The ground didn't crack.
It gave way.
A deep, thunderous groan tore through the Ridge as the stone beneath us split open, a jagged fracture racing outward like lightning. Dust exploded upward. Wolves scattered. Rowan shouted orders I couldn't hear. Kade dragged two younger wolves back from the collapsing edge.
But none of it mattered.
Because the Hollow inside me wasn't looking at the ground.
It was looking at him.
Lucien.
He stood on the opposite side of the widening chasm, shadows curling around his boots, his eyes locked on mine with a focus so sharp it felt like a blade pressed against my throat.
Rylan pulled me back instinctively, shielding me with his body as the stone beneath us shifted. "Lyra— stay behind me."
I tried.
But the Hollow didn't.
It surged again, a violent pull that dragged my breath from my lungs. My knees buckled. My vision blurred. The world tilted sideways.
Lucien stepped forward.
Rylan snapped.
He lunged, grabbing Lucien by the front of his shirt and slamming him back against a jagged pillar of stone. The impact cracked the rock. Dust rained down. Lucien didn't fight back — not at first.
Rylan's voice was a snarl. "Stop calling to her."
Lucien's voice was quiet. "I'm not."
"The hell you're not."
"I'm not calling her," Lucien said, eyes flicking to me. "The Hollow is."
Rylan shoved him harder. "You're the reason it's inside her."
Lucien's jaw tightened. "I didn't ask for this."
"You didn't stop it either."
Lucien's eyes flashed — not with anger, but with something rawer. "I didn't know how."
Rylan's grip tightened. "You still don't."
Lucien finally pushed back.
Not with strength.
With shadows.
A wave of darkness rippled outward from him, slamming into Rylan's chest and throwing him back several feet. Rylan hit the ground hard, rolling to his feet with a snarl.
Rowan shouted, "Rylan, STOP—"
He didn't hear him.
He charged.
Lucien met him halfway.
The brothers collided again, harder this time, shadows and silver light exploding outward in a violent clash. The ground shook. Wolves scrambled back. Rowan cursed. Kade swore loudly.
I staggered forward, reaching out instinctively. "Stop— both of you—"
The Hollow surged.
A ring of shadow burst outward from my feet, cracking the stone in a perfect circle. The air rippled. The ground trembled. The brothers froze mid‑strike, both turning toward me at the same time.
Rylan's voice broke. "Lyra— don't move."
Lucien's voice was softer. "Lyra… breathe."
I couldn't.
The Hollow was too loud.
Too awake.
Too aware.
It pulled again — harder, sharper, like a hook buried deep in my chest being yanked toward Lucien.
My body jerked forward.
Rylan lunged, grabbing my arm. "No— no, no, no— stay with me."
Lucien stepped forward. "Let her go."
Rylan snarled. "Over my dead body."
Lucien's eyes darkened. "That can be arranged."
The shadows around him thickened, swirling like a storm.
Rylan's grip on me tightened. "Lyra— look at me. Not him. Me."
I tried.
But the Hollow dragged my gaze back to Lucien.
He lifted a hand — not reaching for me, but steadying himself, like the pull hurt him too.
"Lyra," he whispered, "you're tearing yourself apart."
Rylan snapped. "She's not going to you."
Lucien's voice cracked. "She doesn't have a choice."
Rylan roared, "THE HELL SHE DOESN'T!"
He pulled me behind him, shielding me with his entire body, his stance wide and protective, his breath shaking with fury and fear.
Lucien's expression twisted — pain, regret, something darker. "Rylan… if she keeps resisting, the Hollow will rip her in half."
Rylan's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Then I'll rip you in half first."
Lucien stepped forward.
Rylan stepped forward.
The ground between them split wider.
And I—
I felt the Hollow inside me reach for Lucien with a force that stole my breath.
Not gently. Not softly. Not like a bond.
Like a claim.
A violent, aching, inevitable claim.
My voice broke. "Rylan— I can't—"
He turned instantly, grabbing my face, forcing my eyes to his. "Yes, you can. You're stronger than this. You're stronger than it."
Lucien whispered, "She's not fighting the Hollow. She's fighting destiny."
Rylan's voice shattered. "I don't care about destiny. I care about her."
Lucien's eyes softened. "So do I."
The Hollow pulsed.
The ground trembled.
The air cracked.
And for the first time—
I felt myself slipping.
Not into darkness.
Into two directions at once.
Rylan felt it.
Lucien felt it.
The Hollow felt it.
And the Ridge itself seemed to hold its breath.