Chapter 301: Past Pains and Promises (Katelyn's POV)

(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.

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