The wind screamed through the black pines, but it couldn't drown out the frantic, uneven thumping of Silas's heart.
I was still on my knees in the dark snow, my body shaking with the aftershocks of the transition. The single dark vein on my neck felt like a hot wire under my skin.
"Elara," Silas whispered.
He didn't stay back. Defying my warning, defying the laws of nature, the Alpha stepped forward. He knelt in the snow directly in front of me, bridging the gap between us. His massive, warm hands reached out to cup my face, to force me to look at him.
"No! Silas, stop!" I gasped, trying to scramble backward.
The moment his bare skin touched my cheek, it happened.
The Hollow inside me didn't just twitch; it roared to life with a predatory, savage glee. But this time, it was different
