(Katelyn's POV)As the vision took hold, the rain and the cold wind disappeared. The world around me turned into a nauseating swirl of heat and suffocating air.I felt the same scorching heat I had before and I thought my skin was going to melt off of my body.We landed in the vision... the same one I had had before. The one where Harlan's packlands were on fire.A satisfied smile crept across my face, but I hid it quickly, masking it with an expression of concern as I looked around at the fearsome flames that licked the sky.This time was a little different in that I wasn't experiencing the vision in first person. Instead, it was just like the memories, where all you could do was stand there and watch whatever scenario was playing out in front of you, unable to intervene. Unable to change anything. Not that I would want to in this instance.Harlan stood beside me, his face showing none of the usual smug confidence he carried. Rather, he was looking around in confusion as the smoke cu
(Katelyn's POV)The fear flashed in his eyes and something inside me clicked. He was afraid of me.This was my chance. My only chance.I swallowed hard, forcing the nausea to the back of my mind as I decided to take the opportunity to act before it slipped past me. If I was going to do this, it had to be now. I couldn’t afford to hesitate.With as much control as I could muster, I turned away from Harlan and made my way toward Jenna, every step I took deliberate and steady.I had the power now. I was the one in control of this situation. I was the one to be feared.Bending down beside Jenna, I took her cold hand. The rain continued to pour, soaking us both, but I ignored it. Instead, I leaned in close to her, whispering, “It’s going to be okay now, Jen. I swear.” My voice cracked with emotion as tears filled my eyes at the sight of her. She smiled weakly, but then, in an instant, the smile fell.Just as quickly as my hope had blossomed, it was torn away.Pain shot through the back of m
(Tyler’s POV)The rain beat down around us relentlessly, making everything feel slow and heavy.It felt like a lifetime had passed since we’d left Medicine Bow territory, and the journey to Aspenwood had been long, grueling, and frustrating in every possible way, but we'd finally made it. We were in the Aspenwood Pack lands, but instead of relief, I only felt the growing pressure of time slipping away from us.Ryder walked ahead of me. He was quiet, his gaze searching through the dark, thick forest in hopes that we might find some sign of Kate, but the rain made it exponentially harder.Every now and then, I glanced at him, the flicker of our earlier argument still lingering in my mind. We’d been on edge the whole drive. Maybe it was the exhaustion or the helplessness of feeling like we were chasing shadows, but tempers had flared.“I don’t get how you’re so fucking calm about all this!” Ryder had snapped, his frustration reaching a peak as the sun began to set and the rain had starte
(Katelyn’s POV)Harlan’s hand was like a vise around my throat, squeezing tighter and tighter with every passing second. My back was pressed hard against the tree, the rough bark scraping painfully against my bare skin. I gasped for air, but his grip was unrelenting, and the harder I fought, the more hopeless it became.I tried to claw his hand away from my neck, desperate to pry his fingers loose, but it was pointless. He was too strong and my one arm was all but useless after my fall.My movements were growing weaker, my strength ebbing away as the lack of oxygen sucked away what little fight I had left.I kicked out at him, landing blows against his legs and abdomen, but I may as well have been kicking a brick wall. He didn’t even flinch. His eyes burned with rage, his expression twisted with fury, but I could see something else there too... satisfaction. He was enjoying this. Enjoying watching me struggle, watching the life drain out of me.My chest was burning, my arm was throbbi
(Katelyn’s POV)The snarl echoed through the rain-soaked forest, sharp and vicious, drowning out the sound of my own ragged breathing.My head snapped up, eyes wide as I caught sight of two wolves launching themselves at Harlan. They tore into him, their powerful jaws ripping at his skin while he struggled to fight them off.For a moment, I was frozen, unsure of what I was seeing.The wolves fought relentlessly, taking advantage of the fact that Harlan was still in his human form. They ripped into him with brutal efficiency, and I could hear his pained growls as he tried to fight back.I squinted through the darkness, trying to make sense of it. I couldn't see the color of their fur... Everything just looked gray in the dark. My mind immediately raced to the conclusion that it was Ryder and Tyler, but I knew it couldn't be. They didn't know where I was. It couldn't be them.As I struggled to my feet, my mind raced with questions, but the only thing on my mind now was escape. I had to
(Katelyn’s POV)The rain wouldn't let up and the cold seeped into my bones. The forest around us seemed endless, the trees looming like dark shadows with their branches reaching out to us like skeletal hands. I didn’t know where we were anymore. It all just looked the same.Jenna and I were still clutching one another's hands tightly, our fingers trembling as we shivered relentlessly. At first, we didn't talk. The weight of everything that had just happened hung between us and it felt too fresh... too soon. Also, we weren't out of this mess yet and I wasn't ready to reflect on everything until I was sure it was over.“Are we even going the right way?” Jenna finally asked, her voice shaky as her teeth chattered.“I... don’t know,” I admitted, looking around the endless forest. The truth tasted bitter on my tongue. We had been wandering for what felt like hours, and I had long since lost all sense of direction."So... Should we stop? Or do we just keep going?" Jenna asked hesitantly."W
I stomped along the deserted pavement, my mood as dark and brooding as the fast approaching storm clouds overhead. The library had been my escape from the overhyped Mating Celebration, but even the quiet rustle of pages and the familiar smell of old books hadn’t been enough to calm my irritation. The pack's obsession with this archaic tradition grated on me more than I cared to explain. That, and the fact that my family had booted me out of my home in Colorado and shipped me off to stay with my aunt here in Oregon almost a week ago now.The distant sounds of laughter and music from the celebration drifted through the air. It annoyed me. I couldn’t understand why everyone put so much stock in finding their 'destined mate.' The whole concept felt oppressive, like we were all just pawns in some preordained plan. The idea of 'mates' meant that there was no room for freewill, and that was something that just never sat well with me.My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me out of my thought
"I guess it's lucky we're in the bathroom then," I mumbled sarcastically, causing him to chuckle."Do you wanna come out?" the voice suggested hopefully.I sighed, pressing my back against the cool wall, and feeling it's chill seep through me. "No. Not yet. I just... I need a minute," I replied before blowing my nose."Fair enough," he conceded, then I was certain I heard him sit down."Um... Are you staying then?" I asked tentatively."Yeah, if that's okay. I mean, you did say it was a good thing we were in the bathroom if we might throw up..." he tried to justify his presence."I mean, I guess..." was all I managed in response, my tears on pause for the moment as I tried to deal with this weird turn of events.I unrolled another length of toilet paper, crumpling it into a ball and dabbing at my nose, which continued to run. Then I took a deep breath as I tried to regain my composure."Shouldn't you be at the Mating Celebration?" I asked, unable to disguise the bitterness in my voice