Now that I was dressed, I stood there awkwardly, waiting for Ryder to take the hint and leave the room to give me a little privacy to talk to Tyler."Right," he said, the realization dawning on him, "I'll, uh, see what I can find for us to eat," he decided, heading out of the room and closing the door behind him.I sighed a breath of relief at having managed to avoid a slightly awkward conversation, and picked up my phone, finding Tyler's number before pressing the 'call' button.I was about to give up after it rang about 8 times without an answer, but then he finally picked up."Kate," he said breathlessly."I'm here," I replied, wanting to assure him that I hadn't dropped the call."Sorry, I didn't want to take the call in front of the entire meeting, so I had to excuse myself. How are you?" he asked, the words pouring out of him, hurried and urgent."I'm okay. My arm feels a lot better today. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the cast off tomorrow. How are things with you? You said yo
After hanging up, the room felt emptier and so did I. Tyler's absence was a void I couldn't seem to fill. At least I still had the promise of Saturday though. I headed out with a sigh, eager to burrow myself in Ryder's arms. He was standing in the kitchen, hidden behind an open cupboard. "Well, I can offer you cereal," he said, shaking two boxes in my general direction, but as I approached he noticed my miserable demeanor and set the boxes on the counter before meeting me in the lounge with a caring hug. "You okay?" he whispered down into my ear, holding me tightly. I nodded, but the truth was that I was once again fighting back my tears. "I'm sorry, Kate. If it makes you feel any better, he really wishes he could be here. And I'm not just saying that. I know how hard these last couple of days have been for him too," he explained, trying to make the pain a little more bearable by showing me that it was shared. I couldn't find the words to respond, so once again, I simply nodded
"Uh... I guess..." Ryder replied sounding unenthusiastic. "It's cool if you don't want to," I replied, not wanting him to feel pressured, but noting the difference between his response and Tyler's. "Who do you want to call?" he asked, seemingly testing the waters now. "My friend Jenna from back home. I was supposed to call her yesterday, but we all know how yesterday went," I replied with an exhausted sigh. "Okay, I guess I can make an appearance," he relented. I can't say he seemed thrilled about it, but he didn't appear to be totally against it either. I pressed the button to begin a video call. Within seconds, Jenna picked up, a beaming smile on her face. It looked like a warm sunny day in Colorado and she was out and about with the wind blowing through her hair. I smiled. She looked happy and gorgeous as always. "Kate! Where have you been? Why haven't you texted? I miss you!" her words came out in a hurried tumble and she sounded simultaneously hurt and excited. I grimaced
"Shit, Kate... I'm so sorry. What can I do? Ice? A painkiller?" he offered apologetically. "Painkiller..." I mumbled, clutching my arm firmly against my chest while tears welled up in my eyes. I breathed. That's just about all I could do. Ryder reappeared suddenly, standing in front of me with a glass of cold water in one hand and two painkillers in the palm of his other hand. I took them greedily. The pain wasn't as bad as it had been at times the day before, but why suffer when there was no need? I knew the pills wouldn't work instantly, but you can't blame me for hoping. He took the glass back and placed it on the coffee table, then he stood there awkwardly, looking at me with an expression of panic. "What can I do? I don't know what to do!" he said, his voice brimming with worry. "Did I fuck it up again?" he went on with concern now. "I'll be fine," I replied, trying to put on a brave face. He groaned before he took his seat beside me again, being sure to move carefully an
My sleep was a black void of nothingness, no dreams, no pain, no worries or troubles. Just blackness. It was peaceful. Movement roused me though, and as consciousness poured back into me, I became aware of Ryder's voice talking softly into my ear. "Kate... I need to get up. Can you sit up for a sec?" he asked, gently lifting me off of his lap and placing my back down gently on the couch. I groaned, missing his presence, but I didn't stir, still in a state of semi-consciousness. There was some shuffling in the background, an exchange of muffled voices, but nothing that concerned me, so I ignored it and tried to find my way back to the deep sleep I'd just been enjoying. Moments later, Ryder's footsteps returned and he gently lifted me again, placing me back on his lap as he rested his arm on my shoulder. His fingers absentmindedly traced over my skin in gentle, swirling patterns, snaking their way up, under the sleeve of my top. Suddenly, a delicious smell hit my nose, waking me
The admission hung between us. I took a deep breath before I revealed my own truth. "I don't know what I want to do either. You're my mate and Tyler is my mate, but the pack will need a Luna, and I don't want to be Luna, and I'm trying not to think about it because when I do, I start freaking out, and I'm freaking out now, and I don't know what to do!" I finished, breathing hard and heavy as panic gripped me. "If I won't be Luna, then I can't be his mate... But I want to be his mate. I don't know what to do," I confessed as my lower lip trembled. The thought of losing either of my mates was heartbreaking. I didn't even want to think about it, but I suppose it was a potential reality I might have to face. There was no way Tyler's parents would let him be mated to someone who wouldn't stand as the pack Luna. He himself would need that support. But it was a role I felt I just wasn't cut out for. I wasn't confident and charismatic like Tyler was. People didn't take me seriously. People
It was probably close to noon when I finally woke up and decided it was time to get up. I'd been so comfortable lying beside Ryder, his body warm, his heartbeat reassuring, his very presence just a comfort. But I was also very eager to get my cast removed, so I figured it was probably a good idea to get a move on. Ryder was still fast asleep, his breaths soft but deep. He looked so calm and relaxed, it felt like a shame to wake him. I realized this was probably how he felt about waking me up the night before. With gentle fingers, I traced along the curve of his jaw. His skin was soft, but a little stubbly here and there. A smile flickered on his lips, but he didn't stir. "Ryder," I whispered softly, my fingers tracing over his lips now. He smiled again, shifting a little this time as if trying to get comfortable. "We need to get up," I whispered, my touch returning to his jawline. "No..." he groaned miserably, wrapping his arms around me more tightly and snuggling into me. "I nee
The drive to Dr. Kelly's office was a blur of green and grey, the landscape flying past us as Ryder navigated the streets with a familiarity that spoke of his years living in the area. Every now and again he would glance over at me, a soft smile playing on his lips."What?" I asked as I fumbled for the socks that were tucked away neatly in one of the combat boots at my feet."I'm just looking at you. Am I not allowed?" he asked, his tone one of a challenge.A blush crept over my cheeks, but I replied, "You can look."I tried to pull a sock on, but it was impossible. The cast came too low down on my knuckles and, as a result, my fingers weren't as capable as I needed them to be."Just leave it, I'll help you when we get there," he assured me before resting his hand on my thigh as we sped along the narrow roads.I smiled as I rested my casted hand over his.With a sigh, I watched out the window looking at the grey sky above us. My thoughts made their way to Tyler and I wondered what he
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