QUINN POV"What do you want? Why won’t you just leave me alone?" My voice came out rough, my chest rising and falling as I glared at her. I was exhausted. Frustrated. And honestly, so over this.Gianna just smirked, tilting her head like I had just said the funniest thing in the world. "Leave you alone? Are you serious?" She let out a small, amused chuckle. "You and I both know that is never going to happen."Of course, it wasn’t. Because why would life ever cut me a damn break?She started walking toward me, slowly and creepily , and every instinct in my body screamed at me to stand up. To be ready.And I was right. She wasn’t coming to chat.Before I could react, she lunged, closing the space between us in seconds. Her hand wrapped around my throat, and suddenly, air was a luxury I didn’t have.Panic hit me like a truck. My hands clawed at hers, but her grip was like iron."I can’t believe you are still so confident," she mused, her eyes dragging up and down my body like I was som
QUINN'S POVI stared at the dress like it was a crime against all manner of crimes out there. Seriously, was this a joke?“There is no way I am wearing this,” I said, shaking my head. “Absolutely not. Over my dead body.” I repeated just so she could know how damn serious I was at that very moment. Gianna smirked, stepping closer like a villain in a bad movie. “Oh, sweetheart, you really think you have a say in this?” Her tone was filled with so much amusement, and of course I hated it.I crossed my arms, refusing to back down. “Yes, actually. I do.”Was I being a little reckless? Maybe. Did I care? Absolutely not. I would rather walk through fire barefoot than put on that monstrosity.Gianna sighed like I was some annoying child throwing a tantrum. Then she snapped her fingers.Before I could blink, two soldiers grabbed me, their hold on me like steel clamps.Oh, hell no.I kicked and twisted, but they were built like walls. “Let go of me! You can’t just…” My words cut off as one
QUINN POV“Did you just say something?” Gianna’s voice asked with warning as she turned to me, her cold eyes focused on me like she was dying for an excuse to lash out. Her whole body stood at attention, like a predator waiting to pounce.I let out a loud hiss and rolled my eyes, refusing to take the bait. If she wanted me to beg or back down, she was going to have to try a hell of a lot harder.She exhaled slowly, tilting her head with that annoying little smirk that made me want to slap it right off her face. “I will let that slide because I am in a good mood, and I don’t want to ruin my party.”Yeah. Right. A good mood for Gianna just meant she had something worse planned. If she wasn’t throwing a slap or a punch, it only meant I was in for some other form of hell.She leaned in slightly, her voice turning into something too sweet that made it very obvious she was mocking me. “But try that attitude again, and I promise you won’t like what happens next.”I scoffed, giving her
QUINN POV I took a deep breath and stared her down, determination settling in my gut. This is it. No turning back now. My lips parted, and I let the words spill out before I could second-guess myself. “I am absolutely not stripping.” The words came out controlled, but my heart was pounding. I didn’t care what happened next. Honestly, what was the worst they could do?Lashings? Please.“You can beat me senseless if you want,” I shot back, feeling the fire in my veins, “but I would rather die than strip for your... hungry men.”I could practically see the disappointment forming in her eyes. Gianna didn’t say a word, just studied me like I was some kind of bug she was deciding whether or not to crush. Her lips tugged up into a lazy, almost pitying smile. Oh great, here we go, I thought, bracing for whatever was coming next.“Really?” she said, her eyebrow arching so high it might have touched her hairline. “Is that how you want to play this?”I clenched my fists at my sides, keeping my
QUINN POVSeventeen? Really? My heart sank as I realized there was no escape.Before I could even react, strong, brutal hands grabbed me, pinning me against the table with so much force. I couldn’t move. My breath stopped in my chest as I felt just how horrible the entire situation was getting.And that damn dress... I could feel every single pair of eyes on me. The hem was so short, my ass was practically on display for all of them. Great, just what I needed. It was like I wasn’t even fully clothed anymore, llike I was exposed in the worst way possible. The worst part? The pain was about to make everything feel worse than it already was. I could feel it coming, that intense, burning sting, and I couldn’t escape itAt this point it was like I was stripping anyway but this time around it was with extra pain This is hell. And there is no way out.Lash after lash hit my back, and with each one, it felt like my skin was being set on fire. Why is this happening to me?For the next ten
QUINN POV Quinn povThe air smelled… off. Not in a bad way, just, different. It wasn’t that usual damp, musty dungeon air I had grown used to. I mean, seriously, you spend a few days in a place like that, and your nose starts accepting things you never thought you would.But this? This felt... softer. The floor wasn’t hard and unforgiving, like the cold stone i had been lying on for who knows how long. No, this was soft. Soft like I was on some kind of memory foam mattress, which hello, was a major upgrade.Okay, wait. Where am I? I thought, blinking into the fuzzy half-state between sleep and reality.My brain was sluggish, and my body was even worse. It was like my muscles were hitting the snooze button, like, nah, we are good, just a few more minutes. But my mind? It was slowly starting to wake up.I knew I needed to pull myself together. As much as I wanted to stay in this weird, comfy dream-like state, I knew life wasn’t going to pause for me to nap forever. Trust me, though, I
QUINN POV He has been locked up somewhere else,” she said quietly, her voice almost like she didn’t want to say it. “And he is in a life-or-death situation.”What? My jaw literally dropped. No way. This wasn’t happening. Adler, in danger? It does make sense that he was in danger. I couldn’t wrap my head around What they could be doing to him right now.“Where did she lock him?” The words slipped out before I even thought. The moment I asked, I felt this crushing feeling in my chest, tears somehow started to fall before I could stop them. It felt like someone had given me a punch in the gut. This was all my fault.Adler was going to die, and I had dragged him into this mess. All because of me.“I shouldn’t have pulled him into this,” I muttered, the guilt eating away at me. “It is all my fault. I am just… bad luck. Everything I touch turns to crap.” I hated how weak I sounded, but the guilt of it was too much to ignore.Sophia put a hand on my shoulder, like she was trying to gr
QUINN POV My struggles. My fight.Totally pointless. I was no match for these guys. They were hell-bent on taking me out, and I was just... out of my depth.They were pros, like next-level warriors or something, while I was just trying not to trip over my own feet. Eventually, they got me out of the house and shoved me into the open field like some kind of animal.Tears were falling, no shame, just ugly sobbing as I tried to make sense of everything. The panic was real. But then, I did this thing, I lifted my head, and boomwhat I saw shocked.For a solid few seconds, I just stood there, blinking like I was in some kind of dream. “No way. Am I seriously seeing this? No, this is definitely a hallucination.”I wiped my face with the back of my hand like that would magically fix everything, but no. It was still the same. And I was still stuck.“Adler!!” I screamed out loud. It felt like the whole world just came crashing down on me. My heart? It shattered into a million pieces as I to
Two years later…The sky was a soft blue, clear and calm, with only a few white clouds drifting above. The sun was warm, not too hot, just perfect for a day outside. The wind carried the scent of flowers and fresh grass. Everything felt peaceful. Safe. Alive.I sat on the front steps of our cottage, watching our son play in the garden. His laughter was like music. Every time he giggled, it filled my chest with warmth I never knew I could feel.He had my eyes but Quinn’s smile. That wide, bright smile that could light up an entire room. His hair was the same soft brown as mine, but his spirit? That was all Quinn. Brave. Curious. Kind.“Mama! Look!” he shouted, holding up a small yellow flower in his tiny hand. “I found a sun!”Quinn walked out of the house just in time to hear him. She smiled, her face glowing, and bent down to kiss the top of his head.“That’s a dandelion, baby,” she said gently.He looked up at her, puzzled. “It looks like the sun.”Quinn laughed, her eyes meeting mi
PERRIN.The sun had barely risen when Quinn and I arrived at the clearing. The air felt heavy, thick with the weight of what was coming. It was impossible to ignore the tension that hung between us, but there was no turning back now. The battle had been set in motion long before we even stepped foot in the Hollow.Theodore was waiting for us. I could feel it in the way the trees seemed to hold their breath, in the way the wind had gone still. The world around us felt like it was frozen in time, as if holding onto the last moments before everything changed.“We’re here,” Quinn said, her voice steady but low. She was ready, even though I could see the fear in her eyes. We both were. Ready, yet afraid. Afraid of what we might lose. Afraid of the unknown.I nodded, tightening my grip on her hand. “Let’s end this.”We moved forward, our footsteps soft on the ground. It felt like every step took us deeper into a world that no longer made sense—one where shadows crept around us, and danger w
PERRINThe Hollow had changed her. I saw it in the way she moved, in the way she looked at the world. The old Quinn was still there, but she had become something else. Something stronger. Something that made my heart both swell with pride and tighten with fear. The Hollow had given her power, but at a cost. A price only she truly understood.We walked side by side, the silence between us comfortable, yet heavy. I could tell Quinn was still processing everything. She didn’t talk much, and neither did I. But I knew her well enough to read the subtle signs. Her hands were clenched, the muscles in her jaw tight. She was holding something back—maybe it was the weight of the trials she’d just endured. Maybe it was the burden of the promise she had made to the First Luna.But I wasn’t going to ask her about it. Not yet. Not unless she was ready.As we stepped farther from the Hollow, the air felt different. Less oppressive, more open. The trees around us were taller now, more like the famili
PERRINThe night felt colder than usual. The stars were hidden behind thick clouds, and the wind was biting as it swept through the trees. I stood at the edge of the Hollow, waiting for Quinn. The quiet was unsettling. There were no sounds of animals, no rustle of leaves in the wind, just silence. I felt it, the weight of the moment pressing down on me. What had she seen in there? What had she done?I ran my fingers through my hair, pacing back and forth. The last few days had been a blur—days of planning, of wondering if we were ready. But now, everything felt different. The air had changed. And Quinn... she had changed. I could feel it in the way she moved, in the way she looked at me. She was carrying something now. Something heavier than the world itself.The veil rippled, and then I saw her. She stepped through slowly, like the world had shifted beneath her feet. Her eyes were different—clearer, more focused—but there was something else in them too. Something deeper.“Quinn,” I s
QUINNThe forest felt different now. After what the Keeper told me, I could feel it. The air was tighter. The silence heavier. Every step I took through the Hollow felt watched, even though I saw no eyes. I kept my hand on my belly, grounding myself with every breath. He was still. Quiet. Listening, maybe. Or sleeping. I couldn’t tell anymore. But I could feel him there, wrapped inside me like the last light in a dark world.I kept walking.There was a place the Keeper told me to go next. She didn’t explain much, only that it was deep in the Hollow. She called it the Pool of Remembering. Said it would show me what I needed, not what I wanted. That didn’t comfort me. But I didn’t come here for comfort. I came to understand what was coming and how to stop it.The trees grew closer together as I walked, their roots twisting like claws over the ground. I had to step carefully. A wrong move could trap my foot or break my balance. Still, I moved forward. The shadows grew thicker, but the de
QUINNThe days in the Hollow passed like a dream. I couldn’t tell how much time had gone by. The sun and moon moved above me, but the way they shifted in the sky didn’t feel normal. Time here was strange. It stretched and folded in on itself. Sometimes I would wake and think it was the same day, only to realize the trees had moved, or the air had changed.I stayed inside the stone circle most of the time. It was the safest place. The Keeper said the stones still held the oldest magic, and while they couldn’t stop everything, they could slow things down. Especially the thing that was looking for me.The baby had grown stronger. I could feel him more now. Not just his kicks or movements, but his presence. Sometimes when I sat still, I felt his energy wrapping around mine, like he was holding me back. Like he was trying to comfort me.And sometimes, he would send me feelings. Flashes of fear, curiosity, or warmth. I didn’t know how, but we were connected in ways I didn’t understand. Mayb
QuinnThe moment we returned to the camp near the Hollow, everything felt different.Perrin didn’t speak at first. His eyes kept scanning the trees like he expected something to jump out. I sat on a flat rock near the fire, watching the smoke rise into the dark sky. The stars looked sharper tonight. Like they were watching.“Do you feel it too?” I asked.He didn’t answer. Instead, he took a slow step toward me, his eyes full of questions he didn’t know how to ask. Finally, he knelt in front of me and reached for my hands.“You crossed the veil,” he said.“I know.”“You shouldn’t have been able to.”“I know that too.”He looked away, his jaw tightening. “Something happened to you in the Hollow. Something more than a vision.”“I saw myself. A darker version of me. And I saw him… our son. Older. Strong. Dangerous.”Perrin’s head jerked back slightly. “Dangerous?”“He had power I can’t explain. He didn’t use it to hurt—not yet—but it was there, waiting.”He sat beside me, elbows on his kn
QUINNThe Hollow was quiet again.But it wasn’t the kind of quiet that calms you. It was the type that made your skin crawl. Like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something to break.I walked deeper into the woods, away from the circle, away from Perrin’s distant eyes. My feet moved on their own. The air was cooler, heavier. The trees whispered. I couldn’t understand the words, but I knew they were speaking to me.They were warning me.I stopped in front of a stream, its waters still and dark like a mirror. I crouched and dipped my fingers into it. It was ice-cold, but it sent warmth up my arm—a strange, pulsing energy that made my stomach twist.He kicked again. Harder this time.“I feel you,” I whispered. “I know you’re watching too.”A shape moved behind me. I stood quickly, heart pounding, but there was nothing there. Just the trees. Just the wind.No.Something was there. I felt it before I saw it. A pull, strong and steady, dragging my attention east.I followed it.
QUINNThe night air was cold as I stood outside the castle walls. The wind was sharper than usual, brushing against my skin like a warning. My bag was light, but my heart felt heavy. I didn’t look back. If I did, I wasn’t sure I could walk away.Perrin stood just a few feet behind me. His arms were crossed, but his face gave him away. He looked like he was trying to be strong, but inside he was falling apart.“I have to go,” I whispered.He didn’t speak at first. The silence between us stretched so far it felt like another world. Then finally, he stepped forward and took my hands in his.“I should be with you,” he said. “You’re carrying our child.”“I know.” I squeezed his fingers. “But this place… The Hollow… only I can get through. The old blood recognizes Luna. You’re strong, but you’re not Luna-born.”His jaw tensed. “Then let me wait at the edge. Let me be close.”I nodded. “You can come that far. But after that, I go alone.”His arms wrapped around me so tightly I almost broke.