THE AWAKENING OF THE PENDANT

I was dragged away by the guards, my feet dragging behind me as I struggled to keep up. The pack members watched, shouting "The witch has fallen!" in a chorus of gleeful voices. The further we got from the pack house, the louder they became.

Once I was locked in the dungeon, I prayed to the Moon Goddess for darkness to fall. But as the hours passed, the moon rose higher in the sky, bathing the world in silver light. It seemed the Goddess had betrayed me, or perhaps she simply couldn't hear my pleas.

The walls of the dungeon were constructed of rough, gray stone, with narrow windows set high in the walls. The only view was of the night sky, vast and uncaring. It was a place of despair, where only the worst offenders were sent.

And now, I was one of them.

I sat on the cold, damp floor of the dungeon, the only sound was the occasional footsteps of the guards on patrol. I was alone, with only my thoughts for company, for the dungeon was hollow. Time seemed to stretch on forever, as I counted down the minutes until my punishment.

Suddenly, I noticed a faint red glow coming from my pendant. It matched the color of my eyes, a shade of red so deep it was almost crimson.

I scrambled to my feet in alarm, glancing around to see if the guard was approaching. But the dungeon was empty, save for me and the shadows. I quickly covered the pendant with my hand, blocking the glow.

I've worn this pendant since I was a child. My mother had given it to me, saying it was a family heirloom. "When you come of age, you'll discover its true power," she had told me. "It will help you unlock your potential. Just be patient, and until then… wait.”

She told me those words and died when I was just ten years old and my brother was six. In the Silvermoon kingdom, you're considered an adult at the age of eighteen, which is the coming of age time. So I waited and waited, hoping that something would happen on my eighteenth birthday. But nothing did. I was kind of heartbroken but I still didn't give up.

I thought that it would happen on my nineteenth birthday but never did. On my twentieth, twenty-first, twenty-second, and even twenty-third birthday, the pendant remained the same. And I lost all hope. I started to wonder if my mother had just been telling me stories, or if I was just imagining the glimmer of light I had seen earlier.

But now, I saw it - the pendant was glowing brighter than ever, and I knew that my mother had been right all along. Something magical was happening right in front of my eyes. I couldn't believe it. I'd been waiting for so long, and now, it was finally happening.

The pendant spoke, its voice soft and melodic. "Hello?" it said. My heart leaped in my chest in fear and I jumped back. I couldn't believe that the pendant was actually speaking to me!

I hurriedly took off the pendant and lifted the pendant up to my face, examining it closely. It glowed brightly, pulsing with a soft, green light.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling. I felt like I was going crazy, talking to a pendant like it was a person. But it was definitely talking to me, and I had to know more.

I looked around nervously, worried that the guard might be coming. But the dungeon was still and silent, save for the soft hum of the pendant.

“Is that you Alina?” The pendant asked instead of answering my question, its voice soothing and calm.

"How... how do you know my name?" I stammered, my fear quickly giving way to curiosity as my eyes widened.

Still can't believe that a talking pendant knows my name!

"That's because I am you," the pendant said, its tone eager and bright.

"I-I don't understand," I stammered, still trying to wrap my head around what was happening. "What do you mean by that?"

"You see, I am a representation of your wolf side," the pendant explained. "I am the part of you that is connected to your inner wolf.”

"My wolf side?" I whispered to myself, still trying to process what the pendant was saying. "I have a wolf side?" I asked, my voice shaking with disbelief.

"Yes, you do and that’s me Alina!" the pendant replied, its voice steady and reassuring.

My mind was reeling from what I had just heard. I still couldn't believe that I have a wolf side. I was totally overwhelmed by this new information.

"For as long as I can remember, I've always thought of myself as a regular person who can communicate with spirits. The idea of having a wolf side never occurred to me. I've never transformed under a full moon or any other time. I don't even know what my wolf looks like, or when I'll howl for the first time. While others younger than me have, I never have. I thought maybe I just wasn't old enough, but as my twentieth birthday passed, I thought that maybe I wasn't meant to have a wolf side after all.” I muttered out loud to myself, oblivious of my humming pendant.

I felt my eyes become teary and my throat dry but I couldn't stop now. This is the only chance I will ever have to pour out my heart

“While others found their mates and got their wolf gifts, I felt left out and like something was wrong with me. I never got to hunt with the pack, run in the forest, or experience transformation. All I could do was watch from the sidelines as everyone else figured things out. I started to believe that I was cursed and decided to give up hope of ever connecting with my wolf, finding my mate or falling in love. The incident with my brother only reinforced my decision to give up. I thought there was no point in trying anymore." I said, my voice thick with emotion.

“If it helps make you feel any better, I am here now.” The pendant said.

"Why now, after all this time?" I asked, my voice full of anguish. "Why did you wait until now? Why didn't you come sooner? Why did you let me go through so much pain and humiliation?"

“Because you only awakened me today.” The pendant said, its voice soft and measured. "Do you remember the Luna's seat?"

"Yes, I remember the Luna's seat," I said, trying to make sense of what was happening. "It was only a few minutes ago. It is the reason why I am here, I mean it's not my fault. How could I have known it was the Luna's seat anyways? It just looked like a beautiful perfect chair!"

"When you sat on the seat, you awakened me." the pendant said. "I know it doesn't make much sense, but that's what happened."

"But how?" I asked, my head spinning. "How does sitting on a chair activate you?”

"Because you are the chosen one meant to lead the Wolfsong Clan alongside your mate, Alpha Aleksander Stormgaze. You are the Luna, Alina!" the pendant exclaimed.