I collapsed onto the edge of my bed, shaking, chest heaving. The energy inside me still throbbed, wild and untamed, like a living thing refusing to settle.
Kade leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching me with a mix of satisfaction and seriousness I couldn't quite read.
"You did well," he said quietly. "Better than I expected for a first time."
I swallowed hard, staring at my hands. "I… I didn't even know I could do that. How, what, how did I do that?"
Kade stepped closer, eyes dark. "Instinct. Blood. Power. All of it waking up inside you. You responded without thinking. That's why you survived."
I shook my head, feeling dizzy. "Survived? That was more than surviving. That thing outside… it was hunting me. It knew me. It.."
"Exactly," Kade interrupted. His voice softened. "Which is why you need to understand your bloodline, Elara. And the factions hunting you."
I blinked, confused and frightened. "Factions?"
He nodded, pacing slightly. "The supernatural world isn't one entity. There are clans, covens, packs, and houses. They fight. They ally. They betray. And they've been watching your family for centuries."
"Watching?" My pulse spiked. "Why my family?"
"Because your blood carries a power they've never seen before. One that can tip the balance of everything." His eyes locked onto mine. "And you're the last one left."
I shivered. "Last one? What does that mean?"
"Your parents," he said softly, "were part of a secret lineage. Not ordinary humans, not ordinary supernaturals. Something rare. Dangerous. Hidden. And they were hunted. Which is why you were hidden too, until now."
My stomach twisted. "Hunted… why? What could I possibly have that makes them chase me?"
Kade crouched slightly, voice dropping. "Because what you carry… can't be controlled. And those who want it, the hunters, the shadowed ones, they won't stop until it's in their hands, or they've destroyed it."
I swallowed hard, chest tight. "So… I'm like… a weapon?"
"You are," he said bluntly. "But not just a weapon. A key. A balance. Something ancient. Something that connects everything they've been fighting for centuries. That's why the sentinels tracked you tonight. That's why the shadows followed you."
I stared at him, mind spinning. "I don't even know how to process any of this. Supernaturals… bloodlines… hunters… keys… what does it all mean?"
"It means," he said, his eyes sharp, "that your life as you knew it is over. That normal is gone. That hiding is over. That survival, and mastery, is the only thing that matters now."
I hugged my knees, trembling. "And you're saying I can survive… with you?"
He knelt beside me, resting a hand lightly on my arm. "I'm saying you will survive, if you learn. And I'll teach you everything you need to know. About control, about power, about who's coming for you, and why."
I swallowed, fear and determination battling inside me. "And my bloodline… what is it exactly?"
Kade's gaze darkened. "You're part of a line older than most clans, older than many of the supernatural factions themselves. Something rare, something powerful… something that carries the potential to rewrite the balance of power in the supernatural world. And they've been waiting for it. Waiting for you."
I felt a chill crawl over my spine. "Rewrite the balance? They… they want me to..."
"Control it," Kade interrupted. "Or destroy it. There's no in-between. And the sooner you learn, the better your chances of surviving the first wave."
I swallowed again, mind racing. I could still feel the residual hum of my power inside me, fierce and wild, demanding acknowledgment.
"And the first step?" I asked, voice trembling.
"Training," Kade said, voice firm. "You start today. Control your energy. Understand the pulse. Learn to wield it. And then… next time, when they come, you won't just survive, you'll fight back."
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. Fear still twisted inside me, but beneath it, something else flickered, strength. Power. Determination.
I was no longer ordinary. I was something else. And I had no choice but to embrace it.
Kade rose, hand extended. "Come on. Lesson one begins now."
I hesitated a moment, then took it, rising to my feet. My body still hummed with energy, alive and untamed, but I felt… ready.
For the first time, I realized that the shadows, the hunters, the sentinels, they had underestimated me.
And I wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
The alley had barely settled into silence when I heard it: the whispering hum, low and vibrating, sending shivers down my spine.
"They've multiplied," Kade murmured, voice tight. "More than one."
I froze, heart hammering. "More… than one? How many?"
"Enough to test you," he said, scanning the street. "Stay sharp."
I clenched my fists instinctively. Energy thrummed under my skin, coiling tighter, sharper. I could feel it responding to my fear, my will, my heartbeat. It was alive.
From the shadows, forms began to emerge. Not human. Not quite. Limbs twisted, faces obscured by darkness, eyes black as void. The air itself seemed heavier, vibrating with their presence.
I swallowed hard, voice trembling. "I… I don't know if I can..."
Kade stepped closer, firm. "Yes, you can. Trust yourself. Trust the power inside. Control it. You are the predator now, not the prey."
The first figure lunged. Faster than thought. I reacted instinctively, energy snapping outward from my palms. It recoiled, hissing, startled.
The second figure moved at once, a blur of motion from the opposite side. My pulse spiked. The energy in my chest coiled like a serpent ready to strike. I thrust my hands forward, letting instinct guide me. The figure stumbled backward, growling.
"Good! Keep control!" Kade shouted. "Focus on them, not the fear!"
I closed my eyes for a split second. Visualizing the flow of energy, feeling its pulse, its rhythm, its responsiveness. I opened my eyes. A third figure came at me, taller, more menacing.
I directed the energy, precise, controlled, not chaotic. The force radiated from me, pushing it back, spinning it off balance. My chest burned with exertion, power surging like wildfire.
They hissed, recoiling, snapping, retreating. But not gone. They circled, calculating, waiting for a weakness.
"Keep moving!" Kade barked. "Don't stay still! They'll overwhelm you if you hesitate!"
I pivoted, energy lashing from my hands, striking another shadow that lunged from the side. It staggered, vanishing into the alley corner. My legs shook, but I forced myself to stay upright.
"Breathe!" Kade snapped. "Control it, don't let it control you!"
I inhaled sharply, grounding myself, letting the energy respond to me, not my panic. My pulse surged. A wave of power pulsed outward. The shadows staggered again. One hissed in frustration. Another froze mid-lunge, confused.
I felt something awaken inside me. Not just raw energy. Not just instinct. Awareness. I could sense their movements, anticipate them. My own pulse synced with theirs. My body moved before fear could catch up.
"See?" Kade said, his voice low, almost approving. "This is what I meant. The first step isn't just power. It's perception. Control. Awareness."
I nodded, still trembling. "I… I can feel them. I can sense them. Not just see them. Sense them."
"Yes," he said, eyes sharp. "Good. Now maintain it. They won't stop until they know you're a threat, or until they destroy you."
I exhaled, summoning every ounce of focus. Energy coiled, tightened, ready. I stepped forward, letting it respond to my will. Another shadow lunged. I thrust my hands. A controlled burst of energy shot outward, striking it back into the wall.
The remaining shadows paused. Hesitated. They hadn't expected me to fight like this. To command the energy, not just react.
Kade's gaze softened slightly. "You're learning fast. Faster than most who awaken this power ever do."
I looked at him, chest heaving, energy still thrumming under my skin. "But… how? I don't even know what this is. What I am."
"You'll know," he said. "Soon. Bloodlines, power, control, it all ties together. And you'll be ready. But each fight, each encounter, teaches you something. Each one strengthens you."
I swallowed hard, feeling the residual energy pulse in my chest. My hands tingled, my vision sharpened, awareness heightened. The shadows hesitated.
And I realized something.
I wasn't just surviving.
I was beginning to hunt.