(Katelyn's POV)“You can’t expect me to sit here and do nothing!” Ryder snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously.“I’m not asking you to do nothing,” Tyler said, his voice calmer now but still tense. “I’m asking you to listen to me and to consider all the facts before we get ourselves into even more trouble.”Ryder opened his mouth to argue, but Alpha David cut in before he could.“That’s enough, both of you,” David said firmly, his voice commanding as he drew the attention of everyone in the room. “We’re not making any rash decisions right now. You did what you had to do to get Kate back. Now she's back and she's safe and we should let The Elders handle the rest. At this point, we can still argue that you were acting to protect your mate. If you go out there to hunt down Harlan or any of his accomplices in all of this, that looks like vengeance and there's no way to defend that.”The room fell into an uneasy silence, Ryder’s frustration still palpable as he glared at the table, his bod
(Katelyn's POV)The room fell into silence again, the weight of my words sinking in. Tyler, Ryder, and even Alpha David looked conflicted. The idea of telling The Elders that I was part of the Elysian Line could be dangerous, and I knew it. But what choice did we really have? David’s brow furrowed, the look in his eyes one of deep concern. “Maybe you’re right,” he said slowly, after what felt like an eternity. “It will come out eventually. And it’s probably better if we’re upfront about it.”Ryder leaned forward, his hands gripping the edge of the table as he stared at David in disbelief. “How can you say that? You know what this could mean! The second they find out, there’s no telling what they might want with her!”I swallowed hard, my throat tight.Ryder wasn’t wrong. Of course, The Elders were trusted, yes, but their power was absolute. What if they decided I was too valuable to be left in River Gorge? What if they thought my abilities might be better suited elsewhere?“I underst
(Katelyn's POV)As the others filtered out of the room, I found myself lingering, watching as Tyler and Ryder spoke quietly with Alpha David near the door.My mind was racing with everything we had just discussed. The Elders, the marking, the looming threat of Harlan or his pack. There was so much to process, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for any of it.Jenna came to stand beside me, her expression clouded but I could see that she was trying to be supportive.“I didn’t expect that,” she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.I nodded, but in honesty, I wasn't exactly sure what she meant. Did she mean the part about us telling The Elders the truth? Did she mean the fact that Alpha David had welcomed her and potentially her mother to the River Gorge Pack? Did she mean the fact that I had disagreed with the Alpha, Tyler and Ryder?“Kate?” Tyler’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He had finished talking with Alpha David, who had left the room, leaving me alone with the twins a
(Katelyn's POV)We sat in silence in the living room... not the one we usually sat in when we watched movies, but the one where I'd met with Ryder and Tyler's parents for the first time. It felt like eons ago now...The weight of unsaid words pressed down on all of us, but no one seemed willing to be the first one to start talking. My gaze drifted to the large window overlooking the back garden and the forest. Outside, life went on. The birds flew through the trees, the bees buzzed around in search of flowers, the bugs did whatever it was that bugs did, but here we sat inside... quiet and still, like time had momentarily paused for us.Tyler sat on the sofa opposite me while Ryder stood beside the fireplace with his arms crossed and his jaw set. Both watched me patiently as if waiting for me to kick off the conversation. But where would I even start?Jenna sat beside me, perched nervously on the edge of the sofa, twisting her fingers in her lap as she waited for the conversation to com
(Katelyn's POV)Ryder glared at her, his frustration clear, but Jenna didn’t waver for a second. “Kate doesn't owe any of us an explanation. This is her trauma, not ours,” she continued, her voice steady.“She said we could talk about it,” Ryder insisted, his tone becoming more aggressive. “I want to know what happened with that piece of shit! I deserve to know!”“Dude,” Tyler said, his voice calm but stern, “calm down.”But Ryder wasn't having it. "I am fucking calm! I want to know what happened! Don't I have a right to know?! I'm her fucking mate!”Jenna’s eyes flashed with anger but she answered him calmly. “No, you don't have a RIGHT to know. This isn’t about you. This is about Kate and what she’s comfortable sharing.”I watched as Ryder’s frustration boiled over. He was about to let Jenna have it, but before he could say another word, Jenna stood up and laid into him.“Don't you dare say another fucking word. You have no idea what she's been through and you have no right to deman
(Ryder's POV)I couldn’t stand the silence. It felt like it was crushing me, but no one said anything. We all just looked around at one another, waiting for someone to say something.Kate looked nervous, her eyes darting around the room. It felt like she was hiding something and I needed to know what it was.Eventually, Tyler stepped in, “So... we’re home. Let’s talk,” he began, opening up the floor.Kate still said nothing, her eyes now fixed on her lap while she fidgeted awkwardly.I'll admit, I was beginning to get annoyed. What was she waiting for? What was she hiding?I sighed and went to take a seat beside Tyler, feeling like I should probably get comfortable if this was going to take all day. Finally, after further prompting from Tyler, she began to talk.She explained how she had no memory of the actual kidnapping, but that she'd managed to access it via a vision by staring into her own eyes in a mirror.That was certainly an interesting turn of events. If that were the case, i
(Ryder's POV)Kate looked relieved when I apologized. I saw it in the way her shoulders eased and her eyes softened, but the moment didn’t last long. Her gaze flicked back and forth between me and Jenna, like she was trying to figure out if the tension between us had really died down.It hadn’t, not completely. I couldn't help the resentment I still harbored against her, but I was willing to let it go... For now, at least.The room was thick with unspoken words. Tyler sat quietly, waiting for someone to say something, while Jenna still clutched Kate's hand protectively.I didn’t know what was supposed to come next, but I knew that the silence was stretching on for way longer than was comfortable.Finally, Kate cleared her throat, looking like she was ready to say something, though her voice came out soft and hesitant. “I know you both need answers,” she began, her eyes settling on me before shifting over to Tyler. “And I want to tell you everything. But... I’m still trying to work thr
(Ryder's POV)"Somehow, between Harlan and Dr Prince, they got it in their heads that my abilities were somehow linked to the moon. So Harlan decided it would be best that I give him a demonstration that night. Dr Prince seemed to think it was a bad idea, given that it was raining and the moon wasn't even visible," Kate went on with a small shrug, her eyes still fixed on the floor."Then Harlan asked the Doctor if there was a way to verify that what I was telling them was true. Like, if I was lying, was there any way for them to know. I had been lying, so that made me a little nervous. But then Dr Prince said there was no way that he was aware of. That's when Harlan decided to bring Jenna in. He kept saying that he was sure I'd be able to show him more if I just had the right motivation." She looked so miserable as she recounted the story and I couldn't help but feel guilty about earlier.What the fuck had I expected from her?! What was I actually thinking?! That she would just lay do
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