(Ryder’s POV)The clearing was bathed in sunlight, a perfect backdrop for what had just happened. The marking. The moment we had all been building toward for so long. Finally, it was done. Kate had marked me and Tyler, and we had marked her. I should have felt complete. I should have felt content. And I did, but there was something else... Something I couldn't quite put my finger on.It wasn’t the marking itself. That had felt incredible, like some kind of supernatural charge that flowed through me the second her teeth sank into my skin. The warmth, the connection, the euphoria, it was more than I could ever have anticipated. But then, after the initial surge faded, something else settled in its place.It was a hollow feeling, like an empty pit somewhere deep inside me. I tried to ignore it, standing there with Kate and Tyler, trying to feel what they were feeling. But that emptiness wouldn’t go away, no matter how much I smiled or kissed Kate or held her close. The bond between us wa
(Ryder’s POV)"Should we tell your dad?" Kate asked, sounding nervous and excited all at once. "Do you think he'll be upset that we skipped out on the whole celebration thing?"I was doubtful, considering the circumstances and Tyler responded, confirming exactly what I was thinking."I doubt it," he replied. "He'll probably just be relieved we got it done before The Elders arrived."She was smiling. She looked so happy. I couldn't understand why I didn't feel the same..."Are we going to celebrate?" Tyler asked as we stepped into the house. "Maybe we could go get a fancy dinner somewhere or something?" he suggested, looking just as happy as she did.I plastered on my best fake smile, trying to fit in but dreading the idea of having to go anywhere or do anything that involved people. I was barely keeping it together as it is, now pile 'attempting to look normal in front of strangers' on top of that and it was too much for me to deal with.Tyler was looking over at me, waiting for a res
(Ryder’s POV)"Well... I dunno... I guess... I guess the whole Elysian Line thing had a lot to do with it. One of the writings said something about how women of the Elysian Line often led their own packs or found themselves mated to Alphas. And then there was my mom," she went on, sadness weighing on her words now. "She was the Luna of her pack," she explained. "I think... Maybe just knowing a bit more about my background has made me look at it a little differently," she confessed, her smile returning.Dad nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "I'm glad to hear that. I feel that you have a lot to contribute to our pack."Kate turned to look at me, probably waiting for me to share some encouraging words because I'd been standing here like a mute for as long as I could remember."Th... That's great, Kate. You'll make a really good Luna," I finally managed to say, hoping it sounded convincing.I meant the words. I knew that she would be an amazing Luna. I knew that she would be a gr
(Katelyn’s POV)Tyler had been clutching my hand since we left Alpha David’s office, spewing his excitement over my change of heart and how happy he was about it.When we got to the kitchen, he scooped me up, setting me on the island counter before I had a moment to protest. His lips met mine with a mixture of passion and excitement and I let myself feel the heat that radiated between us."I'm so fucking happy right now," he murmured, our foreheads still touching while his hands cupped my cheeks."Me too," I replied softly.I was really happy, but there was still some part of me that held onto my worries about Ryder and what this all might mean for us.Tyler was proving to be a great distraction though, constantly tugging my mind away from the gnawing feeling and making me focus on the present... on us."I think we have some celebrating to do," he whispered softly, trailing gentle kisses down my cheek until he found the mark he had left on my neck earlier.The area was still tender. Be
(Ryder’s POV)The bed felt too big, too cold despite the warm afternoon light that streamed in through my window. I lay there, taking a deep breath as I tried to build the strength to actually deal with all the thoughts that were swirling through my head.Why did I feel empty? Why did I feel like there was something I was missing?Maybe we had done something wrong during the marking? But that couldn't be it... I was there and it had gone the same for Tyler as it had for me, but he didn't seem to be dying internally. In fact, he seemed to be more certain and happy than ever before.So what the fuck was wrong with me? Why was it different for me?I tried to run through the marking process in my mind to see if there was anything I had missed, but I couldn't think of anything. Everything that Tyler had experienced with Kate, I had experienced too. And I had felt it... I still did feel it. That undeniable connection to her. It was there, like some invisible string that tethered us together
(Katelyn's POV)Clearly it wasn't pizza that Tyler wanted to talk about. He made that pretty clear in the way the conversation regarding whether or not pineapple belonged on pizza suddenly morphed into a kiss that left me breathless, trying to remember what it was that we had been talking about.His lips brushed against my neck, his hands roaming up under my shirt with an eagerness that set my pulse racing.It all felt more intense, more electric than ever before. It was as if the already overwhelming connection we had felt before was now somehow magnified... amplified.“I want you,” Tyler murmured softly into my ear, his voice filled with desire as he nibbled at my ear.The sensation was maddening and all I wanted to do was say yes, but I couldn't help my hesitation, the thought of Ryder flashing through my mind.“I don’t... what about Ryder?" I asked, the words breathless as a wave of guilt swept through me.Tyler pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, his gaze soft but intense. “K
(Katelyn's POV)His fingers squeezed my butt and I could feel he was about to flip me onto my side so that he could straddle me, but before he could, I reached down, trailing my fingers over the bulge in his jeans, making him hesitate for a moment.He throbbed beneath my touch, his cock straining against the tight fabric of his pants that struggled to contain him.I hovered over him, smiling as my hand gently grasped the swelling bulge.The battle that raged inside him was clear... he wanted to take me and make me his, but he also didn't want me to stop touching him.I sat up, my fingers tugging at the button of his jeans, eager to release him from the prison of his pants.When I finally managed to get the button undone, which was a bit of a struggle, I hooked my fingers into his waistband and began to inch them down. With a firm final tug, I freed his cock, the thick length of it springing free from its restraints as he stood proud and erect, ready to do his duty.He watched me as I
(Katelyn's POV)We lay there for a while, basking in the moment while our hearts did their best to find a slower, steadier rhythm."Sorry," Tyler apologized, looking down at my stomach where he had blown his load only moments before.I shrugged. "Guess at least we're marked now," I replied with a smile.He smiled back at me, leaning over to kiss me again before he sighed and stood up, heading to the bathroom to get something for me to clean up with.I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, my heart still pounding, but full. I couldn't help but reflect on how lucky I was. This wasn't a life I had ever envisioned for myself, but this is the one I got and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Except maybe Harlan... Fuck that guy.Tyler returned, handing me a warm washcloth before collapsing back onto the bed beside me with a contented sigh. He was smiling, reflecting, just the same as I had been."What are you thinking about?" I asked, having a pretty good idea that I already knew."You," h
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