Raine held Kaia's arm tightly. Who are they ?
Before the man could give an answer Shadows tore through the valley, sleek and merciless, like predators loosed from the depths of a nightmare.
Kaia's heartbeat slammed against her ribs. Hunger called her from inside , primal and wild—but so did the need to fight. Her body moved on instinct, faster than she knew it could. She darted between claws and fangs, breath sharp, every sense razor-focused.
Beside her, the stranger fought like he's been training since he has been little , his strength unnatural, almost inhuman. Still, even he was losing ground.
"We don't have much time," he gritted out, desperation flashing in his eyes. "If the Hunter finds you marked, it's over."
"Marked?" Kaia breathed, her voice trembling. A sudden sting bloomed on her wrist. She looked down.
There it was—a swirling, dark symbol etched into her skin, alive with a pulsing glow like a second heartbeat.
"The Hunter," he said grimly, "is older than vampires, older than witches. It was made to find and destroy the bloodlines. And now, it's hunting you."
Raine's face had gone ghost-white. "We need a plan. Right now."
Kaia's chest tightened. Her normal world had shattered. In its place stood blood, shadows, and something far more terrifying—destiny.
And there was no going back.
She stared at the mark. Its lines twisted just beneath the surface of her skin, moving as if alive. It wasn't just a mark—it was a brand. A warning. A curse etched by something ancient and merciless.
"The Hunter's Mark," the man growled. "It binds you. No matter where you go, it'll find you. That's how it tracks the ones born into the bloodlines it wants to wipe out."
Raine's grip tightened on Kaia's arm. "Bloodlines? What bloodline? What is he talking about?"
Kaia's thoughts spun. The lake. The drowning. Waking up different. The hunger. The feeling that something foreign had awakened in her, clawing its way to the surface.
"You come from an old lineage," the man explained, scanning the alley like he expected death to leap from the shadows. "Older than vampire clans, older than the covens. Your blood carries something… powerful. Dangerous. Sacred."
"Why me?" Kaia asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why now?"
His eyes darkened. "Because the Hunter's waited centuries for this. And now that you've awakened, the balance is shifting. If you don't learn to control what's inside you—fast—you won't survive."
A sound cut through the air—low, mocking laughter. Cold swept down Kaia's spine. A figure stepped from the darkness, cloaked in black, eyes gleaming like shards of obsidian.
"Well, well," the figure purred, voice smooth and sharp. "The marked one finally shows herself."
Kaia stepped back, breath catching in her throat. "Who are you—?"
"Hunter," the man said through gritted teeth.
The figure smiled, baring curved fangs. "I'm no ordinary hunter, little bloodborn. I am your reckoning."
Then the ground beneath them trembled. More figures crawled from the dark—twisted things, half-shadow, half-beast. Their eyes glowed with hunger, locked onto Kaia.
"Run!" Raine screamed.
But Kaia stood frozen. The mark on her wrist blazed with a crimson light, casting eerie shadows across the alley walls.
The man turned to her, urgency burning in his voice. "There's a place—hidden, safe—where you can learn to harness what you are. If you stay here, you'll die."
Kaia's pulse thundered in her ears. She turned to Raine, who gave her a fierce nod, eyes full of fear—and trust.
This wasn't just about surviving anymore. It was about stepping into something she never asked for but could no longer deny.
The hounds of the Hunter were closing in.
Kaia drew a breath, clenched her fists, and plunged into the darkness beside the stranger.
Her life was no longer her own.
It belonged to the bloodlines.
To the ancient hunt.
To a war she'd only just begun to understand.