Between Two Worlds: A Heart's Confession

I blinked, feeling slightly disoriented as Kaelen slipped out of my bedroom, closing the door with a quiet click. What had we been talking about again? Something about my mother? My head felt foggy, as if I'd just woken up from a deep sleep.

Before I could gather my thoughts, shouting erupted from the living area. I hurried out of my bedroom to find Jaxon restraining Rhys against the wall, his forearm pressed against Rhys's throat.

"You need to control yourself!" Jaxon growled. "This is for your own good."

Rhys's face was flushed with anger. "Let me go! I wasn't going to do anything!"

"What's happening?" I demanded, rushing forward.

Jaxon barely glanced my way. "Compulsion training. Pretty boy here needs to learn some restraint."

Silas, who was watching from the kitchen counter, shot me an apologetic look. "Jax caught Rhys trying to follow Vance."

"I just wanted to make sure Hazel was okay," Rhys protested, squirming against Jaxon's hold. "The headmaster's been way too helpful lately. Doesn't that seem suspicious to anyone else?"

"He's the headmaster," Jaxon replied flatly. "It's his job to help."

I stepped closer. "Jax, let him go. I'm fine."

Jaxon held his position for another long second before releasing Rhys, who immediately rubbed his throat.

"Thanks for the concern," I said to Rhys, touching his arm gently, "but Vance was just updating me about my mom's security situation."

"See?" Jaxon smirked. "Totally normal headmaster behavior."

I glanced around the room, noticing we were one person short. "Where's Ronan?"

Silas nodded toward the hallway. "He got weird after Vance left. Said he wasn't hungry anymore and went to his room."

A twinge of concern pinched at my chest. Ronan rarely skipped meals.

"I should check on him," I said, grabbing a couple of pastries from the platter on the coffee table.

"Good luck," Rhys muttered. "He looked pretty upset."

I made my way down the hall and knocked softly on Ronan's door. "Ro? It's me. Can I come in?"

There was a long pause before his muffled voice answered. "It's open."

I pushed the door open to find Ronan sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands. His copper hair fell forward, partially obscuring his face, but I could see the tightness in his jaw.

"Hey," I said softly, closing the door behind me. "I brought pastries."

He glanced up, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "Thanks, but I'm not really hungry."

I sat beside him, close enough that our shoulders touched. "Want to talk about it?"

Ronan sighed, leaning slightly against me. "It's stupid."

"If it's bothering you, it's not stupid," I countered, placing the pastries on his nightstand.

He was quiet for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts. "Sometimes I just feel trapped here, you know? Like I'm living in this bubble where nothing changes. Same routine, same people, same everything."

"I can understand that," I said. "Before I came here, I had a whole different life. Different routines, different... everything."

Ronan turned to look at me properly. "What do you do in the human realm for fun? When you're not studying or working?"

The question caught me off guard. It seemed so normal, yet no one had asked me that before.

"Well," I began, "I liked to go to the cinema—movies, you know? And coffee shops to read or hang out with friends. Sometimes concerts if I could afford tickets. Nothing special, really."

"That sounds nice," he said wistfully. "We don't have movies here. Or coffee shops. Or concerts."

"What do you guys do for entertainment?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Ronan shrugged. "Training. Some sports. There are seasonal festivals. The library has books." He gave a hollow laugh. "Sounds pretty boring when I say it out loud."

"It's just different," I said, though I couldn't deny the stark contrast. "Every world has its own way of living."

He nodded but didn't seem convinced. Then, as if remembering something, he stood up and walked to his closet. "Almost forgot. I have something for you."

He pulled out a cardboard box and placed it on the bed between us. "Vance had some people collect what they could from your dorm room. It's not much, but..."

My heart leaped. I hadn't expected to see any of my old belongings again.

"Thank you," I whispered, opening the box carefully.

Inside were a few items salvaged from my previous life: some clothes, a couple of books, my hairbrush, and at the bottom, my old phone. I pulled it out, surprised to find it mostly intact despite a cracked screen.

"My phone! I didn't think I'd see this again."

Ronan peered at it with interest. "Does it still work?"

I pressed the power button, but the screen remained dark. "Battery's dead. I wonder if my charger..." I dug through the box, letting out a triumphant sound when I found the cord. "Yes!"

"What's so important about your phone?" Ronan asked, watching as I searched for an outlet.

"Pictures, messages, music..." I found a socket behind his nightstand and plugged in the charger. "It's like a little piece of my old life."

We both watched as the phone slowly came to life, the cracked screen illuminating with my lock pattern. I swiped through it quickly, relieved to find most of it still working.

"Want to hear some music from my world?" I asked, already scrolling through my playlist.

Ronan's eyes widened with excitement. "Definitely."

I selected one of my favorite songs, a melodic indie track with haunting vocals. As the music filled the room, I watched Ronan's face transform with wonder.

"This is what humans listen to?" he asked, leaning closer to hear better.

I nodded, smiling at his fascination. "This is just one type. There are hundreds of genres."

"It's beautiful," he said quietly, closing his eyes to focus on the sound.

We sat there in comfortable silence, letting the music wash over us. I scrolled through photos while he listened, occasionally showing him pictures of my university, the coffee shop where I'd worked, and the park near my mother's hospital.

When the song ended, Ronan opened his eyes. "Do you miss it?" he asked suddenly. "Your world, your life before all this?"

The question hit me harder than I expected. "Sometimes," I admitted. "I miss the simplicity of it. I miss knowing where I belonged."

"And do you feel like you belong here? With us?" His voice was soft, hesitant.

I looked at him, really looked at him—those kind blue eyes, the gentle strength in his shoulders, the way he always seemed to understand what I needed before I knew myself.

"I'm still figuring that out," I answered honestly. "Everything happened so fast. One minute I was a normal college student, and the next I'm supposedly some powerful Grey with five fated bonds."

Ronan flinched slightly at my words. "If you could go back, would you? If someone offered you a way to return to your old life right now, would you take it?"

The question hung in the air between us, heavy with implications. I thought about my mother, alone in that hospital. About Willow, who must be worried sick about me. About the simple joys of a world where I wasn't constantly in danger.

But then I thought about Rhys's infectious laugh, Silas's thoughtful gestures, Jaxon's fierce protection despite himself, and Ronan—sweet, gentle Ronan who was looking at me now as if my answer might break him.

"I miss my mom," I said finally. "I miss aspects of my old life. But..."

"But?" he prompted, his voice barely a whisper.

I reached out and took his hand, linking our fingers together. "If I had to leave you all behind to return to my old life then no, I'd miss you all too much."

The words surprised even me as they left my mouth, but I knew they were true. Somehow, without my noticing, these men had become essential to me. The thought of never seeing them again left an ache in my chest that I couldn't ignore.

Ronan's eyes widened, and he squeezed my hand. "Really?"

I nodded, feeling the truth of it settle in my bones. "Really. Whatever happens, whatever dangers we face, we face them together now."

A slow smile spread across his face, transforming his features with a joy so pure it made my heart stutter. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine.

"Together," he echoed, his breath warm against my lips.

In that moment, straddling two worlds—the human realm I'd left behind and this new, dangerous, magical existence—I made my choice. Whatever came next, I would face it with these men by my side, because somehow, impossibly, they had become my home.