7. Under the willow tree

Zohra

Following Beta Roger, I headed to the warehouse. Before entering it, the foul smell of sulphur combined with blood assaulted my nostrils. My hands fidgeted with the hem of my uniform blouse as I sensed something seriously wrong. I didn’t want to partake in whatever that something was, but I had no choice when it came to Alpha Blake’s orders; after all, I was only a rankless wolf and the only working nurse at this time. Alpha Blake wasn’t a good man; to put it simply, he was old school and made sure we — the wolves of his pack — feared and obeyed him.

“Why is she taking so long to die?” I heard Alpha Blake’s angry voice.

Someone replied to him, not seeming the least affected by his expanding Alpha’s aura, “Do exactly as I said, Blake! I have to leave now, I can’t wait until this girl decides to die!” The male voice was filled with authority, making me wonder who could speak in such a manner to an Alpha, and even worse, to our proud and reckless Alpha.

“It’s already done, Elijah! My Beta mind-linked me to tell me they are already here,” Alpha Blake replied, and on cue, Beta Roger opened the door. My whole body trembled as I looked at the man who was ordering Alpha Blake around. He wasn’t a werewolf, or at least not a normal one. His eyes were completely black while dark vapours leaked from him —he must be a demon.

I had to contain my gasp as my eyes found a girl thrown down on the floor. She was surrounded by dark fumes, and so pale she was almost blue. My heart clenched painfully; she was so young and looked utterly helpless, surrounded by all these powerful, cruel and selfish men. They were killing her with dark magic and there was nothing someone like me could do.

“Nurse Zohra, watch this girl and make sure to report to us when she dies. We have to make sure everything happens according to how it was planned. Beta Roger will go with you.” Alpha Blake commanded and I nodded, averting my eyes from him.

The demonic man they called Elijah disappeared in a rage of dark vapour, surely teleporting away. Without saying a word, Beta Roger collected the fragile body of the girl, and we took her to the clinic where I was supposed to watch her die.

Sighing deeply, I connected her to the heart monitor to observe her already weak vitals; she wouldn’t live for another hour. To be honest, I couldn’t understand how she had made it that long, this girl was a fighter. The Beta stayed in the clinic room with me, seemingly unaffected by what had happened as he busied himself with his phone. I knew better than asking questions, but this time I couldn’t contain myself. The girl looked so young, she couldn’t be older than eighteen. Her red hair was growing pale and dull – almost as grey as her skin.

“Beta Roger, who is this girl?”

“It’s ironic that her name is Angel when that Demon-hybrid showed her to her doom. Now she will be an angel of Hell or not even that. As you know, the souls of those who die consumed by dark magic are forever lost. She won’t ever make it to heaven or hell,” he said casually, his eyes still fixed on his phone.

So that was what Elijah was: a Demon-hybrid. Yet our Alpha did his bidding. How I wish I was brave enough to take my family and leave this pack. Except it wasn’t that easy, and I was too tired.

The machine peeped, her heart stopped beating and the brain activity stopped as well. She was indeed gone.

Caressing her hair, I placed my hand on her cold forehead and sent a silent prayer to the Goddess. I hoped this girl’s soul wasn’t lost and she could find some peace in the afterlife.

“She is dead,” I sighed, my eyes on her injury-covered pale face.

“Finally! She took her sweet time! I will report to the Alpha, even though he is already in the Vampire Realm for business,” the Beta told me, standing up and stirring his long arms.

“Beta Roger, what should I do with her?” I asked, looking between Angel’s body and him.

“Strange, Elijah mentioned that when she dies, her body would automatically become ashes while her soul would be obliterated, succumbing to the dark magic. It’s not my problem his spell didn’t work as intended. I will have to somehow get rid of her body now, burn it, it smells like sulphur,” Beta Roger shook his head, frowning, “I will ask some trainee warriors to help carry the body outside,” the Beta shrugged, heading towards the door. Her body was indeed reeking of sulphur, just like Elijah and his demonic magic.

“I can carry her outside and do everything by myself,” I assured him and he nodded. He couldn’t care less, whereas I, on the other hand, couldn’t bring myself to cause this poor soul any further harm. Looking once again at her paleness, I sighed and began to clean her face, releasing her body from the now completely black and sulphur-infested clothes. I would give her a proper burial and send prayers to the Goddess. That was the least I could do.

The smell was so intense that my stomach started churning. I opened the window and welcomed some fresh air as my gaze found the crescent moon. I inhaled and let the soft moonbeam caress my face and the dead Angel’s body.

Something stirred deep within my soul, and I felt a calling. It didn’t carry words, only meaning and feelings, and strangely, I knew what was required of me.

“Let’s go, Angel. I will return your body to the mother — to nature, to the Goddess,” I murmured in her ear as I finished cutting the dirty clothes off her body. Once I was satisfied that she was as clean and dark-magic-free as possible, I wrapped her in a blanket and carried her to the clinic’s emergency car. My eyes roamed up to the moon again as She hid herself among the clouds. I only hoped that no one would catch us, and prayed for the dark veil of the night and the Goddess to guard us both.

Following the instinct that filled my soul completely, I drove to the outskirts of the pack, a place not many visited. I had trekked here from time to time to collect medicinal herbs and I have never met another soul on that side. There, a few willow trees grew by a small lake.

Parking by the water bank, I took Angel in my arms. She was light, and with the strength of a regular she-Wolf, carrying her wasn’t strenuous. Adjusting the blanket under her naked body, I placed her under the biggest and most majestic willow tree.

The branches danced with the wind as if they wanted to tell me something – yes, that was the right place for Angel. There, she could rest forever, at the feet of the Goddess. It was said that a part of the Goddess’ spirit lives within the willow trees. I always believed it to be a rumour, but now I felt it was true. I could sense her silent presence through the gentle breeze, in the soft light of the moon and within my soul.

“May the Goddess give you some peace, poor child,” I murmured to Angel’s pale and cold body before leaving her in her final resting place.

~ * ~

Angeline

After my soul managed to stop crying for Sia, I did what the voice asked me to and opened my eyes. Blinking twice, I tried to focus on the golden blur in front of me.

“Oh my Goddess!” I gasped as I finally saw her clearly. She was so beautiful. Her eyes were as silver as the moon and a soothing light radiated from her.

“I am not the Goddess,” she barked with a sweet wolfish smile, “I am your wolf, Dora. You were too weak, your soul mutilated, so the Goddess united our souls and that was enough to bring you back to life! I am so happy we are one now, Angeline!” Dora licked my face and hugged me with her paws, swishing her tail in joy and making the heavy feeling of nostalgia sink into my heart – Sia loved her tail!

I had to live, to hold on to Dora’s golden light and be strong. Live for Sia, for Stella, for me and to bring justice to those horrible men, those monsters!

My fingers roamed down Dora’s golden fur, and as I snuggled into her, I felt more and more alive.

“We are stronger now, Angeline. The Goddess asked a lady to place your body under a willow tree where nature and the light of the moon nurtured and prepared your body for when our souls merged. The full moon is high in the skies; it’s time to rise. You just have to open your eyes once again,” she encouraged me with her soft and melodic voice, filled with kindness.

With all my strength, I tried to open my eyes. But there was a barrier, a blockage preventing me from doing so. Everything felt cold, rigid and stiff.

“It hurts! I don’t know if I can do it!” I cried out, trying to open my eyes to the light on the other side — to life.

“You have to. Coming to life does hurt, and breathing for the first time brings a burning sensation to the lungs. Despite everything, you have to push further, to take life in its pain and its joy, Angeline. Push yourself towards the light,” Dora said, placing her paw over my hand. I nodded and pushed my soul further until I felt something material embrace it. Damn, it felt just like my soul was entering my body once again. Dora turned into a golden light and pushed through my chest a second before my eyes opened.

Looking at the full moon from within the dense foliage of the willow tree, I gasped for air. My lungs hurt, but I took it happily. I was alive!

The sound of a muffled squeal attracted my eyes to a copper-skinned woman with brown hair and kind eyes. Was she the one that placed me here?

“Angel?” she called, taking a step closer, her eyes roaming up and down my body.

“You look so much better now the colours in your face and life itself are back. Bless the Moon Goddess! It’s a miracle you are alive! I am Zohra, this pack’s nurse. For some reason, I felt compelled to come here every night and check on you. Let’s go to my place; it’s safe there, no one will see you. I have to examine you and make sure you are alright,” she added, her gaze examining my face carefully.

I didn’t reply, I only inhaled deeply, filling my lungs completely once again. I needed some time to process all the sensations once again, to get used to being alive. “Can you hear me, Angel?” she asked again, now looking intently into my eyes.

Angel. The name didn’t feel right anymore. I felt as if I were someone else, not the stupid and innocent girl that allowed that Alpha manipulate her and shut her voice off. There was no Angel anymore: she was used, betrayed, killed.

My voice sounded gruff and caused the woman to gasp deeply, “Angel is dead!”