Chapter 1: The Hunt Begins
The moon, full and unforgiving, bathed the forest in its ghostly light. Kieran stood at the edge of the trees, eyes glowing with a golden hunger that mirrored the wolf inside him. The air was thick with the scent of fresh, warm, and intoxicating blood. His body trembled, not from cold, but from the deep, insatiable need coursing through him. His senses were heightened to a maddening degree. The forest was alive with the thrum of life—each heartbeat, every movement of prey, every whisper of wind between the trees. But it was the scent of blood that called to him."Let it take you," Caden's voice came from behind, smooth like silk, but laced with an authority that could never be ignored. "You've been holding back for too long . Kieran turned his head just enough to catch a glimpse of his older brother, the one born to lead. Caden's eyes were also golden, though there was something colder, more detached in his gaze. His control over the wolf was perfect, while Kieran's… was not. The battle between man and beast still raged within him, but tonight, there was no denying it. The wolf was in control."I don't want this," Kieran spat, though the words were hollow. His voice trembled not with fear, but with the rawness of the truth. "Not like this." Caden stepped forward, the sound of his boots on the earth barely registering over the pulsating beat of Kieran's own heart. "Doesn't matter what you want," he growled. "What you are doesn't care. You're nothing more than a beast. You'll never escape it."Kieran's hands flexed at his sides, claws tearing through his skin as they extended, sharp and cruel. The wolf inside him was growing restless, pushing at his ribs, clawing at his skin. Kieran could feel the blood coursing through his veins, the heat building, the transformation creeping up his spine.Without another word, Kieran released the remnants of his humanity and let the beast take over.His bones snapped and cracked, his spine contorting as his muscles swelled, fur bursting from his skin. The world around him blurred into motion—colors flashing, shapes bending—until all that remained was the smell of his prey, the blood, the sweet, intoxicating promise of slaughter.
The deer was there, just ahead, unaware, its scent thick with fear. Its legs quivered, but it was too late. Kieran was already moving, a blur of raw strength and hunger. His claws tore through the air, ripping into the flesh of the creature. The first strike was swift and brutal, a clean gash across the neck. Blood sprayed, hot and sticky, splattering across his fur. Kieran snarled, sinking his teeth into the deer's flesh, tasting its warmth.
His body was no longer his own. It was a machine for destruction. His instincts were all that mattered now, and they screamed for blood.
The deer struggled beneath him, but there was no escape. Kieran felt the life force draining from it, the weak, desperate thrumming of its heart slowing, then stopping. But the hunger didn't stop with the kill. No, it only grew.
With a savage growl, Kieran tore into the carcass, his claws ripping through flesh and bone. Blood pooled beneath him, soaking the ground as he fed. His throat burned with every gulp, every drop that slid down his throat, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
He raised his head, blood dripping from his lips, chest heaving with exertion. The taste lingered, thick and metallic, and it only fueled his need.
"That's how it's done," Caden's voice came from behind him, but Kieran barely registered it. He was lost, drowning in the thrill of the hunt, in the ecstasy of the kill.
"You're ready now," Caden said again, his tone colder than ever. "But remember—there's no going back. Once you cross that line, there's no returning to the human you were. You're mine now."
Kieran turned, his golden eyes burning with the fire of the wolf. "Then I'll make my own line," he snarled, his voice low and guttural. "I'll decide what I become."
And with that, he turned back to the forest, the bloodlust still raging, his heart beating with a new, cruel rhythm.