Celestia: The Cursed Witch

ix

“This woman in front of you is Roxy,” Kieran said. After breakfast, he had asked Celestia what she wanted to do, and training immediately came to her mind.

“She’ll be in charge of your training,” Kieran added. Roxy bowed her head and smiled politely.

“Good morning, Luna,” she greeted, making Celestia blush.

“N-No… just call me Celestia,” she replied shyly. Roxy turned toward Kieran with a teasing smirk.

“We’re still getting to know each other, but she'll eventually become the Luna,” Kieran explained. Celestia elbowed him and glared making him chuckle.

“Right,” Roxy said with a small chuckle. She was three years older than Kieran and his sister’s closest friend. “So, Alpha, what are you doing here? Supervising your mate’s first training session?” she added playfully.

“Yes, can I?” he asked.

“No,” Roxy said flatly. “I want Celestia to focus, and your presence here will defeat the purpose of this training,” she added as she crossed her arms.

“Roxy,” Kieran warned, but she simply raised her brows.

“Kieran, go,” Celestia said gently. “Roxy’s right. You might distract me, so it’s better if you head back. Just wait for me at the packhouse, hmm?” she added.

Kieran felt as if the world had collapsed on him. With slumped shoulders, he nodded.

“Alright, darling. I understand,” he said, turning away. “I’ll see you later,” he added before walking off.

“Dramatic as usual,” Roxy muttered, shaking her head. Then she turned to Celestia. “I’ll be honest with you—I’m going to be strict with your training,” she added.

Celestia gulped.

“I heard everything from Kieran. You have heavy responsibilities on your shoulders, and I want to help you grow stronger so you can face them,” Roxy said more softly.

“I understand, Roxy. And thank you,” Celestia replied.

“Good,” Roxy said with a nod. “Now, we’ll start with the basics—your stamina.”

After an hour of stamina training, Roxy stopped Celestia, who was huffing as she sat on the ground.

“Celestia… your stamina sucks,” she said, shaking her head. “If I were the one after you, I would’ve already caught or killed you,” she added.

“But I could take you out with my powers,” Celestia replied after steadying her breath, making Roxy grin.

“You could—if you catch me first,” Roxy shot back. Celestia pouted and wiped the sweat off her face.

“We’re going to do this every day. Building stamina is important; the rest will follow,” Roxy said as she sat next to her and handed her a bottle of water.

“Can I give up now?” Celestia asked jokingly.

“No,” Roxy replied. “Now you understand why witches were always in the backline during the war,” she added.

Celestia groaned. Witches were weak in physical strength, so they mostly relied on their powers.

“I’m a half, though,” she said. Celestia had asked Renee once who her father was, and Renee told her the truth—her father had been a member of the Shadowclaw pack but died in a fight with rogues.

“Say, Roxy… where’s the cemetery around here?” she asked, turning her head toward her.

“I can take you there, but who are you going to visit?” Roxy asked.

“Peter,” she replied.

“Celestia, there are a lot of Peters buried in that cemetery. Who exactly are you talking about?” Roxy asked, raising her brows.

“Peter who died in the rogue attacks twenty years ago, I think,” Celestia said with a shrug.

“I don’t know who that is. Do you have any more information?” Roxy asked.

“No, nothing,” Celestia said. She hadn’t bothered asking Renee for details about her biological parents—Renee had always been enough for her.

“We can visit all the Peters, though,” Celestia said, as if it were the brightest idea she’d ever had.

“Seriously?” Roxy asked.

“Yes?” Celestia replied, grinning.

“Alright, fine. I’ll take you on your little quest to find Peter,” Roxy said, shaking her head. “Get up, we’re going,” she added as she stood up. She offered her hand, and Celestia gladly took it, allowing Roxy to help her up.

“I’ll just get my things so we can head to the cemetery. You can wait here,” Roxy said.

Celestia nodded in response and watched Roxy sprint toward the training barracks. She returned two minutes later.

“Let’s go,” she said.

They walked toward the cemetery, chatting casually along the way. Roxy was the daughter of Eden and Klay, the previous Beta of the Shadowclaw pack. She was friends with Kieran’s sister, who was the same age as her. Roxy had been injured during one of the fights against the Brotherhood Abyss and decided to become a trainer instead.

“That was brave of you, Rox,” Celestia said.

“I was scared for weeks. Couldn't go out or eat until Klaudia slapped the s**t out of me,” Roxy replied with a chuckle. “The cemetery’s inside the forest, by the way,” she added.

“It’s alright,” Celestia said.

“How do you feel about Kieran?” Roxy asked as they continued walking.

Celestia clasped her hands together and looked at the trees.

“I think… he’s someone I want to get to know more. Being around him is comfortable, and he makes me happy,” she admitted shyly.

“I’m happy for both of you,” Roxy said. “As an only child, I grew up with Kieran and his sister. I treated them like my own siblings. They’re kind—strict, but definitely kind,” she added.

“I felt it when I first met him,” Celestia said, recalling the time she bumped into Kieran while crying her heart out. “Are we there yet?” she asked.

“Almost—just two more minutes,” Roxy replied. “Klaudia will be back next week,” she added.

“Is she Kieran’s sister?” Celestia asked.

“She is,” Roxy confirmed. “Here we are. Let’s go find the Peters,” she said as they entered the cemetery, reading the names on the tombstones one by one.

“Hey, I found a Peter here,” Roxy muttered.

Celestia walked over to her and read the details on the tombstone. She did the math in her head and shook her head.

“That’s not him. He’s way too old,” she said.

They continued searching for more names.

“Not him either,” Celestia whispered to herself.

“Why don’t you ask Alpha Solomon for the details? He might know who Peter was,” Roxy suggested.

“I don’t want to bother them with this,” Celestia replied with a sigh.

“Celestia, don’t move,” Roxy said firmly. “Stay where you are,” she added. Celestia glanced at her, confused—and that’s when she saw them. Three large wolves stood near Roxy.

“Rogues.”