Song: When You Fall in Love With Someone playlist by WHATDAPAN

"Venus, open your eyes," the Moon Goddess murmured.

When I opened them, I knew I was still in a dream world. Thankfully, this picturesque view was much better than my previous nightmare. Before I'd been drowning in thick blood and hundreds of unborn children. Blue smoke tethered itself around me and held me underneath the crimson current.

It was the worst nightmare I'd ever had in my entire life. And it was all because of the dagger...

The dagger I liked so damn much.

I slipped my dark hand into the Moon Goddesses pale one. Cold strength filled my aching bones as she helped me stand. Strands of silver wove around me in a long train of an ethereal dress. We were back on the cliff in Delaware. The same place she'd married her Mate.

"Why do I keep seeing you?" I asked. "Mother says you haven't been involved in your descendants' lives for a long time. So, why now?"

Why me?

Her small lips widened into a sad smile before she squared her shoulders and wrapped an arm around me. We faced the roaring sea together, watching shades of dark blue crash into obsidian rocks.

"I'm here because I want you to win." She was shorter than me and yet, it felt like she was towering over me. The conviction I heard within her voice was much stronger than Mother's had ever been. I could see now where our teaching's of how to be a perfect Luna came from.

"So you'll help us?" The loud sound of hope wasn't lost to me as I looked into her crystal blue eyes. The very same ones she bestowed unto me and many others.

"I will do everything I can to steer you in the right direction." The Moon Goddesses cryptic response made me feel a little queasy. It wasn't until I remembered what Dion said did I finally understand.

She could nudge us along and help out here and there. But she couldn't directly insert herself into the prophecies. Apparently these rules applied even to the Gods.

It was a peculiar piece of information for me to absorb. I used to think the Gods were like the stars. I thought they could do whatever they wanted to.

"The stars supersede my birth," she said. The Moon Goddess smiled, confirming that she'd read my mind. "Yes, there are things that even I must follow. Regulations and bylaws. The annoying matters of elevated policies."

She rolled her eyes, frowning at the sea. "Even so, there's some wiggle room anywhere if you look hard enough."

"And what wiggle room do you have with us?" The wind howled suddenly, drowning out the last of my words. It almost made me chuckle that even in a dream my hair was still pulled into a low bun. My ancestor, however, didn't have that same luxury. Her knee length hair whipped around us in a silver tornado, making her small nose twitch.

"These artifacts my siblings left behind..." Her hand slipped into mine as she led me away from the cliff. We settled behind a large tree and listened to the wind's loud whistles for a short spell. "I forget, but does your branch of the family know about the fight that took place?"

"Sort of," I answered. "But we don't know what happened. Can you tell me?"

The Moon Goddess tucked her forest green dress under her knees and leaned against the cold bark. A cold mask slipped over her alabaster hued face. I glanced at the black wolf burned into her skin, just over her heart, and touched my own empty chest. She had what I so desperately yearned to have with Leo one day.

I was a little jealous.

"Well, in the beginning, Alpha and his siblings were the first Gods," she began. "There was Alpha, the Werewolf God. Lilith, the Vampire Goddess. Mage, the Goddess of Magick. Essence, the Elemental God. And the youngest was Grace, the Fair Folk Goddess."

Creation was such a confusing concept. I'd heard thousands of stories over the years with each one being more different than the last. After a while, it was difficult to tell which one was conjecture or truth.

"Me and my eleven siblings came after and I think that's where the trouble began." I watched her face for any signs of emotion but was left finding none. She was the true master at this whole Luna thing. I could definitely learn a thing or two from her.

"Why's that?"

"Well, when Alpha and I married we started to expand and flesh out our creations," she replied. "Before he met me, Werewolves didn't have Mates. Afterwards, they did. It was then we realized that Werewolves were becoming stronger than the other races."

"By the power of the Mate bond." It made sense. Many wolves drew immense strength from having their Mates. It was the reason we could stand a chance against a Witch that had magick or a Fair Folk that had a silver tongue. There was very little that could fight true love and actually win.

"Exactly," she nodded. "Alpha's siblings felt there wasn't a balance like there used to be. And that's where the divide came from."

"Is this where your siblings come in?" I asked.

"Yes." The Moon Goddess picked at her dress as she glanced at me with pursed lips. Her light scent of cedar and oak wafted over me. She reminded me of the forest after a light rain when all the trees smelled their strongest. "My sister Pluto was in love with Lilith. As the Goddess of Death, it was her that helped Lilith make some of her creation immortal. When Pluto realized she was used for her power only, she vanished."

"Vanished?"

There was a tiny crack in her mask. Just below the twitching of her pale pink mouth. "Yes. The heartbreak of Lilith's manipulation caused her to go into a catatonic state. Venus says Pluto's doing better but I haven't laid eyes on her in eons."

"Oh..."

I didn't know what to say. The thought of Leo using me and then leaving me behind made me sick to my stomach. And we weren't even in love yet.

"Things got even more complicated after that," she chuckled humorlessly. "Venus helped Mage strengthen her creations' magick. She made it so that Witches could give true love whereas Warlocks could take it away with their spells."

Well that sounded an awful lot like the Ring of Love.

"My brother Earth helped Mage too." She tucked a stray hair behind my ear before continuing with her story. "His power was similar to Essence's albeit a bit weaker. But it's where they got their elemental abilities from."

"What about Grace?" I asked. Where did the Fair Folk Goddess fit into this?

The Moon Goddess clenched her teeth. A look of pure irritation crossed her composed features, shattering the serene mask. "Grace was in love with me. When I didn't return her feelings she sided with Mage. Effectively tying the children of magick and deceit together."

I recalled Pride's words of Dark Elves and Dark Witches always sticking together. Everything was starting to make a little more sense now.

"Mars and Essence were lovers but they never tampered with each other's domains." A sad expression overtook her face before the mask of coldness slipped back on. "The disagreement did cost them too, though."

"What was the disagreement?" It felt like we were dancing around the issue instead of actually discussing it. Right now, I was tired of the exposition and ready for the climax.

"Salem, Massachusetts was where the First Battle was held," she replied. "The rift between the Gods had bled into the minds and hearts of our creations. A boiling point was reached and when it was over, everyone was left on different sides."

"Find the Eight Orbs where hope was first lost. For only they could bring back what is now gone," I repeated. A light bulb went on over my head as the puzzle pieces fell together. "Salem was where the first fight between the races occurred. The outcome ended in our enslavement, didn't it? That's why there was a split. Some of the Gods cared but others didn't."

"Yes." Her blue eyes sparkled with pride and I felt my metaphorical feathers ruffle at that.

"For only they can bring back what is now gone..." Rising to my feet, I walked back to the cliff and watched the crashing waves. The water was brighter and the sun was finally starting to show its face. "Pluto was gone. Solis and you always sat out family disputes. At least, that's what I'd always been told..."

It was there on the tip of my tongue. The thing I was missing was right there.

Old Spice and lavender invaded my senses. I shuddered at the breeze that carried Leo's musky aroma. And then, it clicked.

"Mercury is the Goddess of Knowledge." Remembering the feelings I felt when wielding the Dagger of the Mind, I turned back to the Moon Goddess. Her eyes were bright with glee as she watched me piece everything together for myself. "In one word, how driven would you say she was to always know everything?"

"Very."

Wringing my hands together, I took a hard look at myself and paired it with the dagger's intent. "I don't like being in the dark. I hate not knowing things. I always want to be the smartest, the best leader."

And that's why the dagger called to me. The artifact could sense my weakness and exploited it.

The Moon Goddesses nod spurred me further into the rabbit hole of mystery.

"Sky's drawn to the Ring of Love which takes and gives true love," I continued. "I don't know why that is but we'll circle back to that later."

Pacing back and forth, I breathed more of Leo's scent in. It was odd. Even though he wasn't here in my dream, it was as if I could physically feel him beside me.

"Reign was eyeing The Chronicle pretty hard which has everyone's stories in there." The more I thought of Reign, the more I realized how little I knew about him. Besides the annoyed, book nerd persona he showed us. There wasn't anything I knew about him that went beyond his high walls and bored expressions. "But he can't just be drawn to it because he likes to read..."

No one cared about the Apple of Eternal Life so I didn't even bother thinking about that item.

"And Pride, he seemed pretty drawn to that sword..." And the sword came from Mars. A little ironic that the God of War created the Blade of War but whatever. Maybe they weren't too creative on names back then.

Regardless, the blade gave its user wins in all battles.

"Jericho said that there was an inscription on the sword." I looked to the Moon Goddess and asked, "Do you know it?"

"Whomsoever wields this blade, shall fall by it one day," she recited.

Meaning that what was the most powerful blade in the world, was literally a double edged sword. It was both a favorable and unfavorable weapon. It promised a guaranteed victory but with a high cost.

"Pride isn't bloodthirsty," I murmured. "But he's loyal. Fierce. He'd do anything to protect his Pack."

And the sword allowed him to do just that without any possibility of failure.

"The artifacts are taking advantage of our deepest desires." Hitting myself on the head, I ran towards the Moon Goddess and kneeled beside her. "Hope wasn't what was lost that day, was it?"

She shook her head.

"Have the eight of them been together since then?"

"No," she replied. "No, they haven't."

Hope wasn't lost that day. Something bigger was. Something I was certain the Six Stars were about to experience as well if we didn't sort ourselves out.

"I need to wake up now." Leo's scent became stronger, engulfing my entire being in his warmth. Before either of us could utter another word, the land beneath me crumbled and I fell once more. The Moon Goddess whispered her same obscure message that she'd be with me until the end and I jolted awake.

"Ow!" I yelped. My forehead smacked against something hard and I swung my arm up in defense. When I opened my eyes Leo was rubbing his forehead while I held the Dagger of the Mind to his throat. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to take the dagger from you." I withdrew the blade from his neck, relieved that I hadn't cut any skin. My gaze fell to the toxic dagger and my mouth grew sour at the sight. That same, destructive greed from earlier was pulsing from it through me. The need to use it again was mounting the longer it stayed in my possession. "Venus, give me the dagger."

I wanted to. By the Moon Goddess, I really wanted to give him the dagger. But it was like all the strength I recovered from my dream disappeared when I returned to the real world.

"Venus," he whispered. My eyes snapped to him when his normally soft voice dipped into the husky territory. "If you give me the dagger, I'll give you a kiss."

I gave him the dagger.

The urge to use it again diminished as he left to put it inside the dresser. As I sat up in the bed, I looked down on the large shirt that covered me. It wasn't mine. One sniff of the collar let me know who it belonged to immediately.

Old Spice and lavender.

"Did you change me?"

"No," Leo chuckled. Sitting beside me, his shaky finger brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "Flora did. You were covered in blood and Pride didn't want to stain the sheets."

Of course he didn't.

"Where are we?"

"Pride's cottage," Leo replied. His warm eyes crinkled as he took in the sight of me. Goosebumps rose over my bare legs and I did my best not to fidget. "Apparently his mom grew up here. Gwendolyn said that it was his now. We can stay here as long as we need to and no one will try anything."

How nice of Gwendolyn to do that for us.

"Did Pride tell you who she was?" I tightened the blanket around my waist and sat up straighter. The old headboard knocked against the wall, making my mind run with possibilities...

"Nah." His large hand touched my left leg over the blanket. Even though there was no skin on skin contact, my body still reacted as if he had. More goosebumps arose and I completely forgot about the wound that was there earlier. "He's been weird since the library."

"Weird how?

"He's not really talking unless he's giving orders." Leo rubbed my calf over the thin blanket. The comfort from his touch eliminated the voice in the back of my head, egging me on to take back the blade. It was effortless the way he erased everything negative within me by touch alone. "He fixed everyone up, did some stuff in the garden. I think he and Flora are cooking dinner right now."

"And the others?" I asked. "Where are Sky and Reign?"

At the mention of the siblings his eyes darkened slightly.

"Reign's in the library reading The Chronicle and Sky's in her room," he said.

"With the ring?"

"With the ring."

My stomach turned at that. "We need to take it away from her. The Chronicle needs to be taken from Reign too. I had a dream and-"

Leo placed a long finger to my lips. My mouth tingled at the simple touch. "Why don't you save it for dinner? That way we'll all be there."

"Ok," I muttered.

Leo grazed the back of his knuckles against mine and I breathed a sigh of relief. Did this mean we were going back to how things were before it happened? I wasn't sure but I needed to know.

"About what happened-"

"Venus-"

"No, let me say this," I interrupted him. Leo bit his bottom lip but nodded for me to continue. Taking a deep breath, I dropped my gaze to my clasped hands so I wouldn't lose focus and pushed on. "I know that we can't be close because it'll hurt me even more if we fail at completing the prophecy. I know that your little touches are your way of telling me you still care. I know that you're not trying to hurt me. I know these things and I get it."

Finding strength in being who I was, a future Luna, I threw away the foolishness and fixed him with a stern glare. "But you have to remember that the Mate bond won't accommodate our situation just because of a prophecy. You have to remember that it's going to keep trying to push us together until one of us breaks and gives in."

I silenced his words with a shake of my head. His mouth snapped shut and he went back to nibbling on his bottom lip.

"And when those breaks happen, you can't freeze me out," I whispered. For twenty years I'd perfected my strong nature and sleek mask. But now, in this moment, I put aside my Luna training and opened myself up to him. I didn't want my mask to stand between us because we had enough distance as it was. I wasn't keen on adding anymore. "You can't just pretend that I don't exist and go an entire day not looking at me. You can't make me feel bad for acting the way I did when you acted the same way too."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and ignored the tears welling up. "You can't be so cold. Not to me. I have enough to worry about right now and I'm sick and tired of adding heartbreak to that growing list."

Please, my heart begged. Please.

Leo took my hands in his, raising them to his warm lips. His soft mouth pressed a gentle kiss to my knuckles. My heart stuttered at the quiet intimacy but I didn't let myself fall too fast.

"And you need to talk to me too. Like, actually talk to me," I added. "I love your journal, I do. But so far your journal hasn't told me your favorite color and I don't think it ever will."

He murmured something against my skin and I tightened my hold on him.

"I know it's hard for you to talk about yourself." His art kept proving that to me time and time again. "But I need you to try for me. If not now, then eventually."

I wanted to fall in love with Leo beyond his splattered paints and graphite sketches. I wanted to fall for his words more because I knew I could. I knew I could.

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Mhm." Leo brushed his lips over my skin once more before raising his eyes to mine. His thumb swiped over a tear I didn't even know had fallen. He cupped my cheek and I leaned into his warm touch. "I, I thought that by making you hate me maybe..."

"Maybe we wouldn't be intimate again?" I finished. Leo nodded and I frowned. "I could never hate you."

Leo grinned at that and I smirked at his lopsided mouth. "Don't let your ego get too big, Alpha. I don't think I'm capable of hating anyone."

Leo pressed a hand to his heart, feigning pain. I giggled at his poor theatrics because I knew just how giddy he really was. After all, we did share the same heartbeat.

"In that case, let's amend our old rules." Leo's playful eyes glimmered as he raised the blanket. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I moved over to make room for him. His broad body plus me wasn't big enough for the twin bed we occupied. Our bodies were pushed against each other leaving no room for anything else.

He firmly gripped my bare legs and swung them over his. Tucking us both in, I leaned into the arm he settled around me and looked up at him. His nose bumped mine before he pulled back. "Ignoring you was the second hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life."

"What was the first?"

"Not touching you the way I want to," he smirked. I rolled my eyes at his duh tone and held back my grin. "Seriously though. I hated treating you that way, Venus."

His mouth skimmed the shell of my ear. I turned my head to the side as if trying to run away from the goosebumps he caused to emerge from my heated skin.

"I'm sorry," he murmured against my skin. His apology seeped into the sweet spot he'd one day Mark me at and filled my heart with solace.

"Thank you." I didn't believe in saying things were ok after someone gave me an apology. Because nine times out of ten, whatever they were apologizing for wasn't ok. If you told someone it was ok after they hurt you, you were giving them permission to hurt you again. Why? Because you'd gone and said it was ok.

Leo was stepping out of his comfort zone for me right now and I appreciated that. What he did wasn't ok. But, it was understandable.

So I thanked him.

"But, I have a request too." I raised a brow at that and waited, my interest piqued. "I know the whole Luna training thing. My mom put Ava through it too when we were growing up."

His warm eyes flashed with pain at the mention of Ava. I wanted to comfort him so badly. But when I remembered Mother's words of pain being a good thing, I held my gift back and waited. This was the first time he'd acknowledged Ava in my presence. I wanted him to say whatever he needed to say while he felt safe to do so.

"I don't want you to act like that around me." His cheeks became pink as my brows went up higher. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I like it when you're in Luna mode. It's really hot-"

"You think I'm hot?" I teased. Pink blush spread over his neck and enveloped his cheeks entirely. I laughed, trailing a finger over the rouge brushed skin. "Pink looks good on you, Alpha."

"Venus," Leo whined lowly. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly, averting his eyes away from me. "I'm trying to talk to you."

"I know, I know." I laughed at his darkening blush, letting my hand fall to his side. "I'm sorry. Go on."

Leo fixed me with a poor attempt at a stern glare. It quickly crumbled under my jesting gaze and he laughed loudly. A breathtaking smile overcame his truly happy face. When I saw the corners of his eyes crinkle, I realized that this was the first time I'd seen Leo smile so genuinely.

It made my heart swell with adoration that I was the reason behind it.

The dagger made me hunger for knowledge. But now, I hungered to see that smile again. Once a day, at least. No. Maybe twice?

I wasn't so sure. All I knew was that I wanted to go the rest of my life seeing that authentic grin whenever I could.

"What I was trying to say," he continued. "Was I don't want you to be like that when it comes to me and you. I love seeing you strong and taking control. But between you and me, I don't want the Luna mask there."

I'd already decided it wouldn't be there. Still, I wanted to drag this moment out a little longer.

Leaning against his shoulder, I glanced up at him and asked, "What do you want then?"

Without missing a beat he replied, "All I want is you."

I was still alive but I swore to the Gods my heart stopped beating right then and there.

"I want the Venus that hates coffee and takes her jasmine tea with two sugars and a spoonful of cream." Licking his lips, Leo leaned down a little closer. "I want the Venus that makes lists in her journal to make sense of things. I want the Venus that loves pickles even though they're disgusting as fuck."

"Hey-"

"Sh." Leo's finger tapped my lips, an impish grin playing on his lips. "I want the you you are that goes beyond becoming a Luna. Do you understand me?"

I refused to melt under his Alpha tone. Refused.

Boy, that shit was hard to do.

"Yes." Gazing at his nearing lips, I pulled back a little and said, "You know you never answered my question."

"Which one?"

"The one in the car." His lips ghosted mine but neither of us took that final plunge. "Have you ever had sex before?"

"No." I tangled my fingers in Leo's soft hair, massaging his scalp. He gave an approving groan before asking me the same question. "Have you?"

"No."

"Well..." Knocking our foreheads together softly, he blushed even harder at our admissions. "Knowing that doesn't keep my hormones in check any better."

I laughed airily and shook my head. It was like he thought I wanted him to keep himself in check.

As if reading my mind, he smirked and pressed a brief kiss to the tip of my nose. "Stop looking at me like that."

His hand fell to my thigh, tracing the outline of his shirt on me. "Is this ok?"

I hummed, loving the domestic intimacy more than the lustful one from before. "I think this would be a better way at handling our Mate bond. Maybe if we keep it satisfied with moments like this, we won't be pushed into what happened before."

"I think you're right," I agreed. "Honestly, I had a feeling that happened because we were avoiding each other too much. It was like the bond felt rejected."

A peaceful quietness enveloped us. I played with his black hair as he drew shapes and patterns on my thigh. Bliss was all I felt the longer we stayed hidden away in our own world.

Since first meeting Leo I was wholeheartedly, unequivocally, and incandescently content. Not even the stars could take this moment from us.

"Venus."

"Hm?"

"What's your favorite color?"

Tilting my head back, I fell into his cocoa hued eyes and I already knew the answer. Before, it used to be green. But now, the beauty of brown was all I could see.

"Brown," I replied. "What about you?"

He tugged my hair free from its low bun and wrapped my velvet scrunchie around his thick wrist. I giggled at the sight of the big bad Alpha and his hot pink hair tie. Gazing at me with warmth in his eyes, he said, "Silver."

I touched his lips with my eyes and the yearning returned once more. Only, unlike before, this wasn't raw and carnal. No, this was a tenderness that I felt only for him.

It was love in its infancy. A mere seedling of what would one day bloom brighter than a lotus surrounded by mud.

"Can I kiss you?" Leo asked. Our lips teased each other when he spoke. My heart sang at the almost kiss and I nodded eagerly. "Use your words."

"Kiss me," I begged.

I thought my heart would stop beating again when his lips finally met mine. I was wrong. What happened was the exact opposite.

The fluttering in my chest intensified. Nothing in the world mattered except for the way his petal-like lips slanted against mine. The way he drew me in for more had me dizzy within seconds.

Our partings for air only lasted mere seconds before we'd lean back in to claim each other again and again. His hold on me tightened as our fingers laced together. Keeping my other hand tangled in his hair, I fell deeper into everything that was Leo. Zero regrets weighed down our hearts as they finally sang a happier tune.

Since first meeting Leo I was wholeheartedly, unequivocally, and incandescently content. Not even the stars could take this moment from us.

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QOTD: What do you think of Venus's revelations? Did you like Venus and Leo's talk? What was your favorite part of this chapter?