CHAPTER 10: The Hunger Inside Her

The scream didn’t sound human anymore.

It echoed through the corridor like something ancient had torn its way free, rattling the stone walls hard enough to crack them further. Power burst outward from Lira in violent waves, swallowing the air around her.

Kael was thrown back a step.

Not because he was weak.

Because whatever was happening to her was growing stronger.

Fast.

“Lira!”

She barely heard him.

The energy inside her twisted violently, surging beneath her skin like wildfire. It hurt.

Not sharp.

Not physical.

Worse.

It felt alive.

Hungry.

Her knees nearly buckled as another wave exploded outward, extinguishing the torches lining the corridor. Darkness crashed over them instantly.

But she could still see.

Too clearly.

Every heartbeat.

Every breath.

Every pulse of energy moving through the wolves nearby.

Her chest tightened in horror.

“No…” she whispered.

Because she could feel it.

The power inside them.

And something inside her wanted it.

The figure from the forest recovered first, stepping back into the shadows with unreadable calm.

“There it is,” it murmured.

Kael moved immediately, ignoring the fractured ground beneath him as he reached her.

“Lira, look at me.”

She staggered backward instead.

“Don’t come closer.”

His jaw tightened. “I’m not leaving you.”

“You don’t understand,” she gasped.

Another pulse of energy ripped through the corridor.

This time the wolves nearby dropped to one knee instantly, groaning as the force drained through the air around them.

Lira’s stomach twisted violently.

She felt stronger.

And that terrified her.

“Kael…” her voice broke slightly. “I’m hurting them.”

The figure watched silently.

“Yes,” it said.

Kael snapped toward it instantly.

“Shut up.”

“It’s the truth.”

Lira’s breathing became uneven again.

The hunger inside her sharpened.

Not for blood.

Not violence.

Power.

She could feel it everywhere.

Flowing through the fortress.

Through the wolves.

Through Kael.

Especially Kael.

The realization hit so hard she stumbled backward again.

“No…”

Kael stepped forward carefully this time, slower now.

Controlled.

Like approaching something dangerous.

“You need to fight it,” he said.

“I am fighting it!”

“No,” the figure interrupted calmly. “She’s resisting it. That’s different.”

Kael’s eyes darkened dangerously.

“You don’t get to teach her anything.”

“But you can’t,” the figure replied.

Silence crashed heavily into the corridor.

Because deep down Kael knew it was right.

Lira felt it too.

And that made everything worse.

Another wave surged through her body.

Pain exploded behind her eyes.

She gasped sharply as images flashed through her mind,

The red moon.

Burning forests.

Bodies.

Howling.

And something massive moving beneath darkness.

Watching her.

Waiting.

Lira clutched her head tightly.

“Get out of my head!”

Kael caught her shoulders instantly.

“Lira.”

Her eyes snapped upward,

And he froze.

They weren’t glowing anymore.

They had changed completely.

Silver.

Bright.

Unnatural.

Even the figure went still for the first time.

“Well,” it said softly.

“That’s sooner than expected.”

Kael pulled her slightly behind him.

“What did you do to her?”

The figure’s expression remained calm.

“I touched the truth.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“No,” it agreed. “But it’s enough.”

Lira’s body trembled violently.

The hunger worsened.

Every heartbeat around her sounded louder now.

Too loud.

Too tempting.

She looked toward one of the fallen wolves, and instantly felt energy pulling toward her.

The wolf gasped weakly as the power shifted through the air.

Lira recoiled in horror.

“I didn’t mean to do that!”

“But you did,” the figure said.

Kael moved fast.

He grabbed her face firmly, forcing her to look only at him.

“Listen to me.”

Her breathing shook violently.

“You need to focus.”

“I can’t”

“Yes, you can.”

His voice cut through the chaos sharply enough to steady her for half a second.

Just enough.

“You are not this power,” he said firmly.

But the figure spoke again.

“She is now.”

Kael turned with enough fury to make the corridor feel colder.

“If you speak again!!!

“You’ll kill me?” the figure asked calmly.

A pause.

Then;

“You can try.”

The tension snapped violently between them.

Lira felt it.

The power reacted instantly to Kael’s anger, surging harder through her body.

Her knees buckled.

Kael caught her before she hit the ground.

And the second his skin touched hers,

The hunger inside her roared.

Energy surged from him into her unintentionally, fast enough to make her gasp sharply.

Kael felt it too.

His expression changed instantly.

Not fear.

Shock.

Lira jerked away from him immediately.

“Oh God!!

The figure’s gaze sharpened.

“She’s already started feeding.”

The words hit like a blade.

“No,” Lira whispered.

But she had felt it.

The strength.

The rush.

And worst of all,

How good it felt.

Kael straightened slowly.

His breathing slightly heavier now.

But his eyes never left her.

“You didn’t do it on purpose.”

“That doesn’t matter!”

Another crack split through the walls.

Lira backed away farther.

“I can’t stay here.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, Kael, listen to me!” she shouted. “What if I can’t stop next time?”

“You will.”

“How do you know?”

He stepped toward her again.

Certain.

Unmoving.

“Because I won’t let you become this.”

Her chest tightened painfully.

“But what if I already am?”

Silence.

The worst kind.

Because neither of them had an answer.

The figure finally moved again, stepping carefully through the fractured corridor.

“The transformation has begun,” it said.

Kael didn’t even look at it.

“Explain.”

“It’s simple,” the figure replied. “The Moon-born were never created to contain power.”

Lira’s stomach twisted.

“They were created to consume it.”

The corridor fell completely silent.

Even breathing felt too loud.

“No,” Kael said immediately.

“It’s truth” Said the figure 

Kael shouted immediately “You’re lying.”

The figure tilted its head slightly.

“Then why is she draining the wolves around her?”

No one answered.

Because no one could.

Lira wrapped her arms tightly around herself as panic clawed up her throat.

“I don’t want this.”

The figure actually looked at her then.

Not coldly.

Not cruelly.

Almost sympathetically.

“That’s irrelevant.”

Kael’s control finally cracked.

He moved instantly, faster than before, grabbing the figure by the throat and slamming it hard against the wall.

The impact shattered stone.

“You will stop talking like she’s already lost.”

The figure didn’t struggle.

Didn’t panic.

“You’re emotionally compromised.”

“And you’re dead if you keep pushing me.”

Still calm.

Still steady.

“She’s changing, Alpha.”

Kael’s grip tightened.

“I know.”

The words came out rougher than expected.

Raw.

Lira stared at him.

Because for the first time, he sounded afraid.

Not for himself.

For her.

The figure noticed too.

“That,” it murmured quietly, “is exactly why you won’t survive this.”

Kael released it violently.

The figure landed smoothly back on its feet.

Composed.

Untouched.

“How do we stop it?” Kael demanded.

A pause.

Then,

“You don’t.”

Lira felt her heartbeat stop for a second.

“There has to be a way,” Kael growled.

“There wasn’t before.”

Before.

The word caught instantly.

Lira looked up sharply.

“What do you mean before?”

The figure’s gaze shifted toward her.

“The last Moon-born.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

“There was another one?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why was this never recorded?”

“Because history fears what it cannot control.”

Lira stepped forward despite the pain twisting through her body.

“What happened to them?”

The figure didn’t answer immediately.

And somehow,

That already felt terrifying.

Finally.

“They destroyed everything around them.”

The words settled like death.

“No,” Lira whispered.

“The packs united to stop them,” the figure continued calmly. “The Council was created afterward.”

Kael’s expression darkened instantly.

“That’s impossible.”

“Is it?” the figure replied.

Silence again.

Because suddenly everything made horrible sense.

The Council.

The fear.

The obsession with finding her.

They weren’t afraid of what she might become.

They were afraid because they already knew.

Lira staggered back slightly.

“This can’t be happening.”

But deep down she felt the truth of it.

The hunger.

The power.

The way it kept growing.

Kael moved toward her again.

Slowly.

Carefully.

“You are not them.”

Her silver eyes lifted toward him.

“How do you know?”

“Because you’re still fighting.”

Tears burned painfully behind her eyes.

“For how long?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Because he didn’t know.

And that silence hurt more than any truth.

Suddenly,

A horn echoed outside.

Loud.

Urgent.

Kael turned instantly.

Another horn followed.

Then shouting.

Movement!!!

Fast!!!

The figure sighed softly.

“Right on time.”

Kael’s eyes darkened.

“The Council.”

“Yes.”

Lira’s pulse spiked violently.

Another surge hit her body.

The hunger reacted instantly.

Stronger.

Closer to the surface.

The figure looked toward the fortress entrance.

“They felt the awakening.”

Kael stepped in front of Lira again automatically.

Protective.

Immediate.

“They’re not taking her.”

“They’re not here to take her anymore.”

Those words froze the air.

Lira already knew what came next before the figure even said it.

“They’re here to kill her.”

The fortress shook violently.

An explosion thundered outside, powerful enough to crack the corridor floor beneath them.

Screams followed.

Chaos erupted instantly.

Kael’s expression hardened into something lethal.

“Stay here.”

Lira almost laughed bitterly.

“You really think that’s possible now?”

Another explosion hit.

Closer.

The figure stepped back into the shadows slowly.

Watching them both.

“You’re out of time,” it said quietly.

Kael ignored it completely.

His eyes locked onto Lira.

And for one brief second, the war outside disappeared.

“You trust me?” he asked suddenly.

The question caught her completely off guard.

“What?”

“Answer me.”

The hunger inside her twisted violently again.

The power clawed at her control.

But through all of it she looked at him.

And realized something terrifying.

She did trust him.

More than herself.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Kael nodded once.

Decision made.

Then he reached for her hand.

The second their skin touched, the hunger surged again.

Hard.

Violent.

But this time, Kael didn’t let go.

And instead of taking he pushed back.

Power collided between them instantly, sending silver light bursting through the corridor walls.

Lira gasped sharply.

“What are you doing?”

“Balancing it.”

“That’s impossible!”

“Maybe,” he said through clenched teeth.

“But it’s working.”

She felt it.

The hunger slowing.

Not gone.

But quieter.

Controlled.

The figure in the shadows watched silently.

For the first time,

Actually surprised.

“That…” it murmured.

“…has never happened before.”

Kael’s grip tightened slightly.

His eyes never leaving hers.

“Then maybe history got this wrong too.”

Outside.

The fortress shook again.

War had arrived.

But inside that corridor something else had begun.

Something no one expected.

Something dangerous.

Because the power inside Lira didn’t disappear when Kael touched her.

It answered him.

As the Council invaded the territory and the Moon-born power awakened completely…

one impossible truth changed everything:

Kael wasn’t just surviving her power anymore,

somehow…

he was becoming part of it.