Chapter 19 Unyielding hunger.
KANE
Every muscle in my body felt like it was drawn taut, straining to hold back the relentless pressure of my beast.
The scent of my mother’s blood didn't leave my head for a minute. It taunted me, teasing me at that fragile line of control I fought to keep.
It was slipping. I was slipping, inch by inch, like sand through my fingers, and the creature within me was ravenous, clawing to break free.
A hand gripped my shoulder all of a sudden. I snapped my head to the side, and i saw Damon., He was assessing me and in no time, he had an idea of what was happening.
“Kane, are you alright?” he asked.
A bitter chuckle slipped out before I could hold it back. I shot him a sidelong glance, my voice thick and rough, barely mine.
“Do I look okay to you, Damon?”
He narrowed his eyes, tightening his hold on my shoulder.
“How close are you?” he asked, understanding without needing an explanation. “I mean, how close is he?”
My jaw clenched, muscles straining against the pull of my beast.
“Close,” I admitted through gritted teeth. “Too damn close. It’s stronger this time.”
Damon’s expression darkened and his grip tightened.
“Alright. Let’s get you to the cage.”
I let out a humorless laugh that sounded closer to a growl.
“You think I haven’t tried that already?” My fists clenched, claws pricking just beneath the skin, ready to break free. “The beast isn’t listening to me.”
“Then we’ll force it,” he said firmly, grabbing my arm, trying to pull me toward the secure quarters set aside for this very reason. “Come on, Kane. Before it gets worse.”
But the beast surged forward, and a deep, rumbling growl tore from my chest, echoing down the hall.
Damon paused, his hand still gripping my arm, but he was shocked at the force behind it.
“I’m not going anywhere!” My voice came out guttural and thick with the beast’s influence. I knew I needed to go. I needed to let Damon help me, but the beast dug in deeper and defiant, resisting like a cornered animal.
“Kane,” Damon’s voice was both firm and cautious. “You have to fight this.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I snapped. I fought to push back, to wrest control away from the beast, but every attempt only made it press harder.
My vision blurred at the edges and my claws broke free as my beast clawed at the chance for freedom.
Seeing my slipping control, Damon braced himself, both hands now on my shoulders.
“Listen to me. Focus. Think about—”
“It’s not that simple!” I shouted, shaking him off. Seeing my own claws only added a sick realization: I was losing this battle. Fast. And the beast reveled in it, delighted at how far it had pushed me.
“Don’t you dare give in,” Damon growled, stepping back but keeping his gaze locked on mine. “You’re stronger than this, Kane. You don’t have to let it take over. You've always been superior.”
I took a heavy, ragged breath, shaking my head.
“Damon, I can’t...” My voice broke, and in that brief moment, I felt exposed. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this thing caged.”
Damon didn’t falter. “Then we’ll cage it together,” he said, refusing to let me spiral. “You’ve fought this long, haven’t you? You’re the king. You are not going to be ruled by a beast.”
But the beast’s influence coiled tighter, pressing harder. I staggered back, gripping my head as if I could physically restrain it. My breaths came short, ragged, a desperate fight for control.
“Damon,” I forced out, voice barely above a whisper. “If… if I lose it…”
“You won’t,” he interrupted sharply. “I won’t let you.”
I met his gaze and my eyes flecked with dangerous gold. But the beast was still there, whispering darkly, urging me to tear, to rage, to destroy.
“Get out of here, Damon,” I managed, my voice dangerously low. “If it breaks free, I don’t want you here.”
Damon shook his head, crossing his arms stubbornly.
“You think I'll let you roam around?” he challenged, defiance sparking in his eyes. “You and I know that's not possible, Kane. We know just how that would turn out.”
A shaky breath escaped me. Damon was loyal to a fault, always there, but right now, he was more liability than help.
“Then help me, before I do something I regret,” I ground out, my voice thick with strain.
He nodded, stepping closer, his hands steady on my shoulders again.
“Focus on my voice,” he said quietly. “Breathe. Push it back, one inch at a time.”
Closing my eyes, I latched onto Damon’s voice, using it to drown out the insistent snarl of the beast, clawing back an inch of control. The beast’s fury ebbed—just barely.
Damon reached for me again, holding me tightly as he led me to pull me back from the brink.
But that grip, that steadying hand, was the last fragile thread holding me to myself. My control shattered, splintered beyond saving as the beast surged to the surface, ravenous and wild, roaring for release.
Pain seared through me and before I knew it, I was shifting. I could feel the beast finally, fully tearing free. Damon’s shout reached me, but it was dim, almost muffled, as if I were underwater.
My vision blurred, everything coated in a red haze, only one instinct screaming in my mind: destroy.
“Kane!” His voice was still there, laced with desperation, but something else was there too. Fear.
It fueled the beast, ignited it. I felt my claws strike, a blind, wild swipe, meeting the faint resistance of flesh. Damon staggered back, clutching his chest where I’d drawn blood.
The look on his face was that of shock, pain, and a fear I’d never seen in him before.
“Stop!” Damon’s voice rang through the halls as I broke into a relentless charge, tearing through the castle corridors.
There was no reasoning with the beast now, no commands, no soothing words could pull me back.
It had tasted freedom, felt the thrill of blood, and it wasn’t about to be caged again. It was pure, primal instinct, and I was helpless to resist, and just followed its blind, unyielding hunger.