I think everyone needs a friend like Jenna in their lives 💗
(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
(Jenna's POV)Nathan's kiss was passionate and insistent and I got swept away like a piece of driftwood on the ocean in a storm. My brain screamed at me to stop, to pull away, to remind myself why I was really here. But my body... my body had other ideas.There was a comfort in his touch, a familiarity that I didn't want to part with again. It had been so painful the first time and I didn't want to feel that pain again. I just wanted to fall back into the rhythm we had once shared. I wanted to allow muscle memory to do its thing and just carry on where we had left off a year ago.I hated how much he still affected me, how easily he could make me forget why I should be mad at him. How one kiss could pull me back in time and erase all the pain and hurt and betrayal.Maybe we never really did end things properly... maybe we never got the closure we needed. I thought I had, but now... I mean, clearly I had been wrong.I finally pulled away, breaking the kiss and taking a step back. My ches
(Katelyn's POV)I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the breakfast tray Harlan had brought in earlier and placed on the table. The smell of scrambled eggs and toast wafted through the room, but eating was the last thing I felt like doing right now.He hovered beside me, encouraging me to eat, like he genuinely cared.“We've got a busy day ahead of us,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder, the gesture meant to be comforting but feeling anything but.I nodded absentmindedly, wondering what he meant by that before I stood and made my way over to the try, picking up a piece of the dry toast and nibbling at it apathetically.My mind was still miles away, stuck in the vision as I tried to contemplate a way out of here.A knock on the door broke my thoughts. Harlan made his way over to it, looking over at me before unlocking it. A few mumbled words were shared before Harlan closed the door, locking it again, then returning with a small pile of neatly folded clothes which he pl