5 The first glimpse of power

Chapter 5

The wind howled through the trees, whispering secrets Amelia had never heard before. The damp earth beneath her smelled rich and alive, every grain of soil humming with energy. Her eyes snapped open, and for the first time in her miserable existence, she felt... powerful.

She sat up, gasping. The pain was gone. The bruises that had painted her skin in purples and blues were fading before her eyes, vanishing like they had never existed. The deep gash on her forehead sealed itself with a warm tingling sensation, leaving only dried blood behind. Her fingers trembled as she touched her face, disbelief curling in her chest.

She had been dying.

She had felt her body giving up, sinking into the cold embrace of death. But now—

Now she felt stronger than ever.

Her ears twitched. A sound. No, not a sound—many sounds. She could hear the rustling of leaves from trees that stood far beyond her vision. She could hear the soft flutter of a moth's wings, the distant murmuring of students inside the school walls. And heartbeats. So many heartbeats. Each one distinct, each one steady, except for one—

Thump-thump-thump.

A rapid, panicked rhythm.

Someone was afraid.

She turned her head sharply, her newly sharpened senses guiding her gaze to the entrance of the school courtyard. Standing there, gripping her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white, was Claire Matthews—one of Victoria's minions.

Amelia's lips curled slightly.

Fear. Claire was afraid of her.

The realization sent a strange thrill through Amelia's veins. No one had ever been afraid of her before. She had always been the weak one, the one cowering, the one running. But now, she wasn't running anymore.

She stood slowly, testing her legs. They felt steady. Strong. She flexed her fingers, watching the way her nails gleamed under the dim streetlights. Sharper than before. Longer. She could feel the raw strength coiling in her muscles, waiting to be unleashed.

"Y-you—" Claire stammered, stepping backward.

Amelia took a step forward. Instinct guided her movements now. The way Claire's pulse raced. The way her scent—fear mixed with perfume—grew thicker in the air.

"I saw you—" Claire's voice shook. "You were dead! You—"

Amelia tilted her head. "Am I?"

Claire's breath hitched. The streetlight above flickered, casting shadows over Amelia's face. The once-broken girl, the one they had beaten, laughed at, abandoned—she was standing before her now, untouched. Unbroken.

"I don't understand," Claire whispered. "You—"

"You left me to die," Amelia said, her voice eerily calm. "Did you think I wouldn't come back?"

Claire's lips parted, but no words came out.

Amelia took another step forward. Faster this time. Claire flinched, stumbling back.

"I can hear your heartbeat," Amelia mused, tilting her head. "It's so loud."

Claire whimpered. "P-please…"

A memory surged through Amelia's mind—Claire laughing as Victoria struck her. Claire smirking as she watched Amelia break, her body bruised, bleeding.

Something dark uncurled inside Amelia. Something that had been buried deep beneath years of torment and suffering.

Revenge.

A wicked part of her wanted to grab Claire, to make her feel just an inch of the pain she had suffered. To show her what it felt like to be powerless, to be at someone else's mercy.

But another part of her, a voice deep inside, whispered something else.

Not yet.

Amelia took a deep breath. The scent of Claire's fear was suffocating, intoxicating. It made her wolf stir inside her, urging her to act. But she wasn't ready. Not yet.

So she took a step back, watching as Claire shivered, her entire body trembling.

"Tell Victoria," Amelia said, her voice steady. "Tell her I'm back."

And with that, she turned away, disappearing into the shadows. But Claire's heartbeat, her gasping breath, the raw terror in her scent—they followed Amelia, feeding the beast that had finally awakened inside her.

This was only the beginning.