(Akilah's pov)
The river swallowed me whole.
Cold wrapped around my body instantly, stealing the warmth from my skin as I sank beneath the surface.
I tightened my grip around the Moon Pearl as its silver glow burst within my palm. It expanded outward until a shimmery sphere surrounded my head.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
It worked.
I glanced down at the pendant resting against my chest. The ruby was still crimson.
"Come on," I whispered to myself.
I kicked harder, swimming deeper into the river.
The current slowed the farther I descended until I found a comfortable depth. The water around me was darker here, the sunlight barely reaching through the shifting currents above.
My breathing echoed loudly inside the bubble surrounding my head.
Then I wrapped my fingers around the pendant but Nothing happened. A knot of anxiety twisted in my stomach.
All of a sudden a rush of heat spread around my neck. Then a white glow exploded from the ruby.
The deep red began to fade into crystal-clear glass slowly.
Hope surged through me. I forced myself to stay still ignoring the burning feeling from the gold chain.
I patiently waited as the ruby continued to transform.
It had reached quarter way when red mist burst from the ruby causing my entire body to jerk backwards.
The mist twisted through the water like smoke, spreading outward in crimson tendrils.
The water trembled around me.
The glow from the pendant flickered like fire everything went completely still.
Fear crawled down my spine. I could sense that something was wrong very wrong.
A voice echoed around me.
"Persistent little thing, aren't you?"
I spun around. The red mist gathered several feet away.
Slowly taking shape.
A woman emerged from the smoke.
At least…
I thought she was a woman.
Long crimson hair floated around her like drifting silk.
Her skin shimmered faintly beneath the water.
Her eyes glowed the same color as the ruby pendant.
The Moon Pearl kept the water from reaching me, yet somehow I still felt like I was drowning but I wouldn't let my fear get the best of me.
"Who are you?" I asked making sure my voice didn't crack.
Her gaze shifted to the pendant.
"I am the one who created it."
My heart skipped.
"The Siren."
"What do you want with my pendant?" She asked.
"I wish for my friends and me to return to school and to be done with this mission but for that we need to break the spell you cast on this pendant."
"You seek to go home," she said.
"You would destroy what I protected to return home."
"I do not wish to destroy anything but if I must then I must," I stated.
Her expression hardened. "Judging from that answer I see which choice you decided."
She drifted closer.
I instinctively backed away.
"You carry fear inside you."
I froze.
"You hide it well but fear has a scent."
Her glowing eyes narrowed.
"You are drowning in it."
My chest tightened.
"I am not."
"Aren't you?"
She tilted her head.
"You fear rejection."
My breathing quickened.
"You fear failure."
I clenched my fists.
"You fear disappointing the people you love."
"You fear that no matter how hard you try…" His voice softened."…you will never be enough."
My heart stopped. Was I that easy to read? I know I act tough but I was always good at hiding it.
"But deepest of all…"
She moved closer.
Close enough for me to see sorrow in her eyes.
"…you fear being unwanted."
Pain exploded in my chest.
Because she was right.
Every word.
Every single word.
"Your mate is a Lycan, a werewolf prince and yet he wants nothing to do with you. You tell yourself you don't care but in reality you're hurting." She said.
"You're hurting because you want the affection of someone who does not want you."
My jaw tightened."You know nothing about me."
The Siren sighed."I know pain."
Her expression changed.
The anger inside me faded slightly.
"This pendant was never meant to be broken," her voice echoed.
"Why?"
She closed her eyes.
"Because some memories deserve to remain buried."
The pendant continued glowing. The ruby continued transforming. Now reaching halfway.
Her gaze followed the light. Then like something had snapped inside of her. I could see the fear in her eyes.
"Stop the transformation."
"I can't."
"You must."
"No."
Her expression darkened instantly.
The water around us trembled again.
"I protected them." Her voice grew louder.
"I preserved them. I sacrificed everything. I will not allow you to erase what remains."
"I'm not trying to erase anything!" I said.
"Liar!"
The river exploded into motion.
Water slammed into me from every direction the force throwing me backwards.
The Moon Pearl nearly slipped from my hand.
The Siren no longer looked sorrowful.
She looked furious.
Red mist erupted around her.
Countless whispers suddenly filled my head.
Too many voices.
Too many words.
Failure.
Weak.
Unwanted.
Disappointment.
Reject.
Not enough.
She raised one hand before waving her hand it around. Another wave crushed into me causing the moon pearl to slip from my hand.
"No!"
The pearl disappeared into the darkness below.
And the air bubble vanished.
Water rushed toward me.
Straight into my lungs.
My eyes widened in terror. Pain exploded through my chest as instinct forced me to gasp, swallowing the freezing water.
My arms flailed wildly as panic clawed its way through me. I kicked my legs together forcing myself to swim upwards, but the current spun me around dragging me back down.
My blurred vision darted desperately through the dark water trying to spot the moon pearl.
Nothing.
Only drifting strands of red mist.
The Siren watched me. Her glowing crimson eyes stared straight through me.
"I warned you." Her voice echoed.
"You cannot break what was forged with grief."
I tried to answer. Instead, another wave of water filled my mouth.
I looked at the ruby against my chest. The transformation continued as the crimson color kept fading.
The siren followed my gaze, seeing that her efforts didn't stop the transformation.
She lifted both hands.
The water surged around me like living chains, wrapping around my wrists and ankles before tightening.
I struggled violently, but the more I fought, the tighter they became.
"You are only a child."
"You know nothing of sacrifice."Her voice trembled.
"I sealed my memories away so they could never be twisted."
"So they could finally rest."
"And you want to undo it all."
It didn't sound like she was angry more like heartbreak.
I shook my head as best I could.
She closed her eyes and I could feel the current pressing down against me.
Stars danced across my vision.
My heartbeat slowed.
The edges of my sight darkened.
Was…Was this how it ended?
The whispers returned.
Louder than before.
They came from everywhere.
You're weak.
You always were.
You'll never change.
Even your father couldn't be proud of you.
Kael doesn't want you.
Nobody does.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Stop…please stop.
The voices only laughed.
One after another.
Digging through every fear I'd ever buried.
Maybe they were right.
I was so tired.
So tired of proving myself.
So tired of failing.
The Siren drifted closer.
"I know."
Her voice softened.
"I know what loneliness becomes."
She reached toward my face.
Her fingertips hovered inches from my forehead.
Then—
Another voice cut through the darkness.
"Akilah."
It was soft and gentle not like their other voices.
"Don't give up," it said again.
"This is not where your story ends."
The voice was familiar.
"Listen to me."
"Vespera."
" I need you to give me control,"
If I could laugh I would have.
"It's the only way to get out of this. If you want to survive let me be in control and stop being stubborn. I am your only hope," she stated.
With my last strength, I gave in. Giving Vee full control.
Warmth bloomed deep inside my chest. Then the warmth spread through every part of me.
Then suddenly teal light erupted through my through me. It burst from my chest, surrounding my body in shimmering waves.
I opened my eyes. My vision sharp as ever.
The Siren frowned.
"What…"
My reflection in the Siren's eyes caught me off guard.
My own eyes… were now a teal color.
The Siren stared.
"No…"
She swept one arm forward.
A spear of crimson water shot toward me.
I twisted aside.
It grazed my shoulder before disappearing into the current.
Without questioning it, I thrust my hand forward.
Teal light burst from my palm.
The Siren raised both hands to defend herself.
The light washed over her.
The crimson mist surrounding her began dissolving.
"No…"
She looked down at herself.
"My seal…"
The pendant against my chest glowed even brighter.
Only a small corner of crimson remained.
Almost finished.
The Siren looked from the pendant back to me.
Her anger vanished.
In its place…
Only sadness remained.
"So…"
She whispered.
"It has finally found someone worthy."
I blinked."Worthy?"
She smiled weakly. "This was never a prison. It was a promise."
The red mist around her continued fading.
"I sealed my sorrow inside that ruby. So no one else would have to suffer. I had sacrificed myself for the ones I loved"
Her gaze softened."You broke the spell…"
The final fragment of crimson disappeared.
A brilliant pulse of white light erupted from the pendant.
The ruby became completely transparent.
Silver lines spread through its center like delicate stars captured inside crystal.
The Siren looked toward it one last time.
Tears shimmered in her eyes.
"So many years…"
She laughed quietly.
"I had forgotten what peace felt like."
The crimson mist surrounding her drifted upwards as it faded.
She looked back at me.
"Thank you…"
Before I could answer…She dissolved, fading away, like she was never there.
Silence returned.
The whispers were gone.
The crushing pressure inside my mind disappeared with them.
My body stopped glowing as Vee disappeared giving me back control.
My chest burned, my lungs began to scream.
Only then did I remember, I was still underwater and needed air.
I looked upwards, the sunlight shimmering across the surface of the water.
Frantically, with one powerful kick, I pushed myself upwards, swimming as fast as my aching body would allow me.
The surface grew brighter with every stroke. As I got closer and closer to the surface.
A gasp tore from my lungs as I burst through the surface.
The warm sunslight hit my face, and I inhaled greedily, coughing so violently that the sound echoed across the quiet river. Every muscle in my body burned from the effort of swimming back up. My arms felt heavy, my chest ached, and my vision blurred for a second before finally focusing.
"There!"
Taylor's voice rang through the clearing.
Before I could even call back, splashes erupted around me as someone rushed into the shallow water.
Strong hands caught hold of my arm. The scent of rain and mint hit my nose causing my heart to quicken.
I looked up through wet strands of hair plastered across my face. His expression remained as unreadable as ever, yet there was an unfamiliar urgency in the way he steadied me before guiding me toward the bank.
"Easy." He said as he helped me swim back to dry land.
The moment my feet touched solid ground, my knees gave out beneath me.
I collapsed onto the damp grass, coughing uncontrollably.
River water spilled from my lungs as I struggled to catch my breath.
Kael knelt beside me, one hand resting firmly against my back as he silently helped me breathe through each coughing fit.
A second later Taylor and Darien hurried over.
"Told you we'd come after you," Taylor breathed, dropping to one knee beside me. "You were gone forever."
"I… wasn't…" I coughed again. "…that long…"
"You were under for nearly thirteen minutes," Darien muttered, clearly shaken.
Thirteen minutes? It had only felt like a few.
Still struggling to breathe, I reached behind my neck with trembling fingers and unclasped the pendant.
The instant the chain came free, I threw it into the grass several feet away as though it had burned me.
It landed with a dull thud.
For a long moment all I could hear was my own ragged breathing.
Kael stood first.
Without saying a word, he picked up the pile of clothes I had left behind before diving into the river and held them out toward me.
"You'll freeze."
I looked at him in surprise.
He avoided my eyes completely.
"…Thanks."
Only after I had wrapped the oversized hoodie around my shoulders did the shaking begin to ease.
Taylor remained crouched beside me.
His green eyes searched my face anxiously.
"What happened down there?"
Darien nodded.
"We saw the water glowing."
"And then everything just… stopped."
I looked between the three of them.
Where do I even begin?
I swallowed.
"When I reached the right depth, the pendant started changing."
I pointed toward the discarded necklace lying in the grass.
"The ruby began turning clear. Luckily with the moon pearl breathing underwater wouldn't be a problem."
"Then…"
I paused, remembering the crimson mist.
"It released something."
"What do you mean, something?" Darien asked.
"A spirit."
The clearing fell silent.
"It came out of the pendant."
"It said it was the Siren who created it."
"You mean you met the siren that made and cast the spell on the pendant," Taylor asked shocked.
I nodded slowly.
"She wasn't trying to hurt me at first. She… talked to me, asked me not to break the spell or the promise she made would be broken but I could stop, I wouldn't give in otherwise we would fail the mission."
I rubbed absentmindedly at my wrist."Then she realized the pendant wasn't going to stop transforming."
"She attacked me."
Taylor's eyes widened.
"Attacked you?"
"At first she would come at me with words. It was like she could read every thought I'd ever tried to bury, every single one of them, and use them against me. When she saw that wasn't working, she converted to using her powers." I said.
"She forced the water current to move at her command which led me to lose the moon pearl. It sank to the bottom and I couldn't see anything."
"I thought…"My voice cracked. "I honestly thought I was going to die."
"But somehow…" I continued softly, "…another voice reached me."
"It was familiar."
"It encouraged me to keep fighting."
"I don't know how to explain it."
"It felt like…"
I stopped myself.
No.
I reminded myself I couldn't tell them about Vespera.
"It felt like someone reminding me not to give up."
"The spirit eventually… changed."
"It wasn't angry anymore. She even said I was worthy, whatever that meant, before disappearing into thin air." I finished.
"When the ruby completely transformed…it was finally free."
"So…," Kael spoke.
"Now that you're back we can continue the journey back to school," he said.
Taylor stared at him in disbelief. "Seriously?"
Kael looked at him.
"What?"
Taylor stood abruptly."She nearly drowned. She almost died and the first thing that comes to your mind is heading back to school about the pendant."
Kael's expression never changed.
"We're here to complete a mission."
Taylor let out a short, humourless laugh.
"Unbelievable."
"What?"
"You couldn't even ask if she was alright."
Kael folded his arms.
"She made it back."
Taylor took a step forward.
"That's not the point. The point is she risked her life for this team. The least you could've done was ask if she was okay." Taylor said his voice hardening.
Kael met his stare without flinching. "If she wasn't okay, she wouldn't be sitting here talking."
Taylor clenched his fists.
"You're impossible."
"And you're emotional."
"What did you say?"
"I said," Kael repeated evenly, "you're allowing emotions to cloud your judgement."
Taylor closed the distance between them.
"I'd rather have emotions than whatever's wrong with you."
The air instantly grew tense.
Darien sighed loudly.
Kael stepped forward until only inches separated him and Taylor.
"Careful." He said in a calm voice.
"Remember who you're speaking to. We may be teammates now but remember that I am your prince and future king, dont you ever forget that.
The temperature around us seemed to drop.
I quickly forced myself to my feet.
"Stop."
Neither of them moved.
"I said stop!"
This time both pairs of eyes turned toward me.
I looked directly at Taylor first.
"I'm okay. That's all that matters you don't have to fight over this."
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
Then I turned toward Kael not bothering to waste my breath on him, I simply rolled my eyes. He returned.
Darien pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I swear the two of you are going to be the death of this team."
Before either of us could answer, something behind us suddenly flashed.
A blue light shot into the sky.
All four of us spun around.
The pendant.
It hovered a few inches above the grass.
A thin beam of blue light burst from its centre.
It raced through the trees, weaving between the trunks like a living ribbon before disappearing deeper into the forest.
Taylor was the first to smile.
"It worked."
Darien let out a relieved laugh.
"Finally."
Kael walked over and picked up the pendant carefully.
He looked toward the glowing trail stretching through the forest.
"That's our exit."
I couldn't stop smiling despite how exhausted I felt.
After everything…
The challenge was finally coming to an end.
"We should move," Kael said, already slinging his pack over one shoulder.
"The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get the hell out of this place."
He didn't have to say it twice. We all started grabbing our belongings and soon we were following the path of the glowing light through the trees.
My thoughts kept drifting back to everything that had happened. The dark smoke, the moon goddess, the siren. It was all too much. What even weirded me more is the connection that Vee had with the moon goddess.
Something tells me that Vee is hiding something from me. That there is a connection to all this craziness. If being a panther isn't already weird enough they just had to splash in some mystery.
Knowing Vee won't tell me anything I decided I would uncover whatever is going on by myself.
We walked through the trees following the blue light. I was honestly glad that it was all coming to an end. If it was for Kael figuring out what this pendant was and the help of the moon goddess, we would have been stuck walking in the woods until someone came to get us, which would have meant we had failed the mission.
Four long hours had passed, and we could finally see the view of the school peaking through the trees. By the time we had reached the academy gates, it was four o'clock in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set.
It didn't look like anyone had arrived yet. We could see Coach Rhyder standing by the gate.
"Congratulations, you're the first group back," he announced. A satisfied grin plastered on his face.
His attention then turned to me. "And how did she do on her first mission?"
I had honestly forgotten about that, I still had to be chosen if I became part of the team. I looked at Kael, wondering what his answer would be. I mean I didn't pass out losing time. If it weren't for me, they probably would have been back sooner.
Kael's gaze met mine. My heart raced.
"She did well," was all he said.
My eyes widened in surprise. I thought he would have cut me loose.
I was then pulled into a bear hug by Taylor and Darien before they pulled away.
"See I told you we were lucky to have you," Taylor said before ruffling my hair.
"Welcome to the team Akilah," Coach Rhyde said. "I knew you were going to be fit to be a part of the vanguard."
"Now you guys have tomorrow and the rest of the weekend off!"
We thanked him, before he went towards the second time to arrive. We walked through the gates, through the campus, a few students walking around.
Darien instantly wrapped his arms around Kael and Taylor. "Well, that was an eventful mission."
"I'm just glad it's over, but more importantly I'm glad Akilah over here gets to be a part of the vanguard," Taylor said giving me a smirk.
I blushed a little.
"I'm starving, I need real food. Whose coming with me to get some food," Darien said.
"I do," Taylor answered before he and Darien walked off together.
Now it was just Kael and me. I turned to walk away. Before I could leave I felt a hand grabbing my wrist. I turned to face him. He looked at me with a serious gaze, before gently letting my hand go.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I-I just wanted to ask if you're okay after the mission," he said.
I wasn't sure how to feel about his question but I answered anyway. "I'm fine, I would just like to get some rest. It's been an eventful couple of hours for me."
"It may have been eventful, but truly you were a great help," Kael said.
"So you're saying that I do belong on the team," I asked.
He chuckled before walking away. He turned over his shoulder. " I guess I will see you at practice kitty." He said before turning back around and walking off.
I sighed, he really isn't going to let that nickname go.