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No. Not him. Never him.

I charge. The collision drives the entity backward several yards. It loses shape. Only for a second. But I see it. The weakness.

"Carys!"

She immediately understands.

"What?"

"It's unstable when it moves!"

Her eyes track the entity.

"It can't maintain form while changing positions."

Exactly. The Hollow is its anchor. Movement costs it. Holding itself together costs it. We don't need to overpower it. We need to force it away from control.

Sayer steps forward. The entity reacts instantly. I snarl.

"Back!"

He freezes.

"I'm trying to help."

"I know."

I move between them.

"But not yet."

The entity rises again. Its form flickers. Stronger. Then weaker. Stronger. Then weaker. Carys notices too.

"It's cycling."

"What?"

"Look."

She points. Every few seconds, the entity destabilizes. Not randomly. Rhythmically.

Like a heartbeat.

"It's maintaining itself."

"Something is feeding it."

I follow her gaze. Deep within the trees, something pulses beneath the ground. A dark glow. The anchor. The source. The entity attacks again. This time faster. Smarter. It doesn't aim for Sayer. It aims for Carys. Because it knows. It knows exactly what she means to both of us.

I intercept. The blow sends me sliding backward. Pain burns through my shoulder. But I'm still standing.

The entity pauses. Almost curious. It expected me to fall. It expected me to break. It doesn't understand.

Wolves don't protect because it's logical. They protect because it's who they are. I plant my feet. Behind me, Carys and Sayer are moving. Exactly as planned. Good.

The entity senses it. Too late. I hold its attention. I keep it here. I force it to fight me. Every second. Every strike. Every ounce of strength. Because while it focuses on me…

My family moves into position.