(Katelyn's POV)The scenery blurred past my window, a mixture of towering evergreens and the dull gray of an overcast sky. My forehead rested against the cool glass, and I barely noticed the low hum of the radio in the background. Tyler drove while Ryder sat beside him in the front seat, and David and Liz followed behind us in David's truck.They had been so sweet and reassuring, promising us that they were on our side and whatever happened today, we would all get through it together.Despite the anxiety coiling inside my chest, it felt good to know that they were with us... that they supported us. This was what family was and it felt good to be a part of it.I'd tuned out of the world around me, focusing only on the thoughts that swirled through my head as the rhythmic motion of the car lulled me deeper into some weird kind of trance.My nerves were on edge. Today was the day. The day that the Elders would deliver their final decision. As I sat there, barely conscious of the fact t
(Katelyn's POV)The heavy doors of The Fortress loomed ahead, the rain tapping against their dark metal surface. I stood between Ryder and Tyler, with Liz and David just behind us. The soft drizzle felt like icy pinpricks against my skin, but I barely noticed it, too preoccupied by the weight that pressed down on my chest. We stepped into the gym, which seemed a little busier than usual, reminding me that life went on as normal for everyone else. For me... This all felt anything but normal. I still felt like I'd been living in this weird state of limbo for the past couple of weeks. I hated it. It felt like I had no stability, no sense of certainty about anything.I was still in some kind of daze as Tyler and Ryder led me down the hallway to the meeting room. I felt my chest tightening more and more, the anxiety mounting with each step that led me closer to my fate.We stepped into the all too familiar oppressive atmosphere that seemed to accompany every meeting here. Helen stood a
(Katelyn's POV)I heard the vague sound of hurried footsteps approaching us, but I made no attempt to lift my head from Ryder's chest to see who it was. In my mind, I had pictured Liz coming to offer me some comfort, but when Ryder spoke, I realized my assumption must have been off."I don't think she wants to talk to you," he said, his voice firm and protective as he still clutched me tightly."Please," Helen's voice begged, "I just need a minute. I just want to explain—"But Tyler cut her off. "Listen, Helen, we appreciate how you've tried to assist with Simon and all that, but I think she just needs some space right now. There's nothing you can say that's going to fix this. It seems pretty obvious that the Council of Elders has their own agenda here," he stated, trying to keep his words firm without coming across as hostile."Katelyn," Helen tried again, refusing to give up, but Ryder simply rotated me away from her, standing as a barrier between us with his back towards her.I hea
(Katelyn's POV)I stared at Helen, my mind spinning with her words. Each revelation felt like a hammer blow, shattering any illusions I’d clung to about where this was going.“So, then what’s the point?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. “What’s the point of learning to control my abilities if it won’t make any difference? If they’re just going to see me as some kind of… resource?” The word tasted bitter in my mouth.Helen sighed, her gaze softening as she looked at me. “It’s not that simple, Katelyn. I won’t lie to you, there will always be those who see you as a means to an end. A 'resource', as you put it. That’s not going to change overnight. But that being said, things are changing. Times are changing and so is the way people think.”“Yeah, not fast enough,” I sneered, the frustration bubbling inside me.“No,” Helen admitted, nodding. “Not fast enough. But they ARE changing. And people like you? People like us? We’re the ones who will push those changes forward. We're th
(Katelyn's POV)Two days had passed since The Elders had left, and the weight of their impending decision hung over us like a miserable storm cloud. Everyone seemed to be carrying it differently. Tyler busied himself with pack matters, his steady demeanor a calm anchor amidst the uncertainty. Liz had thrown herself into the house, preparing meals and cleaning each and every nook and cranny as if that might somehow scrub away the tension that had been building. David had been quieter than usual, which was its own kind of unsettling.And Ryder? Ryder had been... absent.At first, I didn't think much of it. Ryder wasn't one to stick to predictable routines. He moved at his own pace and showed up where and when he wanted, usually with some sarcastic comment or mischievous grin.But today was different. I hadn't seen him since the morning when he'd looked a little out of it and had just told me he had a lot on his mind. That was it. That was the last time I had seen him. It was late afterno
(Tyler's POV)The Fortress was as busy as ever. People milled around the gym, sparring, chatting, working out, the usual. The faint smell of sweat mingled with disinfectant hung in the air.I scanned the room, hoping to see Ryder beating the shit out of a punching bag or leaning against the wall, smirking at someone’s terrible form, but there was no sign of him.He didn't come here often, so my hopes weren't high to start with, but it was still disappointing when he was nowhere to be seen.If he wasn't in the gym, he didn't really have much reason to be here otherwise. But even so, I figured I may as well make the most of it and do a thorough check of the building.Making my way down the hallway that led to all the meeting rooms and classrooms, I peeked into a few of the rooms where I knew I wouldn't be interrupting anything important. Along the way, I ran into a few familiar faces, but no one I asked had seen him around.With no sign of him here and no solid leads, I stepped back out
(Tyler's POV)Ryder hesitated for a moment before shaking his head again and replying, "I'm just... trying to figure shit out.”“Figure what out?” I pressed, trying to sound curious rather than forceful.He was quiet for a long moment and I was almost one hundred percent sure he was going to give me the generic 'stuff' reply again, but he surprised me.“That empty feeling I told you guys about after the marking? Well, it’s still there. I tried to ignore it, figuring that The Elders being here was more important. I thought that maybe it would go away if I didn't think about it, but it hasn’t. It's just gotten worse and with all the shit that asshole Simon was saying... I just... I think… I think I might know why I've been feeling this way...” he trailed off.I frowned. “Why?”He hesitated, his hands clenching into fists. “It's the Alpha thing, I'm almost sure of it. I’ve been avoiding it for years, telling myself I didn’t want it, that it isn’t who I am. But now? It’s like it’s catchin
(Tyler's POV) Before I had a chance to put together some kind of response, Ryder continued, “You’ve always been better at everything, Tyler. You could always run that much faster. You were always that much stronger. You always scored that much higher. Everything you ever did... Everything you ever do... You just do it better than me. You can even skip a fucking stone further than I can..." he went on, scoffing at the absurdity of it but I could see that it weighed him down.I bit my lip, still not knowing what to say. To some degree it was true, but there was so much more to it."And I don't hate you for it or anything, okay?" he said, as if trying to set the record straight. "It's not like it's your fault that I couldn't measure up. It's just the way things panned out, and that's fine. I guess the pack needs a leader and that's you. You were always the one everyone looked up to and I guess I just figured that the best thing I could do was stay out of your way and not hold you back.
(Katelyn's POV)"You're okay," Tyler whispered over and over again, but I wasn't sure whether he was talking to me or to himself.“What the fuck was that, Kate?!” Ryder's voice demanded.I shook my head, against Tyler's chest, still trying to come to terms with where I was and what was going on here."I... I just..." I tried to reply, but my voice was weak and hoarse.Tyler kissed the top of my head, his own breathing uneven as he gently stroked my hair, still holding me against him in a death grip. "Sshhh... Sshhh..." he hushed me, shaking his head as he rocked me back and forth."Never again. Never a-fucking-gain. Okay? You're never doing that again, Katelyn," Ryder's voice was sharp and firm, leaving no room for argument or debate. "Never again..." he repeated, sounding more exhausted now.It took a few minutes for me to regain my bearings as Tyler continued to whisper soft reassurances in my ear, rocking me back and forth against his chest like a child.I heard the sound of footst
(Katelyn's POV)The airplane’s engines droned softly as I stared out the window, the world below reduced to quilted patches of green and brown earth divided by winding roads.New Haven, Connecticut... The Council Headquarters. We were still a few hours away, but the gravity of what awaited me felt like a noose around my neck.I adjusted my seatbelt for what felt like the hundredth time and closed my eyes, leaning back into my seat and letting my thoughts drift back over the last two days at home. The two days I’d spent trying, and failing, to harness my telekinesis. The two days that had left me feeling more exhausted, more frustrated, and more anxious than before.I’d wanted so badly to figure it all out before I faced The Council. I’d tried everything I could think of. At first, I tried to recreate the conditions of those emotional surges, thinking maybe I could trick my mind into somehow flipping that internal switch. I thought about arguments. About fear. About sadness. But nothin
(Katelyn's POV)The next day started off like any other, but with the new weight and responsibility of pregnancy pressing down on me. I'd made a call to Dr Connors's offices to try and get a better idea of how far along I was and we managed to gauge that I was about three weeks in. She said they would be able to confirm by checking measurements and all that stuff at my first scan, but for now, I was three weeks in. Three out of forty. It somehow felt like too much and not enough at the same time.Shortly after the call, Alpha David's voice called from upstairs. My blood went cold and the twins and I exchanged worried glances."Jesus, do you think he overheard that?" I asked, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.Tyler shook his head. "I doubt it..." but still, he looked as concerned as I felt.The fact that David had bothered to call us upstairs personally, rather than sending Tyler a message like he usually did, didn’t escape me. This time, he’d taken the effort to personally
(Katelyn's POV)Ryder's hand lingered on my stomach for a moment, but then he sighed and dropped it."So... What do we do now? I mean, I guess this thing is happening. Do we have to start picking names and shit?" he asked, his eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.I shook my head. "I don't really know. Can't say this has ever happened to me before. I don't even know how far along I am... I kinda freaked out and left the doctor's office before she got to tell me..." I admitted."Well, you should probably find out," Tyler suggested, slipping his hand into mine and giving it a squeeze. "A timeline might be helpful here."I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll try get hold of the doctor's office tomorrow to see if she can give me more details. She said something about an OBGYN. I think she gave me a referral or something. Maybe Jen knows more of the details. My brain was all over the place," I explained, feeling a little stupid for not paying more attention to something so fucking
(Katelyn's POV)Ryder fell into silence, not finishing his thought as his jaw tightened and his hands balled into fists.Tyler’s hand rested reassuringly on mine, his presence a steadying force, but Ryder’s tense silence was killing me. He looked like a caged animal, his eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.“I…” Ryder started, but his voice faltered. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as frustration flashed across his face. “How am I supposed to do this?!” he suddenly blurted, his voice sharp and rising with each word. “For fuck’s sake! I’ve just agreed to take on the role of Alpha! Now I need to play dad too?! When is it going to stop?! When is it going to be enough?!”He stood up again and began pacing, his movements erratic and tense. “I can’t! I can’t do all of this at the same time! It’s too much! How the fuck am I supposed to deal with this?!”His words hit me like a slap, leaving me momentarily stunned. The fear and uncertainty I had been feeling all day were
(Katelyn's POV)The drive home had felt too short. Jenna and I had spent lunch talking in circles, and I knew she was just trying to distract me, to lighten the load, but there was no amount of banter or brainstorming that could make this easier.When she’d suggested checking out some stores for the twins’ birthday gifts, I’d briefly considered it, but ultimately, I'd ended up saying no. I was way too distracted to focus and it felt like it would be a total waste of time. So, instead, she called the Uber, and we headed home.The drive was quiet, my thoughts too loud to leave room for conversation. All I could think about the entire way was what I was going to say, rehearsing it in my mind and trying to come up with the right words, but I guess there are only so many ways you can say, 'I'm pregnant', right?When the Uber pulled up outside the house, Jenna gave me a tight hug. “You’ll be fine,” she murmured, her hands gripping my shoulders as she looked me in the eye. “You’re going to t
(Katelyn's POV)"You can tell them the truth, babe," Jenna said with a reassuring smile. "I mean, that's what I'd recommend.""What if... What if I can't do this? What if... What if I don't want this life?" I whispered softly, ashamed to be saying the words out loud.Jenna squeezed my hand. "Well, that's something you need to think about. It's not a decision to make on a whim. But if that's what you decide, I'll be there for you every step of the way. I'll hold your hand in the appointment and tell you that everything is going to be okay. I would never let you do this on your own, okay? Never," she assured me, looking into my eyes with a fierceness that told me she wasn't kidding."Do you want to think it over for a while before you talk to the twins about it?" she suggested, her hand still clutching mine across the table.I shook my head. "No. I can't keep this from them. Even if I wanted to, I know I wouldn't be able to.""Babe, I'm sure they're going to be super supportive," she ins
(Katelyn's POV)The words echoed in my ears, bouncing around my skull but refusing to settle into anything coherent.“No,” I whispered, shaking my head as tears began to well up in my eyes. “I can't... That can't... This wasn’t...” but the words evaporated into thin air as I tried to reason this out.Dr Connors watched me carefully. “I know this might be a lot to take in,” she said, keeping her tone professional but supportive. “But you have options, Katelyn. You don’t need to make any decisions right now. Perhaps you should just take some time to process this.”“Options?” I repeated numbly, the word tasting foreign on my tongue.Her meaning was clear, but I couldn’t focus on it. I couldn’t focus on anything. The tears spilled over, sliding down my cheeks as my chest heaved with quiet sobs.Jenna was at my side instantly, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “It’s okay, babe,” she murmured. “We’ll figure this out, okay? You’re not alone in this. I'm here with you.”I couldn’t even bri
(Katelyn's POV)The silence in the room was unbearable as Dr. Connors studied the test. My heart pounded, each beat feeling sharper than the last and I could feel sweat beginning to pool at the base of my spine.“It’s positive,” Dr. Connors said, looking down at the test on the desk in front of her.My stomach flipped violently. “What?!” I blurted, my voice echoing in the hollow room.“It’s positive,” she repeated, looking at me with a measured expression.I blinked at her, my mind scrambling to process the information. “No, no, no,” I stammered, shaking my head furiously. “That can’t be right. How many stripes should it have?" I demanded to know, certain that she must be mistaken."One stripe is negative, two is positive," she explained, pushing the test toward me for verification."Well then you're wrong, when I—" The words died on my lips as I looked down at the test in front of me. Two stripes. One was faint, but very clearly a stripe.My mouth went dry, my lungs forgot how to wo