"STOP HER!"
The rogue leader's voice tore through the chaos.
But it was already too late.
The moment I touched that bond—
Something changed.
Not just in them.
In me.
The power didn't fade.
It grew.
My chest rose sharply as another surge hit—stronger than before, faster, harder to contain.
"I can't—" I gasped.
Evan's voice cut through, sharp for once. "Don't reach again!"
But my body didn't listen.
The world around me sharpened.
Too much.
Every movement.
Every heartbeat.
Every connection.
I could feel them.
All of them.
Not just Leo.
Not just Kai.
Not just Evan.
Everyone.
The rogues' broken bonds pulsed like weak threads in my mind.
Easy to pull.
Easy to twist.
And something inside me—
liked that.
"No…" I whispered.
But my hand lifted anyway.
The bond snapped outward.
Three rogues froze mid-attack.
Then—
Turned.
They attacked each other.
"WHAT IS SHE DOING?!" one of them shouted before being slammed into the ground.
Chaos exploded instantly.
Claws clashed.
Growls turned on each other.
Trust shattered in seconds.
Kai stared at me, stunned. "Okay—that's not just interference anymore!"
Evan's eyes darkened. "She's overriding instinct."
Leo didn't look impressed.
He looked worried.
"Nancy," he said, voice firm. "Stop."
But I couldn't.
Because the power kept rising.
It flooded through me—hot, electric, uncontrollable.
My breathing turned uneven.
My vision flickered.
And then—
I felt it again.
Stronger.
Closer.
Not the rogues.
Them.
Leo.
Kai.
Evan.
The bond between us flared—
Different this time.
Open.
Vulnerable.
My heart dropped.
"No…"
But it was too late.
The power reached.
And grabbed.
Kai froze.
Mid-step.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…Nancy?"
My breath caught.
I didn't mean to—
But I felt it.
His movement.
His balance.
His focus.
Like it was mine.
"Oh God—" I whispered.
"Nancy," Leo's voice dropped, dangerous now. "Let go."
"I'm trying!"
But the connection tightened.
Not weaker.
Stronger.
Kai's hand twitched—
Then lifted.
Not by his choice.
His expression darkened instantly.
"You need to stop. Now."
"I DON'T KNOW HOW!"
The bond surged again—
Hard.
Violent.
And suddenly—
Everything snapped.
My vision shifted.
Not fully mine anymore.
For a split second—
I saw through him.
The world from Kai's perspective.
Leo in front.
Evan to the side.
Myself—
glowing.
I gasped—
And the connection broke.
Kai staggered back slightly, catching himself.
"What the hell was that?" he snapped.
Silence didn't last.
Because the rogues took advantage of it.
"NOW!" the leader roared.
They lunged again.
More aggressive.
More desperate.
Leo shifted fully this time.
Power exploded off him—Alpha dominance slamming into the ground.
"Enough."
The command hit hard.
Even the rogues flinched.
Kai recovered instantly, diving back into the fight.
Evan moved like a shadow—fast, precise, brutal.
But me?
I was still standing there.
Frozen.
Because I felt it.
The power hadn't gone.
It was still there.
Waiting.
Watching.
Hungry.
My chest tightened.
"I can't control it…" I whispered.
Leo appeared in front of me in a second.
Too fast.
Too close.
"Then don't let it control you," he said.
"That's not helping!"
"It's the only option."
Another rogue broke through.
Straight toward me.
Leo turned—
But I was faster.
I moved without thinking.
Caught the rogue mid-lunge—
And slammed him into the ground.
Hard.
Too hard.
The ground cracked slightly beneath the impact.
Silence hit for half a second.
Even Leo paused.
"…Okay," Kai muttered from behind. "That's new."
I stared at my hands.
Shaking.
"That wasn't me…"
Evan's voice came low.
"It was."
The rogue leader growled again.
But this time—
There was hesitation.
Because now—
They weren't just looking at me like prey.
They were looking at me like something worse.
A threat.
"Fall back!" he suddenly ordered.
The rogues froze.
Confused.
"But—"
"NOW!"
And just like that—
They retreated.
Fast.
Disappearing back into the trees.
Gone.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Broken only by our breathing.
Kai exhaled. "They ran."
Evan nodded slightly. "Not normal behavior."
Leo didn't move.
His eyes were still on me.
Sharp.
Unreadable.
"You didn't just defend yourself," he said.
My chest tightened.
"I know."
A pause.
Then—
"You controlled one of us."
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
I swallowed.
"I didn't mean to."
"I know," he said.
That didn't make it better.
The bond pulsed again.
Slow.
Deep.
Different.
And this time—
It didn't feel unstable.
It felt…
Awake.
Kai ran a hand through his hair.
"So… we're just going to ignore the fact she almost mind-controlled me?"
Evan answered calmly.
"We're not ignoring it."
Leo finished it.
"We're preparing for it."
My stomach dropped.
Because deep down…
I knew this wasn't the worst of it.
It was just the beginning.