Luna Aurora novel (Alpha Fenrir) novel Chapter 331

Chapter 331

The air in the sanctuary felt heavier than usual, thick with unspoken truths. Elyra sat on a stone bench, the shard cradled delicately in her hands, still faintly pulsing from the overwhelming vision she’d seen earlier. Althea stood before her, a solitary figure bathed in moonlight. The ancient guardian’s silver hair shimmered as if it had captured the light of the stars themselves, but her eyes carried a weight that no amount of beauty could conceal.

“You saw him, didn’t you?” Althea’s voice broke the silence, soft but firm.

Elyra nodded slowly, her hands tightening around the shard. “I saw Dain… lost in shadow. He was… different. Cold. Empty.”

Althea stepped closer, her long robes flowing like ripples in a still lake. “What you saw was not set in stone. The shard reflects potential futures, not certainties. But the further he strays from balance, the harder it will be to bring him back.”

Elyra looked up, her jaw tight. “Then why does it feel like every path leads to the same ending? Him lost. Me alone.”

Althea’s lips pressed into a thin line, her expression unreadable. “Because you do not yet understand the cost of balance.”

Elyra stood abruptly, the bench scraping against the stone floor. “Then tell me!” she snapped, her frustration boiling over. “Tell me what this prophecy really means. What aren’t you saying?”

For a long moment, Althea said nothing. The silence stretched, broken only by the distant hum of the shard’s energy. Finally, the ancient guardian spoke, her voice tinged with a sadness that made Elyra’s chest tighten.

“You think I’ve always been this,” Althea said, gesturing to herself. “A guardian of balance. A keeper of the Moon’s prophecy. But once, long ago, I was like you—full of hope, love, and an unshakable bond.”

Elyra frowned, confused. “You mean… you had a mate?”

Althea nodded. “His name was Kael. He was my light, my anchor. Together, we believed we could defy the prophecy, find another way. But the shadows are insidious, Elyra. They do not break you all at once. They whisper, they tempt, and before you realize it, they’ve taken everything.”

Elyra’s throat tightened as she saw the faintest glimmer of tears in Althea’s usually stoic eyes. “What happened to him?”

Althea turned away, her voice trembling despite her effort to stay composed. “Kael embraced the shadow, believing it would make him strong enough to protect me. At first, he resisted its pull, but the power… it changes you. I tried to save him, to bring him back. But in the end…” She paused, taking a shaky breath. “In the end, I was forced to destroy him.”

Elyra staggered back, her hands flying to her mouth. “You… you killed your mate?”