CHAPTER 205
KHURAAN'S POV
The silence between my brothers and me felt heavier than usual. We sat in Zarkhan's private study, surrounded by old books and leather furniture, but nothing could calm the storm in my head.
I shouldn't have said anything. I should have watched and waited longer.
But the suspicion was eating at me. Giselle's sudden power surge, the way she'd shattered Zarkhan's phone without even touching it... it wasn't just normal mate bond strength. It was something else. Something that matched too closely with the terrifying information we'd found in the archives.
"You're quiet, Khuraan." Zarkhan stopped pacing and fixed those sharp eyes on me. "You've been quiet since we got back from researching. What aren't you telling us?"
Hakkan put his glasses back on, his gaze joining Zarkhan's. "I can feel that you're conflicted about something. More than usual."
I shifted in the armchair. The leather creaked under my weight. They'll think I'm paranoid. Or worse, that I'm doubting her.
"It's probably nothing," I muttered, looking down at my hands.
"Bullshit." Zarkhan was in front of me in two steps. He leaned down, bracing his hands on the arms of my chair, getting in my space. "We're past 'probably nothing.' Look at me and talk."
The command in his voice, the Alpha power behind it, pulled the truth out of me. I met his eyes, the words tasting bitter. "I think... the changes in Giselle. They're not just a reaction to the trauma. I think they might be... symptoms."
Hakkan went completely still. "Symptoms of what?"
"Of what those things are doing to her." I forced the words out. Each one felt heavy. "The blood monsters. They feed on bonds. What if her new senses, her strength—what if they aren't a gift? What if the bond is being messed with? Stretched thin so they can feed off it?"
The air in the room changed. Zarkhan's eyes darkened with protective fury. Hakkan's professional mask slipped, showing raw fear.
"That's a big leap," Hakkan said, but his voice wasn't as confident as usual.
"Is it?" I pushed up from the chair, forcing Zarkhan to step back. I started pacing, finally releasing the restless energy. "She feels our emotions like they're colors now. She has strength she shouldn't have. And last night... the way she responded to us. It was so intense, so desperate. Like a hunger. What if that's not just us? What if that's the infection, using our bond, making her need us more so it can draw more power from the connection?"
Zarkhan's jaw clenched. "You think she's becoming one of them?"
"No." The denial came instantly, fiercely. "Not becoming. Not yet. But I think she might be a... a bridge. A way for them to tap into our bond."
The silence that followed was worse than before. It was the silence of terrible truth settling in.
"We need to watch her," Hakkan said finally, his voice low. "Closely. Without her knowing. If she's hiding something, if she's feeling any pull we don't understand..."
Zarkhan nodded sharply. "I'll have Kael follow her. He's our best tracker. He can stay hidden."
It was decided. The plan felt like a betrayal, but it also felt necessary. For her safety. For all of us.
The reports started coming in a few hours later. Kael was like a ghost, but his messages were clear.
'Luna left the house on foot. Headed north. Walking with purpose. Not casual.'
'She's at the old mill. Standing still. Waiting. No one visible.'
'She's on her phone. Looks upset. No one approached. She's leaving now, coming home.'
Each message tightened the knot of dread in my chest. She was trying to meet someone. She was looking for answers we couldn't give her. Alone.
We were waiting in the living room when she came back. She walked through the front door with her head down, shoulders slumped. She didn't even look at us, just moved toward the stairs like she was in a trance.
"Giselle."
Zarkhan's voice stopped her on the third step. She froze, her back to us. I could see her whole body tense.
Slowly, she turned around. Her face was pale, her eyes haunted. She looked at Zarkhan, then Hakkan, then me. The mate bond between us hummed, but it felt... different. Strained. Clouded with her fear and something else—sharp despair.
"Where did you go?" Zarkhan asked. His tone was calm, but I knew better.
She swallowed hard. "For a walk. To clear my head."
"To the old mill?" Hakkan asked, tilting his head. "That's a long walk just to clear your head."
Her eyes widened slightly. She hadn't known we followed her. A flash of betrayal crossed her face before she hid it. "I needed space. It's quiet there."
"It's also a known meeting spot for rogues and criminals," Zarkhan said, taking a step toward the stairs. "Who were you meeting?"
"No one!" The lie came too fast, too sharp. "I was alone. I told you, I just needed air!"
My patience finally broke. The fear for her, the suspicion, the love that felt like it was being used against us—it all boiled over. I walked to the foot of the stairs, looking up at her.
"Giselle," I said, my voice rough with emotion. "Please. Whatever this is, you can't handle it alone. We're your mates. We're in this with you. But you have to talk to us."
She wrapped her arms around herself, looking defensive and small. It broke my heart. "There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine."
Hakkan moved beside me. His analytical gaze was softer than usual, but his question cut deep. "Are you sure? Your body's responses are all wrong. Your energy is fluctuating in a way I've only read about in texts describing what happens before someone transforms."
She took a step back up the stairs. "Before transformation? What are you talking about?"
Zarkhan moved forward, his presence filling the space with Alpha dominance. "The things that took Kade. The blood monsters. We know what they are. We know what they do. And we're terrified that they've started doing it to you."
Her breath caught. All the color drained from her face.
Hakkan, seeing her reaction, went for the direct approach. His voice was gentle but relentless. "Giselle, look at me. The strength, the enhanced senses, the emotional connection... are you feeling a different kind of hunger? A cold one? Is there a voice or a pull that isn't yours?"
He paused, his eyes locked on hers.
"Just tell us. Are you becoming a blood monster?"
The words hung in the air, brutal and final.
Her shocked expression told us everything we needed to know. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
It was the look of someone caught in a truth too terrible to speak.