CHAPTER 1
Blood. There was blood everywhere. On the floor, on the mattress, and even splayed against the wooden wall. Bodies lay lifeless in every corner of the room. Some were cut open, bones sticking out, limbs disconnected. It was cruel. Their death was cruel. As if taken by a monster. A beast.
But someone was missing, someone who ran for his life. And she wouldn't let him get away. He did this. She trusted him, yet he did this. She could hear the growl from her throat. She kicked the door open, and it flew to the ground at quite a distance. She was taller and heavier, but stronger and quicker.
She could feel how her body moved on its own. The hairy arms and legs. The long, sharp claws are like talons of a huge bird. The mouth is full of razor-sharp teeth with fangs that could chew any flesh and bones. Even her feet felt soft in the sole. She could leap without feeling the pain of the impact.
Her red hair grew wild as her ears turned pointy and black horns appeared from both sides of her head. Her vision turned sharper as her eyes turned black. There were black veins visible in her skin from the neck. The upper body was just covered by black fur. Except for her neck, which remained white. She was black all over except for her red hair.
Kaisha wanted to run from the beast as well. But she couldn't. Because that beast was her.
"Rise and shine, princess!" Kaiden roared as he pulled the blanket off her body.
She instantly jolted her eyes open. If it were any other day, she could have kicked her brother out the window, and she doesn't care if he fell outside. He would survive from it. But she was thankful that he chose to disrupt her sleep that day because of the nightmare again.
Kaisha didn't protest and just looked at his smiling face. Then his smile faded. He understood as his face turned into worry. "Nightmare again?" He sat beside her bed, and she quickly sat up before he attempted to help her. She wasn't sick or feeling weak. If anything, she felt like she could run a mile and wouldn't get tired from it. The beast inside her made her restless. It wanted to come out even in her slightest irritation.
She sighed and nodded at him. "Let's go spar." She rasped. It was their daily routine, as her brother could take her head on even in her beast form.
In their family, they had a blessing from their ancestors. It was passed down from generation to generation to the eldest son of the family. The beast power was for them to use to protect the people, as it was the reason why their ancestors had it. It was supposed to be for her brother. But the family wondered why he couldn't transform despite having its strength, speed, and every ability it had.
And to everyone's shock, Kaisha had it. She could transform and could only use the abilities when she was in beast mode. She viewed it as a curse, for she didn't want to get uncontrollable whenever she was angry. And she was always angry. Her mood swings were too obvious, so she'd rather distance herself from everyone. That was also why she decided to get homeschooled after the incident on her 16th birthday. The worst day of her life. She'd killed people. And she was lucky enough that the authorities didn't believe Felix because he was high that time.
Felix survived, and he was still in prison for the attempted rape that he did to her. He was already 18 that time. It was covered then that what happened to his friends and him was done by wolves or unknown monsters in the forest. Yeah. It was indeed done by a monster. By her. A beast. And for the greater part, she didn't regret it. They could have succeeded if she hadn't transformed.
He almost died from the deep scar that she left on his back. That caused him massive blood loss, but the devil survived it. She could have finished him if her brother hadn't appeared.
Someone saw her sneak out of the mansion, but they weren't quite sure at first that it was her. So, they inspected her room, and they had just been certain. Their security had tracked her phone, and Kaiden led the search as their father was away at that time. Military General Francis was in the White Court, the house of the president. He was supposed to get back to their mansion at noon, but when he received the news of what happened to his daughter, he quickly returned home.
Kaiden didn't fear Kaisha's transformation, and he managed to convince her to take control of the beast. They kept everything secret from the news. It was a huge scandal for their family as well, as they were one of the most respected families in the country.
"Okay. But we needed to hurry up because Dad was coming at noon. He had something to announce." He stood up and gave her space to get on her feet as well.
"About what?" She dreaded hearing it. She had a bad feeling about what it was about.
Kaiden shrugged. "I don't know. And Mom was waiting downstairs for breakfast. Let's go. Let's not make her wait anymore. I'll go wait outside." He went to the door and closed it behind him.
She changed into something first before going downstairs, and then they walked through the corridors. Maids greeted them on a warm morning. Only his family and their trusted butler knew about their gifts. No one else could know. They couldn't imagine if they were found out. It would certainly create an uproar. They could be experimented on or, worse, executed.
Her father was a beast before, but it would vanish in him the moment a son turned 16 to inherit it. The same goes for every generation. In their present, her father's beast was gone in Kaiden's 16th year. Though it was a mystery to them why he couldn't take the form. It was passed down to Kaisha instead. They didn't know why or how it happened. It was the first time that a daughter also inherited it.
"Sweetie, have you finally decided what you'll be taking this school year?" Margaret asked her only daughter. They were now settled down on the table. Servants just finished putting everything before them, and they stood behind to heed their demands.
"Yes, Mom. I'll be taking business. I'd want to help you run your restaurants." She answered after drinking her juice. Kaisha had a great appetite ever since she could transform. Her brother and father also. So, their table always seemed like there was a feast.
"Oh." Her mother cooed. "You're such a sweet girl. Thank you, sweetie."
Kaisha cringed at her mother's tone. Before, she could have grinned and smiled at her like a normal teenage girl. But now that she no longer was, she felt a little uncomfortable because she wasn't the sweet and princess-like daughter before. She had mood swings and severe trust issues. Felix and his friends didn't just cause her physical harm, but she was also deeply traumatized.
"Good morning, everybody!" General Francis' voice boomed in the entire dining hall. He had a grinning smile, and he kissed his wife and daughter on the cheeks. He tapped Kaiden on the shoulder.
"Dad!" Kaisha and Kaiden exclaimed as Margaret's "Honey" was drowned out.
"You didn't call to say that you'd be coming earlier." His wife stated as he sat down at the head of the table. The maids quickly arranged for the additional setup for him while he flapped open the table napkin and placed it on his lap.
"I wanted to surprise you all." He smiled at his family.
"How was your trip, Dad?" Kaiden asked.
"It was fine. And you'll be entering the military this school year. Everything is set in your enrollment."
"Great! I couldn't wait to start the year."
"Uh-huh. But be extra cautious in your talents." He reminded him as he plopped a huge chunk of meat in his mouth. "So, Kaisha dear." He turned to his princess. "I heard you're taking business." He started.
"Yes, Dad." She plastered a smile at him. Her family was the best for her. They wanted her to do what she wanted and had always supported her.
"That's great. We'll prepare the documents for your enrollment then."
Kaisha was about to swallow another piece of chicken, but she halted. "Enrollment?" She couldn't be hearing it right.
"Yes, dear. You'll be attending back in St. Vincent Academy." He announced it like it was the most anticipated news of the year. With a mouth-splitting smile at that.