Chapter 3

The man remained in the village longer than expected.

By midday, everyone in Aderin had noticed him. Strangers were rare, and this one did not behave like a traveler passing through. He asked questions—too many questions—about the forest, about strange happenings, about animals behaving “unnaturally.”

Efe kept her distance, but she couldn’t ignore the uneasy feeling sitting in her chest.

“Stay away from him,” Mama Tola warned. “Men like that don’t come without a purpose.”

Efe nodded, but curiosity burned within her. Who was he really? And how could he have looked at her the way he did—as if he already knew her secret?

That evening, the village grew quiet again as the sun began to set. Efe sat outside their home, pretending to focus on weaving, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

She could still feel it—the change inside her.

Everything seemed sharper now. The scent of smoke from distant fires. The faint sound of footsteps across the village. Even her own heartbeat felt louder.

She clenched her hands.

“I need to understand this,” she whispered to herself.

Without telling her grandmother, Efe slipped away once more, heading toward the forest. This time, her steps were cautious, deliberate. She wasn’t running from fear—she was searching for answers.

As she crossed into the trees, the air felt different again. Familiar.

Alive.

Efe closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Control it,” she murmured, remembering Mama Tola’s words.

She focused on the feeling inside her—the heat, the energy, the pull.

At first, nothing happened.

Then slowly, her body began to respond.

Her senses sharpened again, but the pain was less intense this time. Her breathing steadied instead of spiraling out of control.

“I can do this,” she said softly.

But just as she began to feel a sense of calm, a sudden crack of a branch echoed behind her.

Efe’s eyes snapped open.

She wasn’t alone.

“Impressive,” a voice said from the shadows.

Her heart dropped.

The man stepped forward into the dim light—it was the stranger from the village.

Up close, he looked even more dangerous. His eyes were cold, calculating, and his posture was steady, like someone used to fighting.

Efe took a step back. “What do you want?”

The man studied her carefully before speaking. “I’ve been tracking something unusual,” he said. “Looks like I finally found it.”

Efe swallowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A faint smirk appeared on his face. “You don’t have to pretend.”

Her chest tightened.

“I’ve seen your kind before,” he continued. “The way you move. The way you react to the forest. And last night…” He paused. “That howl.”

Efe’s fear turned into panic.

He knew.

“Stay away from me,” she warned, her voice shaking.

Instead, he took a step closer.

“My name is Kade,” he said. “And hunting creatures like you is what I do.”

The words hit her like a blow.

Efe’s body tensed, her instincts screaming at her to run.

“You’re wrong,” she said quickly. “I’m not a—”

“Monster?” Kade finished. “That’s exactly what you are.”

Something inside her snapped.

“No,” she said firmly, though doubt lingered beneath her words.

Kade’s gaze hardened. “You may not believe it yet, but you will. They all do.”

He reached behind him and slowly revealed a blade.

It gleamed faintly in the moonlight.

Even from a distance, Efe felt something strange about it—something that made her uneasy, almost weak.

“Silver,” Kade said, noticing her reaction. “It keeps your kind in line.”

Fear surged through her.

Without another word, Efe turned and ran.

Her feet moved faster than ever before, dodging trees, leaping over roots. The forest blurred around her as adrenaline took over.

Behind her, she could hear him giving chase.

“You can’t run forever!” Kade shouted.

But Efe didn’t stop.

Her heart pounded, her breath came fast—but something else was happening too.

Her strength was growing.

Her movements were becoming sharper, more instinctive.

She wasn’t just running anymore.

She was adapting.

Still, she didn’t dare look back.

Not until she reached the edge of the forest and burst into the safety of the village.

Only then did she stop, her chest heaving.

Efe turned slowly.

The forest stood still behind her.

Kade was gone.

But she knew one thing for certain—

This was no longer just about understanding herself.

Now, she was being hunted.