If you, or someone you know, is the victim of abuse, please reach out for help. There are organizations out there that CAN and WILL help you. You are not alone ❤️
"I know... but you didn't. I told them you weren't even there when it happened," I explained, now having a better understanding as to why he had been so upset."They wouldn't let me come back in the room. They kept me out there with two security guards watching my every move... as if they would have stood a chance against me," he scoffed with a small smile, enjoying the knowledge that he could easily have torn them apart if he wanted to. But then the smile faded again."I wouldn't hurt you, Kate..." he assured me, releasing his grip on me now so that he could look into my eyes."I know..." I replied with a tiny smile as the fingers of my left hand found their way up and held his cheek. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to reach his lips with my own.He leaned down to bridge the gap between us, his lips meeting mine in a caring kiss as he held me in his arms.A soft knock at the door signaled Aunt Mara's return. It had taken her longer than it should have to get a drink from a vending machi
Aunt Mara gave a light, airy chuckle, which was completely unexpected. This was serious... I was mated to the future Alpha and I didn't want to be Luna. What was so funny about that?Her expression turned serious when she saw me staring at her in disbelief."Honey, you were born to lead," she said simply, though the smile still tugged at the corner of her lips as she pulled into the driveway.I scoffed. "I'm a bit of a wallflower, in case you hadn't noticed..." I reminded her with a frown."No, baby. You command attention. You blame the hair, but it's not that. And it's only becoming more apparent as you're getting older now. There's something we need to talk about, but—"My car door suddenly opened, interrupting her mid-sentence. Ryder loomed over me with a smile.Aunt Mara sighed deeply and continued in a whisper, "But the time never seems right..." She frowned."Sorry Aunt Mara. What were you going to say?" I asked, urging her to continue despite our interruption."We'll talk about
Aunt Mara suddenly walked into the room looking concerned. In truth, I hadn't even noticed that she had left."Honey, I hate to do this, but I need to go. One of the kids at school choked. She's fine now, thank God, but I need to go in to help with damage control. Ryder, would you stay with her?" she asked, giving Ryder a pleading look.I wiped the tear from my cheek as I looked up at Ryder. His expression was one of concern, but he nodded."Of course," he replied. "But would you be able to swing by Dr Kelly's office then to get Kate's painkillers on your way back? He said he'd try come past here at the end of the day, just to give her a once over, but that might still be a while.""Sure," she replied, gathering her stuff together. "Of course, this would happen on the first day I take off all year..." she continued, mumbling under her breath in annoyance.She straightened herself up, smoothing down her shirt and taking a deep breath."Sorry, baby," she murmured as she leaned over the b
I made my way to my room, it was just as I left it earlier, the bed still unmade and the curtains still drawn.Pulling the curtains open with my left hand was easy enough, and I managed to negotiate the gym equipment with no issues. I was off to a good start.Opening the closet, I tried to find something simple and loose-fitting to wear. The search turned up tonnes of oversized t-shirts, but the most comfortable pants I could find were leggings. I considered a dress momentarily, but I didn't have anything suitable in that department either.In the end, I selected one of my oversized band t-shirts and a pair of black leggings.Changing underwear wasn't too challenging a task, I'd figured out a technique when I went to the bathroom earlier, so I felt I had experience in that department. Next, I tried to take my t-shirt off.My left hand did its best, tugging the sleeve of the right arm down as I tried to pull the casted arm through it, but the cast kept getting caught on the sleeve. Then
"Kate..." I heard a man's voice calling to me. It was deep but gentle and I felt drawn to it. "Kate..." it repeated, and I felt my consciousness flooding back as my eyes fluttered open.Ryder was hovering over me, looking into my eyes as his fingers traced the curve of my jaw. He smiled as my eyes opened, and I couldn't help but smile back."Hey..." he murmured softly as the fingers of my left hand reached out to touch his face. They brushed over his lips as I blinked with dreamy eyes. He caught my hand and held it against his lips, pressing a kiss to my palm.The sound of a man clearing his throat caught my attention. With a frown, I tried to sit up, trying to find the source of the sound. The harsh reality of my broken arm struck me as I tried to use it to prop myself up and I winced in pain.I squinted as I looked around the room, realizing the sun had set and the lights were on. A delicious smell wafted through the air and Aunt Mara stood in the kitchen, preparing mugs for coffee,
"I... I didn't realize," Dr Kelly admitted, which was unsurprising because we hadn't exactly gone public with the news just yet. I wasn't sure about the boys, but I wanted to figure out how to handle the relationship before I felt comfortable letting everyone else and their dog in on it. "It's no big deal," I assured the doctor as I shot Ryder a stern look. He knew I didn't want to be Luna, why was he throwing this around now? "Well, uh, I'd be happy to make a house call on Friday to see to the removal of the cast if you like?" he offered, suddenly seeming far more accommodating now that he realized I might hold some position of power. I hated it. "No, it's fine. I'll come to your offices, thank you," I assured him, keen to end the conversation now. He reopened his leather doctor's bag and produced a business card, handing it to me with a winning smile. "If you need anything, day or night, please let me know," he went on, laying the charm on thick now. I took it with a hesitant sm
I woke to the sound of my bedroom door creaking open.Trying to sit up, I squinted toward it, expecting to see Aunt Mara, but to my surprise, Ryder slipped in.Before I could say a word, he shushed me, taking the few steps over to my bed and slipping in beside me."It's too early... Sleep," he urged, pulling the covers up around us.I was still half asleep and confused. "Why are you here?" I asked, my voice sounding gruff and tired."Your Aunt just left for work, so I'm here to take care of you for the day, remember? But forget about that now. Just go back to sleep," he insisted, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close against his body."Why didn't you stay last night? I wanted you to stay..." I pouted, trying my best to give him an accusing look in spite of my sleepy eyes."Because it felt weird with your aunt here. It's her house and she didn't invite me to stay and it just felt weird. I wanted to... You made it really hard to say no," he replied sincerely, finishing o
He stepped closer to me with hungry eyes, his fingers resting on my hips for a moment before snaking their way into the waistband of my panties. He paused again as if waiting for me to give him the all-clear.Was I doing this? Was I letting Ryder undress me? Where was this going and was I okay with it? My mind raced with questions while my heart raced with a combination of excitement, anticipation, and fear.I nodded.He slipped them down with the confidence that told me he'd done this many times before and the thought made me feel some type of way. I wasn't about to try and unpack that now though.Standing there, frozen to the spot, my mind was a mess of questions only I could answer, but the answers seemed elusive.His eyes lingered on me like a predator before I turned and stepped into the bath, seeking out the obscurity that the bubbles would provide. He watched me as I lowered myself into the water, then submerged myself below its surface to wet my hair. I tried my best to keep m
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