It didn't go away.
That was the first problem.
I knew it the moment I woke up.
Before I even opened my eyes—
I felt it.
Not the usual bond.
Not the steady, quiet pull I had started getting used to.
This was…
Clear.
Sharp.
Too real.
I sat up slowly, heart already racing.
And then—
Something flickered.
Not mine.
Annoyance.
Low. Controlled.
Familiar.
"Kai…" I whispered.
The feeling vanished instantly.
Like it had never been there.
I froze.
No.
No, no, no—
I threw the blanket off and stood up too fast.
"This isn't happening."
But it was.
Because a second later—
Another flicker.
Calm.
Focused.
Watching.
Evan.
My breath caught.
I hadn't even seen him yet.
Hadn't heard him.
But I knew.
"What did you do…?" I muttered to myself.
I rushed out of my room—
And nearly ran straight into Leo.
His hand shot out, gripping my arm to steady me.
The moment he touched me—
It hit.
Hard.
Control.
Pressure.
Restraint.
Leo.
But amplified.
Louder than it should've been.
I gasped, instinctively grabbing onto him.
"Stop—"
His grip tightened slightly. "I didn't do anything."
"I know," I breathed.
"That's the problem."
His gaze sharpened.
"You feel it too."
Not a question.
Before I could answer—
Footsteps.
Kai.
The moment he stepped into view—
The connection slammed into place.
Frustration.
Restlessness.
Something deeper under it.
Something he was trying very hard not to let surface.
His eyes locked onto mine.
And I knew—
He felt it.
"…You too?" he said.
I nodded slowly.
Evan walked in last.
And unlike the others—
He wasn't surprised.
"Interesting," he murmured.
I turned to him immediately. "Interesting?!"
He ignored my tone.
Of course he did.
"The bond evolved," Evan said calmly.
Leo frowned slightly. "That's not supposed to happen this fast."
Kai scoffed. "Clearly, it did."
I crossed my arms, trying to ground myself.
"Okay, can someone explain why I can feel your emotions like they're mine?"
Evan's gaze met mine.
"Because for a moment yesterday," he said,
"You didn't just connect to the bond."
A pause.
"You synchronized it."
Silence.
"That doesn't sound better," I said flatly.
"It's not," Leo replied.
Great.
Love that for me.
Kai ran a hand through his hair. "So what—this is permanent now?"
Evan tilted his head slightly.
"Not necessarily."
I exhaled in relief.
"Good."
"…But it can get stronger."
Of course it can.
I dropped my head back slightly. "I hate everything."
Kai huffed out a quiet laugh.
"You say that like it's new."
The bond flickered again—
And this time—
I didn't just feel him.
I felt what he was holding back.
My breath caught.
Heat.
Tension.
Something dangerously close to—
I looked up at him sharply.
His expression changed instantly.
"Don't," he said.
Low.
Warning.
"I didn't—"
"Yeah," he cut in, stepping closer.
"Just like yesterday?"
The bond reacted.
Again.
Leo stepped between us immediately.
"Enough."
But it was too late.
Because now—
Everything was bleeding through.
Evan.
Calm—but curious.
Watching everything like it was an experiment.
Leo.
Controlled—but strained.
Like he was holding something in place.
Kai—
I stepped back.
Fast.
"No."
All three of them stilled.
"This is too much," I said, shaking my head.
"I can't just feel everything you're feeling like this—"
"You won't have a choice if it deepens," Evan said.
I shot him a look. "You're really not helping."
Kai exhaled slowly, tension rolling off him in waves—
And I felt every bit of it.
"That means we need boundaries," Leo said firmly.
"Boundaries?" I echoed.
"How exactly do you put boundaries on something in your head?!"
No one answered immediately.
Because—
Yeah.
Good question.
Then Evan spoke.
"Distance."
Kai frowned. "That won't work."
"It might," Evan replied.
Leo shook his head once.
"No."
We all looked at him.
"The bond doesn't weaken with distance," he said.
"It adapts."
A pause.
"And if we separate now—"
His gaze flicked to me.
"It could get worse."
Silence.
So staying close was dangerous.
And leaving was worse.
Perfect.
"What do we do then?" I asked quietly.
This time—
Kai answered.
"We get used to it."
I blinked.
"That's your solution?"
He stepped closer again.
Slower this time.
More careful.
"No," he said.
His eyes locked onto mine.
"We learn how not to drown in each other."
The bond pulsed.
Deep.
Heavy.
Real.
And for the first time—
That scared me more than losing control ever had.
Because this?
This wasn't power.
This was something else.
Something that was pulling us closer—
Whether we wanted it or not.
And I wasn't sure any of us were strong enough to fight it.