The silence didn't last.
It never did anymore.
Because the moment his presence faded—
Everything else rushed in.
Stronger.
Louder.
Too much.
I staggered back slightly, pressing a hand to my chest.
"Something's wrong…"
Kai stepped forward immediately. "What is it?"
I shook my head.
"I don't know—it's just—"
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"It won't stop."
Leo's expression sharpened.
"The bond?"
I nodded.
But that wasn't enough to explain it.
Because it wasn't just the bond.
It was them.
All three of them.
At once.
Kai's tension.
Leo's control.
Evan's focus.
All of it—
Pouring into me.
"I can feel everything," I whispered.
Evan's gaze locked onto mine.
"How intense?"
I let out a shaky breath.
"Too intense."
The bond pulsed again—
Hard.
And suddenly—
Emotion slammed into me.
Not mine.
Frustration.
I turned instantly.
Kai.
Then—
Pressure.
Restraint.
Leo.
Then—
Something quieter.
But deeper.
Focus.
Concern.
Evan.
I stumbled again.
"Stop—please—just—"
"We're not doing anything," Kai said quickly.
"I know!"
That made it worse.
Because that meant—
This wasn't controlled.
It was leaking.
The bond tightening without permission.
Without limits.
"I can't separate it," I said, panic rising.
"I don't know what's mine anymore—"
That was the breaking point.
The bond surged violently.
And this time—
It didn't just connect.
It flooded.
Everything.
I gasped, dropping to my knees.
Voices.
Feelings.
Reactions.
All at once.
Too much.
"Make it stop—!"
Leo moved instantly, crouching in front of me.
"Look at me."
I tried.
But my vision blurred.
Because now—
It wasn't just emotions.
It was thoughts.
Fragments.
Kai—
She's slipping.
Leo—
Hold it together.
Evan—
This is the breaking point.
"I can hear you," I choked out.
All three of them froze.
"That's not supposed to happen," Evan said sharply.
"No—no, I don't want this—!"
The bond pulsed again—
Stronger.
And suddenly—
It turned inward.
My own emotions—
Amplified.
Fear.
Confusion.
Overwhelm.
All of it—
Multiplied.
"I can't—" my voice broke.
Kai grabbed my shoulders.
"Stay with us."
But even that—
Even his touch—
Made it worse.
Because now—
Everything centered on him.
The bond locked.
Pulled.
Hard.
Too hard.
And before I could stop it—
"Don't move," I whispered.
Silence.
Kai froze.
Instantly.
Again.
My heart dropped.
"No—no, I didn't mean to—"
But it wasn't just him this time.
Leo stiffened.
Evan stopped moving.
All three of them—
Held.
By me.
The realization hit like a crash.
"I did that…"
Fear spiked.
And the bond reacted.
Worse.
Stronger.
"Break it!" Leo forced out.
"I don't know how—!"
My breathing turned uneven.
Fast.
Shallow.
The pressure built higher—
Until—
Something inside me snapped.
Not outward.
Inward.
Everything—
Shut down.
The bond.
The noise.
The emotions.
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence.
Complete.
I went still.
Too still.
"Nancy?"
Kai's voice felt distant.
I didn't respond.
Because for the first time—
I felt nothing.
No bond.
No pull.
No connection.
Empty.
And somehow—
That was worse than everything before.
Leo's voice cut in, low and sharp.
"This isn't control."
Evan's expression darkened.
"No."
A pause.
"This is suppression."
Kai's grip tightened slightly.
"Fix it."
Evan shook his head once.
"I don't think she's doing this consciously."
Silence.
Heavy.
Because that meant—
This wasn't over.
It was just—
Waiting.
And when it came back?
It would be stronger.
More dangerous.
More unstable.
And this time—
Nancy might not be able to stop it.