Maya's POV
The pain hit me like lightning at three in the morning, jolting me awake from the first decent sleep I'd had in days. It wasn't the familiar ache of the serum slowly killing me, this was different. Sharper. Like someone was twisting knives inside my chest, targeting the invisible threads that connected me to the four brothers.
I gasped, clutching my ribs as another wave of agony rolled through me. Through the mate bond, I could feel their distress too. Stephen's wolf was whimpering somewhere in the castle above me, Nathan was tossing restlessly in his bed, Karl's breathing was labored and quick, and Elijah... Elijah felt like he was fighting not to scream.
But underneath their physical pain, I sensed something worse. Revulsion. They were disgusted by the connection, fighting
