Chapter 6: The Moon’s Call

The night air was thick with silence, yet Celestia could feel the weight of unseen forces pressing down on her. Even after leaving the Ashen Ruins, the visions Vera Nightshade had shown her clung to her thoughts like shadows.

She lay awake in her chamber, staring at the ceiling as the faint glow of moonlight seeped through the window. Every time she closed her eyes, flashes of the battlefield returned—Darius standing over a fallen enemy, the Lycans howling under the crimson moon, and the strange power coursing through her veins.

The prophecy was unfolding, and she wasn't ready.

A sudden chill swept through the room.

Celestia's breath hitched as she sat up, her eyes darting toward the window. The temperature had dropped unnaturally, and a faint, almost whispering sound filled the air.

Then she saw it.

A figure stood just outside her window, cloaked in silver mist. Its form was indistinct, shifting like smoke in the wind, but the glow of ethereal blue eyes bore into her soul.

A voice echoed in her mind.

"Come, child of the moon."

Her pulse quickened.

She reached for the dagger beneath her pillow but hesitated. Something about the presence didn't feel entirely hostile. It was cold, ancient, and filled with longing.

Slowly, she rose from her bed, stepping toward the window. As she got closer, the mist swirled, forming what looked like the outline of a woman.

Celestia swallowed hard. "Who are you?"

The figure did not answer. Instead, it lifted an arm and pointed toward the dark expanse of the forest beyond the pack's fortress.

The whispering voice returned.

"Come and remember…"

A sharp pain shot through Celestia's head. She stumbled back, clutching her temples as a rush of images flooded her mind—

A woman standing beneath a full moon, silver hair cascading down her back. A lunar crest burned into her palm. A pack kneeling before her. The words of an oath whispered in a forgotten tongue.

And then—darkness.

Celestia gasped as the vision ended, her chest rising and falling in ragged breaths.

She knew what she had seen.

The first Luna.

---

Before dawn, Celestia made her decision.

She had to follow the vision.

Darius wasn't going to like it, but she couldn't ignore the pull in her blood, the way her body felt as if it was being guided by something older than her own existence.

Dressing quickly, she strapped her dagger to her thigh and pulled on a cloak. With silent footsteps, she slipped out of her chamber, moving swiftly through the fortress halls.

Just as she reached the outer gates, a voice stopped her.

"You're not seriously thinking about going alone, are you?"

Celestia froze.

Elias Voss leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed, eyes sharp despite the early hour. The Beta always had an uncanny ability to sense when something was amiss.

She sighed. "Elias, I—"

"I don't want to hear it," he interrupted, pushing off the pillar. "Wherever you're going, you're not going alone."

Celestia hesitated. Bringing Elias meant more eyes on her, but it also meant protection. She wasn't sure what she was walking into, and as much as she wanted to prove herself, she wasn't reckless.

"Fine," she relented. "But we move quickly and quietly."

Elias smirked. "That's my specialty."

Together, they slipped into the forest, moving under the veil of dawn.

---

*The Forgotten Altar

The whispers led them deep into the woods, past the hunting grounds and beyond the rivers that marked their territory.

Hours passed before they found it.

A forgotten altar, hidden beneath vines and crumbling stone. It was ancient, its carvings depicting the phases of the moon and symbols Celestia didn't recognize. The air hummed with a strange energy.

"This place feels… off," Elias murmured, scanning the area.

Celestia stepped forward, heart pounding. Her fingers brushed over the weathered stone, and the moment she made contact, everything changed.

A rush of power surged through her veins, and suddenly she wasn't in the forest anymore.

She was somewhere else.

A vast, open field beneath a sky filled with two moons—one full and bright, the other blood-red. Warriors clad in silver stood in formation, their eyes glowing like stars.

And at the center stood the First Luna.

Celestia staggered back, breathless.

This wasn't just a place.

It was a memory.

A battle had been fought here. Blood had been spilled. Oaths had been made.

Her vision swam as the First Luna turned toward her, their silver eyes locking. And for the first time, Celestia heard the name that had been lost to time.

"Astraea."

The name rang through her soul.

Then—

A voice snarled from behind her.

"You shouldn't be here."

Celestia snapped back to reality just as a figure lunged from the shadows.

A rogue.

Elias moved in a flash, intercepting the attack and slamming the rogue into the ground. A feral growl escaped the attacker's lips as he struggled against Elias's grip.

Celestia stepped forward, dagger in hand. "Who sent you?"

The rogue spat blood onto the dirt, eyes gleaming with defiance. "You think you're ready for the truth, Luna?"

Elias twisted the rogue's arm. "Answer the question."

A smirk curved the rogue's lips.

Then—he bit down on something in his mouth.

Poison.

Within seconds, his body convulsed, and then—he was still.

Celestia's stomach twisted. He had killed himself rather than give up information.

Elias cursed. "That's never a good sign."

Celestia took a shaky breath. The enemy was already watching her.

Whoever they were—they knew.

She turned back to the altar.

The name still rang in her mind.

Astraea.

She didn't know what it meant yet, but one thing was clear.

Her past—the pack's past—was tied to something far greater than she had imagined.

And the enemy wasn't just waiting.

They were hunting.

---

End of Chapter 6.