The door handle twisted.
Kavy's pulse thundered in her ears, her breath coming in shallow, frantic gasps. Run. Hide. Scream. Her instincts clashed, fighting for control.
But another instinct—one she didn't recognize—was stronger.
A low, warning growl curled from her throat. Not human. Not hers.
The intruder outside slammed against the door again, harder. The old wood groaned, the lock rattling violently.
Something inside Kavy snapped.
A bolt of pure rage shot through her chest, sudden and scorching. It swallowed her fear, replaced it with something primal.
Her fingers twitched. The sharp black claws gleamed under the flickering light.
Her breathing changed. Slower. Deeper. Predatory.
The door gave another violent shudder. Almost open.
And Kavy—Kavy wasn't afraid anymore.
She was ready.
Her muscles tensed as her nails dug into the sink behind her. The hunger twisted in her gut, sharp and demanding.
Then—
CRACK.
The lock snapped. The door swung open.
A man stormed inside, his broad shoulders silhouetted in the dim hallway light. Dark clothes. Heavy boots. A glint of metal—a knife.
Kavy's instincts exploded.
Her vision blurred. Her heartbeat slowed.
One moment she was across the bathroom—
The next—she moved.
Fast.
A blur of motion, a flash of claws.
The man barely had time to register her before she slammed into him.
They crashed into the floor, the air bursting from his lungs. His knife clattered across the tile, forgotten.
Kavy pinned him down.
She was on top of him. Her knees dug into his ribs, her claws pressing against his chest.
He gasped, eyes wide with shock.
And then—he looked at her.
His pupils shrank. Fear.
Not confusion. Not anger. Pure terror.
Because he saw her.
Saw what she had become.
Kavy's breath shuddered. She could feel it—her strength, her speed. The raw power surging through her limbs.
She could tear him apart.
The thought sent a deep, primal thrill through her bones.
She wanted to.
She bared her teeth, a sharp, inhuman snarl rolling through her chest.
The man trembled.
His lips parted, voice hoarse with horror.
"What… are you?"
Kavy froze.
The hunger was screaming inside her, clawing at her insides, begging her to finish it.
But his voice—**those words—**stabbed through her like ice.
She blinked.
Her reflection in his wide, terrified eyes… wasn't human.
Her chest heaved. No. No, no, no.
She scrambled back, her stomach churning.
The man wasted no time. He shoved to his feet and bolted.
Kavy didn't chase him.
She barely heard the door slam behind him.
Because she was staring at her hands.
Her clawed hands.
Her breath hitched. Her head spun.
And then, like a crushing wave—
Reality hit her.
She was a monster.
She had almost killed a man.
And worst of all…
She had liked it.