Song: dark academia/royalty playlist

When I opened my eyes I was on the cliff again.

The waves were crashing against the obsidian rocks with anger. Sickening shades of dark blue glared at me from the decaying scenery below. I felt nothing sweet in the wind for there was nothing kind to breathe in. The tall trees were silently wilting with no life to their decaying leaves.

Everything around me was dying.

Like all the other times before, I fell as I finally got my bearings. Through the vision crowding darkness came the strong sound of Mother's voice. Calling out to me while the void stole the once-pretty landscape away.

I closed my eyes and surrendered to the fall.

From Mother's eyes I watched her shout words of praise and give firm commands. My Pack, although the same way I'd last left it, was alive with disarray. Wolves ran to and fro, no pups were out. The youngest I saw was a Warrior named Aidan. He'd just turned eighteen a few weeks ago if I wasn't mistaken.

Fear was alive inside his muddy brown eyes.

A wall of magick surrounded our borders with evil eyes glaring through from the other side. Gamma Fray's haunting eyes were frightening compared to her sickly pale skin. After seeing Pride overexert himself, I recognized the signs of fatigue in his mother. Gamma Fray was a powerful Witch, that much was clear. But even she had her limits with magick.

"Front line, shift!" Mother shouted. The cracking of bones filled the air with a twisted melody. Shades of brown, grey, white, and black fur emerged from the snarling Warriors. Father's large wolf growled, snapping his jaw as he advanced past his best Warriors and stood alone at the front.

Through the determination hammering within Mother's heart I felt a spike of fear shoot up her spine. The sight of her Mate so close to danger, so out of reach, made her waver in her orders for a split second. But like the level headed Luna she was, Mother pushed aside her own feelings and focused on the needs of her Pack.

"When you let the barrier down, I want you and Nicholas to get to the pups as quickly as you can," Mother said. Her internal emotions were everywhere but her steady voice betrayed none of that. From the corner of her eye she watched Pride's father bound over to his exhausted Mate. Gamma Nicholas pressed his side against his wife. The brown hues of his fur meshed with Gamma Fray's dark pants and shirt.

"Luna!" My heart jumped at the familiar voice. Anxiety filled my entire being as Mother nodded for Mera to speak. She was a mess with her dirty face and scratches lining her skin. But that's not what I noticed first. The first thing I saw was the fishtail necklace I'd given to her before leaving. The one she was to wear if Syrena was actually-

Just over her heart was the indent of a Mermaid's tail burned into her white skin. She and Syrena were Mates. And, they were married now too.

Envy, heartbreak, and happiness all attacked me from different angles.

It was in this moment I realized that I never mind linked Mother once a day like I promised I would. Sure, I felt her reaching out through our bond every now and then to confirm I still breathed. But that was it. She never pushed me to speak, or to send news of our progress. And I, I never offered anything of the sort.

I didn't reach out to Mera on the day of her birthday to confirm her and Syrena's relationship. Nor did I take the time to reach out to Father or any other of my Packmates. No one knew I found my Mate. I simply threw myself into the task at hand and tried my hardest to avoid any other distractions.

And that was perfectly ok.

The old Venus would've been beating herself up for being so inconsiderate of others. But the person I was becoming understood the meaning behind one of Mother's sayings.

In order to see the bigger picture, a Luna must ignore the trivial matters clouding her judgement. She must always look past the little things that try to dictate her mind, Venus. For only by letting go of that which exists to distract her, can a Luna truly see what she's meant to do.

Mother was doing exactly that right now.

She was ignoring the anxiety regarding Father's safety and focusing on her Pack. She was giving orders while keeping an eye on Gamma Fray's weakening state. She was biding her time and preparing for what was inevitably going to come.

Mother was putting aside her own trivial matters in order to focus on the bigger picture.

I'd been doing the same so I didn't feel guilty because I knew they would both understand. Mera as my friend and Mother as a fellow Luna would both see I was doing my best to save us all. I...

I was doing my best to save us all.

I breathed easier as I watched through Mother's eyes. Mera nodded towards the South, where our borders met the rushing river. In the distance I made out men and women with cold expressions and scales lining their fair skin. Short barbles of different colors hung from their scalp, moving in time with the blowing wind.

The sharp ends of their bone spears dripped with fresh crimson blood.

"Syrena and I convinced the Mermaids of the nearby rivers to fight with us," Mera said. Despite the cries of early war surrounding her, she smiled like a lovesick fool when she saw Syrena.

"Good," Mother replied. "Take the Deltas and their division to fight alongside the Mermaids."

"Yes, Luna."

I watched with pride as my friend repeated the order, rallying her own band of troops to her side. She vanished within the crowd of Werewolves and Mermaids. The last I saw of the tall she-wolf was her messy mop of short brown hair.

Stand strong, Mother thought. Opening her mind link, she broadcasted her words to our whole Pack. Protect each other, keep an eye on the enemy, and never give up! Tonight, we avenge the fallen! Tonight, we show these Dark Witches that there will be no repeating of the past! We will not fall! We will not be made slaves!

Howls of approval greeted her words as she completed her shift and fell to her paws. Power I'd never felt in my entire life pulsed throughout her strong body. She stood tall, aware of the authority she possessed. With a flick of her stiff tail, the barrier of blues and greens fell and the Dark Witches were let in. Gamma Fray scrambled onto her Mate's back and he bolted away from the battle.

Father growled, shouting a command so loud that I felt it from miles away. Attack!

Warriors flanked Mother's side. She closed her eyes and expelled her gift onto the Werewolves fighting on the front lines. Mother bared the weight of their slashed skin and broken limbs as they fought for their Pack.

When I blinked I was falling again.

Through time and space I let myself go, trusting that this was once again the Moon Goddess' doing.

I opened my eyes to the unfamiliar scenery of books and rusted weapons. I didn't know where I was until the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg wafted over me.

Dion.

The Alpha King was impatient, circling a map of America with pins stuck in every state. Ten were marked with red and five with black. The remaining 35 pins were purple. My own state being of the latter color.

"You worry," a soft voice called.

Dion scoffed, sealing a white letter with his royal insignia. He handed the stack of letters to a dark she-wolf standing silently in the corner. Peeking out from beneath her high collar was Dion's mark burned into her neck. She was a Packmate's of Dion meaning he was at home in Alaska.

This was a room in his kingdom I'd never been permitted to see before.

"I worry because my people are fighting yours over what should've remained in the past," Dion spat. The silent she-wolf slipped out the door with his messages. As my cousin turned to face the unknown voice, my gut screamed at the realization of her identity. Red hair, green eyes, and a knowing smirk on her wide lips. She wasn't just of the Pridesong bloodline. No, I knew that not anyone would be allowed to lounge so casually in Alpha King Dion's private study.

This had to be the Oracle.

"My people, your people." The Oracle rolled her bored eyes at him as she wagged her finger. "Such words are the reason this new war is brewing."

"No." Dion crossed the room, joining her at the window. He looked down on the youthful Witch from a dominant stance. Not a drop of intimidation filled her mysterious stare. "We're here because Witches can't get over the fact that they're not the superior race anymore. We're here because your people can't stand that we're equals now."

"Are we?" Tilting her head to the side, the Oracle analyzed my cousin before turning her gaze to the snow outside. "Equals, I mean."

"Don't tell me you agree with their actions-"

"I neither agree nor disagree," she replied curtly. "Just like I am simply a Witch. I am neither Dark nor White. I side not with my people nor yours. This budding war is not something to be agreed upon but to be seen. That is why I'm here. To see my prophecies bear ripe fruit."

Dion balled his hands into tight fists. "Are you saying our fall is inevitable? Death or slavery, there's no hope for us at all?"

"I said no such things." Stroking her long red braid, I watched this woman that was hundreds of years old, but didn't look a day over thirty. "And there will always be hope. Even the darkest room holds a candle of light. One must only be brave enough to seek it out."

Weighing her words carefully, Dion joined the Oracle where she sat. They looked through frosted glass into the courtyard below them. Dion's pup played with the safety of thirty Warriors watching over him.

"How is she doing?" Dion asked. "How are they all doing?"

"They're changing the tides," the Oracle replied. She spoke slowly, as if choosing her words carefully. "I can feel it within me. These six are a powerful bunch with a high resilience. But, everything they do, everything they say, it's being watched."

"By who?"

"The stars." Dion bristled and the Oracle let out a chuckle. "They're not as horrible as you wolves make them out to be. Why, I once heard through the grapevine that a descendant of mine gave a star to her Werewolf Mate to prove her love. And you know what? He adored that star from that day forth."

"Fray Pridesong and Nicholas Nightwind."

"Mhm," the Oracle hummed. "So, you see? Even the wolves chase the stars as we Witches do. Just as the Mermaids use them for guidance and Vampires rely on them for signs. Every race has a connection to the stars whether they like it or not."

"Why?" Leaning forward, Dion let his guard down as he neared the older Witch. He was curious, much like I was, in the ways of knowledge. "Why the stars? Why this prophecy? Just, why?"

"Why the stars? That's an easy one," she teased. "Who came before us?"

"The Gods."

"And before them?"

"The stars."

"Yes, and who came before the stars?"

Dion opened his mouth but nothing came out. He was at a loss for words. No reply came to mind so he shook his head. "I don't know."

"No one does. Not even the stars." The Oracle watched the young pup with something akin to yearning in her eyes. It was the same look I noticed from Pride on the rare occasions Leo and I were openly intimate in public. Fergus looked at me the same way when memories of Catherine came to light within my broken mind.

It was a look of wanting something that could never be had.

"Whether they were the first in Creation or the second, no one knows," she continued. "One day, they weren't there. And the next day, they were with no instruction on how to live or act. They're neither good nor evil. They're neutral in their simplest forms."

"But the prophecies-"

"I said they were neutral, not emotionless," she interrupted. Her pensive stare left Dion's pup, settling on the aging king once more. "Why the stars? Because they are powerful and they are mysterious. They interest us. Tempt us into the unknown. They bring prophecies every now and then and we concede to them. Some end well and others don't."

The Oracle shrugged, rustling her black fur coat. "This is their world, Dion. We're all just living in it."

"Well forgive me for the lack of enthusiasm," Dion shifted, "but that doesn't sound comforting."

"Facts rarely are comforting," the Oracle retorted. "After living for so long, that's one of the many lessons I've learned, Dion. You would do well to remember that. Pass it onto your children..."

Dion watched her, curiosity bubbling within him. His mind was racing as he pulled bits of information together to form precise lists. Using memories and facts, he pieced together a reality I'd never known existed.

"When I was a pup, I asked my father why you hung around the castle so much," Dion said. "He never told me why you lived here and not in Salem. No, Father would just tell me that one day I would know for myself. One day, I would see."

The Oracle raised an arched brow, urging him on with her silence.

"You're here to protect me," he whispered. When the Oracle said nothing in reply, Dion sat up straighter and crossed his legs. Lacing his fingers together, the Alpha King engaged the Oracle in a small battle of wits. "With no monarchy left, you knew that the Witches and Warlocks would look to your family for guidance. The Pridesong's, the most powerful bloodline left in existence. The last direct descendants of the oldest families first created by Terra and Mage."

The Oracle smirked, a playful glint filling her warming eyes.

"You're the oldest family member therefore your word is law. But you can't tell your family not to attack Werewolves." Hollowness enveloped Dion's entire being as he repeated the words he told me. "Prophecies can't be stopped."

"No, they cannot," the Oracle agreed.

"You can't stop the stars," Dion grinned, "but you can watch over me. A kingdom without a king is easier to pick apart when there's no one left to unite them. You being here means that no Witch or Warlock would dare attack this Pack."

"What was in those letters?"

Ah, an attempt at distraction?

"Orders for the ten smallest Packs to join forces with their neighbors. Houses can be rebuilt but their lives cannot." Waving off her next set of questions, Dion pushed on and asked, "Am I right?"

"To an extent."

"Where did I go wrong?"

"When you assumed I was doing this entirely for you," she chuckled. "I'm not."

"If not me, then who?"

The Oracle sighed, picking at her skin tight leggings. The top of her black boots moved in circles as she pondered Dion's words.

"In your world, wolves are often forced out of Packs if their Mates have magick or belong to any other race," she said. "Hybrid's get discarded like trash at rundown orphanages. Some don't even get to take their first breath before an accident happens."

I couldn't help but think of Fergus and Catherine. Their child, the original Pride, never even had the opportunity of being born. He was taken far too soon and for matters that were no fault of his own.

"Earlier, you said we were equals. I think you say that because your mind hasn't yet been touched by what goes on outside your Werewolf world." The Oracle pointed outside, beyond the snow capped mountains and foggy skies. "Beyond your borders are descendants that don't deserve to suffer for the sins of their ancestors. Dark Witches and Warlocks are not born, Dion. They are made."

Her green eyes were roaring when she glanced at him. "Can you honestly say that we're equals? With everything we go through everyday, I'm surprised there aren't more Dark Witches and Warlocks. Out there fighting for a world where they're not made to feel like freaks..."

An uneasy feeling filled Dion's chest. Both he and I heard the truth ringing within her words. Me even more so now that I knew of Pride's own troubles.

"Your people, my people. We're all at fault for not letting the past remain where it belongs," she said. "The stars, they see into our hearts. They find what we can never let go of. And when they need to, they use it against us."

"And how is that not evil?"

"Painful lessons seem to be the only one's people ever truly learn from," the Oracle countered. "The stars know this and they utilize it through those chosen by prophecies."

She was right. Damn her, but she was right.

I knew so because I was one of those "people" she spoke of.

A lesson that left a scar was a much better experience to learn from than one that left no mark at all.

"Those chosen by prophecies..." Dion twisted his golden bracelet tying him to his Mate. The intricate woven thread grazed over his calloused fingers as memories of me as a young pup came to mind. "Like Venus and Leo."

My heart stopped beating right then and there. From Dion's memories I remembered the night he explained the prophecy to us. That odd feeling I felt when I asked what Leo's parents did to have the seventh star claim him came back. Dion had ignored my question then.

I got the feeling I was going to find out why now.

"You told me years ago that Leo made his bed in another life. What does that mean? You can tell me now," he said. "It's not like Venus is around. I won't break and tell her."

"Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai," the Oracle replied. "Devdas and Paro. Paris of Troy and Helen of Sparta. Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Khosrow and Shirin. Heloise and Peter Abelard. Emperor Jahangir and Anarkali. Cyrano and Roxane. Hagbard and Signy."

"I don't understand-"

"Lancelot and Guinevere," she continued. "Tristan and Isolde. Aeneas and Dido. Pedro de Portugal and Inês de Castro. Hero and Leander. Pelléas and Mélisande. Troilus and Cressida. Romeo and Juliet."

The Oracle looked at Dion with the knowledge of a thousand lifetimes in her eyes. "The stars choose wisely who will fight these battles for them. Venus and Leo being chosen by something as trivial as what their mothers did was irrelevant. They've been pawns for centuries and they don't even know it."

"Past lives?"

The Oracle nodded. "Tell me, of the seventeen pairs I named, of which there are hundreds, how many did you recognize?"

"Four."

"And do you remember how their stories ended?"

Dion swallowed thickly, staying quiet. A block went up within his mind, preventing me from seeing whatever it was Dion realized. My stomach felt queasy as I tried my hardest to remember the spoken names.

Dion might've recognized four but I recognized none.

"Be wary of the lion that you mistake for a lamb. For it will be the very last mistake you may ever make," the Oracle said. "There's a sacrifice coming. And we all best be ready for when it's made."

I screamed as I fell out of Dion's body and into the abyss. The presence of the Moon goddess wrapped around me gently but I couldn't stop my flailing. I needed to go back. I needed to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Take me back," I begged. "Take me back to Dion!"

No. It's time for you to wake up now, Venus. The battle with Fergus is not yet through.

My eyes flew open and I shot out of bed. Silent screams of anguish ricocheted throughout my body but I paid them no mind. All I wanted to do was put as much distance between the hunched figure at the edge of the bed and myself as soon as I could.

"Blue Eyes," Leo whispered. I melted into his hug as he embraced me from behind. The trembling I wasn't even aware of ceased as Leo drew warm circles over my healed stomach. "It's ok, Blue Eyes, breathe. He's not going to do anything."

The battle with Fergus is not yet through.

Fergus wasn't going to do anything? My ancestor said elsewise.

"We'll see about that," I said. "We'll see about that."

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QOTD: There are two sides to every story. What do you think of the perspective the Oracle provided Dion? Why do you think the Moon Goddess showed Venus what was happening at her Pack and the discussion Dion had with the Oracle? What are your thoughts about the stars now that you know more about them? Any theories about those 17 pairs and past lives comment?