He had no name and no pack. For all intents and purposes, he no longer existed.

Born in blood and raised in gore, his insatiable bloodlust defined him. After all, he was the devil, and darkness his realm.

The ultimate outcast, marked for death, he forced himself to stay alive for a cause. Patiently, he watched his enemies and waited for an opportunity—not to escape, but to fulfill his oath. The universe owed him one more life.

That was the plan until the uninvited Seraphim arrived. Celestial beings such as them didn't belong in the hellscape he'd claimed as his home.

Armed with music and song, the innocent cherubs, a reminder of his former victims, weak and soft.  Yet they created alchemy that made him crave more than revenge, and tempted him to be someone more.

Worse, with them, she came along...

An angel whose silken fingers wove gossamer tunes that threatened to waylay him. He couldn't let her go, nor keep her by his side... unless he led her to her downfall.

But even a monster like him  quailed at destroying such a thing of beauty.

***

Posted October 19, 2024.