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
He set his tools down and peeled off his gloves, heading over to the lightbox with the X-ray mounted on it. His eyes scanned over the image thoughtfully and carefully before he looked at me. "It looks perfect. The bones align well and the break appears to have healed. I assume the pain you experienced yesterday may have been muscular," he suggested. "You said it's subsided now though, is that correct?" he asked, seeking clarity. "Yeah, it's fine today. No complaints at all," I went on, flexing my fingers in the cast. "Well then, if you're ready, I'd be happy to remove the cast for you," he replied with the tiniest hint of a smile. I smiled in return and nodded, "I'd love that," I replied. The removal went well. There were no hiccups and Ryder stood beside me the entire time, which was an immense comfort. When we left Dr Kelly's office, I noted that Mary was nowhere to be seen. Can't say it broke my heart or anything like that. As we made our way to the coffee shop next door, Ryd
This seemed to bring a smile to his face. With newfound enthusiasm, he climbed out of his car, then came around to open the door for me and help me out. I looked around for Tyler's car, but there was no sign of it. Still, it could have been in the garage, I hoped. The thought was short-lived though, as Ryder took my hand and all but dragged me into the forest that surrounded his house. It started to drizzle as we trekked deeper in, then he turned around and announced, "This is a good spot," as he started to pull up his shirt. I turned around quickly, pulling my own damp shirt up over my head as I kicked my shoes off. "Are you serious? You know I've seen you naked, right?" he asked with a chuckle. "I know," I replied nonchalantly, my back still turned as I unhooked my bra and slid my pants off along with my underwear. "So then... what is the issue here?" he asked. He sounded simultaneously confused and mildly offended. I didn't want to answer, so instead, I shifted into my wolf
"What do you mean?" Ryder asked curiously."I mean, I had a dream about you, and I saw these tattoos, well, at least the placement of them. I was really mad at you in the dream and I wasn't really paying much attention to anything but how angry I was," I explained, my gaze still firmly planted on the gargoyle as if it were taunting my sanity."You had a dream about me?" Ryder asked, completely glossing over the part about me having been angry with him and the fact that I was having dreams that turned out to be premonitions."Don't be silly now. I'm being serious," I scolded him."What kind of dream? Was it, like, a sexy dream?" he asked, ignoring my plea."I'm serious, Ryder. Something feels weird about this," I pressed, feeling like he was treating this like it was trivial."Relax," he brushed me off. "Maybe you saw it in a photograph or maybe it was a lucky guess. It's not like I'm the only person on the planet to have this particular tattoo placement. You're reading into it too muc
"Why?" he asked me, his voice ringing with concern and suspicion. "Because I need to talk to him. I left my phone in your car, I need to call him," I went on, taking long strides back the way we'd come as I wiped the tears from my cheeks. The rain was coming down harder now and I was drenched within moments after leaving the shelter of the dense pine tree. He chased after me, spinning me around by the shoulder. "Come on, Kate. Don't do anything stupid now," he said, giving me a searching look as he tried to figure out what I was thinking. I snatched my shoulder away. "I just want to talk to him," I insisted, walking on through the pouring rain, determined to somehow get to him. "Kate!" he called after me as I stalked through the forest. I heard his footsteps behind me, snapping twigs with just about every step he took until he overtook me this time, standing in front of me and blocking my path. "Please move," I murmured with a sniff. He shook his head. "Listen to me, I don't kn
He led me back to the house in silence, as the rain came down endlessly. We stopped briefly to get our clothes. I don't remember dressing, but when I arrived at the house, I was wearing everything I'd come in, save for my shoes and socks. Ryder ushered me down the hallway towards his room, opening the door for me then leading me into the bathroom. He turned the water on while I shivered relentlessly, then helped me undress and gently urged me beneath the spray of hot water. "I'll be right back. Will you be okay?" he asked. "Yeah," I replied flatly. Slowly, the warmth of the water began to permeate my skin, defrosting me more and more the longer I stood beneath the cascading stream. Gradually, my dark mood began to lift slightly as my body fought off the icy chill of the rain. "All okay?" Ryder's voice echoed through the steamy air. "All okay," I confirmed with a nod, even though he probably couldn't see me through the frosted glass door. I stood there for a long time, allowing
He sighed, his guard dropping as he nodded.With gentle fingers he reached out for me, grabbing a fistful of the hoodie I was wearing as he tugged me towards him.I went along without complaint, grateful when he wrapped his arms around me more tightly this time. I buried myself against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and finding comfort in it.At least I had him.We stood like that for a long time and I felt absolute relief that I'd somehow managed to navigate this near disaster. I couldn't imagine him rejecting me. It almost felt like a heartbreaking inevitability with Tyler, but with Ryder... I think he was right... we were meant to be.I yawned against his chest and he chuckled as I snuggled against him."Are you tired?" he asked as he pressed a kiss to the top of my damp head."A little," I admitted, feeling guilty about it. It felt like I spent most of our time together sleeping lately."What about hungry?" he probed."I could eat," I confessed, acknowledging that the crois
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