Chapter 18: Bound to the Hollow

The manor smelled like fear. Lucien sat by the fire, his fingers twitching against the arm of the chair. His body ached, his muscles stiff from the shift, but it wasn’t the physical pain that gnawed at him. It was the creature’s voice. His mother’s voice. Serena paced in front of him, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, her eyes flicking to the window every few seconds as if expecting the shade to crawl out of the forest. “We shouldn’t have gone back,” she muttered, her voice sharp and restless. “I knew it was a mistake.” Lucien rubbed his face, his hands still shaking. “We needed to know,” he rasped. Serena spun on him, her eyes blazing. “Know what?” she snapped. “That the forest still wants to kill you? That whatever was inside Evelyn didn’t die with her?” Lucien’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. Because she was right. Something was still alive in the Hollow. And it wanted him. --- The pack gathered the next morning. Lucien stood at the head of the table, Serena