: THE HOLLOW IN HIM

: THE HOLLOW IN HIM

AYLA'S POV

The room feels colder than usual, a quiet unease settling over me. I look over at Thane’s side of the bed and... he’s not there. Panic grips me for a second. My chest tightens as I sit up, looking around like I’m missing something, like I’ve forgotten something important. But the bed’s untouched. It’s still warm, though. He couldn’t have been gone long.

I throw on my shoes without thinking, my mind racing. I head out of the room, passing by Callum’s door, but he doesn’t answer when I knock. Same with Leona. A little knot of worry digs into my gut. Where could he have gone?

I finally find Garrick sitting in the common room, staring out through the open window. He looks up when I walk in, eyes scanning me before he knows what I’m going to say.

"Thane’s missing," I say, the words slipping out before I even think about it. My fingers tighten into fists at my sides.

“Did you check the training grounds?” he asks, standing up. He looks concerned, but not surprised. “He has been kind of restless lately.”

I nod, already halfway to the door. "He’s not there. Not that I could find. Maybe he’s..." I don’t know what I’m thinking. It just feels wrong, like something’s happened, something I can't quite put my finger on.

The air outside is cool, the sun just starting to dip beneath the horizon, casting long shadows across the land. I breathe in the crisp evening air, my heart racing. Where the hell is he?

I walk toward the edge of the forest, my thoughts spinning with questions, doubts, and fears. And then I spot him.

Thane is standing at the edge of the trees, his back to me. He’s drenched in sweat, panting like he’s been running. His hands are clenched at his sides, blood staining his knuckles. My stomach twists at the sight. He doesn’t even seem to notice me approach until I’m standing right in front of him.

“Thane...” My voice comes out shaky.

He looks up, blinking as if waking from a daze. “I couldn’t sleep,” he says, his voice hoarse. “Just needed some air.”

But the blood on his hands keeps catching my eye. “Thane, where did that come from?” I ask, my eyes locking onto his. I’m not stupid. Something’s not right.

He glances at his hands, like he just noticed the blood for the first time. He wipes them on his pants, but it doesn’t make the problem go away. “It’s nothing,” he mutters, avoiding my gaze. His voice is stiff, like it’s harder to talk than usual. "Just... a little fight. Nothing to worry about."

A sick feeling settles in my stomach. I reach out, grabbing his arm, feeling the tension in his muscles. “Who did you fight?”

He doesn’t answer, just pulls his arm away, like he’s afraid I’ll see something in his eyes. Something I don’t want to see.

Before I can say anything else, Garrick steps out of the woods, his face dark with concern. “I found something,” he says, his voice grim. "Near here. Claw marks, deep ones. And the scent of shadow magic. Not just any magic... It’s fresh."

My blood runs cold. “Shadow magic?” I repeat, but the words don’t even sound real.

Garrick nods. “I am Guess it's from our dark friend hovering around. You can feel it when you’re close. It’s twisted. I’d recognize it anywhere.”

I glance back at Thane, but he’s already turned away, his shoulders tense. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” he mutters, almost to himself. But I can hear the doubt in his voice.

Leona joins us, walking over with that notebook of hers, the one she’s been working on for days now, scribbling in her shaky handwriting. “I cracked more of the codes,” she says, lifting her head to meet our eyes. "The deity or whatever... I think it’s looking for a vessel. And now..." She pauses, glancing at Thane before lowering her voice. "I think it’s found one."

A silence hangs between us, thick and suffocating. Everyone turns to look at him, and Thane just stands there, not acknowledging it, like the world is moving in slow motion. I can’t help but notice how distant he is, like he’s not even hearing what’s going on around him.

"Thane?" I say, stepping closer to him, my voice softer now, trying to pull him back into the moment. “What do you think about this?”

He shakes his head, looking down, but there’s something in his eyes I can’t quite place. “I don’t know,” he mutters. “I don’t know what’s happening.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I want to reach out to him, to tell him everything’s going to be okay, but it doesn’t feel like it will be. Not anymore. Not with the way he’s pulling away from me. Not with the way his eyes look like they’re miles away, and I can’t get to him.

I want to scream, but I just say nothing, letting the silence hang between us like an unspoken truth.

Later that night, I can’t sleep. I keep tossing and turning, my mind running a thousand miles an hour. I can hear the wolves outside, the night air thick with their howls. The scent of the forest fills the room, but it’s not enough to calm me.

I get up, quietly stepping out into the hallway. The door to Thane’s room is cracked open, and when I walk in, I freeze.

Thane is standing in front of the mirror, just staring at it. His reflection... it’s off. It doesn’t move right. It lags behind him, like it’s not even a part of him. My heart skips a beat.

“Thane?” I say, my voice shaking.

He blinks, then turns slowly to face me, that eerie smile on his face. It’s too wide. Too forced.

“I’m fine,” he says, but his voice is different. Rougher. Like something’s pushing through, and I can hear it in his tone. The words don’t feel like they’re his.

I take a step back, fear creeping into my chest. “What’s going on?” I whisper, my heart hammering in my ears. “Thane, please, talk to me.”

For a second, he doesn’t answer. Then his smile fades, but his eyes... his eyes are dark. Cold. Empty.

“I’m fine,” he repeats, but it’s not his voice anymore. Not fully. It’s something else. Something darker.

I want to run, but I stay frozen, my feet glued to the floor. He’s fighting something, I can see it in his eyes, in the way his jaw tightens.

And then, just as quickly as it started, the moment breaks. Thane blinks, shakes his head, like he’s trying to clear it. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to... scare you.”

But I’m not sure if that’s all there is.

That night, something happens that shakes me to my core. One of the younger wolves, the one who trusted Thane the most, is found dead. Torn apart. Barely recognizable. And it’s not just him. A few others are gone, too.

Garrick brings the bodies back to camp, his face pale, his eyes hard. “This wasn’t a fight,” he says, his voice tight. “This was something else.”

I don’t say anything. My heart is pounding in my chest, my mind racing. I can’t stop looking at Thane’s hands. The blood is still there, but it’s different now. It’s colder.

And deep down, I know.

Someth
ing’s happening to him. Something is changing. And I don’t know if we can stop it.