The Fifth Bond's Unsettling Revelation

I stood in the bathroom, towel wrapped around my body, water droplets still clinging to my skin. The shower had been quick but refreshing, washing away the lingering stickiness of heat that seemed to coat every inch of me. As I reached for my clothes, voices drifted through the slightly ajar door.

"We need to tell her," Rhys insisted, his usually cheerful voice laced with frustration. "Keeping this from her isn't right."

"For fuck's sake, Warner," Jaxon snapped. "We've been over this. It's for her own good."

"I agree with Jax," Silas said, his voice lower. "The timing isn't right."

"She deserves to know," Rhys countered. "How would you feel if everyone was keeping something this important from you?"

Ronan's soft voice joined in. "I hate lying to her too, but—"

My heart pounded against my ribs. They were hiding something from me? Something important? I cinched the towel tighter around my body and pushed the bathroom door open, stepping into the hallway.

"But what, Ro?" I asked, my voice cutting through their conversation like a knife.

All four heads snapped toward me, expressions ranging from guilt to defiance. They were gathered in the living room, forming a tight circle that broke apart at my appearance.

"Hazel," Silas said, recovering first. "We didn't hear you finish your shower."

"Clearly," I replied coldly. "So, what exactly are you keeping from me for my 'own good'?"

Jaxon's face hardened. "Nothing that concerns you right now."

"Nothing that concerns me?" I repeated, incredulous. "You were literally just talking about me!"

"Hazel, it's complicated," Silas tried, taking a step toward me.

I backed away, clutching my towel tighter. "Don't. Just... don't. I've had enough secrets and lies in my life. I thought things would be different with you guys."

Pain flashed across their faces, but I was too angry to care. After everything we'd been through—the attacks, my heat, the growing trust between us—they were still keeping secrets?

Rhys sighed heavily, then stepped forward. "Vance is your fifth bond."

"Rhys!" Jaxon snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"What?" I whispered, the words hitting me like a physical blow.

"Kaelen Vance," Rhys continued, ignoring Jaxon's murderous glare. "He's your fifth bond. That's what we've been keeping from you."

The room tilted beneath my feet. Kaelen Vance—the stern, intimidating headmaster who'd barely given me the time of day—was my bond? The man who'd been so cold and distant, who'd looked at me with such disdain when I first arrived... he was meant to be mine?

"That's not possible," I said, my voice hollow. "He can't stand me."

"It's more complicated than that," Silas explained gently.

But I was already storming toward my bedroom, needing space, needing to process this bombshell. Kaelen Vance. The headmaster. My fifth bond. And all of them had known, had deliberately hidden it from me.

My hands trembled as I yanked open my wardrobe, only to find it empty. No clothes. Nothing.

"Looking for these?" Jaxon stood in the doorway, holding a stack of my clothes.

"What the hell, Jax?" I demanded. "Where are my clothes?"

"We had to wash them," he said, his tone infuriatingly casual. "Your heat scent was all over them."

I wanted to scream. "Give them to me."

"Not until you calm down and listen," he countered.

"I'm done listening to you!" I snapped, stalking toward him. "You lied to me. All of you did."

"We didn't lie," Jaxon growled. "We just didn't tell you everything."

"That's the same damn thing and you know it!" I pushed past him, nearly losing my towel in the process, and stormed back into the living room. "I'm going to find Vance right now and get the truth."

Silas intercepted me, his eyes pleading. "Hazel, please. You don't understand what's at stake."

"Then explain it to me!" I shouted, tears threatening to spill. "Stop treating me like I'm some fragile thing that can't handle the truth!"

"Hazel," Silas reached for me, but I jerked away from his touch.

"Don't," I warned. "Just... don't touch me right now."

Hurt flashed across his face, and a small part of me felt guilty, but the anger was too overwhelming. I backed away from him, from all of them, feeling cornered and betrayed.

Rhys approached slowly, hands raised in a placating gesture. "Can we talk about this? Please? Let me explain."

There was something in his eyes—sincerity, regret, concern—that made me pause. My anger still simmered beneath the surface, but I nodded stiffly. "Fine. Talk."

"Come sit down," he suggested, gesturing to my bedroom. "And maybe put some clothes on first?"

I glanced down at my towel-clad form, suddenly aware of how ridiculous I must look, having a meltdown while practically naked. "Fine. But I want answers, Rhys. Real ones."

After hastily throwing on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt that Rhys handed me, I sat on the edge of my bed. Rhys settled beside me, a careful distance between us.

"Jax is going to kill me for this," he said with a weak smile.

"Join the club," I muttered. "I want to kill all of you right now."

His smile faded. "I know. And I'm sorry, Hazel. I wanted to tell you sooner, but the others thought it would be too much with everything else going on."

"Why would Kaelen being my bond be too much?" I asked. "I mean, yeah, it's shocking, but—"

"Because you can't be with him," Rhys interrupted softly. "Not yet, at least."

I blinked. "What do you mean, I can't be with him?"

Rhys ran a hand through his blonde hair, clearly struggling with how to explain. "There are... complications. Rules about students and staff, for one thing."

"That's bullshit," I said flatly. "There has to be more to it than that."

"There is," Rhys admitted. "But it's not my place to explain all of it. What I can tell you is that Kaelen has known you're his bond since the beginning, and he's been fighting it."

The revelation hit me like a punch to the gut. "He's known all along? And he just... what, decided to ignore it? To treat me like I was nothing to him?"

"He had his reasons," Rhys said, though he didn't sound entirely convinced himself.

"What reasons could possibly justify making me feel like shit every time he looked at me?" I demanded, anger flaring anew. "He knew we were bonded, and he still treated me like I was some inconvenience he had to deal with?"

"It's complicated, Hazel."

"Stop saying that!" I stood up, pacing the room. "Everything in this place is 'complicated'! For once, I'd like a straight answer!"

"I'm trying," Rhys said, frustration evident in his voice. "But this isn't just my secret to tell."

"But it is *my* life," I countered. "My bonds. My future. Don't I deserve to know the truth?"

Rhys looked pained. "Yes. You do. And that's why I told you, even though the others will be pissed. But Kaelen has—"

"Has what?"

The deep, authoritative voice cut through our conversation like a blade. I froze, then slowly turned toward my bedroom doorway.

Kaelen Vance stood there, tall and imposing in his perfectly tailored suit, his blue eyes piercing as they locked onto mine. The air in the room seemed to electrify, a tangible current running between us that I'd been too blind—or too stubborn—to recognize before.

"Thank you, Rhys," Kaelen said, his gaze never leaving mine, "but I think I can take it from here."