The kitchen was quiet, save for the sound of the knife slicing through vegetables. The rhythmic thud, thud, thud of Mrs. Santi’s chopping filled the small space, accompanied by the faint aroma of garlic sizzling in the pan. Aira stood beside her, her hands shaking slightly as she worked on peeling carrots. She hadn’t been able to eat all day—or rather, she hadn’t wanted to. The hunger clawed at her insides like a beast, gnawing, relentless, and insatiable.
“Aira,” Mrs. Santi said, her tone warm but firm. “Be careful with that knife. You don’t want to cut yourself.”
“I’m fine, Ma’am,” Aira mumbled, avoiding her mother’s gaze. The truth was, her focus was anywhere but on the knife in her hand. Her eyes kept darting to the bowl of raw meat on the counter—thick chunks of beef marinated with soy sauce and spices. The smell was intoxicating to her heightened senses, and for reasons she couldn’t explain, she wanted it. No, she needed it.
The knife slipped from her hand, clattering onto the counter. Mrs. Santi turned, frowning. “Are you sure you’re alright, Child?”
Aira forced a tight smile. “Yes, I’m just... distracted.”
“Distracted?” Mrs. Santi raised an eyebrow, her hands pausing mid-motion. “You’ve been acting strange these past few days. You barely touch your food, and you’ve been spending too much time in the woods. Is something bothering you?”
“No, Ma’am,” Aira said quickly, turning back to the carrots. Her heart pounded in her chest, guilt swirling inside her. She didn’t want to lie, but what was she supposed to say? That she’d been sneaking out at night, prowling the village like an animal, and craving raw meat like some kind of predator? Even she didn’t fully understand what was happening to her.
Mrs. Santi sighed, shaking her head. “Well, if there’s something on your mind, you can always tell me, alright?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Aira murmured, her focus once again shifting to the meat. She swallowed hard, the hunger becoming unbearable. Her fingers twitched. She could feel her teeth ache as if they were sharpening. She didn’t even realize she was reaching for the bowl until—
“Aira!” Mrs. Santi’s sharp voice broke her trance.
Aira froze, her hand hovering above the raw meat. Her cheeks burned with shame as she quickly pulled back and grabbed the nearest carrot, pretending she’d just been reaching for it instead.
“What are you doing?” Mrs. Santi asked, her tone laced with suspicion.
“I—I thought you needed me to grab something,” Aira stammered, her words jumbled and hurried.
Mrs. Santi narrowed her eyes, but before she could say anything else, the sound of a faint crash came from outside. Both of them snapped their heads toward the window, their conversation momentarily forgotten.
“What was that?” Aira asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I don’t know,” Mrs. Santi said, wiping her hands on her apron. “Stay here. I’ll go check.”
“No!” Aira said a little too loudly, startling even herself. She quickly softened her tone. “I mean, let me go. It’s probably just the wind.”
Mrs. Santi hesitated, her motherly instincts kicking in. “Alright, but be careful. And don’t stay out too long. Dinner’s almost ready.”
Aira nodded and slipped out the back door, the cool night air brushing against her skin. She glanced around, her senses heightened. The sound had come from the direction of the neighbor’s yard, where they kept a small chicken coop and a cage of rabbits. Her stomach twisted, a mix of dread and anticipation bubbling within her.
As she approached the yard, the scent hit her first—warm and metallic. Blood. Her heart raced as she rounded the corner and saw the mess in front of her. The rabbit cage was open, its door hanging loosely on one hinge. Inside, the wooden floor was smeared with red, and a trail of paw prints led away from the cage toward the forest.
“No, no, no...” Aira whispered, clutching her head. She didn’t remember doing it, but deep down, she knew it was her. She could taste the faint metallic tang on her tongue, and her hands trembled as though they had been stained with guilt.
“Aira?” Mrs. Santi’s voice called from the house, startling her. “What’s taking so long?”
Panic surged through her. She couldn’t let her mother see this. She wiped her mouth, though there was nothing there, and frantically looked for something to cover the evidence. But it was too late.
“Aira?” Mrs. Santi appeared behind her, her sharp intake of breath cutting through the night. “What... what happened here?”
“I—I don’t know...” Aira stuttered, stepping back. “Maybe it was a wolf or—”
“Don’t lie to me, Child!” Mrs. Santi snapped, her voice trembling with both anger and fear. “You’ve been acting strange for weeks now, and this—this isn’t normal!”
Aira’s chest tightened. She felt cornered, trapped. The hunger inside her twisted into something darker, something primal. “I didn’t mean to...” she whispered, her voice breaking.
Mrs. Santi’s eyes widened. “You... you did this?”
“I don’t know what’s happening to me!” Aira cried, her voice echoing through the yard. “I’m trying to control it, but I can’t. It’s like—it’s like there’s something inside me, something I can’t stop!”
Mrs. Santi took a step back, her hand clutching her chest. “Aira, you’re scaring me. You need help. We need to talk to someone—”
“No!” Aira’s voice was guttural this time, a growl slipping through. She felt her body change, her muscles tightening, her vision sharpening. She could see the fear in her mother’s eyes, smell the adrenaline in the air. “Stay back, Ma’am,” she pleaded, her voice strained. “Please, stay back.”
But Mrs. Santi didn’t listen. She reached out, her maternal instincts overpowering her fear. “Aira, whatever this is, we’ll face it together. Just calm down—”
The transformation was sudden. One moment, Aira was standing there, trembling, and the next, she was on all fours, her body covered in coarse fur, her teeth elongated into sharp fangs. A low, menacing growl rumbled from her chest.
Mrs. Santi screamed, stumbling backward and tripping over a rock. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide with horror. “What... what are you?”
Aira’s wolf form froze, her golden eyes locking onto her mother’s terrified face. Somewhere deep inside, the human part of her screamed to stop, to turn back, but the wolf was in control now. The hunger, the rage—it was all-consuming.
Mrs. Santi turned and ran toward the house, her cries for help echoing into the night. Aira lunged forward instinctively, but at the last second, she skidded to a halt, her claws digging into the dirt. She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t hurt her.
Breathing heavily, she forced herself to retreat, her body trembling as the wolf began to recede. The fur vanished, her bones cracked and shifted back into place, and within moments, she was human again, lying on the ground, naked and shivering.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked toward the house. The door slammed shut, and she could hear the sound of Mrs. Santi locking it from the inside. Aira didn’t blame her. She would’ve done the same.
“I’m sorry...” Aira whispered to the empty yard, her voice broken. “I’m so sorry.”
---
Back inside the house, Mrs. Santi leaned against the door, her heart racing. She clutched a kitchen knife in her trembling hands, unsure of what to do next. She loved Aira—she always had—but this... this was something else. Something unnatural.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. It was soft, hesitant.
“Ma’am, it’s me,” Aira’s voice called from the other side. It was small, fragile, like the voice of a scared child. “Please, let me explain.”
Mrs. Santi hesitated, her grip tightening on the knife. “Stay back, Child. I don’t know what you are, but you’re not my daughter.”
“Please,” Aira begged, her voice cracking. “I don’t want to hurt you. I just... I don’t know what’s happening to me.”
There was silence for a long moment. Then, finally, Mrs. Santi spoke, her voice cold. “You need to leave, Aira. I can’t help you.”
Aira felt her heart shatter at the words. She wanted to fight, to argue, but the look of fear in her mother’s eyes was burned into her memory. She couldn’t stay. Not like this.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered again, her voice barely audible. “I never wanted this.”
And with that, she turned and disappeared into the night, the darkness swallowing her whole.