(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
(Katelyn's POV)Tyler was silent for a moment, his hand pausing on my back as the weight of my words hung in the air.I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I felt like an idiot saying the words out loud.“You think you broke the coffee mug… with your mind?” he repeated slowly, as if testing the words on his tongue to see if they even made sense.I nodded against his chest, feeling my throat tighten. “Yeah,” I whispered. “I wasn’t touching it, Tyler. I was just... upset. You and Ryder were arguing, and then it just... shattered.”His hand started moving again, gently brushing through my hair in that soothing way he always did when he knew I was stressed. “Okay...” he said softly, “but what makes you think it was you? How do you know there wasn't some kind of flaw in the mug and it just broke when the hot coffee was in it?”I pulled back, meeting his eyes this time, wanting him to understand. “It wasn’t a flaw, Tyler. Mugs with flaws might break, sure, but that mug didn't break. It ex
(Katelyn's POV)The quiet hum of the TV filled the living room, but I wasn’t really paying attention to it.Tyler and I were curled up on the sofa, his arm draped over my shoulders as I leaned into him, enjoying the comfort of his warmth. I should have been more relaxed, given everything that had just happened, but a quiet nagging worry about Ryder wouldn’t let me settle.Tyler, ever perceptive, squeezed my shoulder gently, as if he knew I wasn’t entirely present.“Distracted?” he asked softly, his voice soothing rather than accusing.I let out a small sigh, feeling guilty that I wasn’t more in the moment.“I don’t know... I feel like Ryder’s been on his own for a while now...” I trailed off, not sure how to explain the uneasy feeling that gnawed at me."Go talk to him then,” Tyler suggested with a casual shrug.I wanted to go and talk to him. I at least wanted to go and check on him, even if he didn't want to talk. I just needed to know that he was okay. But I also didn't want him to
(Katelyn's POV)"You know something..." I whispered, calling him out.He instantly looked away, guilty as he shook his head."I don't KNOW anything," he insisted, but the way he said it wasn't convincing."Then you have some kind of idea or suspicion," I replied, taking a seat on the bed and making myself comfortable.If he had even an inkling, I wanted to know about it so that we could maybe try and figure this out together.He groaned and flopped back on the bed. “Maybe...” he hesitated. "Maybe it has something to do with... the Alpha thing..." he trailed off, the last three words of that sentence barely audible.Now there was a thought."What do you mean?" I probed.Clearly he'd thought about this and he must have some reason for this suspicion.Ryder was silent, but I could see the wheels turning in his head. It was as if the idea had planted itself in his mind, and now he was wrestling with it, trying to figure out if it made sense before he wanted to voice it as an actual possib