The Lost Luna Queen

For eighteen years of my life, I had been dreaming about the same woman. She’s standing alone in the middle of an endless field. She wore a white gown, and her long silver hair fell over her shoulders. Though I had never seen anyone like her before, there was something about her that felt strangely familiar. I never knew her name, where she came from, or why she kept appearing in my dreams. She would just look at me as if she had been waiting for me for years, and every time I tried to reach her, she would disappear before I could touch her. But tonight, my dream was different. She was holding a baby. I stood several steps away from her, watching as she gently held the child against her chest. The woman looked at me with tears in her eyes, and somehow, even though I had never met her in my life, seeing her cry hurt me. I had asked her who she was more times than I could count, but she never answered. She would simply look at me with those unusual violet eyes and say my name. “Arielle” I tried to move toward her, but my feet wouldn't obey me. "Arielle, you have to listen to me." "Who are you?" I asked. The woman looked down at the baby in her arms before looking back at me. "I am sorry." "For what?" Her expression changed and fear replaced the sadness in her eyes. "They're coming." I looked behind her, but there was nothing there. "Who is coming?" She stepped closer but still far for me to reach her. "When the moon calls your name, you must remember who you are,” she whispered. "What does that mean?" She reached toward me. And before I could ask another question, the dream disappeared. Then I woke up before I could reach her. I sat up in bed and stared into the darkness of my room, trying to understand what had just happened. My heart was racing, but the dream was already slipping away from me. I had spent years having the same nightmare, yet somehow I had never been able to remember the woman's face afterward. But tonight, I could. I remembered her eyes. They were the same color as mine. I pushed the thought away and glanced at the clock. It’s already 6:13 a.m. My eighteenth birthday. For most people, turning eighteen probably wasn't anything extraordinary. For me, it was just another day reminding me that I’m growing old year after year but I still feel like a chil with full of unanswered questions. I had been raised by Elara and Aldric since I was a baby. They had always treated me as their daughter, and I loved them for it, but there had always been something about my past that felt deliberately hidden. I didn't know my biological parents. I didn't know where I was born. I didn't even know why the only thing I had from my life before them was a small silver crescent necklace. Elara had told me that I had been wearing it when they found me. That was all she would ever say. I reached for the necklace on my bedside table and held it between my fingers. It was old, but I had never taken it off for long. I put the necklace around my neck and looked at myself in the mirror. As I fastened it, a strange thought crossed my mind. “Remember who you are.” I frowned. It was only a dream. It had to be. I got dressed and went downstairs, expecting to find my parents preparing breakfast. Elara was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast while Aldric was sitting at the table, reading something on his phone. When he saw me, he smiled. "Happy birthday." I smiled back. "Thank you." Elara came over and hugged me. "Happy eighteenth, sweetheart." "Thank you, Mom." She simply stared at me for a second. Then her eyes fell to the necklace around my neck. That is when her expression changed. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Nothing." "You look so worried." "I'm fine." She quickly turned away. I watched her for a moment before deciding not to push too much. "Today's my birthday," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "You could at least pretend to be excited." She gave me a small smile. "I am excited." "You don't look excited." "I'm just tired." I didn't believe her. But I have to stop asking because I didn't want to make them uncomfortable. They were my parents, regardless of where I came from. Still, I know that there had always been something they refused to tell me. And after the dream I had just experienced, I couldn't ignore it anymore. "Okay," I said quietly. Elara reached for my hand. "Arielle..." "It's fine." I forced a smile. "I'm going outside." "Don't go near the forest." That was strange because Elara had never told me that before. So I stopped. "Why?" "Just don't." "Mom—" "Just promise me." I stared at her. Something about the way she said it made me feel uneasy. But I ignore it. "Fine. I promise." I left the house. I know should have kept my promise but I didn't. I suddenly stopped when I noticed tracks near the edge of the forest. They looks like wolf tracks. I crouched beside them an notice that they were much larger than any wolf tracks I had ever seen. I looked toward the trees but i saw nothing. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching me. Then I heard something, so I turned. A wolf stood several feet away from me. It was larger than any wolf I had ever seen. Its pale coat made it almost impossible to distinguish from the morning mist, but its eyes were impossible to ignore. They were silver. The wolf stared at me and I couldn't explain what happened next. I wasn't afraid. Instead, I felt as though I had been waiting for this moment to happen. The wolf took a step toward me but I didn't move. Then a voice entered my mind. "Arielle. It made me froze. Because the wolf hadn't opened its mouth. Yet I had heard it clearly. "Who are you?" The wolf just stared at me. "You don't remember me." I took a step back. "I don't know you." "You will. And you have to." Those words sent a strange feeling through me, because they sounded like something the woman in my dream had said. Before I could ask anything else, another howl echoed from deep within the forest. The wolf turned toward the sound, then it looked at me again. "They are coming." "Who?" Instead of giving me answer, the wolf disappeared into the trees. I stood there, unable to move. Then I heard another howl. But this one was much closer. I quickly ran home. Elara was waiting for me when I returned. And the moment she saw me, she knew something had happened. "You saw something, did you?" I stopped. "How did you know something happened?" She didn't answer. I stared at her. "There was a wolf. A big one." Her face went pale. "W-what kind?" "A white one that it almost looks like silver." Aldric appeared behind her and the two of them exchanged a look. "You know something,” I asked. I noticed how they look at each other like they knew something. Elara closed her eyes, like she’s decing something hard. Then she whispered, "Arielle, listen to me carefully." I had never heard that tone in her voice before. "You need to leave." "What?" "Tonight." I stared at her. "Why?" "Because we don't have much time." Aldric looked at me, then at Elara. "They're already here." My confusion turned into fear. "W—who?" But neither of them answered. Then something moved outside. A shadow passed across the window. Elara grabbed my arm. "Don't look." I pulled away. "Tell me what's happening!" She stared at me for a long moment. And then she said the words that changed everything I thought I knew about myself. "You are not human, Arielle." I laughed nervously. "Of course I'm not. What kind of question is that?" My laugh disappeared immediately when she didn't laugh. "You are a werewolf." I stared at her. Then at Aldric. But neither of them looked surprised. "You've been waiting for this day. am I right?" I whispered. Elara's eyes filled with tears. "We were hoping it would never come. That we can escape it." Before I could ask what she meant, a powerful sound shook the entire house. Aldric immediately moved toward the door, while Elara pulled me behind her. Another impact followed then the front door cracked. My heart began pounding. "W-who are they?" I whispered. Elara looked at me. "The royal wolves." I didn't understand. "Why are they here?" She reached for my necklace and held the silver crescent in her trembling hand. "Because they finally found the lost princess." I stared at her. "What princess?" Elara's eyes filled with tears. "You." The door broke open and several figures stood outside. Behind them, in the darkness of the forest, hundreds of wolves were waiting. Then one of the men stepped forward. He looked directly at me as his eyes widened. "The Moonblood." He lowered his head. "The Lost Luna Queen has awakened."