit that asshole Simon was saying... I just... I think… I think I might know why I've been feeling this way...” he trailed off.I frowned. “Why?”He hesitated, his hands clenching into fists. “It's the Alpha thing, I'm almost sure of it. I’ve been avoiding it for years, telling myself I didn’t want it, that it isn’t who I am. But now? It’s like it’s catchin
(Tyler's POV)The Fortress was as busy as ever. People milled around the gym, sparring, chatting, working out, the usual. The faint smell of sweat mingled with disinfectant hung in the air.I scanned the room, hoping to see Ryder beating the shit out of a punching bag or leaning against the wall, smirking at someone’s terrible form, but there was no sign of him.He didn't come here often, so my hopes weren't high to start with, but it was still disappointing when he was nowhere to be seen.If he wasn't in the gym, he didn't really have much reason to be here otherwise. But even so, I figured I may as well make the most of it and do a thorough check of the building.Making my way down the hallway that led to all the meeting rooms and classrooms, I peeked into a few of the rooms where I knew I wouldn't be interrupting anything important. Along the way, I ran into a few familiar faces, but no one I asked had seen him around.With no sign of him here and no solid leads, I stepped back out
(Katelyn's POV)Two days had passed since The Elders had left, and the weight of their impending decision hung over us like a miserable storm cloud. Everyone seemed to be carrying it differently. Tyler busied himself with pack matters, his steady demeanor a calm anchor amidst the uncertainty. Liz had thrown herself into the house, preparing meals and cleaning each and every nook and cranny as if that might somehow scrub away the tension that had been building. David had been quieter than usual, which was its own kind of unsettling.And Ryder? Ryder had been... absent.At first, I didn't think much of it. Ryder wasn't one to stick to predictable routines. He moved at his own pace and showed up where and when he wanted, usually with some sarcastic comment or mischievous grin.But today was different. I hadn't seen him since the morning when he'd looked a little out of it and had just told me he had a lot on his mind. That was it. That was the last time I had seen him. It was late afterno
(Katelyn's POV)I stared at Helen, my mind spinning with her words. Each revelation felt like a hammer blow, shattering any illusions I’d clung to about where this was going.“So, then what’s the point?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. “What’s the point of learning to control my abilities if it won’t make any difference? If they’re just going to see me as some kind of… resource?” The word tasted bitter in my mouth.Helen sighed, her gaze softening as she looked at me. “It’s not that simple, Katelyn. I won’t lie to you, there will always be those who see you as a means to an end. A 'resource', as you put it. That’s not going to change overnight. But that being said, things are changing. Times are changing and so is the way people think.”“Yeah, not fast enough,” I sneered, the frustration bubbling inside me.“No,” Helen admitted, nodding. “Not fast enough. But they ARE changing. And people like you? People like us? We’re the ones who will push those changes forward. We're th
(Katelyn's POV)I heard the vague sound of hurried footsteps approaching us, but I made no attempt to lift my head from Ryder's chest to see who it was. In my mind, I had pictured Liz coming to offer me some comfort, but when Ryder spoke, I realized my assumption must have been off."I don't think she wants to talk to you," he said, his voice firm and protective as he still clutched me tightly."Please," Helen's voice begged, "I just need a minute. I just want to explain—"But Tyler cut her off. "Listen, Helen, we appreciate how you've tried to assist with Simon and all that, but I think she just needs some space right now. There's nothing you can say that's going to fix this. It seems pretty obvious that the Council of Elders has their own agenda here," he stated, trying to keep his words firm without coming across as hostile."Katelyn," Helen tried again, refusing to give up, but Ryder simply rotated me away from her, standing as a barrier between us with his back towards her.I hea