(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
(Katelyn’s POV)The weight of uncertainty still lingered, but I had to try. I had to tell Ryder that I'd made a mistake.I realized I was running, as if the quicker I got to him, the less damage my words might do.I reached the front door, bursting through it without even closing it behind me as I rushed down the hallway, heading straight for the living room where I had left him earlier.Ryder was still there, still sitting on the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees and his face buried in his hands. The sight of him sitting there, looking so defeated, shattered my heart all over again."I fucked up," I blurted, startling him as I came to a stop in front of him. "I’m so sorry, Ryder. I made a mistake. I don’t want to do this without you. I don’t know what I was thinking... I was just scared and confused, but I’m here now. I’m so sorry."Ryder looked up at me, his brows furrowed in surprise and confusion."What...?" he mumbled, his voice raspy, as if he hadn’t spoken in hours.I stepp
(Katelyn’s POV)Ryder smiled down at me, the adoration in his eyes unmistakable."Well, I mean, obviously I want to mark you, Kate," Ryder admitted with an awkward smile. "I think I've been completely obsessed with you since the moment I met you. I have your eyes tattooed on my arm. I think it's pretty obvious that I've made up my mind on this... but I just need to know for sure that you aren't saying these things out of guilt," he went on, his tone turning more serious now. "You shouldn't change your mind because you feel bad ab—""No," I interrupted him, my voice firm as I shook my head. "I'm not changing my mind because I feel bad. I just had a moment of clarity," I insisted, knowing it was true.This had nothing to do with guilt. That wasn't my motivation here.He smiled, a look of relief passing over him."You're sure?" he asked, as if he wanted to give me one last chance to back out of this if that was what I wanted."I'm sure," I confirmed, looking into his eyes with absolute ce
(Katelyn’s POV)"Glad you could make it," Tyler said, giving Ryder an approving nod."So am I," Ryder replied with a relieved smile.I began to strip off my clothes while they spoke, eager to get this show on the road before something else could happen. A door-to-door salesman trying to sell us a vacuum cleaner... an earthquake... a fucking nuclear disaster... It felt like SOMETHING was going to happen to delay this whole thing and I was having none of it.This was happening no matter what."You in a hurry there?" Tyler asked with a chuckle, watching me curiously as I tugged my pants off."Last time we talked about this, Harlan decided it would be a great time to kidnap me. Forgive my sense of urgency here, but I don't want to deal with any interruptions this time," I replied, my voice laced with bitterness as I said Harlan's name.Tyler shrugged as he began to undress too. "Can't argue with that.""So... any plans as to how we're going to do this?" Ryder asked as he pulled his shirt