"There is only one way to sever the bond."
The Seer's voice was low, ancient, a whisper of something older than time itself.
Bella and Dante stood in the shadows of her temple, the scent of burning herbs thick in the air.
Bella's hands were shaking.
The mark on her throat pulsed, dark and unrelenting.
The Hollow One was awake.
And it was hungry.
"Tell us how to stop this," Dante demanded, his voice sharp, dangerous.
The Seer tilted her head.
"It does not want to be stopped, Alpha."
Her gaze drifted to Bella.
"It is inside her now. Growing. Rooting. Becoming."
Bella swallowed hard.
"There has to be a way."
The Seer watched her for a long moment.
Then—
"The only way to sever the bond is to kill the host."
Silence.
Dante's snarl shook the room.
"Not an option."
The Seer's expression did not change.
"Then she will become it. And when she does—"
She turned her gaze to Bella, her eyes hollow, knowing.
"—you will slaughter everything you love."
Bella's stomach twisted violently.
"No."
The Seer stepped closer, lifting a single, thin blade.
"A choice must be made, child."
The air shifted.
The mark on Bella's throat burned.
And inside her—
The Hollow One laughed.