HOLLOW

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•Natalie's POV•
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"How far are you along in the book?" Athanasios asks me as we sat on a bench that was hidden somewhere in the woods.

"Not very far. Almost halfway," I answer him. He nods. We were surrounded by nothing but silence for a few seconds that seemed to pass quickly. "What was your life like before you came here?" He questions. I look at him and our eyes meet. I clear my throat as the memories from home flew back into my head.

"Well... I am an only child. My mother is a fashion designer and my father is a doctor, he's not home that much. Most people would say that we are wealthy but we don't have as much money as people accuse us of having. I have a boyfriend, his name is Jaxon-" I got cut off by a sharp growl.

Athanasios' face had anger written all over it. His eyes became narrow and his brows were drawn together as his jaw was clenched. I couldn't deny that he looked undeniably handsome at this moment. Jesus, why was I so attracted to him? I have to remember that he has a mate and I have a boyfriend.

"A-are you okay?" I ask him. I watched as he took a deep breath and nodded again. "What was Jaxon like?" he forces out, obviously uncomfortable. My eyes widen slightly but I made sure to hide it quickly.

"Uh, he is always trying to make me laugh and smile. He's very funny. He was always nice to me no matter what. I could've cursed him out and he'd still offer to help me with anything. But for the past few months, things have been going downhill," I saw a small smile pop up on his face when I was finishing.

"Are you smiling?" I ask him with disbelief. His eyebrows shot up and he almost seemed surprised. "What? N-no," he says, returning to his usually straight face. I narrow my eyes a bit then look around at the surrounding area.

We sat on the bench for a few more minutes. I enjoyed it. I was excited to be brought outside after the past few days that I had gone through. I noticed that Athanasios' leg bobbed up and down for the few minutes we sat here. "May I see the book?" I nod and place the book into his large hand. I watch as he flipped through the pages until he stopped at a particular page. "Read," he thrust the book back into my hands and I started to read from the top of the page.

The words were speaking about mates, specifically how to find your own. "Are you done yet?" He asks from beside me. I bite my lip trying to focus on the book instead of the large being beside me. "No," I answered absentmindedly. I continued to read comfortably until a few sentences caught my eye.

You will know which one you are destined to be with if you use your senses. Mostly smell and touch. Your mate's scent is most appealing to you. They smell like nothing describable. When you touch, you will feel the connection that the Moon Goddess has granted you both.

The page ended there. I looked back to Athanasios. "What about it?" I ask. His face fell at my words but I have no idea what I could've said to hurt him. "You do not know?" He questions, looking down.

"Know what?" He must've known something that I didn't. "Nevermind." He says. Why couldn't he tell me? He was about to do it anyways! "No. Tell me," I sat up and tried my best to get a look at his face. "It was nothing," he says, obviously sad about something. "Please, Athanasios! Just tell me!" I pleaded. He shook his head. "It wouldn't change anything." He said. I wanted to pull my hair out. What was so important that it affected him this much? "Let us go back," His voice was cold as he shot up from the bench and began walking back towards the castle. I quickly grabbed the book and scurried to catch up with Athanasios. If I got lost, I wouldn't know how to get anywhere. As I ran through the snow, I promised myself that I would find out what he was about to tell me.

When we arrived at the castle, Athanasios lead me back to his room and left without saying a word. I checked the time and it read four o'clock. Six hours? It didn't seem that long. It only felt like two. The feeling of disbelief quickly left me as my mind went back to what Athanasios was going to say. More importantly, what did the book have to do with it?

I quickly sat down at a chair tucked into the corner of the room. I pulled out the book and started rereading the page Athanasios told me to read earlier. It had something to do with mates but what specifically? The whole page was about finding your mate but Athanasios already had one. So that left me. Did he want me to find my own mate? Pft, if it was even possible. I'm not convinced that I am a wolf in the least bit. Then what can it be!

I sat there for hours trying to figure out what it was. I thought so long that I eventually fell asleep in the chair.

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"Natalie... Natalie," I was shaken awake softly. My eyes fluttered open so I could see who was next to me. It was Athanasios. Once the thought registered in my mind, I sent a glare in his direction. "What?" I ask, still not fully awakened yet. I was about to pull myself out of the chair when Athanasios surprised me by plucking my body out of seat himself. When we touched I felt something deep down in my soul but I didn't think anything of it due to my tired state.

"W-what are you doing?" I question, still barely coherent. "Shh, you're tired." He set me down on his bed before removing my coat I had forgotten to take off earlier. I didn't argue when he laid me down on the bed before covering my small body with the thick covers. Comfortable was an understatement. I was about to drift off to sleep but my mouth opened up with a new question emerging from it.

"What is your mate like?" I ask him with my eyes closed.

I heard him sigh as the bed dipped a little bit beside me. "I haven't met her very long ago but I will tell you that she seems like a fun person to be around. She has the most beautiful sandy hair and hypnotizing green eyes. I have not learned that much about her but I hope I can learn more in the future," He says softly.

I smile lightly. The way he talks about her is so sweet. I could tell he had a smile on his face when talking about her. "She sounds pretty," I say, slightly jealous. He chuckled lightly. It was a sound I wasn't very familiar with. "She is," He says. Like many other times, silence filled the room. It was a comfortable silence. "I will be here when you wake. We have to talk when you are fully rested," As soon as the sentence left him, I was sleeping soundly.

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