CHAPTER THREE: The Truth that hunts back
1532 Words
The forest had gone quiet again.
Not the natural kind of quiet.
Not peaceful.
This was the kind that waited.
Kieran’s words still hung in the air.
You belong to it.
Aria walked a few steps ahead of him now, her arms folded tightly across her chest—not from the cold, but from everything building inside her.
Fear.
Confusion.
Anger.
“I don’t belong to anything,” she muttered.
Kieran heard her.
Of course he did.
“Everyone belongs to something,” he replied.
She stopped walking.
Turned sharply.
“Well, I don’t,” she snapped. “Not to this forest, not to whatever that thing was, and definitely not to you.”
Kieran didn’t react immediately.
He just watched her.
“You’re still thinking like you have a choice,” he said finally.
That hit harder than she expected.
“Of course I have a choice,” she said.
“Do you?” he challenged.
Before she could respond—
A low growl cut through the air.
Both of them froze.
It didn’t come from one direction.
It came from everywhere.
Kieran’s posture shifted instantly.
Alert.
Ready.
“Stay close,” he said.
“I thought you said I was the problem,” Aria shot back.
“I did.”
A pause.
“But right now, you’re also the target.”
That shut her up.
The growl deepened.
Closer now.
Aria’s chest tightened.
“They’re back,” she whispered.
Kieran shook his head slightly.
“No.”
The shadows between the trees began to move.
“Not the same ones.”
Figures stepped out.
Not one.
Not two.
At least six.
Wolves.
But these—
Were different.
Their eyes didn’t glow gold.
They burned red.
Aria’s breath hitched.
“What is that?”
Kieran’s voice dropped.
“Trouble.”
The wolves circled them slowly.
Not rushing.
Not attacking.
Hunting.
Aria felt it immediately.
The difference.
These ones—
Didn’t recognize her.
They didn’t hesitate.
They didn’t submit.
They wanted something.
Her.
Kieran stepped forward slightly, placing himself between her and the nearest wolf.
“Don’t move,” he said quietly.
Aria nodded.
For once—
She listened.
The wolves moved closer.
One of them snarled, baring sharp, unnatural teeth.
Kieran’s eyes flickered.
Gold.
Bright.
Dangerous.
“Last warning,” he said.
The wolves didn’t stop.
They lunged.
The Alpha Unleashed
Everything happened at once.
Kieran moved faster than Aria could process.
One second he was in front of her—
The next—
He was gone.
A blur.
A force.
The first wolf never stood a chance.
Kieran collided with it mid-air, slamming it into the ground with a force that shook the earth. The sound of impact echoed through the clearing.
Aria stumbled back.
“What—”
She didn’t finish.
Because Kieran wasn’t human anymore.
Not completely.
His movements were too fast.
Too precise.
Too inhuman.
Another wolf lunged.
Kieran turned, catching it mid-attack, throwing it aside like it weighed nothing.
His eyes glowed brighter now.
Not just gold.
Something deeper.
Something dangerous.
Aria’s heart pounded.
“This is insane…”
The wolves didn’t stop.
They attacked together now.
Coordinated.
Kieran fought them off—but there were too many.
Even for him.
One broke through.
Straight toward Aria.
She froze.
Her body refused to move.
The wolf leaped.
And time—
Slowed.
The Twist
Aria didn’t think.
She reacted.
Her hand shot forward—
And something inside her snapped.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Power.
Raw.
Uncontrolled.
The air around her exploded.
A shockwave burst outward—
And the wolf was thrown back mid-air, slamming into a tree with a force that cracked the trunk.
Everything stopped.
The remaining wolves hesitated.
Kieran froze.
Aria stared at her own hand.
“What… did I just do?”
Her voice barely came out.
The air around her still shimmered faintly.
Alive.
Kieran turned slowly.
His eyes locked onto her.
And for the first time—
There was no doubt.
“Yeah,” he said quietly.
“You’re definitely not human.”
The wolves regrouped.
But this time—
They didn’t attack.
They backed away.
Slowly.
Cautiously.
Afraid.
Aria felt it.
Not their fear.
Their hesitation.
Their confusion.
They didn’t understand her.
And that made her dangerous.
The wolves retreated into the shadows.
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Aria’s breathing was uneven.
“I didn’t mean to do that,” she said.
Kieran didn’t respond immediately.
He was still watching her.
Carefully.
“Intent doesn’t matter,” he said finally.
A pause.
“Control does.”
Aria looked at him.
“I don’t even know what that was.”
“Neither do I,” he admitted.
That made it worse.
She let out a shaky breath.
“This can’t be real.”
Kieran stepped closer.
“It is.”
A pause.
“And it’s only getting started.”
Aria’s chest tightened.
“Why me?” she asked.
Kieran’s expression darkened.
“I think you already know the answer,” he said.
She shook her head.
“No, I don’t.”
But deep down—
She did.
Because when that power surged through her—
It didn’t feel new.
It felt…
Familiar.
Like something she had used before.
A long time ago.
Kieran turned away slightly.
“We need to move again,” he said.
Aria didn’t argue this time.
She just nodded.
Because whatever was happening—
It wasn’t random.
It wasn’t coincidence.
It was something bigger.
Something planned.
And somehow—
She was at the center of it.
As they walked deeper into the forest—
Unseen by both of them
Something watched.
Not like the wolves.
Not like the presence beneath the ground.
Something else.
Something older.
And it had just seen enough.
A low voice echoed in the darkness.
“So… she’s waking up.”
A pause.
Then—
A smile.
“Good.”
Because the moment Aria used that power—
The balance shifted.
And now—
Everyone would come looking.
The forest did not return to normal.
It only pretended to.
Aria could feel it now.
Not just the trees or the silence—but something behind it all. Watching. Calculating. Waiting for her to make another mistake.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she lowered her hand.
“I didn’t do that on purpose,” she said again, quieter this time.
Kieran didn’t answer immediately.
He was listening.
Not to her.
To the forest.
“That’s what worries me,” he said finally.
Aria frowned. “So what, I’m just supposed to never react when something tries to kill me?”
“That’s not what I said,” he replied. “But whatever you did back there… it wasn’t instinct.”
She crossed her arms. “Then what was it?”
Kieran glanced at her.
“Memory.”
The word landed heavily.
Aria shook her head. “That’s impossible.”
“Is it?” he challenged. “You said it felt familiar.”
She opened her mouth to argue—
Then stopped.
Because he was right.
“It felt like… I knew what to do,” she admitted slowly. “Like my body just remembered.”
Kieran’s expression darkened.
“That’s not something a normal human says.”
“I already told you, I don’t know what I am!”
Her voice echoed louder than she intended.
And instantly—
The forest reacted.
A sudden wind rushed through the trees, sharp and cold.
Branches shook.
Leaves scattered.
Then—
Stillness again.
Kieran stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“Control it.”
“I’m trying!”
“No—you’re reacting,” he corrected. “There’s a difference.”
Aria clenched her fists.
“How do I control something I don’t understand?” she asked.
Kieran held her gaze.
“You start by not letting it control your emotions.”
Before she could respond—
A faint sound drifted through the trees.
Not a growl.
Not footsteps.
A whisper.
Aria’s head snapped toward the direction it came from.
“Did you hear that?”
Kieran nodded once.
“I did.”
Another whisper followed.
Closer.
“Aria…”
Her breath caught.
“That’s the same voice,” she whispered.
Kieran’s expression hardened.
“It’s tracking you.”
“Tracking me how?”
He didn’t answer right away.
Because the truth—
Was worse than she expected.
“Through whatever you woke up,” he said.
The air shifted again.
Heavier now.
Closer.
Aria took a step back.
“Kieran…”
But he was already moving.
“Stay behind me.”
The shadows between the trees deepened unnaturally.
And then—
A figure stepped out.
Not a wolf.
Not fully human either.
Tall.
Still.
Eyes glowing faint red in the darkness.
Aria’s heart dropped.
“That’s not normal,” she whispered.
Kieran’s voice dropped lower.
“No,” he said.
A pause.
“That’s something much worse.”
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Studying her.
Then smiled.
And when it spoke—
It wasn’t a whisper anymore.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
Aria’s chest tightened.
Because somehow—
She knew.
This wasn’t the last thing coming for her.
It was just the beginning.
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