Chapter 7: Shadows of the Past

Celestia knelt before the ancient altar, her fingers tracing the deep grooves of the lunar symbols. Astraea. The name whispered through her mind like an echo of something long buried—something forgotten yet still alive within her blood.

Elias stood nearby, his body tense as he kept watch for any more surprises. The rogue's sudden attack had left them both shaken, but Celestia couldn't ignore the deeper significance.

Someone didn't want her discovering the truth.

"We need to move," Elias said, his voice low. "More could be watching."

Celestia swallowed, nodding. She cast one last glance at the altar before stepping back. "This place is important. I can feel it."

Elias grunted. "It's also a death trap. Let's go."

They turned away from the forgotten ruins, slipping back into the thick forest. But Celestia's thoughts remained on the vision, the First Luna's piercing silver eyes, and the strange feeling that she had seen her before—somewhere beyond memory, beyond time.

Who was Astraea, and why did the name stir something so powerful inside her?

---

By the time they returned to the fortress, dawn had stretched across the sky, casting golden hues over the towering stone walls.

They had barely stepped past the gate before a familiar voice rang out.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Darius.

Celestia turned to see the Alpha striding toward them, his dark eyes flashing with barely restrained fury. His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen—his jaw was clenched, and his fists were tight at his sides.

Elias muttered, "Well, this should be fun."

Darius came to a halt in front of Celestia, his gaze sweeping over her before narrowing in suspicion. "You disappeared before dawn. And you," he turned to Elias, his tone edged with irritation, "thought it was a good idea to sneak out with her?"

Elias crossed his arms. "She wasn't going alone."

Darius exhaled sharply, his anger barely contained. "Celestia—explain."

She met his gaze, unflinching. "I was led to the ruins beyond the hunting grounds."

Darius's expression darkened. "Led?"

"I saw something—someone." She hesitated, then said the name that had burned itself into her mind. "Astraea."

The reaction was immediate.

Elder Magnus, who had been standing nearby, stiffened. His weathered face paled, and for the first time since she had known him, there was something that almost resembled fear in his eyes.

"You—where did you hear that name?" Magnus demanded.

Celestia frowned. "I told you, in a vision—"

"Impossible," Magnus muttered, shaking his head. "That name has been lost for centuries."

Darius turned to the elder, his brows furrowing. "You know this name?"

Magnus hesitated, then gave Celestia a searching look. "Not here."

Without another word, he turned and walked toward the elders' chambers. Darius exhaled sharply and motioned for Celestia and Elias to follow.

The silence between them was heavy as they stepped into the Council Hall, a large chamber built within the fortress, lined with ancient tomes and symbols of the Saints Moon Pack's lineage.

Magnus shut the doors behind them before speaking.

"Astraea," he said slowly, turning to face them, "was the First Luna."

Celestia's breath caught.

Darius frowned. "The first?"

Magnus nodded. "The woman who stood beside the very first Alpha of this pack—who forged the foundation of what we are today. But her name was erased from history long ago."

Celestia felt a shiver run through her. "Why?"

Magnus hesitated before speaking. "Because she disappeared."

Silence filled the room.

Celestia's fingers curled into fists. "Disappeared?"

Magnus nodded. "One night, under a blood moon, she vanished from the pack's lands—leaving no trace behind. Some believed she betrayed the pack. Others claimed she was taken. But one thing remained certain—after Astraea's disappearance, the Saints Moon Pack was never the same."

Elias muttered, "And now Celestia is seeing her?"

Magnus's expression darkened. "If you are seeing Astraea, then something far worse is coming."

Darius's jaw tensed. "You're saying this is tied to the prophecy?"

Magnus nodded grimly. "The Lost Luna's Return—that was part of the prophecy the elders tried to bury."

Celestia felt something shift inside her. The vision, the rogue's warning, the power she had felt at the ruins—it was all connected.

She wasn't just following Astraea's path.

She was walking in her footsteps.

---

The weight of the revelation pressed heavily on Celestia's chest. She had thought the prophecy was about her—about her powers, her destiny. But what if it was something older than she had realized?

"Why would they erase her name?" she asked.

Magnus's gaze was unreadable. "Because Astraea wasn't just a Luna. She was something more."

Celestia felt her pulse quicken. "More?"

The elder's expression turned grim. "She was the first to wield the power of the Lunar Saints."

The room fell into silence.

Celestia exchanged a glance with Darius, whose expression had turned unreadable. Lunar Saints. She had never heard that term before, but something deep within her recognized it.

It felt like a missing piece of something vast—something that had been waiting to be found.

Darius finally spoke, his voice low. "If Celestia is connected to Astraea, then the Lycans might already know."

Magnus nodded gravely. "If that's the case, then war is coming faster than we anticipated."

Elias cursed under his breath. "Fantastic."

Celestia took a deep breath. She had a choice to make.

She could keep running from the visions, hoping they would fade.

Or—

She could embrace them, uncover the truth, and wield the power that Astraea once held.

The path forward was uncertain, but one thing was clear.

She could no longer ignore who she was meant to become.

---

As Celestia left the Council Hall, she felt Darius's presence beside her. The tension between them had not eased, but his anger had turned into something else—something closer to worry.

Finally, he spoke. "You should have told me."

Celestia sighed. "I had to follow it, Darius. It wasn't something I could ignore."

His jaw tightened. "I know. But if the Lycans find out—"

"They already have," Celestia interrupted, remembering the rogue's smirk before his death.

Darius's eyes darkened. "Then we have less time than I thought."

Celestia clenched her fists. The visions were not just dreams.

They were warnings.

And now, as the moon rose once more, she felt the distant howl of something watching—waiting.

The prophecy was no longer coming.

It had already begun.

---

End of chapter 7.