Forever Luna

inception

noun ~  the  beginning of an organisation or activity

NOVA

Phoenix must've heard my thoughts, because his eyes widened as his attention snapped towards me. "What did you just say?"

I stared back at him, equally appalled, and yet lost for words.

"Putting some pieces together over there, are we?" Apollo guffawed.

I audibly swallowed, telling myself to calm down. I needed to rein in every loud emotion and force it to the back burner so I could make sense of whatever this was. Hell, if that was even possible.

I must've done okay because Apollo levelled his gaze with mine, his grin dampening to a look of indifference. Staring into his golden eyes, I realised I had never seen his eyes in any of my visions. It was probably a good thing I didn't, because I would've put the pieces together long ago. Despite the similarity to Phoenix's iris', Apollo's were darker and duller, browner over honey-gold.

How had nobody realised he had eyes that did not belong to the Cyrus family? Did he hide them? Wear contacts or cast a spell?

His glare lingered, as if daring me to question what I thought I knew. Silence hung heavy, the tension palpable. Phoenix's jaw clenched, his hand curling into a fist at his side, but he said nothing. I wondered if he was wrestling with the same confusion, or if he'd pieced it together too and was simply waiting for me to speak.

Apollo finally shifted, his expression unreadable. "It's not as simple as you'd like. Family ties are nothing but chains in our world. You'd do well to remember that."

The words repeated in my mind, twisting around memories and old suspicions. I glanced at Phoenix, searching his face for some sign, some confirmation, but he kept his gaze fixed ahead, lips pressed tight.

An oncoming breeze blew my hair askew, and it struck me how fragile everything felt. As if, with one careless breath, the truth could shatter the world we'd built. I steeled myself, determined not to let this new information cloud my judgement. There was more to uncover, and Apollo's cryptic life choices were only the beginning.

"Family is everything." I stated. "You'd do well to remember that."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Family makes people weak. Look what it's done to you; you've come here to face an enemy you know nothing about! Just for the pathetic excuse that you call a brother. Why, even your mate has turned soft since becoming a family man."

Phoenix snarled, his grip tightening on my hand. "You think I am weak?"

"You did hand the crown over to a wolf who does not deserve it for a family, am I correct?"

"I did not want to be king."

"It is your birthright as much as it was Alexandar's, and yet you gave it up without a fight." Apollo scoffed. "And you expect me to call you my grandson? Pathetic."

Phoenix's growls didn't stop, and I had to tug him back a step when he dared to stalk forward. He was milliseconds away from shifting back to his wolf, and I urged him to calm down through the bond.

We had to understand all of this before.

I levelled my gaze with Apollo, and he lifted his chin at the direct threat. "You need to explain yourself now. What do you want?"

A dark, snarling grin took over his expression. "What do I want? Gosh, where do I begin, dear Cassie?"

I didn't like how he hissed my name, but I didn't react to it. "How do you claim to be Phoenix's grandfather and Dawn's mate at the same time?"