(Ryder's POV)Jenna looked uncomfortable, her brow furrowing. "What? Did I say something wrong?" she apologized, glancing nervously at Kate. Kate shook her head slowly, almost like she hadn’t heard Jenna at all. Her lips moved as she whispered something to herself, "Break the cycle..."We all exchanged confused looks. What was going on? Was she having some kind of flashback? PTSD?"Yeah, Harlan always gets his way," Jenna began to explain, as if maybe Kate had misunderstood what she meant. "Harlan always wins. Maybe you're the one to teach him a lesson." She smiled at Kate with a hint of pride. "I mean, you have before..."But Kate’s head shook again, this time more firmly. "No... I... I had a vision," she said quietly, her eyes glazing over like she was somewhere far away from the room. “I think... it was my mom. My real mom.”Her real mom? None of us saw that coming and I shifted uneasily in my seat, glancing at Tyler to gauge his reaction. He looked just as shocked as I felt."You
(Katelyn's POV)Everyone looked at me awkwardly, unsure of what to do.Ryder spoke first, "You mean, now? Are you... Are you sure you're ready for that?" he asked warily.I nodded. "To be honest, I kind of just want to get this over with," I admitted. "I don't want to have to relive this nightmare again," I said, meaning it. I didn't want to tell the story in bits and pieces. I didn't want to have to delve into it day after day to try and explain things. I just wanted to tell them everything I could now, and then the things I couldn't bring myself to share just yet, I could work through those when I felt ready."Um... Okay," Ryder replied. "How do you want to do this? Like one at a time?" he asked cautiously.I shook my head. "Not a fuck. I'm doing it once and then hopefully I never have to do it again. I never want to see Harlan again," I said adamantly."Okay, so..." Ryder trailed off, uncertain what to do next. "Um...""Let me try with all of you. I told Jen I'd show her anyway. If
(Katelyn's POV)Jenna looked visibly relieved to be back in the living room, her shoulders sinking as she leaned back on her hands, grounding herself against the floor. It was like she needed that confirmation. Needed to touch something solid to remind herself that this was reality.“That wasn’t a memory,” Ryder said softly, breaking the silence. His eyes were locked on mine, searching, as if he was trying to decipher my thoughts.I swallowed hard and shook my head slowly. “No… Well, yes... Not exactly” I replied cryptically, realizing I was going to have to try and explain this.But how was I supposed to explain something that barely made sense to me?"It didn't actually happen, obviously," I began after a moment's hesitation. "I had a dream. One of those dreams," I clarified, looking to Ryder because I knew he would understand. “Harlan... well..." I trailed off, not particularly wanting to relive the details of how he had pinned me up against the wall as he tried to strangle me."We
(Katelyn's POV)Tyler and I were still laughing when Ryder walked back in, his face somewhere between amusement and discomfort. “So... uh... bad news,” he said, scratching the back of his neck with an awkward smile. “They’re in your room,” he said, fixing his gaze on me.I grimaced for a second, but then shrugged. I couldn't say it would be the first time Jenna had used my room for sex... At least this time it was with her mate. And honestly, I wasn’t about to interrupt them. I could always spend the night with one of the twins.“Of course they are,” I muttered with a sigh, shaking my head. Ryder sat back down on the couch, reclining into it with a deep sigh. He was still smiling, that lazy, content smile that seemed to have spread through the room.“I’m happy for them,” I whispered, my voice soft as I let myself reflect on what this might mean for Jenna. She’d been through so much shit with Nathan, and it was clear that after this little ordeal she wasn't completely over him. Ash wo
(Katelyn's POV)I leaned over Alpha David's shoulder, my eyes quickly skimming through the draft of the letter he had prepared for The Elders. While the words on the screen divulged most of the truth, the tone felt far more cryptic than I had envisioned. We had talked about being completely transparent with The Elders, but this letter seemed... careful. Like it was holding back, saying just enough without revealing too much.It wasn’t wrong, but it didn’t sit right with me either."Can I write them my own letter?" I asked, my voice coming out a bit louder than I had intended.David looked up at me, his brow furrowed in surprise. “What’s wrong with this one?” he asked, clearly caught off guard.I shook my head quickly, not wanting to offend him. “No, it’s not that. This is fine. But... there’s more I want to add.”Alpha David hesitated for a moment, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. Before he could respond, Tyler spoke up from behind us, “Maybe that’s not the worst idea. It could so
(Katelyn's POV)"I'm done!" I called out after saving the document, leaning in closer to the screen, my eyes scanning over it once again for any missed errors.It was the third time I'd read through it, but I still felt the need to check it again. To be absolutely sure.Writing wasn't exactly my strongest skill, and I was torn between keeping it formal, because, well, it was a letter to The Elders, or making it more casual since it was, after all, my personal testimony. I’d ended up somewhere in the middle, though I wasn’t entirely sure that I'd hit the mark.I was happy. No, wait, happy probably wasn't the right word. I guess I was satisfied. This was likely as good as it was going to get for me. I felt like I'd exposed myself in a way that made me uncomfortable. I felt vulnerable. Like I was at their mercy. Suppose I kind of was...David and Ryder walked into the room. "Where's Tyler?" I asked, peering past them, waiting for him to appear."I sent him to get some rest. He’s practica
(Ryder's POV)Kate had fallen asleep beside me on the sofa, her breathing calm and steady.I meant what I had said earlier. No one was going to take her anywhere she didn’t want to go. She might have these crazy abilities, she might be tied to the Elysian Line in ways I couldn't fully understand, but she was still a person. Her own person. She deserved to have control over her life.Just because someone has the talent or the ability to do something doesn’t mean they’re obligated to follow that path. And just because she was born into something didn’t mean that has to be her entire future.If Kate wanted something else, she should be free to pursue whatever was going to make her happy.I looked down at her, resting against my chest. I ran my fingers through her hair, grateful to have her back. She looked so peaceful, so innocent in that moment. But there was so much weight resting on her shoulders. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. The Elysian Line, Harlan, The Elders... all these
(Katelyn’s POV)I woke slowly, feeling Ryder's warm body next to mine as my eyes fluttered open. I had missed this... I had missed just hanging out with him. I had missed his easy company.His arm was wrapped around me, holding me close, his breathing slow and steady, the gentle rise and fall of his chest making it clear he’d fallen asleep too. I lay there for a minute, savoring the comfort of being back. Being with him and with Tyler. I guess this was home and I had missed it and everything that went along with it.I glanced around the room, taking in the soft glow of the TV that cast flickering shadows on the walls. Ash and Jenna were sitting together on the other sofa, their heads close together as they watched some movie.It must have been late. The windows were dark and I saw a few stars twinkling in the night sky. The world outside felt still and quiet.I shifted slightly, trying not to wake Ryder as I snuggled closer to him, feeling so warm and content in his presence. After ev