HOLLOW

•FOUR•

•Natalie's POV•
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There standing right before me was the most beautiful man I've ever seen. Good God he came from the heavens. I found myself utterly speechless along with a ton of confusion. Why wasn't I in the cell? Where was I now? Was I kidnapped? Why was this guy's hand so comforting? Wait, why is he holding my hand?

We only stared at each other. My eyes were wide as I looked at his beautiful brown ones. He was the first one to speak up. "Hello," he spoke. I almost fainted at the sound of his voice. It was deep. Very deep. It sounded like music to my ears. It was indescribable.

And the smell. It smelled like vanilla bean. No. I need to stop. I have a boyfriend. I return my gaze to the man sitting beside the large bed I was currently laying in. "Who are you?" I question, pulling my hand out of his hand. I saw his lips tug down and his eyes shift away from me. "You don't know?" He asks, this time his voice sounded much softer. "Did you rape me?" I ask accusingly as I check to see if my underwear was still on.

"No, of course not!" I narrow my eyes at him as I hesitantly scoot to the other side of the bed.

"Eat some food. I will explain some things to you," He says motioning to the plate of food on the bedside table. I dart my eyes to the plate and take in all the fruits and sweets there were. My mouth watered at the sight of the glorious meal. I lifted my hand and took a slice of apple. When I bit into it all of the delicious juices fell onto my tongue. "Okay... The first thing I am going to tell you is that werewolves do exist. You probably thought that we were mythical creatures but we are not. You, me, and most of the others that you will see in this castle are too. As you probably know, wolves are usually part of a pack. The leader of the pack is an Alpha and the Luna is his mate. They are equal. The beta is second command and delta is the third in command. You listening?" He looks at me waiting for an answer meanwhile my mouth was filled to capacity with food. I slowly nod, feeling a little embarrassed. Even though I have been told that I was a werewolf before, the way he said it made me want to believe it.

As nice as the plate of food was, I would have to try to make an escape soon. I was unchained and well-rested so when the hottie leaves, I'll attempt to make my grand exit.

"So...mates. Basically, every werewolf has someone that was made for them. Someone who is their soulmate. Werewolves can reject their mates but the people who do always regret it in the end. We can't spend a long time away from our mates." He said. I wanted to seem angry but I physically couldn't. It was like his aura was blocking anything negative. Did he drug me? It all seemed so interesting to me. I had so many questions but I knew which one I was going to ask first. "I have someone out there made for me?" I ask with my eyes widened.

The corners of his lips tugged up slightly before he nodded. "Have you found your mate?" I question. He nods again this time with a smile. He must be fond of her. His mate was lucky to have someone so hot. "What happens if the mate dies?" I ask again. The smile quickly left his face as it returned back to a serious. "The wolf will most likely die," He says.

My mouth forms into an 'o' shape. I wonder what my mate would be like. Although it seemed quite nice, I didn't want to leave Jaxon. Another question popped up in my head and I didn't hesitate to ask. "What rank do you have?" I ask. A smirk formed on his perfect lips before opened his mouth to speak. "Alpha," He says. Woah. I was sitting next to royalty. He then got up and went to the bookshelf that was on the far side of the room.

Believe me, I was trying my hardest not to seem too nice, but I couldn't help myself.

"Anyways. What's your name?" He questions. "Natalie. What's yours?" I respond. He finds a book in the bookshelf and walks back over to me. "Athanasios." He says. That's an odd name. He hands the book over to me and I take it in my hands. It was old and grungy but on the cover, it said 'The Moon Goddess' Children'. I turned the book in my hands for several more seconds before he spoke again. "It will explain everything I didn't," he says. "Thanks," I say. He nods and leaves the room.

I waited a few moments before throwing the blanket off of me and walking over to the door. It may look large and intimidating but I'm sure I could manage. I put the book down and twisted the door handle with one hand. With the other, I tried to pull the door open. I used all my muscle and weight to try and pull it open but it wouldn't budge in the slightest. I huff and pick up the book. There was a smaller door on the other side of the room. I walked over to that one and pushed it open with ease. I felt as if I accomplished something large but my ego was soon deflated when I saw it was only a bathroom.

I sigh and turn back around. There was a large window that was covered by long black curtains. Curiosity struck me and I found myself moving the curtain back slightly to see what was outside. I almost peed myself when I saw how high up I was. I felt sick just looking out the window. I could also see the rest of the castle outside the window. It was freaking huge. I finally let the curtain fall back into place and sat back on the bed. All I have to say is...woah. All of this couldn't possibly be a reality. Werewolfs? Mates? Me being a "rogue". I almost laughed at the thought.

•Athanasios POV•

I stopped jogging right when I saw Orion. I walked up to him to see what he needed me for. As soon as he sensed my presence he turned around to face me. I raise my eyebrows to see what he wanted. "Athanasios. We have a problem. A very big one, I might add,"

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