Chapter 14: The Hollow Without Him

The manor was quiet. Too quiet. Serena sat by the window, her knees drawn to her chest, her fingers curled into the fabric of Lucien’s old shirt. The scent of him had long faded, but she wore it anyway, as if it might somehow tether him to her. It had been two weeks since he left. Two weeks without hearing his voice. Without feeling the bond. The absence of it felt like a hollow cavity inside her chest — like a wound that refused to close. She kept instinctively reaching for the connection, only to find silence. It was unbearable. The door creaked open, and Xander, Lucien’s beta, stepped inside, his face lined with exhaustion. “Serena,” he said softly, “the pack needs you.” Serena didn’t look at him. “I’m not their alpha.” Xander sighed. “You’re the only one left.” Serena pressed her forehead to the glass. Outside, the forest stretched endlessly, the trees swaying gently in the wind. The curse was gone, the Hollow no longer bleeding, but the damage lingered — both in the la