Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers

Evaline:

I stared at them - my mates. Shock and confusion slammed into me like a wave.

Of course it was them. If there was anyone in this Academy besides Rowan who thought the balcony was a personal doorway into this room, it was Draven. And this time, he wasn't alone. Oscar was right behind him, both of them standing tall in the faint light, their eyes sharp and searching.

Rowan stiffened beside me, but then I felt his hand, the one holding mine, slowly loosened and slipped away. I turned to look at him and he leaned in just enough to whisper, his voice barely above a whisper.

"They must have felt it… through the bonds. Your sudden rise in emotions."

My lips parted as realization dawned. That explained the worry etched into their faces, the way they barged into my room in the dead of night. I swallowed hard as guilt curled in my stomach.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but Draven moved before my words could form. He crossed the room in three long strides, his expression thunderous. His hand wrapped around my arm, tugging me firmly to my feet, pulling me away from Rowan's side.

"What happened?" His voice was low but sharp, leaving no room for evasion. His eyes bored into mine. "We both felt it. Worry. Panic. Fear. What made you feel that way, Eva?"

Oscar's gaze wasn't as fiery as Draven's, but it was cutting nonetheless. His eyes darted between me and Rowan with confusion... and something dangerously close to suspicion.

My heart raced. My mind was a battlefield. Where was I supposed to start?

I couldn't tell them the truth - not all of it. Not that Rowan had been sneaking out. Not that he had come back with wounds so bad I had nearly dragged him to the infirmary. If they found out, Rowan would be finished. And I couldn't - wouldn't - do that to him.

But if I didn't say anything at all, how was I supposed to explain the panic that had rattled through our bond so strongly it dragged them out of their rooms?

I was caught in the middle of lies and truths, and I hated it.

Oscar broke the silence first. His sharp eyes pinned Rowan like a hawk sighting its prey.

"What happened to you?" His tone wasn't curious, it was demanding.

Panic surged in me again, stronger than before. I couldn't let him press Rowan like that. The words tumbled out before I could stop them.

"I panicked because… because I found him slightly injured-."

"Slightly?" Oscar's voice cut through mine like a blade.

My brows furrowed at his tone, and I followed his gaze. Rowan wasn't looking at Oscar. He was looking at me. Then, wordlessly, he tilted his chin toward his bloodstained white shirt.

The realization hit me like a bucket of ice water. The blood.

Even though I had healed the wound... had somehow, impossibly, erased most of them completely... the blood hadn't disappeared. The shirt was soaked through, damning evidence of how severe it had been. And no matter what excuse I tried to make, there was no way that amount of blood could have come from a "slight" injury.

Oscar stepped closer to me, his tall frame casting a shadow that swallowed me whole. His expression wasn't furious, but there was steel in his voice when he spoke.

"Don't play with me, Eva. Don't lie to us."

My chest tightened. His words weren't cruel, but the weight of them pressed on me harder than if he had yelled.

Rowan finally stood, his voice quiet but firm. "If you want answers, ask me. Don't overwhelm her with your questions."

Draven shifted, his hold on my arm tightening just slightly as if to keep me from moving back toward Rowan. The tension between the three of them sparked like a storm waiting to break.

And I couldn't let it.

"Stop." My voice cut through their brewing clash. "All of you."

They froze, the room falling into silence heavy enough to crush me.

"Keep your voices down unless you want to wake Mallory and Ria," I hissed, glaring at each of them in turn. "Do you really want them barging in here asking questions you can't answer?"

That seemed to snap them out of it. Draven's hand fell away from my arm reluctantly, while Oscar's jaw unclenched. Rowan exhaled, some of the fight draining from his posture.

I let out a shaky breath and gestured toward the beds. "Sit. All three of you. Please."

They obeyed, though not without a little friction. Rowan sank back onto his bed, looking pale but calm, while Draven and Oscar moved to mine, the two of them side by side. Their presence on my mattress made the bed look ridiculously small, their shoulders nearly brushing the wall on either side. The sight would have been comical under any other circumstance, but right now it only made me feel suffocated.

I sat on the edge of Rowan's bed again, gathering the courage I desperately needed.

"Listen to me," I began softly, my eyes flicking to Rowan. He met my gaze, and I gave him the smallest nod - the promise that I would take care of this. That I wouldn't let them turn on him for what happened. He gave the faintest of nods back, his trust heavy on my shoulders.

I turned back to Draven and Oscar. "Here's the truth. I woke up tonight and heard something on the balcony. It was Rowan. He was injured. Badly." My voice faltered, and I forced myself to continue. "That's why I panicked... initially. That's what you felt. The fear of seeing him like that."

Oscar leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees, his gaze never leaving mine. "And the injury?"

I drew in a shaky breath, my throat dry. This was the part that terrified me more than anything. I could have lied again. But the truth of what happened - the warm feeling of magic rushing through me, the sudden disappearance of blood and wounds - it still burned in me. Hiding it felt impossible.

So I took the plunge.

"When I was tending to him, something… happened. I don't know how or why. I just know that when I touched his wound, it disappeared." My words tumbled out fast, desperate. "They were just... gone. Completely gone. As if they were never there."

Silence followed, thick and unyielding.

Draven's brows furrowed, suspicion and concern warring in his expression. Oscar stared at me as though weighing every syllable, his sharp mind no doubt running through a hundred possibilities. Rowan stayed quiet, though his eyes never left my face - steady, unwavering, trusting.

Finally, Oscar broke the silence, his voice quiet... even softer now.

"Eva… do you understand what you are saying?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't. I don't understand it at all. But you saw the blood. And you can see there's just one small cut left on his body now. Whatever happened… it came from me."

Draven leaned forward, his gaze fixed on me. "You are saying you healed him."

The word healed made me flinch, as if saying it aloud made it real.

"Yes," I whispered. "That's exactly what I'm saying."