I'm not sure how much longer we stay like that, crying in each other's arms, but when the tears subside, the sun is setting.

Just like the day transforms into the night, I too transform from this new insight.

I had been right all along to suspect that the Moon Goddess would never pair me with someone as cruel as Thane.

When I noticed that there was something missing with Thane that I had with Finn- it was a true mating bond.

Finn is my true mate.

My guilt for starting a physical relationship with Finn dissolved once my memories reappeared. I had no reason to feel guilty for being with someone else- with my mate.

Everything is as it should be.

Except for one thing.

"Wait," I say to Finn as I pull away. "What now? I mean, there's still a prophecy that the Moon Goddess gets killed. Surely, there is more to be done?"

Finn nods. "We can summon the Moon Goddess again. She could answer any of your questions better than I could."

"Okay, let's go," I say, getting up and tugging his wrist.

He frowns. "Are you sure you want to do this right now? I mean, you just learned something that'll change the course of your life. This could always wait for another day, until you've had more time to process things."

Oh, Finn. Always so concerned, caring.

Everything Thane is not.

I shake my head. "I won't be able to sleep if I don't. I have to know what's going on," I insist.

Finn hesitates before nodding. "Alright, let's go somewhere nobody will disturb us."

I'm not sure what he means, but he takes my hand and guides me outside the house. And the whole time, I can only think about how right it is to be with him, like every cell in my body is finally relaxed knowing my true fate.

We walk past the garden, and he pauses in front of an empty patch of land. He waves his hand, and suddenly, a small brick building appears.

We go inside, and I frown when I look at our surroundings. There's multiple cells, equipo with silver chains.

It's a prison.

I tense up. "Finn, what is this place?" I ask nervously, withdrawing my hand from his.

"It's a building for safety," He emphasizes the word, like he's trying to lessen my distress. "I haven't used it. It's just in case if we run into, well, a not so friendly rogue."

His words relax me slightly. It made sense, why he would need somewhere to hold a dangerous rogue. I was just glad he didn't lock me in here the first time he kidnapped me.

And when I look closer at the room, I recognize it. "This is where we summoned her the first time," I recall, remembering the room from the memories Dean restored.

Finn nods. "I can hide it from the others while we summon her. If your concentration gets broken, the communication could be lost."

I almost ask how we establish communication, but then realize that I already have the memories from the first time we did this.

"We need blood," I say nervously, hoping he doesn't plan on using mine.

Finn pulls out a letter-opener from his pocket- he must have grabbed it from the library before we left- and holds open his palm.

"Wait!" I cry out. "You can't just slash yourself. It'll hurt."

Finn smiles slightly. "It's alright, Onyx. If you're that worried, I can have Ronin heal me once we're done."

I hesitate, but he's already cut across his palm, and blood instantly pours out. My stomach lurches at the sight of him injured.

How quickly things can change.

How quickly I can change.

He holds out his palm, and I dip one of my fingers into the pool of blood. I use his blood to draw the symbol of the Moon Goddess on the ground of the prison. A crescent moon with a five-point star hanging off the top.

I go outside of the jail for a minute to drain some of the energy from the grass, since I can't withdraw any energy from inside the prison, not through the thick brick walls, and return a moment later.

I send my magic into the bloody symbol, and darkness swirls around the shape, just as it had in my memories.

And then she appears.

She is covered in the darkness, but I can see the outline of her figure, and she is a beautiful sight to behold, nearly too beautiful for the mortal eye.

"My Goddess," I say, and drop to my knees, my neck bent in submission. Finn does the same.

She smiles so brilliantly I have to blink twice just to ensure that I'm seeing things as they are. "My children, please rise. You are doing me a great service, you have no reason to kneel."

Finn and I get up, and I can't stop myself from gawking at her. I had seen her in my memories, but they did not do her true form any justice.

"You have both done perfectly in ensuring that Helios does not rise to power. You have both sacrificed much for me, and it will not be forgotten," She says, and I look to Finn, who's also looking at me. No doubt, thinking of what we gave up for her.

Each other.

"Will you grant us the enchanted lands now?" Finn asks hesitantly. "We have done as you asked."

The Moon Goddess laughs slightly. "I have not forgotten our deal, Finnley Vericus," She says with a wink, and I realize that I hadn't even known his full name. There is still much to learn about my other half.

"But I still need one more favor," She says, and looks directly at me.

"Whatever it is, I'll do it," Finn promises empathically, and I know that it is true. Whatever he has to do to secure the land for his family, he will do it.

"Not from you, my son," She shakes her head slightly, and her black eyes are on me, and for some reason, I feel unnerved by them. "From your mate."

I furrow my eyebrows. "What is it you need from me?" I ask carefully, not trying to offend the immortal.

Her grin widens. "Nothing you are incapable of, and nothing you already don't want."

She pauses, and my anxiety grows. It cannot be good.

"I need you to kill Ares Alstott, the Luna of Blood Lake."

She says the words lightly, like she is merely suggesting what television show to watch. She is thoroughly unbothered by requesting I kill one of her children.

I blink. "I can't kill her."

The Moon Goddess seems amused by this. "You certainly can. I can see why you may think that, given her strength, but rest assured my sweet child, you are much stronger than she. It would be almost too easy for you to drain the life from her."

My stomach twists at her words. Finnley looks at her in shock, his mouth slightly agape.

"No," I say slowly. "I mean that I won't kill her."

Finn looks sharply at me. There is no doubt that he remembers that I told him that Ares is the Reaper.

The Moon Goddess' eyes narrow slightly as her grin falters. "Excuse me?"

I know that I should beg for forgiveness and promise to do her bidding. I should agree to kill Ares. I should kill Ares. She is the reason Greyson is dead. Beyond that, she is the reason many are dead.

"I will not kill a wolf. I will not kill anyone," I say weakly. I am terrified of her, and I don't mean Ares.

Her eyes narrow further, and the Darkness that swirls around her is even more intense, perhaps sensing my anxiety. "You will, because you must. Ares is under Helios' thumb. She will do his bidding, and she will be the reason for my downfall. If you want to gain the protected lands, then you will kill the she-wolf."

Finn looks at me in shock. Perhaps he feels betrayed by my refusal. I can't blame him. He's dedicated his life to saving rogues, and now I am refusing to kill the destructor of rogues. The executer.

"I will not take life from anyone," I say, my voice strengthening with resolve. "There is always a choice. There must be another way."

"There is no other way!" The Moon Goddess hisses, and her words cut through my like a blade, chilling me to my core. "You must fulfill the prophecy by slaying her."

Her face suddenly softens, as does her voice. "I'm surprised by you, Onyx Knight," She says, and her voice is as sweet as honey. "I thought you were destined to be the Protecter of Rogues. Ares has killed over a thousand innocent wolves. Does that not bother you?"

It does. It does and she knows it. But I would not be able to live with killing anyone, even the most cruel person I know. It is wrong, I am aware of that, but it is also who I am. It is my weakness, and it always will be. Thane knew as much.

The Moon Goddess smiles, and it is an ugly sight. "Perhaps you would reconsider if you knew that Thane killed the rogue because of his feelings for her."

Her words are like a dagger to my heart. I do not know if they are true, but they hurt nonetheless. Finn's face twists at the Moon Goddess.

"That's enough," He snarls, sounding surprisingly harsh. I don't recognize him in that moment. "We will find another way that doesn't involve my mate. We are done here."

Finn quickly gets up, and uses his hand to smudge the symbol made from his blood. As he does so, the Moon Goddess disappears with it, her face completely shocked as she dissipates.

I want to cry, but there are no tears left in me. Her words leave me feeling hollow.

Finn wipes the blood on to his jeans, and takes my face in his hands, forcing me to look up at him. "Onyx, I swear I had no idea she was going to ask you to do that. She's never mentioned it before, I swear."

His words deeply perplex me. "You aren't going to make me kill her?" I ask in confusion.

He looks at me as though he's surprised I'm asking. "Of course not, Onyx. I wouldn't ever make you do something you didn't want to, especially killing someone else."

Now I'm even more confused. "You don't think she should die? What about all of the rogues she's killed? And what about your enchanted land?"

He kisses my forehead. "Ares Alstott deserves to die more than anyone. But if she is to be slain, it will not be by your hand. I will find another way, I promise you."

We walk back to his home- our home- in silence. I suddenly wished for my Grams, who would know exactly what to do. I felt deeply conflicted.

If I kill Ares, I will spend a lifetime thinking about how I drained the life from another person. If I kill Ares, I will spend a lifetime in hiding from the Blood Alpha, and if the Moon Goddess wasn't lying, from Thane.

But if I don't kill her, she will continue to kill more innocent people. If she is as much like Thane as I suspect, she won't be able to stop herself from doing it. If I don't kill her, Finn will never have his protected lands, and will be forever bound to what little land he does have with the house.

Would it be so bad to kill her if it meant creating peace for many? Finn would say no, and he would likely be right. Logically, I know killing Ares is what I should do.

But then I think back to Lucas. Luke would tell me that no peace could ever bloom in the soil of blood. He would tell me that there is always a choice.

I just don't know what the right choice is.