Chapter 9: The Hunt Begins
878 Words
Abigail’s POV
Bloodmoon Keep stood behind us, a monument to war and unfinished business. Gideon had slipped through my fingers. Again.
I hated it.
Hated that I let him walk away. Hated that he had gotten to Ivy. Hated the way his words clung to my skin like a curse.
You are the key.
I clenched my fists, forcing the words from my mind. Not tonight.
But soon.
Very soon.
Regrouping
We rode through the cold night, the forest eerily silent. Ivy sat behind Lucian, her fingers still trembling. Orion rode at my side, glancing at me from time to time, but I ignored him.
My mind was elsewhere.
What was Gideon planning?
Why was he so sure I’d join him? And what the hell did he mean by ‘the Hollow King is coming’?
When we finally reached the camp, the others were waiting.
Elara stepped forward, her sharp gaze sweeping over us. “That bad?”
I dismounted. “Worse.”
Zane crossed his arms. “Tell me we at least got something out of this.”
I exhaled. “We did.”
They waited.
I let the words sink in. “Gideon’s not working alone. He’s waiting for someone. He called him the Hollow King.”
Silence.
Elara frowned. “I’ve never heard of a Hollow King.”
Neither had I.
And that was what scared me.
A New Threat
Lucian spoke first. “Then we find out who he is.”
I nodded. “Ivy, did he say anything else?”
She hesitated. “Not much. But…” Her eyes darkened. “He wasn’t bluffing, Abigail. He believes something is coming.”
Orion crossed his arms. “If it’s enough to make Gideon nervous, we should be worried.”
I agreed.
But we didn’t have time to sit around worrying. We needed answers. And we needed them fast.
I turned to Elara. “You still have contacts in the Phantom Pack?”
She smirked. “You doubted me?”
I didn’t answer. “Tell them I want a meeting. Tonight.”
Lucian’s eyes narrowed. “You think they’ll help?”
I met his gaze. “They will when they realize what’s coming for them, too.”
The Phantom Pack’s Warning
The meeting was set in the ruins of an old temple, deep in the woods.
The Phantom Pack wasn’t like any other. They weren’t bound by territories or ranks. They were whispers in the dark, ghosts that never left a trail. If anyone knew the truth about the Hollow King, it was them.
Elara and I arrived first. The others stayed behind, waiting in the shadows.
A cold wind rustled the dead leaves as a hooded figure stepped into view. “Abigail White.”
I recognized the voice.
Riven Vale.
A former Beta. A traitor. And the only Phantom I trusted, if I trusted any of them.
He pulled back his hood, his silver eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “You’ve been busy.”
I didn’t waste time. “Tell me about the Hollow King.”
His smirk faded. “So you’ve heard the name.”
Elara crossed her arms. “Enough games, Riven.”
He sighed. “I don’t know much. No one does. But the stories say he’s not just an Alpha. He’s something… older.”
I stiffened. “What do you mean ‘older’?”
Riven hesitated. “Some say he’s not a wolf at all. Not anymore.”
I didn’t like that answer.
At all.
“What else?”
Riven shook his head. “That’s all I know. But I’ll tell you this, Gideon’s afraid of him. And if someone like Gideon is afraid…”
His voice trailed off.
We all knew what that meant.
I met Riven’s gaze. “If you hear anything else, you find me.”
His lips quirked. “Always a pleasure, White.”
I didn’t wait for a goodbye.
We had what we came for.
And if what Riven said was true, we were running out of time.
Preparing for War
Back at camp, I relayed the information to the others.
Zane ran a hand through his hair. “So let me get this straight. We have Gideon playing puppet master, a war on the horizon, and now some undead bastard called the Hollow King?”
“That about sums it up,” Orion muttered.
Lucian was silent, watching me carefully.
He knew I was already planning the next step.
And he was right.
I turned to Ivy. “I need you to reach out to the Crescent Witches. If this Hollow King is real, we need magic on our side.”
She nodded.
Then I faced Lucian. “And you”
He arched a brow. “Me?”
“We need more wolves.”
Something dark flickered in his eyes. “You’re asking me to call my pack.”
I held his gaze. “I’m asking you to call your army.”
The moment stretched between us.
Then
Lucian smirked. “It’s about time.”
The Call to Arms
That night, the first howls rang through the forest.
A war call. A warning. A promise.
The hunt had begun.
And we would not stop until Gideon and whoever the Hollow King was were dead.
- Writer
