The silence didn't last.
It never did.
Because the moment his words settled—
They're coming.
—I felt it.
Not the bond.
Something else.
Cold.
Sharp.
Wrong.
My body tensed instantly.
"They're here."
Leo's head snapped toward me. "Where?"
I turned slowly, scanning the tree line.
The same place the Alpha had stepped out from earlier.
But this time…
It wasn't just one presence.
It was many.
Kai's expression darkened. "I feel it too."
Evan's voice dropped slightly. "Multiple."
Leo stepped forward, his entire demeanor shifting.
Alpha.
Commanding.
Deadly.
"Stay behind us."
I almost argued—
But the bond pulsed.
Warning.
Not ego this time.
Instinct.
So I listened.
A rustle.
Then another.
Then—
They stepped out.
One by one.
Figures emerging from the shadows.
Wolves.
Not fully shifted.
But not fully human either.
Their eyes glowed.
Wild.
Unstable.
My breath caught.
"Rogues…" I whispered.
Kai's jaw tightened. "More than last time."
Evan's gaze sharpened. "And organized."
That alone was terrifying.
Because rogues weren't supposed to work together.
One of them stepped forward.
Clearly the leader.
His eyes locked onto me instantly.
Not Leo.
Not Kai.
Not Evan.
Me.
"There she is," he said, voice rough.
My stomach dropped.
"You came for me," I said.
Not a question.
A fact.
He smiled.
Slow.
Crooked.
"Orders are orders."
Leo's voice cut in like a blade.
"You don't take orders."
The rogue's smile widened slightly.
"We do now."
That was all it took.
Everything in the air shifted.
Danger went from distant—
To immediate.
Leo stepped forward.
Fully.
Dominant.
"You're not leaving here alive."
Kai cracked his knuckles slightly. "Been waiting to hear that."
Evan didn't speak.
But I felt it—
His focus locked in.
Cold.
Precise.
The rogue leader tilted his head slightly.
"Big words."
A pause.
Then—
"Let's see if you can protect her."
And just like that—
Everything exploded.
They moved first.
Fast.
Too fast for normal wolves.
But not for us.
Leo shifted partially—eyes glowing, movements sharp as he intercepted the first attack.
Kai lunged to the side, taking down another before it reached me.
Evan—
Evan moved like he already knew what they would do.
Calculated.
Clean.
Deadly.
But there were too many.
One broke through.
Straight toward me.
My breath caught—
But I didn't freeze this time.
The bond surged.
Hard.
Power flooded my system.
My vision sharpened.
My body reacted—
Before I even thought.
I dodged.
Clean.
Just like before.
The rogue swung again—
And I blocked it.
My hand catching his wrist.
Too easily.
His eyes widened.
"…What are you—"
I didn't let him finish.
I pushed.
Hard.
He flew back.
Slamming into a tree.
Silence hit for half a second.
Just enough for them to notice.
Kai glanced at me mid-fight.
"Okay… she's definitely not normal."
But it didn't end there.
Because the moment I used that power—
They all felt it.
The rogues froze.
Just for a second.
Then—
Their attention shifted.
Fully.
To me.
The leader's expression changed.
From confidence…
To obsession.
"That power…" he murmured.
My chest tightened.
No.
That wasn't good.
"Take her," he ordered.
Everything slowed.
Not literally.
But it felt like it.
Because suddenly—
This wasn't a fight anymore.
It was a hunt.
They moved again.
All of them.
Not toward Leo.
Not toward Kai.
Not toward Evan.
Me.
"Stay behind us!" Leo snapped.
But I already knew—
They weren't going to let that happen.
Kai grabbed my wrist, pulling me back.
Evan stepped directly in front of me now.
Leo moved forward—
Blocking three at once.
But the pressure was building.
Too many angles.
Too many attacks.
My heart started racing.
"They're not stopping," I said.
Evan's voice was calm—but tight.
"They don't plan to."
The bond pulsed again.
Stronger.
Faster.
Different.
It wasn't just reacting anymore.
It was pushing.
Demanding.
Do something.
My chest tightened.
"I can feel it again," I said.
Kai glanced at me. "Not now—"
"I can't stop it!"
The power surged.
Harder than before.
More intense.
More… controlled?
No—
Not controlled.
Directed.
My eyes snapped up.
Toward the rogues.
And suddenly—
I saw it.
Not with my eyes.
But with something deeper.
Connections.
Weak.
Unstable.
Broken.
Their bond.
My breath caught.
"…I can touch it."
Evan's head turned sharply.
"What?"
I didn't answer.
Because I already did it.
The moment I reached—
The bond reacted.
Not mine.
Theirs.
It snapped.
One rogue froze mid-attack.
Eyes going wide.
Confused.
Then—
He turned.
And attacked another rogue instead.
Chaos.
Instant.
Violent.
Uncontrolled.
Kai blinked. "What the—"
Evan's voice dropped.
"…She's interfering."
Leo looked back at me.
Shock breaking through his control for the first time.
"What did you just do?"
I stared at my hands.
Breathing uneven.
"I didn't—"
But I had.
The leader growled.
Furious now.
"STOP HER!"
Too late.
Because now—
I understood something terrifying.
It wasn't just our bond I could affect.
It was any bond.
The power surged again.
Stronger.
Wilder.
And this time—
I didn't hesitate.