Song: PoV playlist by Martine Malfoy
What exactly does one say to the woman whose life ended just so you could be born?
What's up?
Thank you for dying so that I could live?
I'm sorry Mother sacrificed you so that she could have me?
Literally all of those options were trash.
Grandma laughed a soft laugh that sounded like the chiming of sweet bells. It was a quiet tinkle much unlike the deep resonance of her voice. She softened within her shades of moonlight, smiling upon me as if I was the silliest thing in the world.
"It's alright, Venus," she said. "I've forgiven my daughter for what she did a long time ago. I've made peace with how things have turned out."
Grandma held her hand out for me and I rushed forward like an excited pup. For the first time in my life I was with my grandma. She was real. She was here and, luckily for me, she wasn't as crazy as everyone remembered her to be.
That was a nice bonus.
"I wish I had more time with you. I'd love to tell you how proud I am. Not just of you but of my sweet Serene too," she murmured. Her warm thumb drew soothing circles over my own trembling hands. I knew this moment wouldn't last forever but I savored this instance for what it really was.
A blessing.
"But, she's almost here. The second star. We're out of time." Grandma sighed before wrapping me in a quick hug. She was warm and strong, like Mother. "Tell my daughter I love her. Tell her that it's ok. I'm ok."
The Moon Goddess and her powerful presence interrupted our embrace, calming the chill of the cold wind. My ancestor beamed at me with pride causing my chest to swell with emotion.
She must not have looked too deeply into my mind if she could still smile at me so widely...
"She's here." Luna nodded over my shoulder. I turned around and watched as from deep within the thicket of trees came...
Me.
My mouth fell wide open as I watched a copy of myself walk towards the three of us. Everything about me was right there. The long silver hair, the black skin, the face, the walk, everything.
The doppelganger had everything down to a T. Even Leo's now gone hoodie covered her, my, body.
"What the actual fuck...?"
"The stars have no real physical form," Luna explained. "So they take the shape of those already in existence. I suppose she's chosen you this time around."
Oh, fuck me. This was all kinds of wrong.
"Hello," Cheap Knock Off Venus said. "My name is Thalia and I'm here to bear witness to your decision."
"Thalia? I thought you were the second star."
The corner of Thalia's lips, my lips, curled upwards into a half smirk. "I am the second star. I go by many names."
And many faces apparently.
It took everything within me to suppress my shudder as Thalia came closer. Standing before me like a funky Halloween mirror, I watched as her bright blue eyes shifted to the lake. I saw nothing but our own reflections. Nevertheless, I knew that she was seeing something else. Something more.
I could tell by the way her eyes became round with wonder.
There was something disturbing about seeing your own eyes light up with interest. Even more unsettling was to watch it happen when they weren't on your face.
"What do you see?"
"A fight," Thalia murmured. "The Pridesong Clan and their band of followers have found you all. Your Mate and Pride are doing their best to fight the first wave but I don't see them lasting much longer. They have great wounds, but who knows? An Alpha and a Hybrid...
Perhaps they'll last longer than I hypothesized? After all, they do make for quite the powerful duo in battle..." At this point Thalia was practically talking to herself. The fascination that filled her low voice made me feel sick.
For a brief moment, I wondered if it was physically possible for me to strangle a star and get away with it. It was definitely something to consider.
"Where are Reign and Flora?"
"Looking for Jack, protecting your unconscious body." Thalia waved me off with disinterest, fueling the growing disdain I held for her. "Y'know, I must say, young Reign has surprised me the most. Seeing as so many of his stories ended in death, he was definitely not the piece I expected to make it until the very end. If he survives the night then I owe one of my brothers a hefty price for the loss of my wager."
"Piece?" I repeated. "What do you mean by piece?"
Thalia speared me with a look that pretty much screamed, Are you stupid? It was jarring how much I looked like Mother at that moment. Or, how much she looked like Mother at that moment?
Fuck, I hated this.
"Piece as in chess. Like a game."
Like a game.
This bitch.
"Delphi told me that the stars were neutral. So did Luna. Why is it, then, that I'm seeing nothing but cruelty when I think of all that you stars have done?" I hissed.
"Venus." Luna's unspoken warning didn't go unnoticed by me. Unfortunately for her and Thalia, I didn't care.
Yeah, that's right.
I. Didn't. Care.
There seemed to be a lot of me not giving a shit going on lately. And, if I was being honest, I wasn't sure if it was due to pregnancy hormones or me being sick of my claim by the second star.
Probably both.
"We're not just pawns to play with in your game of fate and destiny," I snapped. "We're people with very real emotions and very real lives. What gives you the right to bet on us, toy with our hearts, and act like it's nothing?"
Thalia narrowed her eyes. Oh, look! There was a little surprise there.
That stupid smirk, however, remained plastered on her stupid face. My stupid face. Our stupid face?
Oh, fuck her and her stolen face!
"No one has ever spoken to me that way before."
"Maybe they should," I grumbled.
"Oh? And why's that?"
"Because I deserve better than this!" I shouted. "We all do. Jack and Flora deserved a chance to be Mates. I deserve to live my life with Leo and our child. Reign and Sky deserved a chance to have a family with each other. And Pride, well, Pride deserves the whole fucking world as far as I'm concerned! We deserved all of that and yet, not all of us are going to get that."
"I'm sorry-"
"Sorry doesn't fix everything. Nor does it undo all that's been done."
"-but," she continued, "that's life. No one gets everything that they want or deserve. Prophecy or no prophecy. Claiming or no claiming. It doesn't matter. Life has always been unfair and it will continue to be so until the end of time."
I hated the pity within her eyes because I knew that it was real. Whatever chord my little outburst had struck turned out to be a very real one because I couldn't deny her words. Not when her voice was thick with an emotion I knew better than anything else in the world.
Compassion.
"I know that life isn't fair," I said. My little pity party before being snatched away to come here more than proved that. "Everything is temporary. Life, love, happiness, everything. For us it's an entire lifetime but for you stars and Gods it all passes by within the blink of an eye."
I laughed a bitter laugh and dug my nails into the sleeves of Leo's hoodie. I wasn't going to cry. Not yet at least.
"Y'know, I came here to offer myself in place of Leo and Flora. I came here to beg and grovel for their lives because, honestly, I'm ok with dying if it means the people I love get to live."
My admission hung heavy within the tension filled air. If she was surprised then she didn't show it. Thalia just watched me.
True to her nature, the stars were always just watching.
"But this," my hand came to rest over my belly, "changes everything. Because once you become a mother, everything that you want takes a backseat to what they need. My baby needs me and they need their father."
"So, because of your baby, you're going to let Flora die tonight?"
"Yes," I admitted. "But, also no. It's complicated."
Thalia hummed, her brow furrowing at my honesty. "Interesting. Regardless of my claim over you, you're still willing to let another die in the place of your happiness. Even if you conceal it as being done with the wellbeing of your child in mind, a case for your own interests could still be made. While I understand that being a mother means more to you than anything else, this is still unexpected."
I smiled, laughed, and shook my head at the star's stupidity.
She was right about life being unfair. She was right that we couldn't have everything we wanted and hoped for. But this, in regards to us, she was so fucking wrong about.
Thalia wasn't even in the ballpark of being right.
"You didn't expect it because you don't know us as well as you think you do," I chuckled. "You don't think Leo and Pride can last long against an army of Dark Witches and Warlocks? My Mate will kill anything in his path if it means protecting me. And, since I'm sure the others have told him about the baby, he'll go even farther to ensure the safety of his pup. You'll see.
As for my brother, well, he's the most loyal man I've ever known in my entire life. He almost burned down my cousin's Pack because they wouldn't let him see me. Do you honestly think he's going to let a couple of assholes stand in his way of ending this war?" I scoffed. "Once Pride sets his mind on something, there's nothing that can stand in his way from getting what he wants."
Pride was going to do everything within his power to protect all of us and end this war. For her to think any less of him made me realize that even the stars, the possible creators of all, could be foolish too.
"You didn't bet on Reign making it until the end of the journey and that in itself was a mistake from the start," I continued. "Reign is a fighter. He was born fighting and for 21 years he's continued to fight not just for himself but for Sky as well. If any one of us was going to make it to the end, it was gonna be him."
A rush of pride filled me as I laid everything at her celestial feet. It was beyond satisfying to watch her face morph from high and mighty to that of a scolded child.
I schooled her the way Mother taught me to correct a Packmate if they were to ever step out of line.
Provide the facts, speak with finesse, and leave no room for error, Venus. There will always be someone that thinks they know more than you do as a leader. Luna or no Luna, a challenger always comes along to make you seem like a fool.
If you're wrong, then admit it. If you're not, then fight. That's the bottom line.
"That's the bottom line," I whispered to myself. Beside me I felt Grandma's fingers graze my arm. A silent portrayal of support. "As for letting Flora die tonight, that's another story in itself. No one let's Flora do anything. She's her own person and she does what she wants when she wants to do it."
Flora gave me confidence with Leo not because she had to but because she wanted to. She befriended Sky when none of us saw past her high walls because she wanted to. And it was her, not me, that orchestrated the perfect plan to get us out of Rowena's sinister clutches.
Flora Woods did things her way and, like Pride, became set on doing them a certain way once her mind was made up.
"I know now that I can't stop Flora from sacrificing herself for me and my baby. She's made her choice and I have to live with it. I accept her decision in this life." I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to stay steady as I made my own choice as well. "But, I won't accept it in the next life."
Thalia raised her brows, confusion lining her face. "What are you talking about?"
Taking Luna and Grandma's hands in mine, I drew strength from them and their gifts. I tasted their power with mine, admiring the beautiful gift that bound the three of us together. This was going to be difficult.
For all of us.
I said a silent goodbye before I let Thalia in on her biggest misconception thus far.
"You think that what matters most to me is being a mother? If that's true then you clearly haven't been watching me as closely as you might've thought," I said. "The one thing I've always put first, even before my own Mate at times, was becoming a Luna. That's all I've ever cared about. Honing my skills, strengthening my power, and being as perfect as my mother. That's all I've focused on for the past 20 years. It's been everything to me. My position, my power..."
I bit my lip as a lone tear trickled down my cheek. Even though my heart was at peace with what I was about to do, I still ached desperately for the incoming pain.
"I'd like to make a deal."
"Venus." Luna yanked my hand, forcing me to face her. Hidden within her soft blue eyes were traces of heartbreak. Another crack in her Luna mask of indifference came when her lips dipped into a frown. "What are you doing? Flora's death alone will stop the prophecies. You don't have to do that."
Ah, so she was listening to my thoughts.
Good.
One last person I had to explain it all too.
"This is my decision-"
"But-"
"-and I'd appreciate it if you supported me on this."
Please.
Luna shook her head at me. Not in disappointment, but in despair. She didn't bother trying to change my mind about any of this because she knew me.
I wasn't going to let this go. This was going to happen with or without her support.
The Moon Goddess knew that.
The fight within her quickly died as she came to terms with my choice. It was a bold sacrifice. One that would impact the both of us for generations to come and I was ok with that.
This was my deal to make.
All Luna could do was stand by my side and be with me until the very end. Just like she'd promised.
"A deal..." Thalia's wide eyes brightened with mischief as she surveyed me with renewed interest. "And what does this deal entail?"
"In the next life I want Jack and Flora to find each other. I want them to have a perfectly loving life. One that was stolen from them in this life and in the past."
That was the most important part of the deal. Flora was giving her life for Leo and I. I wanted her to have what the two of us would get to have thanks to her.
Love.
"Is that all?"
"No," I replied. "I want Sky to be reborn into a loving family. One where she never has to doubt her worth. I want her to have a family that always makes her feel wanted. I want Reign to have a long life with Beta Ryan and I want Pride to find happiness even if he can't be with Tallulah. That's what I want."
The star pinned me with a heavy glare. A weight I'd never felt before pushed within me as I held her piercing stare.
"That's a lot to ask for. Regardless, I accept." A large smile overcame her hardened features as she eyed me like a hungry wolf. "As for the price-"
"I've got that covered."
I dangled my bait and like I suspected, she took it. Now, all I had to do was reel her in with the juicy price of my greatest sacrifice.
Be wary of the lion that you mistake for a lamb. For it will be the very last mistake that you may ever make.
I was always being underestimated by my enemies. First by Rowena and now by this all powerful being. Both of them forgot about my sharp mind. And even though it hurt to pay the final price, it was pretty satisfying to know that this was my choice to make.
In the end, the stars weren't the ones deciding my fate.
I was.
I knew then that when I looked back on this in the future, I would be proud. Maybe in ten or so years I'd have found a new way to be who I wanted to be. If I was lucky, Leo would support me and help me find a way towards my new goal. And, hopefully, Mother would find it in herself to forgive me because I knew she was going to be, uh, a little mad.
My lips moved but I didn't bother to hear a word of it. I knew what I was saying and I didn't need my ears to confirm my own heartbreak. I ignored Grandma's gasp of surprise and didn't pay attention to the Moon Goddesses grief. The only thing that mattered was Thalia and her cursed smile.
My heart filled with relief as she grinned, chuckled, and accepted my terms and conditions.
Within the blink of an eye I fell, slipping back into my slumbering body. The sounds of war rang within my ears as the battle raged on. The heat of fire kissed my skin from afar and I just knew that Pride was giving it his all.
With everything I had left inside me, I used my Goddess given gift to reach out to every enemy here. Every person that came to kill us, to exterminate my people out of racial prejudice, would feel my final wrath.
I reached within their darkened souls and I didn't give them comfort. I didn't heal them of their wounds or protect them the way I would a fellow Werewolf.
Instead, I did the opposite.
My gift was always used to give. Not once did I or anyone that came before me ever think of using it to take. After all, why would we when it was an Alpha and Luna's job to give and give without question?
This wasn't the act of a traditional Luna but this was one that I was willing to act upon. This was war and it was about damn time I accepted that.
So, I "took."
I reached into their hearts, slinking into their very souls with a power as cold as ice. I felt their rising fear at this unknown invasion and I thrived off of it.
I killed hundreds without hesitation. Using every last scrap of power I had left, I did what I could to protect my family for the last time and let go.
The sound of bodies dropping to the earth played out like a sick song. It was a symphony of death and I was the lone creator.
The winter cold residing within my chest absorbed everything until it was all gone. Returned to my ancestor that I would never see again. Taken by the very star that both cursed and blessed me at conception.
I let go of everything that made me me for the happiness of five deserving "stars."
When I opened my eyes I saw them in the distance. Confused, but together. One alive and the other dead.
They found each other.
My brief moment of happiness quickly died as Reign snapped Flora's neck. The weight in my chest vanished with Jack as both he and Flora left for their next lives together.
The Two Lovers were reunited.
The war was finally over.
Venus!
Venus, are you ok?!
What happened?
Ah, Leo. My Mate, my love, my life.
Was I ok?
No.
What happened?
A whole fucking lot.
I gazed upon the moon, devastated by the fact that there was no familiar pull like before.
No, I replied honestly. I'm not ok.
But that was alright. I knew that one day, no matter what, I'd find a way to be ok again.
I, Luna Venus Brightdoom of the Moon Warriors Pack, would always find a way.
Reign's worried, bruised and bloodied face hovered over me. I held his tear filled stare until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. Within the safety of Reign's shaky embrace, I let everything go and cried without shame.
I love you, Flora.
Goodbye.
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QOTD: Venus gave up a lot for everyone else's happiness. In 10 years will she have found a new way to be a Luna? Or will losing her gift be something that even she can't come back from? Also, what do you think Venus took away from the later generations?