"She’s fast," one of the guards shouted.
"She’s heading for the forest!" another answered.
The ground blurred beneath me. I didn’t even know I could run this fast. The wind whipped my hair back, and something inside me, wild, fierce, stirred.
I could feel it again. That strange power.
The pendant in my hand burned brighter.
I gasped, almost stumbling. "What’s happening to me?"
Before I could steady myself, a dark shape flashed in front of me. A guard, he had used his werewolf speed. He grabbed my wrist, stopping me mid-stride.
"Got you," he said, panting.
"Let me go!" I shouted, struggling.
He pulled me closer. "I’m sorry, my lady. But the Alpha said..."
I twisted hard, trying to break free. "I don’t care what he said!"
He tightened his grip. Pain shot up my arm. I clenched my teeth.
"Please, don’t fight...."
"I said stop!" I screamed.
The pendant in my hand exploded in light. A burst of white energy threw him backward into a tree. He groaned, sliding to the ground.
Three of them came at me at once. Their eyes glowed yellow as they partly shifted, claws out, faster, stronger.
I backed away, breathing fast. "Don’t come closer! I don’t want to hurt you!"
"You already did," one snarled, lunging toward me.
I ducked to the side, feeling the air move as his claw missed my face by an inch. I kicked him hard in the stomach, but he barely flinched. He swung again, and I caught his arm, twisted, and used his weight against him. He hit the ground hard, dust flying around us.
Another one tackled me from behind. I fell, rolling on the ground, struggling beneath his weight. His breath was hot on my neck.
"Stay still!" he shouted.
"Get off me!" I yelled, pushing with all my strength.
The pendant flared again, bright and wild. A wave of force burst from my chest, throwing him several feet away. He hit the dirt with a painful thud.
I gasped, staring at my hands. My palms glowed faint silver, tiny sparks crackling in the air.
"What is this..." I whispered, trembling.
The leader growled, stepping forward. "You’re no ordinary, my lady."
"I don’t even know what I am!" I yelled.
He charged at me, his eyes fully glowing now. His claws slashed toward my arm. I blocked him with my hand, and a shield of silver light appeared in front of me. His claws hit it and bounced back with a flash.
The shockwave threw him off balance. I stepped forward, heart pounding. "I warned you," I said, my voice trembling but strong.
He growled, baring his fangs. "You’re dangerous."
"Maybe I am," I said, clenching the pendant.
He lunged again. This time, I didn’t back away. I lifted my hand, and the energy came on its own, smooth, powerful. A ribbon of silver light shot forward and wrapped around him, freezing him mid-motion. He groaned, trapped in the glowing strands.
"What... are you doing... to me?" he rasped.
I shook my head. "I don’t know!"
The light pulsed once, then vanished. He dropped to the ground, unconscious but breathing.
The others hesitated, unsure what to do.
"Stay down!" I warned, raising my hand again. "I don’t want to kill anyone!"
The youngest among them, his voice trembling, said, "We were told to protect you, my lady... not to fight you."
Tears burned in my eyes. "Then let me go. Please. I don’t want to hurt any of you."
They looked at one another. Fear and confusion filled their faces.
One of them stepped back slowly. "She’s not normal," he whispered. "She’s something else."
The others lowered their heads, helping the fallen ones to their feet.
I took a step backward. "Tell Damon I’m sorry," I said, my throat tight. "But I can’t go back."
"We can do that, my lady," Their leader replied.
But I ignored him, I turned and ran again.
The forest swallowed me.
Branches whipped against my face as I dashed through the woods. My heart was beating so hard it hurt. My hands still glowed faintly, and the pendant around my neck pulsed like it was alive.
Behind me, I heard shouts, "After her! We have to capture her!" and then growls. They had shifted into wolves.
I didn’t look back. I ran faster, faster than I ever thought I could.
I leaped over fallen logs, ducked under branches, and kept running. The forest blurred around me.
"Stop!" a voice shouted behind me, rough and desperate. "Lady Lisa!"
"No!" I screamed back, not slowing. "Leave me alone!"
A wolf darted out from the side, dark gray, eyes glowing yellow. He jumped in front of me, blocking my path.
I skidded to a stop, my breath heavy.
"Please," I begged. "Don’t make me hurt you too."
The wolf growled, stepping closer. His fur bristled, his teeth flashing in the moonlight.
I raised the pendant again. It glowed, brighter than ever. "Don’t," I whispered. "Don’t do it."
The light burst out in a wide arc. The air cracked with power. The force threw him sideways into the bushes. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
My ears rang. My eyes stung. I stood there, breathing hard, staring at my trembling hands.
Others joined him; they tried to move closer, but with one wave of my hand, a gust of force threw them all back again. The ground cracked beneath them.
"Stay down!" I shouted, though my voice trembled. "I don’t want to hurt you!"
They groaned, struggling to rise, but the energy from the pendant grew stronger that moment, wild, uncontrollable. My body felt like it was on fire, yet I wasn’t burning. I could feel the world around me bending, shifting, like I had become something else. Something... powerful.
I lifted the pendant again, begging it to calm down, but it only glowed brighter. The light exploded outward. A blinding flash swallowed everything, and they were thrown far across the field.
When the light faded, they were all on the ground, groaning weakly. Some were barely conscious.
I stood there, breathing hard, staring at my hands. "What... what did I just do?"
The pendant in my hand dimmed slowly, the warmth fading until it was just cold metal again. My fingers trembled as I looked at the guards lying motionless around me. They weren’t dead. I could hear faint groans, slow breaths.
I knelt, touching one of them gently. His chest rose and fell. Relief flooded through me.
"Thank the Moon," I whispered.
"I’m sorry," I whispered to the unconscious guards.