(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
(Katelyn’s POV)A hand shook my shoulder gently, and I opened my eyes to see Tyler leaning over me, his face hovering over me with a mixture of urgency and anxiety."Kate," he whispered, his voice low but insistent. "Wake up, we need to get upstairs. Dad says he needs to talk to you."I blinked my eyes, still groggy with sleep as I tried to piece together what was happening. It took a moment, but Tyler’s words slowly began to register and tension immediately began to set into my muscles.“Talk to me?” I echoed, pushing myself up on one elbow. “Do you think it's The Elders?” I asked, already having come to the conclusion in my own mind.“I don’t know... He just said he needs to talk to you as soon as you wake up,” Tyler replied, rubbing a hand through his hair, his expression tense. "I mean, maybe I should have let you sleep," he admitted, sounding a little sheepish now, "but it just felt like it was kinda urgent," he went on, guilt lacing his words."No, it's fine," I assured him, hav
(Katelyn’s POV)The kitchen felt too quiet, even with the faint hum of the refrigerator in the background.The three of us sat at the kitchen island, my hands wrapped around a warm mug of coffee, trying to absorb some of its comfort. My mind was too restless for that though.Tyler and Ryder sat on either side of me, their faces tense as they each sipped at their own mugs. None of us had spoken much since the meeting with Alpha David, and the silence was becoming suffocating.I couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to happen tomorrow, about the arrival of The Elders’ representatives and what that might mean for me. It felt like a dark cloud looming over everything, like an inescapable weight that pressed down on me.The uncertainty was the worst part. I didn’t know what they would want from me or what I’d be expected to do. But I had a sinking feeling that whatever it was, I probably wasn't going to look back on this situation with fond memories.“I don’t want them to take me awa
(Katelyn’s POV)The morning sun filtered through the kitchen windows, casting a warm glow across the room. We had finished cleaning up the broken mug, and the tension from the argument was still hanging in the air, unspoken but still heavy. I had so much on my mind... Things I needed to start dealing with if The Elders were coming tomorrow.Ryder leaned against the counter and sighed deeply while I watched him with wary eyes. I needed to talk to him, I'd been putting it off, but there just wasn't any more time.I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “Ryder?” I began hesitantly, my voice soft. He turned his gaze toward me, his brow furrowing slightly. “Yeah?” “Can we talk?” I asked, glancing over at Tyler, who had just cleared up the final fragments of the broken mug from the counter and thrown them into the trash. Ryder nodded, pushing himself away from the counter. “Sure,” he said, "You mean alone?" he asked, wanting clarity.I nodded, trying to swallow my nerves."U
(Katelyn’s POV)My tears flowed freely now, and I could feel the weight of everything pressing down on my chest. I knew Ryder was hurting too, but he was trying so hard to hide it from me. His arms tightened around me as if he could somehow shield me from my own guilt, but it was no use."Hey," he murmured softly, brushing his hand through my hair. "I was just thinking about the coffee mug thing, and I was wondering..." he hesitated.I sniffed and pulled back just enough to look up at him. "Yeah?" I said, my voice still shaky from crying.He gave me a small smile before continuing. "Well, I'm just a little concerned. Do I need to be worried about any other objects spontaneously exploding around me?" he teased, his eyebrows raised in mock concern.A laugh escaped my lips in spite of my tears and I shook my head. "I swear, I don't know how that happened," I replied, feeling confused about it. "I didn’t mean to do it...”He nodded thoughtfully, his hand still gently rubbing my back. "May
(Katelyn’s POV)"What about Ryder?" Tyler asked after our kiss broke, his brow furrowed as he studied my face.I shook my head and looked down at the floor. “No... I just spoke to him,” I explained quietly. “I… I told him that I didn't feel ready…”That guilty feeling sat firmly on my chest and I took a deep breath, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure in my lungs, but it didn't work.Tyler nodded slowly, processing what I was saying. “Oh... okay...” he replied, his expression unreadable.I gave a small shrug. “He said he understood,” I added, feeling the need to justify myself, to explain why I’d said what I did even though it didn’t make me feel any better.Even now, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, the guilt clawing its way up my throat.Tyler’s hand found mine, squeezing it gently. "I mean, I guess it's up to you, Kate. You know how you feel better than anyone else. If you don't feel ready, then you don't feel ready."He took a breath, as if he wanted to say more, but
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