The bond didn't fade.
Even after I left them standing in that hallway… it stayed.
Worse than before.
I pressed my hand over my chest as I walked, trying to steady my breathing.
Why was it reacting like this?
Like it was angry I walked away.
"Focus," I whispered to myself.
But my body wasn't listening.
Every step felt like I was being pulled backward.
Toward them.
I stopped at the end of the corridor, shutting my eyes tightly.
No. I refuse.
Then—
A sharp pain shot through my chest.
I gasped, bending slightly.
"What… is this?" I breathed.
And somewhere far away… I felt it.
Leo stiffened.
Kai turned his head sharply.
Evan paused mid-step.
All at once.
They felt it too.
Back in the Alpha residence, silence filled the room.
Kai was the first to move.
"She's hurting," he said immediately.
Leo's eyes narrowed. "How do you know?"
Kai scoffed. "Don't pretend you don't feel it."
A tense pause.
Then Evan spoke quietly.
"It's not just pain."
Both of them looked at him.
His eyes darkened slightly. "It reacts to distance."
Leo's jaw tightened. "So what are you saying?"
Evan met his gaze.
"The bond is punishing separation."
Silence dropped heavy in the room.
I straightened slowly, breathing uneven.
The pain faded… but the pull didn't.
If anything, it got clearer.
Like a direction.
Like a command.
Go back.
My fingers curled tightly.
"No," I said firmly.
But my feet hesitated anyway.
And that terrified me more than anything.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes.
Leo's cold stare.
Kai's grip.
Evan's unreadable gaze.
And that voice inside me…
Come closer.
I sat up sharply.
"Stop it," I whispered into the dark.
But the room stayed silent.
Too silent.
Until—
A knock.
I froze.
Slow. Controlled.
Not random.
My heart jumped.
I stood carefully, moving toward the door.
"Who is it?" I asked quietly.
No answer.
Just the knock again.
This time… softer.
Like a warning.
I reached for the handle—
And stopped.
Because suddenly… I felt it.
The bond flared.
Right outside the door.
My breath caught.
"No way…" I whispered.
And then—
A voice came through the wood.
Low. Familiar.
"Open the door."
Leo.
I didn't move.
My hand stayed frozen on the handle.
"You shouldn't be here," I said.
A pause.
Then Kai's voice, closer this time.
"We know."
My heart slammed.
"And?" I asked.
Silence.
Then Evan.
Calm. Careful.
"We're not here to fight."
That made me laugh once—short and sharp.
"That's funny," I said. "Because last time I checked, you told me to stay away."
Another pause.
Then Leo again.
"I changed my mind."
Something inside me tightened.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Curiosity.
I opened the door.
The moment it did—
The bond snapped alive.
So strong I almost stumbled.
Kai reacted instantly, stepping forward like he wanted to grab me again—but stopped himself.
Leo didn't move.
But his eyes locked on mine.
Harder than before.
And Evan…
Evan looked like he was studying a puzzle he couldn't solve.
"We need to understand this," Leo said.
I crossed my arms. "Understand what exactly?"
Kai exhaled sharply. "Why it feels like this."
My chest tightened.
"So now you believe me?"
Silence.
That was the answer.
Evan stepped slightly forward.
"Not believe," he corrected softly. "Confirm."
My stomach dropped.
Because that meant—
This wasn't in my head.
It was real.
And it was growing.
I took a step back.
"I don't want this," I said quietly.
Kai's jaw clenched.
"That makes two of us," he muttered.
But even as he said it…
He didn't leave.
None of them did.
And the bond between us pulsed again—
Like it disagreed with everything we were saying.
Like it had already decided.