Chapter 14 — The Awakening
1054 Words
Emerald’s POV
Darkness.
That was the first thing I felt.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Just darkness.
It surrounded me completely, as if I had fallen into an endless ocean with no surface.
I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond.
Then I heard a voice.
Soft.
Familiar.
“Emerald…”
My eyes opened.
I was standing in a forest.
But it wasn't the forest from moments ago.
The trees were taller, their leaves glowing faintly beneath a silver moon.
I looked down at myself.
I was wearing a white dress I didn't recognize.
“Mama?”
A figure stood several feet away.
My heart stopped.
It was my mother.
She looked exactly as I remembered her.
Young.
Beautiful.
But there was sadness in her eyes.
“Mama!”
I ran toward her.
She opened her arms.
I rushed into them.
For a moment, everything felt real.
Safe.
Then she whispered,
“You weren't supposed to awaken this soon.”
I pulled away.
“What do you mean?”
She touched my cheek.
“You have to listen carefully.”
“What is happening to me?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“The people who hunted me are coming for you now.”
“Who?”
“The Blood Council.”
I frowned.
“I don't understand.”
“You will.”
She looked toward the moon.
“Your father thought hiding you would keep you safe.”
“Alpha Luke?”
She nodded.
“He loved you more than anything.”
I stared at her.
“Then why did he never tell me the truth?”
“Because the truth would have put a target on your back.”
I shook my head.
“I deserve to know who I am.”
“You do.”
She smiled sadly.
“That is why I left the necklace with you.”
I looked down.
The broken necklace was glowing faintly against my chest.
“What am I?”
My mother stepped closer.
“You are not simply an Alpha's daughter.”
The forest suddenly became colder.
“You carry the blood of the first Moon Queen.”
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?”
“Long ago, the Moon Queen protected every supernatural kingdom. Wolves, vampires, witches, and creatures that existed before them.”
She paused.
“But someone betrayed her.”
“Who?”
“The Blood Council.”
My mother's voice became quieter.
“They feared her power. So they destroyed her kingdom and hunted her bloodline.”
I shook my head.
“But I'm still alive.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because your father and I made sure you survived.”
A sudden c***k echoed through the forest.
My mother looked behind her.
Her expression changed.
“They're here.”
“Who?”
“The people who have been searching for you.”
She grabbed my shoulders.
“Emerald, when you wake up, do not trust everyone around you.”
“Not even Lucian?”
She froze.
For the first time, fear appeared in her eyes.
“Especially…”
Her voice disappeared.
“Mama?”
The entire forest began shaking.
“Wake up!”
My mother's voice echoed around me.
“Emerald, wake up!”
I opened my eyes.
Pain shot through my head.
I gasped and sat upright.
The first thing I saw was Lucian.
He was kneeling beside me.
“Emerald!”
I stared at him.
For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was.
Then everything returned.
The Shadow Beast.
The masked warriors.
The silver light.
My mother's face.
I quickly looked around.
We were inside the royal carriage.
The guards were nowhere to be seen.
“Where are the others?”
Lucian didn't answer immediately.
“Where is the Shadow Beast?” I asked.
“Gone.”
“What about the masked warriors?”
“Gone too.”
I frowned.
“What happened?”
Lucian looked toward the carriage window.
“They disappeared when you lost consciousness.”
I slowly touched my chest.
The necklace was gone.
Only a faint silver mark remained on my skin.
Lucian noticed it.
His expression became unreadable.
“You saw something, didn't you?”
I looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“Because you were speaking while you were unconscious.”
My heart skipped.
“What did I say?”
Lucian hesitated.
“You kept calling for your mother.”
I lowered my eyes.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
“You also mentioned the Moon Queen.”
I looked up sharply.
“You heard me?”
“Yes.”
Silence filled the carriage.
Lucian studied me.
“Who is the Moon Queen, Emerald?”
I didn't answer.
Not yet.
Because my mother's final warning was still ringing inside my head.
Do not trust everyone around you.
And I suddenly realized something.
She hadn't finished her sentence.
Especially…
Especially who?
Lucian?
My father?
Someone else?
Before I could decide what to tell him, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Lucian reached for his sword.
“What now?”
A guard's voice came from outside.
“My Prince!”
Lucian opened the carriage door.
“What happened?”
The guard looked terrified.
“We've reached the palace.”
Lucian frowned.
“Then why do you look frightened?”
The guard swallowed.
“Because…”
He glanced at me.
“The palace gates are covered in blood.”
My heart sank.
Lucian stepped out.
I followed.
The moment I looked toward the palace, I froze.
The massive gates were wide open.
No guards stood outside.
Torches had been knocked to the ground.
And across the stone walls was a symbol painted in fresh red.
A crescent moon surrounded by three claw marks.
Lucian's face went pale.
I stared at the symbol.
My wolf suddenly whispered inside my mind.
They found us.
Then a voice came from the darkness behind the palace gates.
“Welcome home, Moon Princess.”
A figure stepped into the light.
And when I saw his face…
I recognized him.
He was the man from my mother's memory.
The man who had been standing outside the door all those years ago.
The man my mother had been afraid of.
He smiled.
“It's been eighteen years, Emerald.”
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