Chapter 129: Shadows of Hunger

Caitlin sank down into the soft, damp soil, guilt gnawing at her insides like an insidious beast. She had left him alone—unprotected, unfed. Her thoughts spiraled as her forehead dropped into her open palms, the enormity of the situation pressing down on her. Everything was so confusing, so irrational. Nothing made sense anymore. And yet, the hunger gnawed at her relentlessly, sharp and all- consuming. It wasn't a human hunger—it was something far darker, more primal. And in the silence of the forest, she could hear it—the rhythm of life all around her. The heartbeat of animals, the steady thrum of prey, calling out to her in a way that was both terrifying and intoxicating. Vampire. The word whispered through her mind like a haunting refrain. Could it be possible? Could she have become one of them—one of *his* kind? Zen had taken her blood so easily, so naturally, as if it were second nature to him. She had always sensed the cold, merciless predator beneath his surface, even when he