** Paige’s POV **

Breakfast almost settles me, almost, but not quite.

The guys keep trying to act normal, but the bond is a mess of tangled emotions. Curiosity, awe, worry, and something sharper threading through all of them… fear.

Not fear of me but fear for me, and it’s Ryder who keeps glancing at me like he’s fighting an internal argument he doesn’t want to have.

I can tell they’re discussing something through the mind-link. It’s obvious in their subtle nods and their micro ...