The moment the Hollow whispered Complete, something inside me snapped.
Not painfully.
Not violently.
But with a terrifying, inevitable certainty — like a lock turning in a door I didn't know existed.
A cold rush surged through my veins, shadows rippling beneath my skin. My breath hitched. The world tilted. The ground beneath me trembled.
Rylan felt it instantly.
"Lyra— no. Stay with me."
His hands tightened on my arms, grounding me, anchoring me, but the Hollow inside me didn't care about anchors. It cared about one thing.
Lucien.
He took a slow step forward, and the shadows around him thickened, swirling like smoke drawn toward a flame.
The Hollow inside me surged in response.
A violent pull.
A magnetic ache.
A tearing sensation that made my knees buckle.
Rylan caught me before I hit the ground, pulling me against his chest. "Lyra, look at me. Look at me."
I tried.
God, I tried.
But the Hollow dragged my gaze toward Lucien like a hook buried deep in my ribs.
Lucien's voice was soft, almost pleading. "Lyra… don't fight it."
Rylan snapped. "Shut up."
Lucien didn't even flinch. "If she resists, it will tear her apart."
Rylan's voice dropped to a growl. "You don't get to talk about what hurts her."
Lucien's eyes flickered — pain, regret, something darker. "I'm not trying to hurt her."
"You already did," Rylan spat.
Lucien's jaw tightened. "And I'm trying to fix it."
"You can't fix anything," Rylan snarled. "You're the reason she's like this."
Lucien's voice cracked. "I never wanted this for her."
The Hollow pulsed again — a sharp, painful thrum that made me gasp. Shadows spilled across the stone beneath me, spreading like ink.
Rowan swore. "She's losing control."
Kade muttered, "No— it's reacting to him."
Lucien took another step.
The Hollow inside me surged violently.
My body jerked forward.
Rylan's arms locked around me instantly. "Lyra— stay with me. Stay with me."
But the pull was too strong.
The Hollow wasn't asking anymore.
It was dragging.
My breath came in sharp, broken gasps. "Rylan— I can't—"
"Yes, you can," he whispered fiercely. "You're stronger than this."
Lucien's voice cut through the air. "She's not fighting the Hollow. She's fighting me."
Rylan snapped. "Good."
Lucien's expression twisted. "If she keeps resisting, it will break her."
Rylan's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Then I'll break you first."
Lucien stepped forward.
Rylan moved instantly, placing himself fully between us, his body blocking my view, his stance wide and ready to tear the world apart.
"Come any closer," he growled, "and I swear I'll—"
Lucien didn't let him finish.
"Rylan," he said quietly, "you can't protect her from something that's inside her."
Rylan's voice cracked. "Watch me."
Lucien's eyes softened — painfully, unbearably. "I'm not your enemy."
"You're not her salvation either."
Lucien's gaze flicked to me. "I'm the only one who understands what she's carrying."
Rylan's jaw clenched. "You don't understand her."
Lucien's voice dropped to a whisper. "I understand the Hollow."
The ground trembled.
The shadow inside me surged again — a violent, aching pull that made my vision blur.
Lucien took another step.
Rylan snapped.
He lunged.
Not at me.
At Lucien.
The brothers collided with a force that cracked the stone beneath them. Shadows exploded outward. Wolves scattered. Rowan shouted something I couldn't hear. Kade swore loudly.
Rylan slammed Lucien back, fury radiating off him like heat. "You don't get to touch her!"
Lucien shoved him away, shadows swirling around his arms. "I'm not trying to take her!"
"You already did!"
"She's dying!"
"She's MINE!"
The word tore out of Rylan like a roar.
The Hollow inside me reacted instantly.
A violent pulse shot outward, slamming into the ground, splitting the stone in a jagged line that raced toward the brothers.
Lucien froze.
Rylan turned.
Both stared at me.
I was standing.
Barely.
Shadows curled around my feet, my arms, my throat. My eyes burned. My breath shook. The Hollow inside me pulsed like a second heartbeat.
Lucien whispered, "Lyra…"
Rylan whispered, "Baby…"
I whispered nothing.
Because the Hollow whispered for me.
Come.
Lucien took a step.
Rylan took a step.
And the ground between us shattered.