Angel

There were just a few tales that went around in the packs about Nodin: that he didn't like talking very much, that he was a just leader and that he loved his mate Mei more than life itself.

Angel understood that; he understood it to such an extent that it made perfect sense in his mind that Nodin had supported Kiril without any doubt in the fight. Mei had been part of Kiril's pack and seemingly loyal to him, and while Nodin ruled the North American pack, Mei ruled Nodin.

Now, however, after Mei had died, Nodin was only an empty shell. One should be allowed to grieve but in the current circumstance, such an attitude was dangerous for himself, his pack, and everyone else.

Angel was aware that he had to deal with it. For his pack, it was vital that Nodin stayed alive and sane.

It was freezing. Even in his wolf form, Angel found it terribly cold on Mount McKinley.

I am a summer baby; I was not born to deal with these temperatures. God damn it Nodin, why did you have to go to damn Alaska?
I guess because you wanted to avoid people and responsibilities. Can't say I can't relate.

The wind was getting harsher and Angel knew he was getting closer. He voiced a howl to call Nodin.

Nodin, come on, I am freezing. I don't even want to imagine how it is going to feel when I am in human form. Carajo, hermano! I know my love life is beyond pitiful at the moment but I might still need the crown jewels one day.

Angel howled again and after several excruciatingly long waiting moments, a gray wolf emerged from the forest.

He looked like a ghost rather than anything else; thin, shaggy, trembling slightly, and with a blood-smeared pelt.

Angel took a deep breath and turned to his human form. The temperature was just as horrible as he imagined it. He stared for a moment at Nodin expectantly but he just stared back and did nothing.

"Man. Turn already and let's go. It is freezing. I was born in a tropical country; I am not used to this."

In the end, he obeyed and voiced a long plea to the sky while his body turned. Angel was struck again by exactly how bad his shape was.

His hair had grown to lengths Angel hadn't seen before on him in the almost eighty years they had known each other and it was not black as it used to be but heavily spiked with silver.

Nodin was two hundred fifty-three years old, which meant around forty-something human years. A year ago he didn't look his age whatsoever but solid ten human years younger. Grief seemed to have accelerated time to that extent that he had the air of an old man, a terribly feeble old man.

He didn't say anything just gestured for Angel to follow him. They ran for a while and climbed up the mountain. Angel cursed under his breath every time the sharp, frozen stones cut his skin. A rough workout was okay, Michael used to like those military-style ones too, but now he was butt-ass naked at minus fifteen degrees climbing up cliffs.

Who on earth wants to be Alpha? It sucks big time.

They stopped in the end. Angel thanked the providence and let his power flow to accelerate the healing of all the acquired scraps and bruises.

"So where is the cabin?"

Nodin gestured to the entrance of a cave.

You must be kidding me.

At that point, Angel knew that the rumors that Nodin didn't leave his beast form for months weren't rumors.

After taking a few steps into the cave, a strange and pungent stench hit his nostrils. It began looking like a horror movie.

"Christ, Nodin, it smells as if someone died in here."

Angel regretted his choice of words soon after he saw on a straw bed rotten flesh and bones.

"No, no, no. Mate, did you completely lose it?" asked Angel knowing deep down that the question was rhetorical. "That is Mei's body, isn't it?"

 Angel acknowledged that he was not going to make it to Scotland that same day. That was a huge mess someone had to deal with and that someone was unfortunately him.

"Man, she is dead."

And rotting... Goddess in heaven.

"You have to bury her body and move on. You don't need to take a Luna or something like that, just take care of the pack. Okay? I am deeply sorry, I know it hurts but she is gone."

"No. I will bring her back," Nodin spoke and goosebumps built up on Angel's arms, just that, that time it was not because of the cold.

With those words, Angel noticed the other things present in that cave: amulets, potions, dead animals, herbs, and a mound of dry clay.

"Nodin. You know necromancy is forbidden. With reason. And besides that, it never works."

Angel moved closer and put his hand on Nodin's shoulders. He could see his usually vivid brown eyes were withered and almost gray.

"Let her go. She was a great woman and the love of your life. Everyone understands that you suffer and the loss of a mate is unbearable but you need to let her go. Let's bury her body and return to your pack. Samira needs our help."

"Yes, Samira. Samira understands."

"Yes she most probably does and I am sure if she knew what's going on here she would not approve."

"No. If this works, Samira can bring Dahiru back."

After all he was hearing, Angel was positive that the Alpha of North America had definitely lost his mind. People that were dead stayed dead, despite magic. Werewolf magic could not raise the dead because the dead were dead for a reason. At this point, it seemed like it would be better if somebody would challenge Nodin and take control of his pack and power because he was a ticking time bomb, but that someone could not be him. Angel knew he was not the best fighter and what on earth should he do with another pack, when he could barely control the one he had.

It had to be someone else but better not one like Yarran or Sanjay. He didn't like or trusted any of them but that slimmed down the options.

"I am happy that you came. I knew you would come eventually."

Angel understood that that visit made no sense anymore and he couldn't wait to be down the mountain and get dressed in something warm.

"I am happy you came. You have to help me. The clay keeps cracking but you, you can keep it moist. I have read a lot and I think I know how it's done but I need your help."

What a shit show and a waste of time that was and unfortunately, seeing Michael and Charlotte would be just another one. Angel was just bored, fed up and wanted to go.

"And how exactly can I help you? I am sure I cannot raise the dead."

"Yes, but at their very origins, before everything, bodies were made from earth and water and..."

"Millions of years of evolution?"

"Yes, but she can do that for me if you keep the clay moist, if you keep the blood flowing. Liquids listen to you. Just try, okay, Angel? And I will do whatever you want."

"Whatever I want you to do? Ok fine, I will try but regardless of the outcome you will come with me down the mountain, cut this crap, and lead your pack. Ok?"

"But it will work, you will see."

"Sure... So what do I need to do?"

Angel walked closer and saw that Nodin had modeled in clay the missing parts over Mei's rotting flesh and bones. He felt like gagging. If he would have been human, he would have vomited a long time ago from the stench alone.

Nodin took an old book and a series of objects among which was a piece of a blade with runes carved in it.

The lunatic dug out a piece of Anima Mundis.

And there was a small golden spinner, also engraved. Angel could sense the aura of the thing and it made him uneasy.

Nodin opened a bottle.

"Look, you only need to bring the water from that bucket in her body and keep it moving until her soul finds the way back. "

"And what will you do?"

"I will descend to the underworld to search for her, though, she must be close by. I can sense her."

Looking at all that made Angel think it was not a good idea after all. Maybe the dimwit was going to indeed summon something he shouldn't.

"I think this is a bad idea. I will just go now. See you around."

"No. You cannot go. Not now that we are so close. I'll rather die than let you go."

Angel shuddered again. The lunatic would indeed kill him. He could fight but maybe he would injure him and they would both die in this god-forsaken place. He had stuff to do, not play witcher. He had to get to Samira and to Michael.

"Ok, fine. Let's do this."

"Thank you so much, brother. I owe you a life."

"Whatever... Just be quick."

Nodin started chanting and reading from that book.

"Now, move the water."

Angel did quite so. It was piece of cake. Unlike fighting, magic came naturally to him.

Nothing seemed to happen so far. The water was flowing inside the clay-stained body but that was that.

Then Nodin cut his palm with the shard and let the blood drop on the body. In that brief moment, Angel felt something pulsating in the cave and little by little a presence materializing behind him.

"Look who is doing blood magic here. Two puppies."

It was a woman's voice but it was not Mei's. Angel didn't dare to turn his head.

The woman stepped in front of them and her presence, as well as her aparence, were disturbing in a very particular way.

Her hair was hip long and dark brown, her skin brown with a hint of copper and her features were foreign and deeply familiar at the same time. She looked like all the people Angel had seen and not seen in his life, all at the same time.

"Shit..." muttered Angel.

"You know you were dabbling in forbidden things."

Nobody believed it would work...

"Nodin. What the fuck did you do?" whispered Angel.

"He tried to get back his mate and tried to open the gates to the underworld. That didn't work though, but I will help you with this part because this idea of yours deserves to be used."

She turned to Angel.

"And you, little water Alpha, are a really exceptional magician that happens to be at the right place at the right time. Right? Wrong? Well depends on the point of view ."

The strange woman waved her hand and a slit of darkness opened and from it crept a presence that Angel felt quite weakly.

"My love," muttered Nodin and then he screamed excruciatingly.

"You must understand, wind Alpha, that she is dead. If you want her with you, you must let her feed on you."

He screamed again but then slowly the clay and bones started resembling flesh.

Angel felt in the pit of his stomach that that was wrong. He could not let that happen. He stopped the movement of water that he somehow kept going unconsciously.

"No sweetheart. You started, now you play," said that woman and clawed at his chest stealing a drop of blood. With that drop, a kernel of his power was dropping into Mei.

The body, that now looked indeed like a body, started moving and Angel could not believe his eyes. Nodin had indeed managed it. But it felt wrong, so, so wrong.

"And now you, water puppy."

Angel's body froze.

"What do you want from me?"

"To keep someone alive while she completes her mission. You are vaguely acquainted."

"No. I want nothing to do with this madness."

"Too late. You were the missing puzzle piece. My gratitude, Nodin. This is a really interesting idea."

She looked at the ground and whispered in a deep voice, "Raise!". And the ground did quite so. A woman's body materialized there out of dust and stone.

"Make her blood flow, puppy Alpha," she told Angel smirking.

"No," said Angel knowing deep down that he had no choice.

"I didn't ask," she replied and came closer.

Angel summoned his claws. He decided to fight. He had to.

"Don't. Just don't. I don't want to hurt you more than necessary. You are very sweet in your way but you cannot kill a goddess with bare hands."

Oh fuck. It took Erik, Kiril and a special weapon to kill one. I stand no fucking chance.

The strange woman clawed at his chest again just above his heart.

"Make her blood flow, puppy, or I will rip your heart out."

With shaking hands Angel directed his blood to the clay figure.

The goddess smiles and stretched her hand out and a cuff appeared around Anghel's neck. It was shining bright like the sun but somehow Angel knew that only he could see it. The other end of it was buried in the chest of the figure.

Slowly the earth became skin and flesh and Angel recognized who's soul just escaped hell.

"Katharina..."

"Indeed. Who would have a better incentive than her to find the little lamb. Right, Katharina?"

Katharina opened her eyes and Angel shuddered.

"Nobody touches my mate."

Angel felt each of his breaths being heavier. Katharina was feeding on him like a parasite.

What on earth are these madwomen doing?

"Go fetch, Katharina!"

Katharina just smiled in sheer blood lust.

"Milena... Come out, come out wherever you are!"