Chapter 6

The wind was cold that night. It swept through the trees like a whisper. Seraphina stood still in the clearing behind the house, staring into the shadows.

She had heard a voice.

A real voice.

It wasn’t her imagination.

“Not all blood is loyal, sister.”

Those words echoed in her head over and over.

She wrapped her arms around herself and looked behind her again. Nothing. No footprints. No scent. Not even Lucien’s sharp nose had picked up anything strange.

Still, her skin tingled.

Someone—or something—had been watching.

The next morning came too fast. Kael had already packed supplies before the sun even rose. Lucien was sharpening his claws again, pacing back and forth like a restless dog.

Seraphina walked into the kitchen, her hair a mess and her hoodie hanging off one shoulder.

“You didn’t sleep either?” she asked Kael.

He glanced at her and shook his head. “Did you hear it too?”

She nodded. “The voice. It said… not all blood is loyal.”

Kael didn’t look surprised. “Then it’s started.”

“What’s started?”

“The veil is weakening. It lets in more than just Hollowborn. It brings whispers. Old memories. Ghosts that don’t forget.”

Lucien scoffed. “Creepy. Great. Can’t wait to deal with those.”

Kael folded the map. “We leave in an hour. First stop—Black Hollow. The first anchor is hidden deep inside.”

“Is it dangerous?” Seraphina asked.

Kael just gave her a look.

Right.

Stupid question.

The road to Black Hollow was long and steep. They had to hike on foot most of the way. The old mountain trails were overgrown and twisted, with dead trees reaching toward the sky like fingers.

Lucien led the way, shifting between wolf and human when needed. Kael stayed close to Seraphina, watching every shadow.

“You don’t talk much, huh?” she asked him after a while.

“I say what matters,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. “Right. The strong, silent type.”

He gave the tiniest smirk.

It was the first time she saw him almost smile.

“You remind me of Grandma,” she said.

Kael’s face changed a little. “She was fierce.”

“She loved hard,” Seraphina said. “And she protected us. Even when she was sick.”

Kael nodded. “She never forgot who she was.”

“Do you?”

Kael didn’t answer.

They camped near the river that night.

Lucien built the fire. Seraphina sat with a blanket around her shoulders, watching the flames flicker.

“I used to think the forest was peaceful,” she said.

Lucien tossed another log on the fire. “That’s because you never knew what was hiding in it.”

She looked at him. “How long have you known about me?”

Lucien hesitated. “Since you were sixteen.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“I didn’t come close. Just… watched from a distance. Your grandmother kept me away. Said you had to grow up normal.”

Seraphina felt her heart twist. “So all this time, you knew. And you said nothing?”

“I promised her,” he said. “But I watched out for you. Every full moon.”

She didn’t know whether to be angry or thankful.

“Do you still dream of the fire?” Lucien asked suddenly.

She froze.

Her dream. The same one she had as a child. Flames. Screaming. A woman calling her name.

“How do you know about that?”

Kael looked up from across the fire. “Because it’s not a dream.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a memory,” Kael said. “Yours. From your first life.”

Seraphina stared at him. “My what?”

“You’ve been reborn,” he said. “Every gatekeeper is. The blood returns when it’s needed most.”

Lucien looked at her carefully. “That’s why the Hollow King wants you. He fears what you used to be.”

Seraphina wrapped her arms around herself tighter.

She didn’t feel like a powerful gatekeeper.

She felt like a girl in over her head.

Just as she was about to sleep, a loud crack split through the woods.

Lucien leapt to his feet.

Kael was already armed.

Something was out there—just beyond the trees.

Seraphina stood up slowly, her pulse racing.

Then she saw him.

A tall figure stepped into the firelight.

Black coat. Pale skin. A smirk that could melt stone or start wars.

“Hello again, little star,” he said.

Seraphina froze.

It was him.

Caleb Saint.

The man from her dream.

The one who had kissed her once—in a dream that didn’t feel like a dream.

Lucien stepped forward. “Stay back.”

Caleb held up his hands. “Relax. I’m not here to fight.”

Kael didn’t lower his blades. “Then what do you want?”

Caleb’s eyes never left Seraphina.

“I’m here for her.”

Seraphina stared at him. Caleb Saint. He looked even more unreal under the firelight. Like something out of a dream—tall, sharp, and too calm for someone walking into a pack of wolves.

Lucien stepped in front of her, eyes blazing. “You’ve got five seconds to explain yourself before I rip your throat out.”

Caleb raised both hands in mock surrender. “Relax, mutt. I’m not here to fight. Not unless I have to.”

Kael stepped forward, blades still in hand. “You’re trespassing.”

“I know,” Caleb said, still smiling. “I was hoping for a warmer welcome.”

Seraphina found her voice. “How do you know me?”

His gaze slid to her, softer now. “I’ve always known you, Seraphina. Since before you were born.”

Her throat went dry. “Are you one of them? From the Hollow Court?”

His smile faded just a bit. “No. I don’t serve the Hollow King.”

Kael narrowed his eyes. “Then who do you serve?”

Caleb looked at him. “Myself.”

Lucien didn’t lower his stance. “You expect us to believe that?”

“I don’t care what you believe,” Caleb said simply. “I came to warn her. That’s all.”

“Warn me about what?” Seraphina asked.

Caleb’s eyes met hers. “About what’s coming.”

The fire crackled in the silence.

“I know the Hollow King,” Caleb said. “I’ve seen what he does when he wants something. He won’t stop sending his monsters. And next time, he won’t send an envoy. He’ll send something worse.”

Seraphina shivered. “Why are you helping me?”

Caleb took a slow step closer. Kael and Lucien tensed instantly, but Seraphina didn’t move.

“I don’t know,” he said, voice lower. “Maybe because I’ve seen you before. In another life. And I watched you burn.”

Her breath caught.

Kael growled, stepping in front of her. “Enough. You’ve said what you came to say. Now leave.”

But Caleb didn’t move. “She needs to learn how to use her blood. You think taking her to old ruins and dusty books will help her fight what’s coming?”

Lucien crossed his arms. “And you think you can teach her?”

Caleb’s smirk returned. “I know things your books won’t tell you.”

Seraphina stepped around Kael, ignoring the way both of them growled under their breath.

“You saw me before?” she asked softly. “In another life?”

Caleb nodded once. “I watched you die.”

Her stomach turned. “Who was I?”

He hesitated. “Powerful. Dangerous. A queen of fire and shadow. But lonely. Always lonely.”

Seraphina swallowed. “Do you know what the Hollow King wants?”

Caleb’s eyes darkened. “He wants to use your blood to tear the veil wide open. If he succeeds, the Hollowborn won’t just roam the forest. They’ll take cities. Kingdoms.”

Kael’s voice cut in. “Why should we believe you?”

Caleb looked at him without flinching. “Because I’ve fought him. I’ve lost to him. And I’d rather see the world burn than let him win.”

Lucien laughed coldly. “You’re insane.”

“Maybe,” Caleb said. “But I’m the only one who knows the back way into the Hollow Gate.”

That shut everyone up.

Kael’s hand tightened on his blade. “How?”

Caleb stepped back, away from the fire. “Let’s just say… I’ve walked in his shadows.”

Seraphina looked between them. Her mind was spinning. She didn’t trust Caleb. Not fully. But something deep in her bones said he wasn’t lying.

“Take me there,” she said quietly.

Kael snapped around. “What? No.”

“I need to see it,” she said. “If I’m going to stop him, I need to understand what I’m fighting.”

Lucien stepped closer. “It’s too risky. He could be leading you into a trap.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow. “She’s stronger than you think.”

Kael’s eyes were hard. “We’re not letting her go with you alone.”

“Then come,” Caleb said with a shrug. “Bring the whole pack. I don’t care.”

The fire cracked louder. A log split and fell.

Seraphina met Caleb’s gaze. “Tomorrow. At dawn.”

He gave her a small smile. “I’ll be waiting.”

Then, without another word, he stepped back into the dark.

And vanished.

They didn’t speak for a long time after that. The fire burned low. The air felt colder.

Kael finally stood. “We can’t trust him.”

“I know,” Seraphina said. “But we need him.”

Lucien paced. “He knew things. Things we don’t.”

Kael looked down at the fire. “He knew your past life.”

Seraphina bit her lip. “Do you think he really saw me die?”

Kael nodded slowly. “He looked like someone who did.”

They left at dawn.

The forest was quiet, colder than before. A thick fog clung to the ground like ghostly fingers. No birds. No wind. Just the soft crunch of boots on earth and the occasional snap of a twig beneath Lucien’s paw.

Seraphina walked near the front, close to Kael. Caleb led the way, his long black coat fluttering like wings. No one said much. The silence between them wasn’t comfortable. It was tight. Like a string about to snap.

“Are you sure about this?” Kael asked her quietly.

“No,” she admitted. “But if I’m part of this war… I need to stop being afraid of it.”

He glanced at her. “You’re not afraid.”

“I am,” she said. “I’m just tired of pretending I’m not.”

Kael didn’t argue.

After hours of hiking through steep, winding paths, they reached the old stone ridge Caleb had spoken about. It overlooked a valley blackened by ash and shadows. At the center was a ruin that looked like it had been burned to the ground centuries ago—charred towers, shattered archways, and a long, broken staircase leading deep underground.

“The Hollow Gate,” Caleb said simply.

Seraphina stared. “This is it?”

“Yes.”

Kael frowned. “This place feels wrong.”

“It is wrong,” Caleb replied. “This was the first stronghold taken by the Hollow King when the veil was torn the first time. The blood of Elders soaked into these stones.”

Seraphina stepped forward, goosebumps crawling up her arms.

“I remember this,” she said softly. “I was here before.”

Lucien blinked in surprise. “You sure?”

She nodded. “It was a memory. A dream. I died here… but I don’t remember how.”

Caleb watched her. “You burned everything to stop the Hollowborn. Even yourself.”

The words made her stomach twist.

They followed Caleb down the broken steps. The deeper they went, the colder it became. The air was damp and heavy. Ancient symbols lined the stone walls. Some glowed faintly when Seraphina passed.

“What are those?” she asked.

“Marks of protection,” Caleb said. “They won’t stop the Hollowborn if the gate opens again. But they slow them down.”

“And if I walk through the gate?”

He stopped walking and turned to her. “You’ll see what you were. And what you’re meant to be.”

That made everyone freeze.

“What do you mean?” Kael asked.

Caleb looked at Seraphina. “You’ve been reborn many times. But your soul keeps fragments from each life. The Hollow Gate unlocks them.”

Seraphina’s voice was shaky. “And what if I don’t like what I see?”

“Then you’ll finally understand what you’re fighting.”

⸻

They reached the chamber at the bottom.

A massive stone arch stood in the center, cracked but pulsing with a dark red glow. The air around it shimmered like heat off pavement.

Caleb stepped aside. “It’s up to you now.”

Kael stepped between her and the arch. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I do,” she said.

Lucien growled low. “We go with her.”

Caleb shook his head. “She has to go alone. It only opens for her blood.”

Seraphina hesitated.

Her hands were shaking.

Then she took a deep breath and stepped through the gate.

⸻

The world shifted.

Everything went black for a moment, then white-hot light exploded around her.

She stood in a burning field.

Ash rained from the sky like snow.

Corpses—both human and wolf—lay scattered across blood-soaked ground. Fire danced in a ring around her. Her own hands were glowing. Her hair whipped in the wind like a flame.

A woman stood at the center of the fire—her.

Or someone who looked exactly like her, older, fiercer. Dressed in dark red robes with golden embroidery and a crown made of obsidian and bone.

The woman looked up, her eyes glowing with white fire.

“You’re not ready,” the queen-version of Seraphina said.

Seraphina backed away. “What is this?”

“Your past. Your future. Your power.”

“I don’t want this,” she said. “I’m not like you.”

The queen raised a hand. Fire crackled from her palm. “Then you will burn like the rest.”

The ground split beneath her.

Seraphina screamed.

⸻

She landed hard.

The fire vanished.

She was back in the stone chamber, gasping, heart pounding.

Lucien caught her before she fell.

“What did you see?” he asked.

She looked at Caleb, pale and shaking. “Me. But not me. She was a queen. A weapon. She killed everything.”

Kael put a hand on her shoulder. “That wasn’t you.”

“It was,” she whispered. “A version of me. One that never stopped the fire.”

Caleb knelt in front of her. “Now you know what you’re capable of.”

“I don’t want to become her.”

“Then learn to control it,” he said. “Because if the Hollow King gets your blood, he’ll make that version of you real.”

Seraphina looked at the glowing gate.

“I need to train.”

Kael nodded. “Then we’ll train.”

But before anyone could move—

A roar tore through the tunnels.

Not Hollowborn.

Not wolf.

Something worse.

Lucien shifted instantly, growling. “What was that?”

Caleb stood slowly, face darkening. “Something followed us.”

From the shadows of the hallway came a figure—a tall, hooded shape with glowing green eyes and a long black cloak dragging across the stone.

Kael stepped in front of Seraphina, blade drawn. “Who are you?”

The figure pulled down his hood.

Seraphina gasped.

It was a man with the same eyes as her.

Same face.

Older.

Scarred.

Dead. He was supposed to be dead.

“Hello, little sister,” he said. “Miss me?”