Not from fever, not from exhaustion, but from something deeper, something unnatural. He sat at the edge of Zander's kitchen table, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. The bread he had tried to eat lay forgotten on the plate in front of him. It was useless. Food didn't satisfy the emptiness twisting in his gut.
He wasn't just hungry.
He was starving—for something he couldn't name.
Zander leaned against the doorway, watching him carefully. He hadn't said a word since dropping the revelation.
You're changing.
The words rattled inside Xavier's skull like a curse.
He forced himself to breathe slowly, his heart pounding harder with every second that passed. He felt hot, like fire was crawling just beneath his skin, seeping into his bones. His fingers twitched against the table, nails digging into the wood. His senses were sharper than they had ever been before—he could hear every breath Zander took, the distant sound of a cart rolling down the village street, the whisper of the wind through the cracks in the walls.
His body was changing.
But into what?
He swallowed hard, his throat dry. "What's happening to me?"
Zander didn't answer immediately. He pushed off the wall, stepping closer, his expression unreadable.
"You're awakening."
Xavier's stomach twisted.
"Awakening into what?"
Zander exhaled, his gaze unwavering. "Into what you were always meant to be."
Xavier pushed back from the table, his chair scraping against the floor. His breath came fast, his mind racing. This wasn't normal. This wasn't human.
"You're lying." His voice came out uneven. "I'm just sick. It's exhaustion. It's—"
Zander shook his head. "It's not."
A sharp, stabbing pain tore through Xavier's stomach, forcing him to double over. He gritted his teeth, gripping the edge of the table to keep himself upright. His entire body ached, like something inside him was shifting, breaking, reforming.
The hunger grew worse.
No, not hunger. Something else.
Something far worse.
Zander's voice was calm, steady. "You need to hunt."
Xavier snapped his head up, his eyes burning. "What the hell does that mean?"
Zander met his gaze, his expression unwavering. "You need to drink."
Xavier stared at him, unblinking. The words should have sounded ridiculous. Impossible.
But deep inside, something stirred.
A terrible, aching need.
His breath came in uneven gasps as his hands trembled against the table. He looked down at his fingers—his nails looked sharper, longer than before. His skin felt hot, his heartbeat louder.
Something was wrong.
His mind raced through every explanation, every possibility, but none of them made sense.
"That's not…" His voice wavered. "That's not possible."
"It is," Zander said simply.
Xavier shook his head. "You're insane."
Zander didn't flinch. "Denying it won't change what's happening to you."
Xavier shot to his feet, his legs unsteady beneath him. "I don't believe you."
Zander just shrugged. "Then explain why food makes you sick. Why you feel like you're burning alive. Why your senses are sharper than they were yesterday."
Xavier's jaw clenched. He wanted to argue, to fight back, but he couldn't.
Because everything Zander said was true.
The hunger clawing inside him, the heat under his skin, the way the world felt different—like his body was tuning itself to something else, something unknown.
Something inhuman.
He took a shaky step back, his hands trembling. "I can't be—"
"You're not fully turned," Zander interrupted, his voice firm. "Not yet. But you're changing, Xavier. And if you don't control it, you'll lose yourself."
Xavier's stomach twisted.
"I'm not a monster," he whispered.
Zander's gaze softened, just a fraction. "Then you need to learn before it controls you."
…The night air was cold against Xavier's overheated skin as he followed Zander through the outskirts of town. His limbs felt heavy, his muscles sore, but the hunger inside him refused to let him stop.
Zander moved silently, his steps practiced, effortless. Xavier, on the other hand, felt like a clumsy child stumbling in the dark. His balance was off, his mind clouded with exhaustion.
"You need to focus," Zander said quietly, not turning back.
Xavier gritted his teeth. "I'm trying."
"No," Zander corrected. "You're fighting it. Stop resisting. Listen."
Xavier exhaled through his nose, trying to block out the growing ache in his gut. He closed his eyes, listening—not just to Zander, but to everything.
The rustling leaves. The distant howl of a wolf. The steady thrum of something nearby.
His eyes snapped open.
Something was nearby.
His breath hitched as he caught the scent—a faint, metallic tang lingering in the air. His heartbeat quickened.
Zander turned toward him. "You smell it, don't you?"
Xavier's lips parted, but no words came out. He didn't understand what he was sensing, only that it called to him in a way nothing else had.
Zander's expression didn't change. "Follow it."
Xavier hesitated. "What am I smelling?"
"Your meal."
Xavier's stomach twisted. "I'm not—"
"It's an animal," Zander said before he could finish. "You're not ready for anything else."
Xavier swallowed, his throat dry. His body protested, every fiber of his being demanding that he move. That he hunt.
His legs moved on their own, following the scent deeper into the woods. Zander followed, silent as a shadow.
The hunger only grew stronger.
And then, he saw it.
A deer stood in the clearing, its ears twitching, its muscles tense. It hadn't sensed them yet.
Xavier's pulse thundered in his ears.
The hunger twisted in his gut, demanding he take what he needed.
His nails dug into his palms as he struggled to breathe. His vision sharpened, the world narrowing to the single, beating heart before him.
Zander's voice was barely above a whisper. "Don't think. Just let it happen."
Xavier's lips curled back into something close to a snarl. He didn't want to move. But his body did.
Before he even realized what was happening, he lunged.
The deer barely had time to react before he tackled it, his strength unnatural, his movements too fast. It kicked, thrashing wildly, but Xavier barely felt it.
His vision blurred as instinct took over.
His mouth parted, his breath ragged.
Then—pain.
A sharp, piercing pain in his mouth.
He gasped as a sudden pressure split his gums, a sharp ache spreading through his canines.
He could feel them growing.
Zander knelt beside him, his voice steady. "Now drink."
Xavier's breath came fast, the scent of blood overpowering everything else. His stomach twisted in agony, his vision blurred.
And then, he sank his teeth into the deer's throat.
Warmth flooded his mouth.
His mind went blank.
The hunger stopped.
Everything stopped.
And for the first time since his family burned, Xavier felt at peace.