Prologue
Luna had lost count of how many times she’d left her Celestial home to visit earth. Time after time, she answered the desperate call of one of her chosen. Regardless of the fact that the pack they belonged to had turned their back on her, there was a covenant to maintain.
They would always be her chosen.
When their anguished prayers echoed through the heavens, it was impossible for Luna to turn away. Her healing touch had surrounded them hundreds of times. But trust in their goddess had been eroded away by the abuse they’d endured. Though she could mend flesh and bone, she could not erase the scars left in their minds by their mates. Wolves she had paired them with.
Her whispered assurances could not overcome the mate bonds. She’d made the connection so strong even she couldn’t break them apart. With that in mind, she gathered the strongest, most worthy of all the departed alphas, and they became the inspiration for a new kind of werewolf. One who was stronger and faster than those that came before them. One who could hold themselves mid-shift to become half man, half wolf. She did not pair them with a mate. Instead, they could break the mate bond of another and take that wolf’s mate as their own.
The packs called them guardians.
Now, as with any pantheon, she was hobbled by rules. There was only so much she could manipulate. She could whisper to her chosen in their dreams, coaxing and encouraging them to take the right path, but she couldn’t interfere with free will. If the guardians didn’t find their way to the abused chosen, if they did not fight for them, if they did not break the bonds that held them, she couldn’t force them.
But, even with her brilliant new creations walking the earth, the calls of her chosen would ring through the heavens. When she went to them, she would find them broken and bleeding. Too often, they begged for the release of death. With a shattered heart, she would cradle them in her arms and, with their wolves at her side, bring them to her home. When their mates died, some members of that pack did the unthinkable.
They took humans.
Luna watched as human women were drawn in by werewolf charisma. And once the unsuspecting creatures had given their hearts to the wolves, they suffered a fate worse than the departed mates.
The first to fall pregnant was a beta’s human, then a gamma’s, and on and on. In his madness, the alpha forbade the pack from turning them.
Each time it happened, an angel reached the humans before Luna. The angel took the human spirits with them, to be embraced by their own god. All that Luna could do was bring the unborn wolves to her home.
When the alpha took a human, Luna watched the woman closely. Not long after his abuse became overt, the woman began to show symptoms. Luna leapt into action. There would, of course, be repercussions, but she could not stand idly by any longer.
On the night of the next full moon, while the wolves in the pack were out hunting, she left the heavens and came to earth. Quiet as the moonbeams bathing the valley, where the pack’s home was located, in cool light she padded through the halls of the alpha’s house. Her long gauzy purple dress floated around her like wisps of a cloud, as she moved with unearthly grace through the darkness.
She turned a corner and come upon a hallway. At the other end, a figure moved. Her steps quickened as the specter glided past a window. Silver moonlight glinted off his brilliant white wings.
She held up a delicate hand to warn him off. “Jeremiel,” she said. “Please, not this one.”
The angel stopped in front of a door. “Luna.” He dipped his head respectfully. “You know I must.” He reached for the knob, then paused as she moved closer.
She caught a hold of his hand. “Let me take the wolf from her.”
He turned his head to fix his azure gaze on her face. “You can’t undo what has been done. That’s against the rules, even for a goddess.”
“I’ll take it for now,” she said as she lifted her free hand and brushed her fingertips over the amulet that dangled from a leather chord around her neck. It was a flat white stone the size of a quarter. In the centre of the smooth surface, a symbol made up of three straight lines had been etched. The lines had an angular tick at the top, two additional ticks cut straight across the middle. At the bottom of the lines there was a tiny hook which turned the lines into an unfinished J. “This will keep it safe and give the child the ability to claim it when and if she is ready.”
Jeremiel stared at the stone for a moment, then turned his gaze to Luna’s eyes. The ever-changing kaleidoscope of amethyst captivated him for several heartbeats. He blinked slowly as his own gaze filled with sadness. “If she doesn’t leave, we’ll be back here sooner than either of us wishes.”
Luna looked at the door and sighed. He was right. She would have to do something more than what she’d planned. “I will give her a choice,” she murmured.
“We can’t—”
“No,” she whispered with a demure smile. “You can’t.” She lifted his hand from the knob and moved it to his side.
“Luna,” he murmured. His voice was soft and weighted with tenderness. It was a plea for her to reconsider her suggestion.
“Jeremiel,” she said. “Do not try to help me.” Her hand lifted, and she brushed her fingertips along his temple. “Be dutiful to your god.” His eyes closed as her touch drifted to his cheek. “Tell him what you witness here tonight.” Her fingers lifted away. “Perhaps if he hears it from you, the sanctions won’t be severe.” The fabric of her gown caressed his bare arm as she opened the door and slipped into the room.
After a moment of hesitation, Jeremiel opened his eyes and followed her. When he entered the room, he found Luna kneeling next to the bed. A human woman was lying there on her side with her knees pulled toward her stomach. The half of her face that was visible was bruised and swollen. There were partially healed scratches streaming down her forearm. She was weeping. Her thin body shook with her sobs.
As Jeremiel moved to the foot of the bed, Luna reached out and took the woman’s hand. She cried out as broken bones were jostled painfully. Luna’s other hand grazed the woman’s brow, brushing her hair away from her eyes. The woman’s eyelids fluttered. “No,” she said in a tortured moan. “Please—”
“Shh child,” Luna murmured. “The alpha still runs in the forest.”
The woman’s red rimmed gaze fixed on the goddess’ face. “Who are you?” she asked.
Luna’s elegant brows went down for a split second, then her face returned to its usual serene expression. “My name is Luna,” she said as her fingertips smoothed the woman’s hair again. “I’ve come to help you.”
“But you’re—” The woman’s eyes widened with fear. “He said—”
“Lies,” Luna said with a little smile. “I’m not the horror he’s made me out to be.” She laid the woman’s hand on the bed as gently as she could, then held both her palms a hair’s breath above it. Five heart beats later, the bones had healed. The lines of pain on the woman’s face eased slightly. She repeated her actions several times, moving from the woman’s face to her ribs and so on, till the only thing left to heal was the pain emanating from her womb. Luna glanced at Jeremiel. The angel hadn’t moved from his position at the end of the bed. Were it not for the random blinks of his eyes, she would have mistaken him for a statue. Luna stood and turned her gaze back to the woman. She’d turned onto her back as Luna had healed her injuries and once that task had been completed, she had rested her hands on her belly. “Millicent,” Luna said gently. “Your baby’s wolf is too strong for you to carry—”
“No!” Millicent cried. “Don’t take my baby!” Her hand shot out and grabbed Luna’s wrist. “Please, I’ll do anything. Just please don’t take him.”
“Him?” Luna asked.
“Alpha said it’s a boy,” Millicent whispered. Luna cupped Millicent’s hand with her own free hand and turned to give Jeremiel a thoughtful look. The corners of his mouth tipped up so slightly it was barely a glimpse of a smile.
Luna tightened her hand around Millicent’s as she looked down at her. “You carry a girl child and a tenacious wolf. One that will kill you if the pregnancy were to continue in its current form.” Millicent mewled softly. “But,” Luna said with a kind smile. “If you swear to leave this place and never return, to hide her away from the alpha.” She waved a hand at Millicent’s belly. “I will place the wolf in here.” Her hand lifted to her own chest to indicate the amulet. “You will take this, keep it safe, and when she is ready, your daughter can reclaim her.”
“But, I can’t go. They’ll be back any minute. If he finds me—”
Luna held her hand up. “Agree to my terms and I’ll create a distraction for you. Take what you can and run.” Millicent caught her bottom lip with her teeth. Her gaze shifted to Jeremiel. He didn’t say a word or move a muscle, but his eyes pleaded with her. “If you refuse, Jeremiel will take you and your child to your god. But your daughter and her wolf will never be together.” She wrapped her hand around the one still clinging to her wrist. “If you agree, you’ll get to see your daughter grow up and have a full life. Isn’t that what all mothers truly want?”
Millicent worried her bottom lip as she stared at Luna. Finally, after taking several deep breaths, she rubbed her hand across her belly in a loving caress. “Will she have to mate with one of them?”
“Not with anyone from this pack,” Luna said softly.
“Who then?” The question came from the angel.
Luna’s gaze turned to him. Her head tilted as she considered him, and her answer, for a moment. “She will choose from the unmated ones.” Her lips turned up in a triumphant smile. “The ones they call guardians.”
“I thought werewolves didn’t get a choice,” Millicent said.
Luna pulled her gaze from Jeremiel and smiled down at Millicent. “Once she’s claimed her wolf, your daughter will have that ability.” Luna said. “Now you must make your choice. Time is growing short.”
“You’ll keep him away until I’m gone?” Millicent asked.
Luna closed her eyes, stretched her senses out to the valley, then smiled. “They are still hunting. If we hurry, I can keep them busy till dawn.”
Millicent’s gaze flicked from Luna’s face to Jeremiel’s, then back. She took a quick breath, then nodded. “Okay.”
Luna gently took Millicent’s hand from her wrist, then leaned over the woman’s belly. Millicent let her hand slide to her side and watched with wide eyes as Luna lifted the chord from her neck and laid the stone on her body, right above her womb. Her hands hovered a few millimeters above it. She closed her eyes. Her lips turned up at the corners as her head tilted. A moment later, her eyes opened.
“Come little one,” Luna whispered. “Don’t be afraid.” Millicent blinked as a tiny spot of golden light emerged from her belly to waver on the air above the dingy white t shirt she was wearing. It bobbed there for a moment, then Luna scooped it into one of her hands. Her lips curved into a sweet smile as the light sparkled brightly, casting its brilliance around the room in a glittering dance for a moment. Luna tipped her hand and slid the spark onto the stone. It shimmered uncertainly. “You’ll be together someday.” The light seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, as if it was trying to decide if it should make a break for it and dive into Milicent’s body. “Come on now,” Luna murmured. The light moved to the centre of the stone, then eased into it. After a moment, Luna picked up the stone and cupped it in her hands. Then she turned and slid the leather chord over Millicent’s head. “Remember your promise.”
Millicent nodded as she lifted a hand to touch the stone gingerly. “I will.” Luna stepped back as Millicent moved to get off the bed. She lifted trembling hands to brush her dark blonde hair away from her face. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Luna smiled. “Good luck Millicent.” With that, she turned and padded to the doorway. When she reached it, she turned back to make sure Millicent had begun to gather her belongings, then slipped into the hallway. Luna did not look back again, just kept walking, until she felt a light touch on her arm. Her steps paused on the front porch of the big house.
Jeremiel stopped next to her. “He will be angry,” the angel whispered.
“Are you referring to the alpha or my father?”
“Both.”
“You’re right. The alpha may try to find her, but the search will be short-lived. He will come to believe the pregnancy killed the human, as it did with the others.” She smiled at Jeremiel. “He will have no idea that his heir is out in the world somewhere. Perhaps she’ll come back and claim her birthright someday. She could put an end to what this pack has become.” Her hand waved at the area in front of the alpha’s house. There were several foot paths winding between the trees lining the wide driveway leading up to the alpha’s home. They both knew those paths led to the smaller homes belonging to the other members of the pack. “As for my father, well, I knew that risk coming into this.”
“Why did you do it then?” Jeremiel asked. “Why risk his wrath?”
“It was a small way to right a few of the wrongs the pack has committed. And to give them a chance at redemption.” She turned her gaze to Jeremiel’s face. Her eyes held a mischievous glint. “If the child returns.” She patted the hand resting on her arm. “I must go.” She moved down the stairs and turned back to face the angel.
Jeremiel watched as the vision of the beautiful woman in front of him disappeared in a blink and was replaced by a white-tailed deer. Its amethyst eyes sparkled in the moonlight. He lifted his hand in a brief farewell salute. The deer dipped its head in a quick nod, then spun away and took off for the trees. He stared out at the trees until he could hear the howls of the pack fading into the distance as they unknowingly chased after their goddess. His lips turned up in a slight smile. Her ruse was working. A noise behind him yanked his attention away from the slope of the nearby mountain.
It was Millicent. In one hand she clutched the handle of a beaten up green suitcase. Her other hand was tugging an over sized lined denim jacket into place as she hurried to the doorway. The front door swung shut behind her as she fled down the steps, then jogged to an old compact car parked behind the alpha’s pickup truck. After she’d tossed the suitcase into the backseat, she looked up at Jeremiel. He hadn’t moved from his spot near the stairs. She held his gaze for a second, then tugged the driver’s side door open and got in.
Jeremiel remained where he was until the car’s taillights disappeared down the road leading away from the pack’s hunting grounds. After one last look at the sweep of forest along the mountainside, he snapped his wings open and leapt into the air. With one powerful flap of his large wings, he shot upward, his body becoming more and more insubstantial the higher he went.
When he reached the heavenly temple, he called home. It was peaceful and quiet, but even at that late hour a few others were about, moving through the hallways. He landed on a balcony that jutted out from the top floor and strode down the hallway to the sole chamber on that floor. He brushed his spotless white robes back and took a seat on an ornate white marble bench that had been set against the wall across from the immense doors leading into the chamber. After clasping his hands together in his lap, he settled back to wait.
His god did not appear for hours. Jeremiel was roused from the doze he’d fallen into and shot to his feet while rubbing his eyes. The echo of footsteps didn’t come from behind the door, but from the same hallway Jeremiel had traversed earlier.
“My Lord,” Jeremiel said in greeting.
“Jeremiel,” the shining being that strode toward the angel replied. “If you are here to sway me, I suggest you save your breath.” He walked past Jeremiel without slowing down. “Luna has been dealt with.”
Jeremiel watched in chastised silence as the king of the gods pushed the chamber doors open and marched into the room. Long ago, he might have chanced an argument with the king. But now, after the sweeping changes that had been made to the pantheon, it would be pointless. He turned away and went back to the balcony.
Without consciously thinking about it, Jeremiel wandered to the temple gardens. There, among the fanciful statues paying homage to the previous versions of the gods, was a collection of small pools filled with deep blue water. A being, either angel or lesser god, could use those pools to peer into isolated parts of the earth.
He went to one set away from the others in use and knelt at its edge. His eyes closed, and he brought the human Millicent to the forefront of his thoughts. When he opened his eyes, an image of the woman appeared on the surface of the pool.
She was curled up on a bed in a dreary, outdated motel room. Jeremiel pulled the image back to get a sense of how far she’d gotten before stopping to rest. He was pleased to see she’d made it just under five hundred kilometers.
With that curiosity satisfied, he gave the image a mental flick to bring the mountainous stronghold he and Luna had visited the night before into focus. The scene unfolding there was just as he’d predicted. It would seem that, upon discovering Millicent’s defection, the alpha had flown into a rage. The front door of the house had bee ripped from its hinges, the handrail that ran along the porch partially torn from its foundation, the white spindles scattered across the lawn. Several pack members were scurrying about the interior of the house, trying to repair the damages he’d caused in there before his return.
Jeremiel smiled as he saw the alpha’s truck speeding down the road leading to the valley. With some luck and fortitude Millicent would be safely away from the alpha’s reach within the next day or two. He let the image fade away, then got to his feet.
On his way back to the temple, he noticed a trio of angels standing in a tight knot, their heads close together, whispering to each other. His brows furrowed as their voices fell silent as he got nearer to them.
Jeremiel encountered three more groups cloistered together, speaking in hushed tones as he continued on his way. He stopped next to a pair of angels standing at the base of a staircase leading up to the temple.
“Haniel,” he said as he came to a stop. “What is everyone gossiping about today?”
“Jeremiel,” Haniel greeted him with a wave to lean closer. “I heard you were there last night.”
“You mean with Luna?” Jeremiel asked.
“Did she really reveal herself to a human?” Haniel asked softly. Jeremiel nodded once. Haniel clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “That’s why he went to her temple.”
“Have you heard what the sanctions are?” Jeremiel asked.
“She can’t appear to her chosen for fifty years,” Haniel whispered.
“I heard it was a hundred,” the angel on Jeremiel’s right said in a rush.
Jeremiel shook his head with a sigh. “Not even in their dreams?”
“I doubt He could stop her from that,” Haniel said with a chuckle that ended abruptly. “Aarin—” He glanced at a trio standing off to the left. “He said she’s been forbidden from interacting with humans though.”
Jeremiel straightened, gave the pair a nod of farewell, then turned to ascend the staircase. As he moved, his thoughts turned from Luna to Millicent.
Eight months after Luna’s moment of defiance, she returned to earth. Back to the same pack, but this time to the Beta’s home. As per the restrictions imposed upon her, she waited out of sight while the angel collected the human spirits. When he stepped out of the room with them cradled in his arms, Luna’s eyes narrowed.
“Where is Jeremiel?” she demanded.
Haniel pulled the spirits tightly against his chest. “Fallen,” he said in a simple matter-of-fact tone.
She stepped closer to the angel, who immediately moved back. “He was cast out?” she asked in a horrified whisper.
“No goddess. He chose to fall,” Haniel answered, then tried to skirt past her.
She took a quick sidestep to cut him off. “Why would he do such a thing?”
Haniel sighed heavily. “He said you would ask,” he muttered. “All he would say was to tell you he would watch over them for you.” A flicker of anger lit up his eyes for a moment. “It’s not surprising that his friendship with you was his undoing.” He finished his statement with a shake of his head. When he made another attempt to get around her, she let him go.
Luna’s gaze followed Haniel as he walked down the hall, then out the front door. After he disappeared, she turned to enter the bedroom. The Beta wasn’t there. Luna didn’t bother wondering where he was or even looking at the body of the young woman lying there. Instead, she focused on the spark of silvery golden light bobbing uncertainly near the foot of the bed. It was whimpering softly, calling out for his human. Luna went to him and cupped her hands around the little sparkling being. There was nothing she could say that would ease his pain. She held him gently and carried him from that dark place to her home. Once he was safely settled in her garden of starlight, with the other departed wolves, she went to her temple. Her steps carried her to a room hidden deep within the gossamer structure. In it was her most prized possession, her seeing wall.
For months she’d been using it for brief little check ins on Millicent. Just to reassure herself that the human had evaded the alpha. It made her feel that her sacrifice was worth it.
Two months prior, she’d watched as Millicent brought her newborn baby girl home to her run-down apartment in a city far from the pack she’d run from. That night, Luna kept her gaze on the woman much longer than usual.
But, after her most recent excursion to earth, Luna went to her seeing wall with another target in mind. After zeroing in on Millicent’s home, during which she took a moment to appreciate the scene there. The baby was sleeping peacefully in her second hand crib while her mother watched over her. Luna searched the nearest apartments for her friend. Her lips curved into a sad smile when she spotted him.
Jeremiel was sitting near a window on an uncomfortable looking wooden chair. His gaze was fixed on the apartment across the street. The once perfectly smooth skin near his eyes was now creased with tiny lines, silver strands mixed in with his golden blond locks, and his eyes held a shadow of tiredness that Luna had never seen within them before. Her heart ached for all he’d lost.
Everyone knew that the fallen aged faster than the humans they either wished to or were forced to live with. Their delicate bodies were not made for that world. Briefly, she toyed with the idea of sneaking down to earth and taking him away from the harsh world he’d thrust himself into. Earth was no place for an angel.
But He still watched her closely. Perhaps in the future His attention would be drawn away by a transgression made by another member of the pantheon and she’d be able to get away with a little mischief. For now, though, Jeremiel would have to endure the grimness of his circumstances without her help.
“Oh Jeremiel, my friend,” she whispered. “What have you done?”
Then, as if he’d heard her soft voice above the abrasive murmur of the city around him, he turned his gaze up to the dark sky. And smiled.
