The Forgotten Pulse of the Bond-Chapter 53: THE HOLLOWFANG SYMBOL

"I’ve seen this crest before," Lucien muttered, holding the parchment between his gloved fingers as if it might bite.

Rhett paced behind him, jaw clenched, his boots scuffing the marble of the estate’s council chamber. The stained-glass windows above cast fractured beams across the floor, turning Lucien’s greying hair shades of crimson and violet.

"Where?" Rhett demanded, stopping abruptly.

"In the old trial records. The scrolls locked beneath the blood archive. I was a boy. Barely initiated into the order. The Elders kept the history sealed, what little was left of it. The Hollowfang Symbol was always marked with warnings. Forbidden. Taboo. Not just enemies, abominations."

Rhett took the paper from him and studied it again.

The crest was jagged, inked in a swirl of black and gold. A wolf’s mouth open wide, devouring a crescent moon. A sun cracked in two behind it. Around the edges, small runes curled inward, like claws or teeth.

"It was carved into Camille’s locket," Rhett said quietly. "Magnolia found it at the burn circle."

Lucien raised a brow. "She went back alone?"

"She insisted."

Lucien sighed and shook his head. "That girl will be the end of herself."

Rhett’s voice dropped. "Or the end of us all."

At that moment, the chamber doors burst open.

Magnolia strode in.

Dirt streaked her trousers. A fresh cut ran along her forearm. Her hair was tangled. The locket swung from a chain in her hand like a pendulum.

"I have a map," she said, tossing it on the table. "And a message. She wants me to follow her."

Lucien stepped forward. "Are you certain it’s from Camille?"

"She wrote it." Magnolia’s voice was calm. Too calm. "But someone else was in her head when she did."

Rhett crossed the room, eyes on her. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "Not enough to matter."

He reached for her arm, inspecting the wound. "This needs cleaning."

"I don’t care."

"You will."

Their eyes met, and she relented. Only slightly.

"Sit," he said gently.

She obeyed, lowering herself onto the bench at the far end of the chamber while Lucien unrolled the map.

"The stronghold is here," he said, pointing to a cluster of mountains bordering the northern riverlands. "Old caves. Collapsed temples. Places no pack’s claimed in decades. Too many vanishings. Too many whispers."

"It’s a death zone," Rhett added.

"Perfect place for a cult," Magnolia muttered.

Lucien smirked faintly. "Poisoned ground for a poisoned bloodline."

She looked at him sharply. "Camille is still my blood."

Lucien didn’t blink. "And you may have to bury her."

Rhett stepped between them. "That’s enough."

Magnolia stood again, ignoring the pain in her side. "The scout said something. Before she bit her own tongue off."

Rhett frowned. "What?"

"She said Camille wasn’t possessed. That she was becoming."

Lucien scoffed. "That’s worse."

"No," Magnolia said slowly. "It means she’s fighting. Maybe not winning, but fighting."

"She left this map for you," Rhett said. "Why now?"

"I don’t know. But I intend to find out."

She stepped to the map, tracing the marked cave. "We move at dusk. Stealth. No full unit. Just us."

Lucien shook his head. "We should bring the elite guard. If this is Hollowfang’s seat, they’ll be waiting."

"That’s why we don’t bring a crowd," Rhett said. "They’ll smell force. But they won’t expect us to walk in like ghosts."

Lucien looked between them, then gave a begrudging nod. "You’ll need an exit plan. I’ll arrange fallback signals and patrol cutoffs. You’ve got six hours before the moons split."

"Plenty," Magnolia said, already turning away.

Rhett caught her hand. "Wait."

She paused. "What?"

He stepped close, lowering his voice. "If we find her... and she’s gone, "

"She’s not."

"But if she is, "

"She’s not, Rhett."

He swallowed the rest of the sentence. "Okay."

They left the chamber without another word.

The journey north was silent. The sky shifted from amber to bruised violet as the sun began to dip behind the mountains. Magnolia rode ahead, her eyes never leaving the line of trees that thickened with every mile. Her wolf itched beneath her skin. Restless. Alert.

Rhett rode beside her, his sword strapped to his back, two daggers hidden in his boots. His face was unreadable. Not cold. Just guarded.

By the time they reached the base of the cliffs, the moon had risen, split clean down the center, casting uneven light across the rocks.

The entrance to the cave was barely visible.

Just a dark slit in the stone.

No guards.

No traps.

Just a bone pendant hanging from the jagged edge of the entrance.

Magnolia touched it.

It burned.

"She’s been here," she whispered.

They stepped inside.

The air changed immediately. The temperature dropped. The scent of blood and iron hit them both hard.

They moved slowly, torches unlit. Letting their eyes adjust.

The walls of the tunnel were covered in symbols. The same Hollowfang markings. But here... they glowed faintly. Pulsed.

Magic.

Old magic.

Magnolia ran her fingers along the stone. "Sterling wrote some of this."

Rhett glanced at her. "How do you know?"

"Because this one, " she pointed, "was on the scroll he gave Celeste the night before she disappeared. She never told me what it meant. Only that it marked someone’s fate."

They kept walking.

Further down, the tunnel widened into a chamber.

At the center stood a stone table.

And chained to it,

A wolf.

Black. Sleek. Eyes closed.

Camille.

Magnolia gasped and ran forward.

But Rhett caught her arm. "Wait."

From the shadows, three figures stepped out.

Robe-draped. Faces hidden.

The largest one raised a hand. "She’s not dead."

"Let her go," Magnolia said, stepping forward.

The figure laughed softly. "Let her? She came here of her own will. She offered herself."

"No," Magnolia said. "You broke her."

"We awakened her."

"She’s my sister."

"She’s our heir."

Magnolia’s voice dropped into something colder than ice. "Touch her again, and I’ll show you what it means to lose everything."

The figure tilted its head. "Then prove your worth. Take her place."

Silence.

Even Rhett’s breath caught.

Magnolia stepped forward.

"I will."

Rhett grabbed her wrist. "No."

"She’s not dying here."

"She’s not dying at all. And neither are you."

Magnolia turned to him.

Their faces inches apart.

"I have to," she said. "She’s blood. I feel her pulse in mine. And it’s fading."

He looked at her, eyes dark with something between fury and fear. "Then we fight. Together."

She nodded once.

Then turned back to the figures.

"Release her," she said. "Or I’ll rip this place apart."

They laughed.

Until she stepped forward,

, and shifted.

Right there.

In front of them.

A full shift.

Fur like liquid ink. Eyes burning violet.

Power rippling off her in waves.

Even the Hollowfang backed away.

One whispered, "The prophecy..."

And Camille stirred.

Eyes fluttering.

Whispering one word.

"Magnolia..."