I woke up in the white room again; panicking, I looked around for Wendy. She had just been in my arms, but up here in the realm of the Gods she could not go unless she was dead. I calmed myself down, thankful that she wasn't here, then got up and stretched. I let my wings out, flapping them a few times before folding them again on my back. I was nude, so I made jeans and tennis shoes appear, along with a sleeveless T-shirt with a Pink Floyd logo. If I was going to be with the Gods, I wanted to look good.
I walked out the door into the Hereafter, in the room where the Gods performed the Sort. The Goddess Luna was there, watching her people come through, as she sat on a chair in the corner. I walked over and knelt before her, my head down in reverence. "Rise, my champion," she told me as her finger lifted my chin. "Sit with me and watch." I did so, taking the seat on her left side. Over the next hour, I watched as three dozen of her dual-natured werewolf spirits came through for judgment. The last time I was here, a third of the souls had been evil, and were dragged to the Underworld never to rise again. They faced an eternity of torment as their sins could not be forgiven. Now? Only one. I even saw the first silver-eyed soul, one whose purity and reverence allowed her to remain with Luna on the realm of the Gods. The rest all went into the holding bin, waiting for a body to be reincarnated into.
"Things have changed," I said when I couldn't remain quiet any longer. "The flow is better, fewer being lost downstairs."
"True," she said, "But that's mainly because you are here and not down there. Those demons have been really busy as of late. You gave them lots of business, Nathan. More than they deserved."
I looked over at her in shock. "What do you mean? I was just doing my job!"
"Yes, and no. We were losing you, Nathan, losing you to the bloodlust. When you lost Wendy, you went on a tear and more than just the evil ones were killed. I saw what you did, Nathan. You killed them all, the evil, the middle, all of them. You scared the evil ones, but you also scared the ones I'm trying to reach."
"It would have been worse if Wendy hadn't found me," I said. "She saved me, pulled me back. She made me want to be more than just a killing machine again."
She took me by the hand and we suddenly appeared back in our room at the hotel. Wendy was deeply sleeping, one leg sticking out from under the covers. I looked at her back, the scars still there, as she hugged a pillow and mumbled something in her sleep. "She's mine now."
"I know. Congratulations on your mate. You know, I didn't know it was even possible, but there was enough wolf left in you for the bond could form, even after the Angel transformation." She walked over to the bed and gently pulled the cover over the exposed calf and foot. "I'd never created an Angel before, Nathan, and it seems I made a few mistakes with you."
"Like what?" I was starting to panic, if she could create me, she could un-create me as well. Or just not let me come back to Earth. It was clear she wasn't happy with my performance thus far.
"We created you like a normal Angel, but Werewolf souls are different; not just the wolf and the human side, but we completely ignored the importance of a mate to the functioning of the soul. Quite simply, without the mate the werewolf soul doesn't function as well. The need to find, to claim, to protect and nurture your mate didn't change when you became an Angel, nor did the importance of your mate go down. It wasn't until we saw your reaction to her attack that we realized what a mistake we made." She ran a finger lightly over the scar on her neck, the scar disappeared as she traced it. "That is why I had to send her back for you."
"Wait, you mean she..." I felt like I had been punched in the gut.
"Yes, she died, and her spirit came to the Hereafter. Your rage was unstoppable, and that's when I realized the mistake I had made. She won't remember, she can't. I gave her a choice, either return eventually as a new soul, or go back." She traced the scars on her shoulders, healing those as well. "She didn't even hesitate, Nathan. You were down there, and she begged me to send her back, so I did."
"You didn't heal her?"
"No, that took its normal course. The rules of the Gods limit our interference, I can't travel between realms at will, she had to come to me." She moved a bit of hair behind her ear. "She's a special one, your mate. So selfless, so giving. All she has wanted her whole life has been to be loved, and when she finally had that, she wasn't selfish. She gave herself like a true warrior for the good of her people."
"I wish she hadn't." It was true, the pain I felt was soul-breaking.
"I know. Still, watching what happened, even the other Gods started to see why my people are different. The instincts of the wolf pack remain in you. Leadership was never meant to be a solitary thing, just like in a wild Pack it was to be the Alpha male and female leading together, equals to each other. Of course, that has been perverted along the way as well, and that's how you get evil packs. You need discipline, but also love; strength, but also compassion. Without the pair, the leader is unbalanced. So are you, Nathan. At least you were."
I thought about it for a while; my time on the warpath was almost a blur to me now. With Wendy in my life, I was calmer, more reasoned. I cared more about the people, I felt better about myself. "I need to take some time alone with her, there is much we need to talk about and heal before I can go back out."
She nodded. "And go back out you must, because you have left a trail of damage behind you. She will help you to repair it. Remember, killing evil wolves isn't enough, you need to turn the rest back to me." She got up from the bed and walked to me. Placing her hands on my head, she spoke some words in a language I did not understand. "I changed a few other things, but you will find them on your own. For now, hold your mate and sleep. I have to go."
I dropped to one knee. "Thank you, my Goddess." When I looked up she was gone. I took off my clothes and slid into the bed, pulling Wendy to my side. In moments we were both asleep.
I started to wake slowly, my mind was a little foggy and my morning wood was warm and tucked between Wendy's firm butt cheeks. I smiled and wiggled a little, causing her to move against it, which made me OH WHAT THE HECK I'VE GOT MY STUFF BACK! I pulled he sheet down and looked, sure enough, it was back and was proportional to my new, larger body. I rolled onto my back, my hands going down to verify I wasn't seeing things. Nope, all there, checking the back I still had no butthole but I could live without that. The ceiling was mirrored- this WAS the honeymoon suite, after all- and I could see it lying against my stomach as I stroked it gently.
I smiled, knowing that now I could take my mate properly, and could complete a full mating which involved sex and biting your mate in either wolf or human form. I got out of the bed quietly, moving into the bathroom I found a note taped to the mirror. In perfect cursive, it said, "You're welcome. I convinced the others that since you were mated, making you sterile was enough. -Luna." The note vanished in my hand after I finished reading it.
I thought about what to do next; it was now late afternoon and Wendy hadn't eaten last night. I picked up the phone and ordered room service, steak and eggs with toast and coffee for her. I took a quick shower and put on one of the fluffy robes they provided. Of course, it isn't meant for seven-foot-tall angels with huge muscles, so it barely came together in the front. I'd have to be careful when I answered the door. I went to my swords, opening the pouch I took out money for a tip and left it on the table, then I went to the bed.
"Time to get up, love," I said after kissing her on the temple. She opened her eyes, I was shocked to see they were now silver. I didn't say anything, but I was thrilled.
She wasn't a morning wolf, she had always been that way. It took her two cups of coffee before she was really going. "Breakfast will be here in ten minutes, why don't you go freshen up and I'll set the table for you?' She groaned and tried to roll over, but I caught her shoulder. "Your coffee will be ready when you come out."
"Fine," she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"
"Almost four," I said. She got up and pulled the sheet around her, walking slowly to the bathroom. When she closed the door, I lay back and smiled, thinking of how many times I had dreamed during training of a moment just like this- waking up with her and going about our day together. I heard her in the shower, then there was a knock on the door. I let the young woman in, she had a covered tray and two sets of silverware, plus a coffee pot and two glasses. She set them on the small table by the fireplace, never looking around, then took the tip and quietly left again.
I heard the shower stop and started pouring her a cup; sitting down at the table, I waited for her. I wanted to take her, badly, but I also knew she needed to eat and wake up. We had plenty of time, we weren't meeting her guards until after sundown in the woods. I decided to listen in on prayers while I was waiting, something I hadn't done much of during my reign of vengeance. I started with those closest to us, mainly those left after I had killed the remaining Pack leaders. There weren't many in the area who had followed the old ways, one of the reasons the evil ones had congregated here. Still, Luna's words rang in my ears; I needed to turn them to the right path, not just kill them, and Wendy would help.
I opened my eyes when the door opened, and she was standing there, hair wrapped in a towel, the fluffy robe around her. She looked more awake, but not there yet. "Coffee's ready," I said.
She pointed at her neck. "The scar..."
"Luna healed that and a few others while we were talking last night." She thought about it for a minute, her fingers tracing where the cut had been, before she turned off the light and walked over.
She sat down at the table, pulling the towel free she rolled her neck and tucked the stray hairs behind her ears. "Thank you, honey." I removed the cover and her eyes went wide, we didn't eat this well back at the Pack. The steak was the largest they had, a ribeye that must have gone twenty-four ounces. Four sunny side up eggs and three pieces of toast with jam on the side were along the side. "Wow, does this place serve werewolves a lot?"
"No, I think it's just because they thought we were going to share it." She started to dig in, I chuckled a bit. "Don't mind me, remember I don't eat anymore."
