Chapter 4 Shadows in the Moonlight

Kaia's new reality clawed at her every waking moment. She could feel the hunger beneath her skin, an ache that no amount of willpower could silence. The moon hung low and full, its silver glow casting long shadows over the silent streets of Midvale.

Raine met her at their usual spot on the rooftop. "You need to control it," she said firmly. "Or it'll control you."

Kaia nodded, her eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. "I'm trying."

But the night brought more than just struggle. As they spoke, a figure approached from the alley-a man whose presence made the air freeze. His eyes, a deep obsidian, reflected the moonlight like burning coals.

"I'm here to help," he said, voice like velvet wrapped in danger. "But time is running out."

The words sent a chill through Kaia. Help or threat? The line blurred.

Kaia's breath hitched as the stranger stepped closer, the city's silence folding around them like a suffocating shroud. His gaze wasn't just intense-it burned with something older, deeper, something Kaia felt trembling beneath her skin.

"You don't know what you've become," he warned, voice low and dangerous. "And neither do they."

As the night deepened, Kaia realized that her transformation was only the beginning. Dark forces long buried beneath Midvale's surface were awakening-and they wanted her blood.