(Tyler's POV)The aroma of grilled meat and roasted vegetables filled the air as we sat around Alpha Jack's rustic dining table. My stomach growled, reminding me just how long it had been since we'd eaten a proper meal.The exhaustion from hours awake and the stress of trying to track down Kate weighed me down, but the smell of food seemed to give me a spike of energy.Takoda grabbed extra plates and cutlery from the kitchen, setting them in front of Ryder and I before heading back to the kitchen and returning with a large roasting dish between two oven mitts.Alpha Jack gave him a nod and I wondered where the Luna might be, but it felt wrong to ask."Go ahead," Jack smiled, gesturing to the food on the table as Takoda took his place."Thank you," Ryder and I said gratefully. helping ourselves to the delicious-looking roast with vegetables.As we ate, Takoda leaned forward, his dark eyes curious. "So, what's your plan?" he asked, looking between Ryder and me. "How are you going to get
(Jenna's POV)I stood frozen in my living room, Ryder’s voice still echoing through my mind even after I had hung up the phone.Harlan had kidnapped Kate...My heart pounded in my chest, and a cold sweat clung to my skin as I considered the gravity of the situation. This was Harlan we were talking about. The new Alpha of my pack. The same guy who had nearly gotten Kate exiled because his fragile ego couldn't handle rejection.Harlan had always been a self-serving and manipulative bastard, and if he had her, there was no way it could be good.I sank onto the couch, my mind spinning. I couldn't believe this was happening. Kate had seemed so happy. Her mates were great and she told me that she was starting to feel like she finally belonged, then that piece of shit had gone and ripped it all away. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself. I would need to come up with some kind of plan. I would need some way of confronting Harlan to g
(Ryder's POV)I'm pretty sure Tyler had been on the verge of throwing a punch in my direction, but when he heard that I was speaking to Jenna, he seemed to deflate, the tension suddenly leaving his body in a slow exhale.“What did she say?” he asked after I had ended the call, his voice filled with a mixture of hope and exhaustion.I sighed deeply before replying. “She said she’d try, but she’s not exactly close with Harlan. So I guess the chances of him opening up and sharing all the details of how he kidnapped her best friend probably aren't all that high,” I replied, feeling a gnawing disappointment settle over my chest.Tyler gave a small nod, his shoulders slumping slightly. “It was a good idea,” he admitted, his voice soft. “Let’s hope she can help.”He clapped me on the back, a gesture of solidarity that I hadn't realized I needed right now. Then he turned, leading the way back to Alpha Jack’s house. I followed, my mind still racing with all kinds of plans and plots to get her
(Ryder's POV)The pain in my chest was relentless, a constant ache that I couldn’t seem to shake. Every breath felt like a struggle, every heartbeat a reminder that Kate was out there, somewhere, in the clutches of that monster.My mind raced with thoughts of Kate and her capture, each one darker than the last. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Harlan couldn’t win. It wasn’t fair.“I’m not giving up,” Tyler’s voice broke through the haze of my thoughts, pulling me back to the present.His tone was firm and resolute, but there was an underlying desperation in it that I could relate to.I nodded in agreement, the power of speech momentarily eluding me as my chest cramped again.I wasn’t giving up either, but it was hard to ignore the incessant voice in the back of my head that said we were running out of time, that the odds weren't on our side.Tyler likely had the same nagging voice in his head, because he continued, his voice firm, as if he were trying to
(Katelyn's POV)I settled back into the bed beside Harlan, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he'd hear it. To my immense relief, he seemed to be fast asleep. No wandering hands, no intense stares, just the steady rise and fall of his chest. I let out a breath of relief and stared up at the ceiling, trying to focus.Okay, Kate, I thought to myself. You've got a handle on the visions. That's something. But now we need to figure out how this dream thing works.So far, it had been completely random. But I really needed it to work now. I needed to figure this out so that I could somehow slip into Harlan's dream. Maybe I could convince him to show me where he'd hidden the key for the door. Or better yet, maybe I could just convince him to let me go.I looked over at Harlan's sleeping form. If he were awake, I might've been able to peek into his memories to see where he'd put the key. But there was no way in hell I was going to try and pry his eyes open now to get a glimpse. I wanted to g
(Katelyn's POV)I could feel myself slipping as darkness crept into the edges of my vision and his grip tightened around my throat. My body was fighting, instinctively trying to live, but I couldn’t get him off of me no matter how hard I fought.His strength was suffocating, and I knew that if I didn’t do something soon, I was going to black out completely... or worse.My vision blurred, and panic coursed through me while my thoughts raced to find some kind of escape from this. But I couldn't see a way out of this one. The 'dream manipulation' was failing me. If I could manipulate dreams then why was I still in this shitty position?! Couldn't I just materialise somewhere else?! Couldn't I just somehow be stronger than him and able to fight my way out?!This was my dream, wasn't it!? I was supposed to be the one with the power here! But I wasn't... I was just as weak here as I was in real life...A thought broke through the chaos in my mind. A last-ditch attempt to free myself from thi
I bolted upright in bed, my chest heaving with every breath as I gasped for air, the final remnants of the dream clinging to me, continuing to suffocate me.My hands instinctively reached for my throat, fingers grazing the tender skin that still burned from where Harlan had wrapped his hand around it. From where I had desperately clawed at it trying to pry his fingers away so that I could breathe. There was no sign of the altercation now though, and I sighed in relief.My head was still spinning from the vision. Had it been real? Was it the past? Was it the future? Was it just a dream? Or was I really some kind of conduit for the Moon Goddess?Harlan lay beside me, still in a deep sleep. His face was relaxed and he looked so innocent, almost boyish in his sleep, which made my stomach churn.It felt like the vision had to have been real, but it was all so vague. The power I’d felt... that wasn’t me. That was something else. Something beyond me. The thought of being a channel for the Moo
(Jenna's POV)The angry buzzing of my alarm pierced through the silence of my room, ripping me from a perfectly good dream. I groaned and rolled over, searching for the snooze button with only one sleepy eye open. The temptation to stay there was almost overwhelming."Get the fuck up, bitch," I muttered to myself, remembering why I had set the alarm in the first place. This wasn’t just some casual early morning run that I could flake out on. I had a mission today.With absolutely no enthusiasm whatsoever, I peeled myself out of bed, berating myself for not being able to come up with a better idea the night before.As I shuffled toward the bathroom, grumbling to myself about the fact that the sun wasn't even up yet, I heard the faint chirps of birds, indicating that dawn was coming. Can't say I found it particularly encouraging though... After brushing my teeth and pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I got dressed and stared at my reflection. Meh... At least the leggings made my butt l
(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