04. The Glowing Amulet

ERIN

    I raced out of the ballroom, the amulet on my neck glowing brightly that the attendees had to shield their eyes from the harsh rays. Hastily, I entered into my chauffeur–driven automobile and the vehicle sped into the night.

Magnus' voice in my head didn't stop until I had entered into the territory of my pack and when the large privacy gates of our mansion slid open, I couldn't be more glad to have returned back home.

However, I still felt guilty that Alpha Axel was going to die tomorrow and I hadn't been able to save him.

   Immediately I stepped down from the car, I sensed a strange feeling in the air and it settled uncomfortably in my chest.

Something felt wrong, so wrong. However, I shook the thoughts away and hurried into the mansion, excited to finally be at home and able to get some rest.

My head hurt like crazy, I was drowsy from alcohol, all the bones in my body felt ran–over and my throat was still slightly parched.

I walked into the living room and my eyes met with the large, golden clock that was hung delicately on the wall. It had just struck twelve am, a new day, the day Alpha Axel would die.

I felt my heart twinge again in guilt as I couldn't shake off the gnawing reminder that I could've saved him, if not for this strange amulet and the strange voice in my head.

  I sighed, looking away from the wall clock but just as I was about to take another step, I heard the heavy and quick stomping of feet as they cascaded down the stairs accompanied with the clanking of metal.

My attention drifted to the direction and I saw three men, dressed in heavy armor. I immediately sensed the one in front of my dad's Beta, Hans.

I furrowed my brows, walking towards them as I wondered why they were dressed in battle gear. "What's happening?" I questioned, urgency in my tone.

My father, Alpha Dominic, emerged behind them and he was also dressed in his battle gear. The sight of him increased my worries even further and I felt my heart quickening in apprehension.

I walked further to the stairs, stopping at the beginning of the railing iron. "Father, what's happening?" I asked as he took the last step.

He managed a small smile as he saw me,"Erin dear, there's an attack in the central area, people are already being killed." My father answered and I gasped, clasping my mouth with my palms.

He turned to face the three men, his expression sterning. "Beta, take your deltas now and rush to the front of the battle. I'll be there in a moment with my Luna." My father said and the warriors nodded, saluting him afterwards before they quickly made their way out of the mansion.

I turned to face my father, wearing a face of determination. 'Father, I must join the battle. I'm going to put on my gear now."

"Thank you, Erin. We do need your help, my warriors have reported that the enemies are extremely powerful and posed undefeatable, as they seemed to also be using dark magic fortification." My father explained and the magnitude of the grave situation we were in throbbed in my heart, filling me with more apprehension.

"We will take them down regardless." I said, clenching my fist as I braced up with confidence.

My words echoed through the room, and I felt the weight of my father's gaze on me. For a moment, there was silence as we both looked at each other with determination.

"Erin, I need you to be careful out there," my father finally spoke up. "These enemies are unlike anything we've faced before."

I nodded, my jaw clenched with determination. "I know, Father. I will be careful."

Without another word, my father turned and made his way out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I knew the risks of going into battle, but I couldn't just stand by and watch as my pack was attacked. I needed to help, to fight alongside my fellow wolves.

As I made my way upstairs to my bedroom, I could hear the sounds of battle in the distance. The clashing of swords, the howling of wolves, and the crackle of dark magic filled my ears.

I hurriedly entered my bedroom and went straight to my wardrobe to fetch my battle gear. I was in a rush and my hands were shaking as I struggled to put on my armor.

Suddenly, Anexa barged into the room and I was startled, turning to face her. "Anexa..you scared me," I called out, my heart racing.

"Sorry my princess, I was in a haste. We need to head to the battle now, it's heated and..." She paused abruptly, trailing off her words as her eyes met with my neck. "And why is your amulet glowing?" Anexa asked, noticing the bright glow emitting from my amulet.

I had tucked it into my dress when I entered the mansion because I didn't want anyone to notice. It must've plopped back up as I Hastily went up the stairs.

I glanced down at it and bit my lip. "I don't know, it's been glowing ever since I left the ballroom," I replied.

Anexa's expression turned serious. "We need to be careful, Erin. Something doesn't feel right."

I nodded in agreement, and before I could comprehend what was happening, Anexa walked towards me, drew out a small dagger and purposely sliced my cheek with the small dagger in her hand.

I yelped in pain and stumbled back, my hand reaching up to my cheek as I felt blood trickling down my face.

"What the hell, Anexa?!" I exclaimed, shock and hurt evident in my voice.

Anexa's expression remained stoic. "I'm sorry, Erin. I had to do it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

My eyes widened in confusion. "Had to do what?"

Anexa's gaze flickered towards the amulet, where my blood was now dripping onto it. "It's the only way to stop it," she said, her voice laced with determination.

My heart raced as I tried to make sense of Anexa's words. "Stop what?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Anexa reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the door. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, we need to go help our pack," she said, urgency in her voice.

My mind was spinning as I followed Anexa out of the room. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off, but I pushed the thought aside as we ran towards the battle – I didn't even have the time to change, and my cheek was still throbbing with pain.

-:-

Anexa and I finally made it to the battlefield, and my heart sank at the sight before me. The ground was littered with fallen trees, blood, and dead wolves, most of whom were from my kingdom.

The attacking wolves were bigger and stronger than ours, fighting with an unearthly vigor that seemed almost unreal, much like the dark magic my father had warned me about.

I could hear the pained howls of injured and dying wolves filling the air, and it was a heartbreaking scene to watch.

Then, I noticed something strange. My amulet, which had been glowing earlier, was no longer emitting any light.

"Anexa, do you think—" She grabbed my hand at that moment without letting me finish the statement, and we started running towards the battle.

We arrived in the field and without hesitation, I closed my eyes and focused on transforming.

I shifted into my wolf form and Anexa shifted into hers as well, going along to face an enemy wolf in the opposite direction

I charged towards the enemy wolf sneering at me with all my might. But just as I was about to reach it, a bright dark light flashed before my eyes, blinding me momentarily.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that the enemy wolves were still in their wolf form, but my kingdom's wolves were turning back into their human forms.

They stumbled back, bewildered and confused, as if some force was holding them restricted.

I looked around in confusion, trying to make sense of what was happening. The pained howling of injured wolves was now replaced with the sounds of shock and disbelief.

"What's going on?" I spoke via the mind–link, hoping someone would have an answer. But no one did.

I shifted back into my human form, still disoriented from the sudden change that had taken place on the battlefield.

Looking around frantically, I searched for any sign of my parents or Anexa. But there was no one in sight.

Just as panic began to set in, I saw a masked figure in armor coming towards me, his hands dragging two bloodied bodies on the ground. And then, I looked closer, and my heart sank.

"Mom, Dad!" I screamed, my voice breaking with emotion. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that it was my parents who were being dragged by this unknown assailant.

I took a step forward, my mind racing with questions. Who was this person? Why had they attacked my parents? Were they even still alive?

The figure approached me menacingly, and I could see the twisted grin on their mask as they lifted the bodies up, showing me their almost–lifeless faces.

I took a step back, my eyes locked on the figure in front of me. The masked man had dropped my parents' bodies to the ground, and they groaned in pain as they hit the dirt.

My heart shattered at the sight, my fingers trembling as I stood rooted to the spot, unable to believe the sight in front of me.

"Who are you? What did you do to my parents?" I clenched my fists, hurling the questions at the masked man.

He simply chuckled – a chuckle that morphed into a deadly and wicked laugh that sent chills down my spine. I gritted my teeth in annoyance and impatience, ready to charge at him.

But then something happened that made me pause at the spot; the man removed his mask, revealing his face.

"My love, are you enjoying the ruining?" he spoke, his voice filled with malice as a chilling smirk spread across his lips.

As I stood there in shock, staring at Magnus in disbelief, I suddenly heard footsteps approaching from behind him. I turned my head to see Anexa walking towards us with a smug smile on her face.

Excitement welled in me, she was attempting a surprise attack on him. But I tried to mask my happiness so that Magnus won't suspect, and I braced myself to spring into battle once she made her hit.

But much to my surprise, Magnus smiled and turned around to face her, "Anexa! Nice of you to join us, babe." He said and wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a kiss on her lips.

My jaw dropped, my eyes widening in plane horror as my heart sank. Anexa was in on this all along?

Anexa pulled away from the kiss and turned to face me, still wearing that infuriating smirk. "Do you enjoy the surprise, Erin?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.