The forest whispered with danger.
Clouds gathered above, dark and heavy, blocking the moonlight. The howls of wolves echoed through the trees—loud, sharp, getting closer.
Arya stood at the window, holding baby Sara tight. Her vampire senses were sharp. Every footstep in the woods, every shift of the wind, she felt it.
Rohan stood beside her. His hands were shaking—not from fear, but from anger. "They're coming for her," he said. "We won't let them take her."
Arya looked at him. "No matter what happens, promise me something."
"What?"
"Don't lose control. She needs you to be strong."
Rohan nodded. "I promise."
She handed Sara to him. "Take her to the hidden room behind the library. Stay there until I call you."
"But Arya—"
"Please. Trust me."
Rohan didn't argue. He took Sara and rushed to the secret door Arya had shown him days ago. Inside the small room, hidden by bookshelves and heavy walls, no scent or sound could escape.
Sara stirred in his arms. "Shh," he whispered. "Papa's here."
Arya walked outside.
She stood in the open yard, the wind pulling at her hair. Then she saw them—eyes glowing in the darkness, shapes stepping out of the trees.
Five of them. All male. Strong. Fast. Angry.
The leader stepped forward. The same one who had sniffed the place before.
"You're hiding something that belongs to us," he said.
Arya didn't move. "She doesn't belong to anyone."
"She's a werewolf by blood," the man growled. "She's one of us."
"She's also my daughter now," Arya replied coldly. "And she will choose her path, not you."
The man's face twisted. "You turned her father. You think that makes you family?"
Arya's eyes turned red. "I saved him. I saved her. That gives me more right than you ever had."
The man snarled and charged forward.
In a second, Arya moved. She vanished and reappeared in front of him, her hand gripping his throat.
"Leave," she warned. "Or die."
But the others attacked.
Fangs met claws. Blood stained the ground.
Arya fought like fire, fast and deadly. But they were many, and strong.
Suddenly, Rohan burst out of the house. His eyes were red, his fangs out. He ran into the fight, punching and tearing. He was a new vampire, but his rage made him powerful.
Together, they fought side by side. Two vampires against five werewolves.
Inside the hidden room, baby Sara began to cry.
But something strange happened.
Her cry turned into a low growl.
Her eyes… glowed faintly gold.
The fight ended with the werewolves retreating, bruised and bleeding.
Arya and Rohan stood in silence, breathing hard. Their clothes were torn, their faces cut. But they were alive.
"They'll come back," Arya said. "Stronger."
Rohan didn't answer. He ran back inside to check on Sara.
When he opened the hidden room, he stopped.
Sara was glowing in the moonlight. Her baby eyes, golden. Her tiny nails, sharper than before.
Rohan picked her up slowly. "Arya…"
She entered the room behind him and saw it too.
"She's starting to change," Arya whispered. "It's begun."