Song: sad songs playlist by CHILL VIBES

A day's rest spent in Leo's arms made me more than ready to figure out who the Two Lovers were and put everything behind us. So with the promise of a better future, we devoured what was left of the Pridesong library in search of clues. Salem seemed to be the hot spot for prophecy related quests so we were hoping the final step would be here too. But so far, there wasn't much luck.

As it turned out, there were plenty of ill fated "lovers" throughout Salem's history. Some committed suicide together. Others had to watch their true love die and then live the rest of their life in agony. The worst stories to read were when the lovers didn't die. But instead were forced to live apart.

Stories like those made me feel sick now that I had Leo in my heart. I couldn't imagine living the rest of our lives without each other being present. I just couldn't.

The only upside to the readings was that I was yet to come across any of the seventeen pairs the Oracle told Dion about. It made me feel relieved that even in our past lives we weren't entangled with the Pridesong clan's shenanigans. However, I also knew that now I'd have to go to Reign for information regarding the identities of the lovers. I could tell by the tone of her voice that their stories were likely to have met sticky ends. Nevertheless, I was prepared for the worst regarding our past lives.

Knowledge was a burden but it was also power. I couldn't afford to let the fear of the unknown control me. Not while we were so close to ending this war. Thus, I ate a slice of humble pie and convinced myself to ask Reign if he knew anything about the lovers from my past.

"Where are you going?" Leo whined as I untangled myself from his arms. Our freshly made bed was surrounded by a mountain of open and closed books. Weathered pages of light brown with perfect calligraphy danced across each page.

"I'm gonna go check on Reign and Sky," I said. "See how they're doing today."

"He's still not speaking and she's still in bed. What's there to check on?" Leo's soft gaze swept over my body with an approving look. He loved when I wore his sweaters because they were so big and loose on me.

"I'm cursed by the second star, remember?" Cupping Leo's cheeks, I pulled him into a gentle kiss. I teased his bottom lip with a quick nibble before leaving him hanging. "While I'm sure we've all enjoyed the day of silence yesterday, I can't stop worrying about them. No matter how awful they are to me, I care about their wellbeing."

Well, that and I needed information from Reign. Pride was plenty busy with reading and perfecting his magick once more so he was my last resort for now. Reign read any and everything regardless of genre so I had a feeling he was my best bet.

"I'll be back," I promised. "Keep reading."

Leo rolled his eyes at my raised brow, trying to keep his smile from showing. "Fine," he mumbled. He faked a pout but I knew he enjoyed watching my backside walk out of the room. The way his gaze pierced my skin was something I felt so often it was impossible to mistake as anything but Leo's eyes.

The library was a mess and Reign was at the center of it all.

Books were haphazardly arranged on the coffee table. Fresh stains of spilled drinks lined the edge of the pages. Lined paper, crumpled or crisp, were pinned to the wall. Strings attached each thumbtack to the other. He stood silently, with his octagon glasses still cracked, observing each written line.

"Yes, I'm still reading. No, I don't know who the Two Lovers are. And I'm not hungry, Flora," Reign sighed. His all black silhouette slunk closer to the diagram, tearing down a page and throwing it into the fire. Pride's blue flames burned the creased page within seconds, leaving only ash in its place.

I ignored his gruff voice and pulled out the piece of paper I'd hidden in Leo's hoodie. Even though Reign kept his back to me, I offered it to him with what I hoped was a peaceful expression. "Actually, it's Venus. I need your help with this."

"What is it?"

"Look for yourself," I urged him.

Reign shook his head before roughly snatching the paper away. Annoyance lined his exhausted features making him look older than he actually was. The cracks running through both lenses distorted his beady brown eyes. They looked like a mosaic of shattered glass. His stern face hardened even more as he pursed his lips in deep thought.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why these names?" Reign asked. His empty gaze met mine and he tapped the paper for emphasis. "I highly doubt any of these stories have anything to do with the Two Lovers we're searching for. None of them are related to Werewolf or magickal lore whatsoever."

So this was Leo and I's first lives as Werewolves? That was kinda trippy to know.

"It's just something I'm interested in learning more about," I lied. I kept my voice steady and expression blank to conceal the dishonesty coming out of my mouth. I hadn't even told Leo about that dream yet. Even though Reign barely left the library, the last thing I needed was for him to mention this to Leo in passing.

I didn't want Leo to freak out until I had more than seventeen names from our past to give him. Not when we'd come so far in our relationship. He'd freak out and pull away. I knew he would.

Maybe I was selfish to keep this dream to myself. But, I didn't care. I finally had Leo's heart and he had mine. I wasn't going to allow anything to jeopardize that.

Not even the stars.

"Just something you're interested in?" Reign snorted. "I didn't think tragic love stories would float your boat."

Reign ducked his head, rattling off the first pair of lovers. "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. The Butterfly Lovers from the Eastern Jin dynasty."

His mouth twisted into a small sneer as he sat at the edge of the couch. Dragging his fingers through his dull, black hair, Reign peered at me over the frames of his glasses. His pensive stare almost made me squirm.

Almost.

"Zhu Yingtai was the ninth child of a wealthy family descended from Dilong. Dilong are dragons of the earth and they control the way rivers and streams run. Anyway, Zhu convinced her father to let her pursue a higher education in the disguise of a man," he said. "She left home for Hagzhou and met Liang Shanbo, a scholar, on the way there. He was descended from Shenlong. Shenlong are spiritual dragons that control the wind and rain."

I wondered if that's where the material for the Slippers of Discipline came from. Dragons didn't exist in the West so it was highly unlikely the Gods skinned a dragon from here to make the slippers.

"They studied together for three years at school where Zhu fell in love with Liang. One day she gets a letter from her dad saying she has to come home. So, before she leaves she told the headmaster's wife she was a woman. Zhu gave her a jade pendant to give Liang as a betrothal gift." Reign stared into the fire with a bored look whereas I was completely enthralled. It was fascinating to hear my past life with Leo unfold. I wondered who was who in that life.

"Did he accept it?"

"Yeah, but not as a betrothal gift," Reign replied. "Liang was too into his studies. He never noticed that his "Sworn Brother" was a little too feminine compared to the average man. Zhu never gave up though since she swore they'd be together for eternity. On their journey home she tried to work past his stupidity and nonchalantly reveal that she's a woman."

I was definitely Zhu in that life.

"Did it work?"

"No, because Liang is a clueless twat," Reign snorted. Something between a grimace and a smile emerged before his permanent frown returned. "He missed all her clues so Zhu said she'd hook him up with her "sister" before they parted ways. When Liang comes back later and realizes Zhu's a woman they fall deeper in love. They make a vow that's the equivalent of "till death do us part."

Ah. yes. Here came the angst.

"Their reunion didn't last because Zhu was arranged to marry a wealthy merchant. When Liang hears the news he's so heartbroken that he gets sick and dies in his office," Reign said stoically. "On the day of Zhu's marriage the strong winds prevented everyone from escorting Zhu beyond Liang's grave. Some say that it was Liang's ancestors, the Shenlong, controlling the winds so she couldn't pass. Others say it was the vow they made. Most think it was a combination of both."

"And you?" I asked. "What do you think?"

"I don't think anything," Reign chuckled darkly. "There are better things to entertain my collective brain cells with. Foolish lovers and idiotic promises aren't one of them."

It took everything within me not to bristle at his comment and keep a straight face. His heartless mannerisms were really starting to rub me the wrong way. We were complete opposites in every way but one, the pursuit of knowledge, and it showed.

"Anyway, Zhu left to pay her respects to Liang's grave. But when she gets there, she realizes she can't leave and begs for the ground to open up. When it does she jumps into Liang's grave and dies instantly." Reign rolled his eyes. "Their spirits emerged as butterflies and they spent eternity together in the afterlife. The end."

Reign read the next pair and rolled his eyes once more.

"Devdas and Paro were childhood best friends descended from Jokkho. Supernatural, warrior guardian things that bestowed wealth and fertility onto people. Devdas was wealthy and Paro was middle class," he continued. "They fell in love as they grew up so one day Paro's mom proposes marriage to Devdas's mother as per custom. The proposal was rejected because Paro came from a family of lower rank. And then this whole bullshit back and forth goes on until Paro goes and marries this widow with three kids."

Well, we definitely screwed up in that life.

"Devdas becomes a heavy drinker, slow suicide, and goes to Paro to see her one last time. Before they parted ways they vowed to see each other before they died but Devdas was too late. He died on her doorstep. Paro's family prevented her from meeting him when she tried to run out the door," Reign finished. A pinched expression befell his face as he passed the paper back to me. "They all ended bad, Venus. I don't see the point in repeating the same story but with different names over and over again."

"Surely that can't be it," I insisted. I knew there was a possibility of them not having the greatest endings. But for all seventeen of them to end in failure? Surely there had to be some light in the darkness of their stories. Because if all these stories ended in tragedy, what did that say about the stories the Oracle didn't mention? What did that say about Leo and I in this life? "There has to be more."

"Except, there isn't." Reign gave me a dirty look, clearly irritated by my persistent presence. "Paris and Helen fell in love, ran away, and started a war because Helen was married with a kid. Paris dies and she goes back. The end. Mark Antony and Cleopatra fell in love, had kids, led a monarchy, faced invaders, etcetera. Long story short he stabbed himself after thinking Cleopatra committed suicide. She didn't and he ended up dying in her arms. She killed herself days later. The end.

"Khosrow and Shirin, another tragic story there," Reign laughed. It was an empty laugh with no mirth to it. His laugh, annoyingly so, reminded me of the pity laughs my family gave Dion after he cracked a bad joke. It made me bitter to connect the two instances. "They were in love and engaged until Khosrow's son killed him so that he could marry Shirin. Shirin killed herself when she heard the news and they were buried together. The end.

"Heloise and Peter Abelard, possibly one of the dumbest love stories I ever heard of." Reign sighed, leaning back so that he could stare at the ceiling. "They fell in love, had a kid, and kept their marriage secret. The illicit affair would've negatively impacted Peter's career so they tried to keep it quiet. The secret got out anyway and they basically lived the rest of their lives apart from each other. The-"

"Stop saying, the end, and get on with the other stories," I snapped. He was trying my patience and I was dangerously close to snapping. Sure, I'd never been into romance stories before either. But even I knew better than to poke fun at the heartbreaking one's in a condescending tone and rolling of the eyes.

It hurt even more to know that it was technically my stories he was ridiculing.

"Emperor Jahangir and Anarkali were in love but Jahangir's dad didn't approve," Reign said. He ignored my words and me as he continued to ramble dully. "Anarkali was enclosed in a wall and she died there. Cyrano and Roxane, barely remember that one. They fall in love, something about letters, and he eventually gets injured. As he grows delirious Roxanne confesses her love for him and Cyrano dies.

"Hagbard and Signy fell in love but they weren't allowed to be together. Signy set her room on fire, killing herself along with her handmaidens that agreed to die with her. Hagbard was overjoyed," Reign side eyed me, "with her faithfulness to him. He was hanged seconds later."

The secondhand embarrassment for "past" Leo and I in that life was too much. I avoided Reign's jeering gaze, silently stewing over the stupidity of that story. Hagbard was overjoyed by her suicide? What the fuck kind of faithfulness was that?!

"Lancelot had an affair with his friend's wife, Queen Guinevere. Their stupid affair is the reason her kingdom falls, husband dies, and the Round Table come's to an end-"

"Did they commit suicide?"

"No," Reign replied. "They just died apart, heartbroken or whatever."

Or whatever.

I pitied whoever became Reign's Mate. I truly did.

"Tristan and Isolde follow the Lancelot and Guinevere storyline. The only difference is that Isolde's husband doesn't die and their kingdom remains intact." Reign picked at a piece of lint, toying with it as he furrowed his brow in concentration. "Tristan leaves the kingdom so that no harm befalls Isolde. They love each other until the day they die, all while married to other people.

"Aeneas and Dido fell passionately in love," another eye roll, "but Aeneas got sent away. Dido killed herself. Pedro de Portugal and Inês de Castro were royal lovers that, you guessed it, had a tragic ending. Pedro's dad, King Afonso, didn't approve of the relationship and had Inês murdered. Pedro takes his revenge and kills everyone involved with Inês's death but it's not like that changes anything. Their children watched their mother get decapitated and they were still illegitimate bastards."

Reign shifted uncomfortably, setting his gaze on the simmering flames. Bastard. That was the word responsible for his break in cold demeanor.

Bastard.

Like Sky.

"Hero was a priestess that lived in a tower in the middle of water," Reign said with uncertainty. "Leander fell in love with her and would swim every night to see her. She lit a lamp at the top of the tower to guide him. One day a storm blew out Hero's light and Leander drowned after losing his way. She killed herself when she saw his body. When their dead bodies were found embracing each other the locals buried them in a lovers tomb on shore."

"That's enough," I whispered. "I've heard enough."

"Why?" Reign chuckled. "We've still got three more stories left. Pelléas and Mélisande. Troilus and Cressida. Romeo and Juliet. I thought you wanted to hear how all of them end?"

"Let me guess, death, suicide, and more murder?" I asked. A smile overcame my tight frown but it wasn't a genuine one. The longer I stayed in Reign's dark presence the more I felt myself sour from the inside out.

"Don't give me an attitude," Reign hissed. "I told you they all ended tragically. It's not my fault that you always need to know everything. Take your emotions elsewhere because you won't find any comfort here."

"Only a fool would expect comfort from you." Giving the unaffected Beta a quick once over, I shook my head at his cold stance and tossed the list into the fire. "Thanks for the information. If you'll excuse me, I have to go check on Sky."

Reign's dark eyes bored into mine with a cryptic look flooding his irises. I wavered for a moment in my exit, half expecting him to say something, anything about his half sister. Maybe he could explain why he was so keen on goading her into killing him. Or maybe he could shed some light on why he was so scared for her safety in Thunder Forest. Even going so far as to hold onto her when the "lights" went out.

If I waited long enough, maybe Reign would give me more than snarky comments and exasperation.

"Venus."

"Yeah?"

I felt my hope rising.

"Make sure you close the door on the way out," he mumbled. The stoic wall went back up, masking what few emotions that'd managed to slip through. "And tell Flora I'm still not hungry."

He turned his back on me.

I turned my back on him.

The door slammed shut and I left him in the cold where he was content to dwell alone forevermore.

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QOTD: Why do you think Reign has always been so cold and straightforward? Any ideas on his out of character moment of affection for Sky earlier? Now that you know about the people the Oracle mentioned, how do you think it'll influence Leo and Venus in this life?