The newcomer stepped closer, heels clicking against the stone floor with deliberate, cold rhythm. Elara's claws flexed, nails glowing faintly, energy humming along her veins like wildfire. Her senses screamed at her—danger, deception, death—but beneath the fear, a new pulse had awakened: defiance.
Kael's silver eyes narrowed. "How long have you been working with them?" he demanded, voice low but cutting through the tension like a blade.
The woman smiled, eyes glinting dangerously. "Since the beginning, of course," she said lightly. "I only waited for the right moment… for her to awaken fully. And now, my dear, that moment has arrived."
Elara froze. Something inside her twisted, a low growl rippling through her chest. The awakening surged in response to the betrayal, spreading heat through her limbs. She could smell deceit. She could feel it.
"You…" Elara's voice shook, fury and shock mingling. "You… betrayed him. You betrayed Kael?"
The traitor laughed softly, a sound like broken glass. "Kael doesn't own her, sweetling," she said, stepping closer. "And neither do you. But he's stubborn, so I decided to… facilitate the awakening."
Elara's blood turned ice. "Facilitate? You mean you were… helping the predator? Helping him test me?"
The predator, standing a few steps away, tilted his head. "I call it… preparing the storm," he murmured, voice smooth and lethal. "She's extraordinary. We needed to see if she would rise or fall under pressure."
Elara's eyes widened. Her instincts screamed to strike, claws extended fully, energy flaring. Her heartbeat hammered, synchronized with the predator's power as if the awakening inside her recognized him as a counterpart.
Kael's hand shot out, gripping her arm. "No!" he shouted, silver aura flaring around him. "You are not ready to strike them yet! Control it!"
Elara tore her gaze from the predator to Kael. "Control it?" she hissed, every nerve burning. "You said I was bigger than any faction in the night! I am awake! I am alive! And I will not be toyed with!"
Her voice resonated with raw power. The air around her shimmered with crimson energy, radiating outward like a beacon. Shadows quivered, stone cracked, and the predators—the vampires, the rogue werewolves, and the colossal figure—paused, sensing the eruption of force.
The traitor's smile faltered slightly. "Impressive," she said. "But raw power without control is… dangerous."
Elara's pulse thundered. She didn't care. Every instinct screamed survival, fury, vengeance, and dominance. The awakening surged fully, energy flowing through her like a river of fire.
Kael's silver eyes locked onto hers. "If you strike now, you risk everything! Remember who you are—remember control!"
Elara's teeth bared, fangs pressing sharply against her gums. She didn't move toward the woman yet. Instead, she focused on the predator. He stepped closer, eyes burning with curiosity, hunger, and something older, deeper.
"You…" she whispered, voice low and trembling, "you've been part of this… this bloodline from the start. And I… I feel it. You've been in me. In my blood."
The predator tilted his head. "I've always been a part of you," he said softly. "And now… we can finally see what you truly are."
Elara's claws glowed red-hot. Her muscles coiled, ready to strike, and yet the awakening pulsed through her in a strange rhythm—a call, a recognition, a bond she didn't fully understand.
Kael stepped closer, aura flaring with silver energy. "She is yours, if you can control her," he said through gritted teeth. "But if you push her too far…"
The predator smirked. "I never push. I test. And tonight… she passes."
Elara's body surged violently. The awakening flared fully, shadows twisting around her like living things. Her senses picked up every heartbeat, every movement, every threat. She saw the vampires shifting, the rogue werewolves coiling, the traitor's smile faltering with calculated fear.
She realized then: she didn't need Kael to protect her. She didn't need the predator's approval. She didn't even need the traitor's schemes.
She needed herself.
With a roar, Elara lunged. Claws slashed through the air, energy streaking like lightning. Vampires and wolves scrambled, the predator stepping back slightly in fascination. The traitor hissed, eyes wide. Kael moved, trying to shield, but she twisted around him, power blazing uncontrollably, striking a rogue werewolf that had lunged too close.
The awakening inside her purred, responding to rage and fear alike, shaping her into something impossible to stop. Her movements were faster than thought, more precise than instinct, and every strike sent enemies reeling.
Kael's voice cut through the chaos: "Elara! Focus! Do not lose yourself!"
But she had already lost herself—to the awakening, to the hunger, to the raw, intoxicating power of her own blood. And in that loss, she found freedom.
The predator smiled. "Yes… finally. Now we see her in full."
Elara's eyes glowed crimson. The corridor trembled. Shadows twisted violently as she roared, ready to strike at anyone who threatened her survival.
And the traitor—smiling, calculating—realized too late that the monster she had tried to manipulate was no longer under anyone's control.
Elara had become the storm.