BRANDON'S POV

　　I grabbed onto the desk tightly as a sharp pain shot through my chest, feeling as if a dagger had been plunged straight into my heart. The pain intensified, and I felt my life slipping through my fingers. My vision blurred, and dizziness overtook me. Sweat poured down my face, and panic surged within me.

　　"What is happening?" I thought, my mind racing as I struggled to stay upright.

　　I reached for a glass of water, hoping to alleviate the searing pain. But each sip felt like swallowing sand, doing nothing to soothe my agony. The room around me seemed to spin, and I could barely keep my grip on the desk.

　　In my desperate state, I tried to focus on my breathing, but even that felt labored. I needed to figure out what was happening and how to stop it.

　　Amidst this pain, my mind wandered to Lydia, and my Lycan grew restless, pacing back and forth in my thoughts.

　　"Something is not okay," my Lycan growled, a sense of urgency in his voice.

　　"What's wrong?" I questioned, trying to focus despite the pain.

　　"Mate, she is not okay. Something has happened," he insisted.

　　I stood up, alarmed. We had just talked through the mind link, so how could she be in danger now? Does that mean she got hurt during the assessment?

　　My thoughts raced. If she was hurt in her hallucinating state, it wouldn't affect her physically, but it could leave a scar in her mind, weakening her resolve during the assessment. I couldn't let that happen. Lydia needed to stay strong, and she needed to know she wasn't alone.

　　"Lydia," I called out through the mind link again, hoping she could hear me. "Are you okay? What's happening?"

　　There was no immediate response, and my anxiety grew. I needed to find a way to reach her, to support her through this. Closing my eyes, I focused all my energy on our bond, trying to send her strength and reassurance.

　　But something was blocking my connection with her, and that was not a good sign. Panic surged through me as I tried to reach out again, but there was nothing. I immediately mindlinked my brother, but he didn't answer.

　　I rushed towards him, bursting into his quarters, and saw that he was going through the same pain. His face was contorted in agony, his hand clutching his chest just like mine.

　　"Oh my Goddess!" I exclaimed, the realization hitting me like a punch. "It means only one thing: Lydia is seriously hurt, and we need to check on her immediately."

　　"Evan," I urged, grabbing his shoulder to ground him. "I know you are in pain. We both are, but we need to fight through it. This pain is the result of Lydia and our mate bond. She is seriously hurt, and we have to go to her immediately."

　　He looked up at me, his eyes filled with a mix of pain and determination. My words seemed to give him the strength he needed. He nodded, forcing himself to stand despite the agony.

　　"Let's go," he said through gritted teeth, his voice resolute.

　　We bolted out of the room, moving as quickly as we could despite the pain that wracked our bodies. Every step was a struggle, but the thought of Lydia, our mate, suffering spurred us on.

　　The corridors seemed endless, but finally, we reached the location of the assessment. The guards and officials were taken aback by our sudden arrival, but we didn't have time to explain.

　　"Where is Lydia?" I demanded, my voice laced with urgency.

　　"She's in the hallucination chamber," one of the officials responded, pointing us in the right direction. "But you can't interrupt the process—it's dangerous."

　　"Dangerous or not, she's in trouble," Evan snapped. "We have to get to her."

　　"We're afraid we can't let you do that," a guard said, and in a moment, the entire place was surrounded by guards, forming a barrier around the assessment chamber.

　　Why would they care so much whether we entered or not? Something about this whole situation seemed off. I scanned the area, looking for an entry point, but the guards had effectively sealed off every possible access.

　　That's when I noticed something peculiar. The guards wore uniforms emblazoned with a symbol that seemed disturbingly familiar. My instincts screamed at me that something was very wrong. I didn't waste any more time and mind-linked Evan, hoping he had noticed the same detail.

　　"Evan, do you see the symbol on their uniforms?" I asked, my thoughts urgent.

　　"Yes," he replied. "It belongs to the nobles here. Specifically, it's Jason's symbol."

　　Our suspicions were confirmed. The guards weren't just any guards; they were Jason's men. This was no ordinary assessment—this was a setup, and Lydia was the target.

　　"We need a plan," Evan said, his voice steady despite the tension. "We can't just rush in and risk getting overpowered."