(Jenna's POV)Sitting at my desk in the stuffy office, I felt like I was slowly cooking in my own skin. The long sleeves of my shirt clung to me in the stifling heat, suffocating me even more than usual.It was so stupid that I had to wear long sleeves. It’s not like my tattoos made me any worse at my job. But Dr. Miller insisted. "Professionalism," he called it. I just called it bullshit.I sighed and took another sip of my lukewarm water, reminding myself that this was just a means to an end. Being a receptionist certainly wasn't my dream job, but it was a job and it meant I could save a bit of money for my own place.My thoughts wandered back to my phone call with Ryder earlier and his obvious disappointment. I'd tried everything I could to get Nathan to give me more information, but he was like a fucking brick wall in the end.I'd told Ryder that all I managed to find out was that Kate was "safe", as Nathan put it, and that she was staying in Harlan's house, but I had no clue exact
(Katelyn's POV)My stomach lurched the instant Harlan hung up the phone. Why did he want to bring Jenna here? What sinister plans did he have in store for her? For us!?Dr. Prince's words sliced through my thoughts, his eyes still fixed on me like I was some exciting little experiment. "When did these abilities first make themselves known to you?" he asked, with an eager curiosity.I swallowed hard, trying to buy myself some time before I answered the question. I was scared I might say something that landed me in more trouble. I didn't want to divulge too much, but I also had no idea where the line between too much and not enough stood.“We, uh... We had a Lunar Eclipse Celebration about a month ago,” I revealed hesitantly. "It happened for the first time that night."The doctor's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning and he turned to Harlan with obvious excitement. “Now that's an interesting thought! What if her abilities are linked to the lunar cycle?! If they first manifested
(Katelyn's POV)"Isn't this a sweet little reunion?" Harlan said, the false warmth in his tone sending a shiver down my spine. "Why don’t you take a seat, Jenna?" He gestured to one of the chairs by his desk.Jenna hesitated but complied, placing her bag at her feet as she sat down.Then, it began.He paced up and down between us, his eyes darkening with every word he spoke. “Do you know why you’re here, Jenna?” he asked innocently as he paused just in front of her.Jenna shook her head. “No, Harlan. I have no idea," she replied with an air of defiance."Alpha Harlan," he corrected her with a raised eyebrow."Alpha Harlan," she repeated, somehow miraculously managing not to roll her eyes.Harlan's face twisted into a smirk. “So, tell me, Jen, what do you know about the Elysian Line?”Jenna frowned, looking at him with utter confusion. “The what?” she asked looking at him with narrowed eyes.She didn't know. I had never told her. I didn't want to get her caught up in all my bullshit an
(Jenna's POV)I cursed under my breath as I stared down at the blood pooling on the front of my white shirt.Great. Just fucking great. There was no way I was ever getting this stain out.The thought of Harlan’s questions replayed in my mind, jumbling together with my confusion. Something about an Elijah Line? An Allegiance Line? What the hell was he even talking about? And Kate having visions? Seeing shit? Was she sick or having some kind of mental breakdown? Can't say that would surprise me after being locked up by that psychopath...Whatever it was, it was crystal clear what Harlan intended to do with me. I was leverage. He was going to use me to get to Kate. He’d bend her to his will by hurting me, and knowing Harlan’s reputation, I was not looking forward to it. Everyone knew how he was... ruthless and relentless. He clearly wanted something from Kate that she wasn’t giving him, and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to help him get what he wanted.I looked around the room, searching for
(Tyler’s POV)The rumble of the rental car beneath me felt steady and monotonous, the miles stretching on endlessly as we made our way toward the Aspenwood Pack lands.I glanced over at Ryder, who was tapping his fingers restlessly on his knee, clearly agitated by how long this was taking. His frustration was almost palpable.I sighed heavily, watching the trees blur past us as I replayed the events of that morning in my mind. We’d both been dead to the world, the exhaustion finally catching up with us after what felt like an eternity of searching for Kate. I hadn’t wanted to sleep, but when my head hit the pillow, it seemed like my body made the decision for me.It was Ryder’s phone that had jolted us awake. The piercing ringtone had pulled me out of the dark depths of unconsciousness and I remember Ryder sitting up groggily, fumbling for his phone.It had been Jenna.I didn’t hear much of the conversation, just the low murmur of Ryder’s voice as he paced up and down the room.When he
(Katelyn's POV)I lay on the bed listlessly with nothing to do but drown in my own thoughts. The hours seemed to drag by, but there was no way to tell for sure. I had no clock and the sun was obscured behind a wall of thick, threatening gray clouds.All I could think about was Jenna. Was she okay? Where was he keeping her? Was he with her now? Continuing to torment her?The thought made me sick.I needed to figure a way out of here. But with Jenna in the mix now, it felt even more impossible.At some point, the door creaked open and Harlan strode inside carrying a tray of food. He casually set it down on the table beside the bed, watching my mopey face while he smiled.“Please, Harlan,” I began, sitting up and trying to keep my voice steady. “Please, let her go. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll do anything you want. Please just let her go.” My eyes met his, pleading, desperate.A smirk grew on Harlan's face. “Anything?” he asked, stepping closer to the bed.That look made my skin crawl, bu
Katelyn's POVThe low rumble of thunder woke me up. I sat up on the bed, disoriented for a moment as I looked around, realizing that I must have fallen asleep. I suppose that wasn't too surprising... There wasn't much else to do here. At least sleep was some kind of escape... if only for my mind.I missed my music. That might have helped to drown out my thoughts. It might have given me some kind of distraction.With a sigh, I glanced over at the tray of food still perched beside the bed. I hadn't touched it and I still wasn’t hungry.Thunder rumbled again, closer this time, so I decided to investigate. I swung my legs off the bed, feeling a mild chill creep over me as I crossed the room toward the window. The sky was an ominous shade of gray. The clouds, heavy and dark, hung low like they were ready to unleash an apocalyptic storm.The sight sent a shiver through me, and I crossed my arms over my chest, wishing I had something warmer to wear.Jenna. My mind kept circling back to her. I
(Katelyn's POV)Nausea hit me hard, the aftershock of the vision assaulting me brutally. I'd touched the baby, which was obviously a bad idea, but I hadn't been able to stop myself. Then there was the blood... so much blood it stained the ground red.I heaved, covering my mouth and running to the bathroom as fast as I could. I barely made it in time, collapsing in front of the toilet as the bile rose in my throat. I heaved, vomiting until my stomach was empty, and even then, the retching didn't stop.I rested my forehead against the cold porcelain, trying to steady my breathing. Then the tears came again, sadness and grief mixing with the sickness as I struggled to process what I’d just seen.Me... My mother... My father. I wiped at my tear-streaked face, the nausea still gripping me, but the wave of emotions that coursed through me was worse than the physical sickness.I had seen my mother’s last moments. I had lived them with her. It was completely heartbreaking, but maybe... I suppo
I adjusted my grip on the tiny, squirming bundle in my arms and smiled as a chorus of laughter echoed through the Valentine house."Could you hold her for a sec?" I asked Ryder, shifting Ava into a more comfortable position. "I forgot my phone downstairs.""Absolutely," he replied, his face lighting up as he took her from me.I had to admit, Ryder had surprised me. I’d always known Tyler would step up to fatherhood like it was his destiny, but Ryder… I thought he might need a little more coaxing along the way.To my relief, and, I'll be honest, surprise, that hadn’t been the case at all.Ryder had embraced fatherhood like a natural. Late-night feeds? He was right there with me. Diapers? No problem. Making sure I ate? He was relentless. And the way he loved our daughter, with every fiber of his being... God, it melted my heart daily.Tyler, on the other hand, was exactly the dad I’d known he’d be. He was steady, dependable, and endlessly patient. Where Ryder brought the energy and fun,
(Katelyn's POV)I nodded slowly, processing it all as I tried to picture it in my mind's eye."Oh! And get this!" Ryder piped up with an excited grin. "Michael, the guy you wrapped around the pillar? He's Simon's cousin!""What?! How do you know that?" I asked, confused.Tyler replied this time, "Well, when we were leaving, we bumped into Simon in one of those long, winding corridors. He started going off at us asking where we were going and if we had permission to leave, blah blah blah... But Helen shut him down. She told him that the decision had been made and instead of giving us a hard time he should probably go and check on his cousin because the last time she saw him, he didn't look so good.""You should have seen his face," Ryder smirked, chuckling to himself. "He just stood there for a moment, still blocking our path, but then I think something clicked in his head. He probably saw that we were all covered in blood and shit and realized that something was wrong and he practicall
(Katelyn's POV)The first thing I registered was the sound of hushed voices and the faint smell of lavender.My eyelids felt like they’d been superglued shut, but after what felt like an Olympic-level effort, I finally managed to pry them open.My vision swam, the room around me looking like a watercolor painting that someone had left out in the rain.Where was I? WHO was I? It felt like I had been asleep for a hundred years.I blinked repeatedly, willing my vision to focus, but when it finally did, nothing seemed familiar.It was dark, from what I could tell, and the only light was coming from a lamp somewhere on the other side of the room.I shifted onto my elbow, trying to sit up, but I instantly regretted it. Pain throbbed in my skull, my head spinning like I’d spent hours on some rotating carnival ride. A groan escaped me, and the low murmurs nearby stopped immediately.“Kate?” A voice cut through the haze... Familiar, warm, desperate.My gaze darted toward the sound, and there t
(Katelyn's POV)She was furious, but not with me. I could feel her... like a storm raging inside me, raw and untamed. I waited in the quiet shelter of my own mind, nothing more than an observer as I watched her wrath unfold. It was like witnessing a hurricane from the safety of a bunker, awe and terror warring inside me."We... We didn't know!" the iron-haired woman’s voice quivered, her arms raised defensively, as if they could shield her from the Goddess's divine fury."You didn't know?! You didn't know that you were exploiting them? Or you didn't know that I would care?" the Moon Goddes spoke through my lips, her words flowing like liquid thunder."I... We..." the woman stammered, her eyes darting around desperately, searching for someone, ANYONE, to come to her rescue. But no one did. No one dared to move. They were all frozen like statues in the face of the storm."You will—" the words spilled from my mouth, but I somehow managed to cut them off abruptly when I heard Tyler's angu
(Tyler's POV)"I don't know what to do," Kate whispered, her voice filled with helplessness as she looked up at me while I struggled against the attendants who held me in place."Let him go," she ordered, authority resonating through her voice in a way I'd never heard before.When they hesitated, she glanced toward the man she'd just sent flying through the air like a puppet as some kind of silent warning of her power.That seemed like enough for them to release me.The second I was free, I fell down beside her, desperate to stop the blood that was pouring from Ryder's neck. It was coming out so fast it was clear that they must have gotten an artery, the blood pulsating out of the wound in steady throbs."What do we do?" she whispered, looking to me for answers I didn't have.I reached out, holding my hand over hers in some futile attempt to stop the bleeding, but it was like trying to hold back a flood with a fucking paper towel.His neck was a mangled wreck. The flesh was torn open t
(Katelyn's POV)Tyler’s hand trembled as he held it in place over mine, trying desperately to stop the blood that continued to pulse out, albeit at a much slower pace now.His voice was a whisper and it wavered with desperation. "You’re going to be okay, Ryder. You hear me? Just hang on. Just—" he broke off, choking back a sob as his other hand found its way to Ryder’s blood-matted fur as he rubbed him affectionately.He looked at me, his face pale and his eyes swimming with tears that he tried uselessly to blink away.“Kate...” His voice cracked, barely audible above the rapid, shallow breaths of his brother. “The bleeding... it’s too much. He’s not healing fast enough.”His words struck me like a dagger to the chest. I'd thought it, but hearing him say it out loud made it real.“What are you saying?!” I cried, my voice raw and broken as I gripped Ryder’s limp paw, shaking it in hopes of some kind of reaction. My vision blurred as I let the tears spill down my cheeks. “Is he going to
(Katelyn's POV)Through a blur of tears, I found myself face to face with the broad-shouldered Elder, Michael."You're an abomination!" he snarled, his hands gripping my arms with a ferocity that promised bruises. "You're a curse! A witch! A temptress! Do you know how my family has suffered because of you?!" he spat as he shook me violently, his eyes filled with absolute rage."But... I..." I stammered, trying to form words into sentences, but my brain couldn't do it.All I could do was stare at him, still reeling from the fact that one second I had been kneeling beside Ryder, trying to help him, and the next, I was being violently shaken by a man who seemed to have gone full psycho."Katelyn?!" Tyler called out, realizing I was no longer at his side.Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him struggling against about three or four attendants who tried to hold him back.Suddenly, pain shot through my cheek and the world around me fell into a darkness that seemed to ebb and flow like the t
(Katelyn's POV)For a moment, the entire room froze and my ears rang with the word exterminated."We're leaving," Tyler said, his voice low as he snatched me by the wrist and tugged me toward the door.The attendants remained though, none of them making any move to unblock our path. Instead, they all looked toward the iron-haired woman as if waiting for her to give them some instruction."Move," Tyler demanded sharply as Ryder appeared on my other side."We aren't finished here," the iron-haired woman called out as three more attendants appeared to block our exit."She wants to leave," Ryder replied, his voice filled with venom as he turned to address her."We aren't finished," she repeated, her voice cold and sharp as steel."I thought you said this was a hearing," I shot back, glaring at her. "Was there some line in the invitation about being held against my will? Because if there was, I must’ve missed that part," I spat, trying to hide my growing fear with sarcasm.The room fell si
(Katelyn's POV)The iron-haired woman watched me, her grip on her notes tightening once more. Her restraint was evident as she took a deep breath before finally replying. “You have already been told, Miss Grey, that this meeting is for us to ascertain—”I cut her off, my own patience now unraveling fast. “God, you can’t even give me a straight answer! What are the potential outcomes here?!” I demanded. "Even criminals on trial know what potential penalties they'll be facing! Why can't I be afforded the same courtesy?! Are you going to impose some kind of limitations on me and my abilities? Or do you plan to lock me in a prison cell? Or maybe a tower in the middle of nowhere? Are you going to kill me? Seriously, what options are on the table here?!" I pressed, annoyed by how fucking evasive she was being.It felt like they had already made up their minds here. While a few of them did seem to be on my side, it's clear that many of them were not. And those who sat on the fence would likel