chapter Fifty-Four
Lupus Theliel
hey had returned to the underworld, collected the rest of the pack in the passages, and returned to their former home. Bliss could see the smoke, smell the fire, and breathe the ash of the barren lands, the forgotten world, where nothing grew and everything was dead. The eternally gray skies hung above them.
"I hope you remember your way around here," Bliss whispered.
"Like it was yesterday," Lawson replied. "Come on, the wolves are in their dens."
"What about the trolls? And the masters?" Malcolm asked.
"What about them?" Lawson smiled.
"You are not afraid," Bliss said.
He shook his head. "Your mother. The Angel of the Lord. Gabrielle. She called me Fenrir."
Bliss realized he had never believed it before. Even after he had destroyed Romulus - even after everything he had been able to accomplish. Lawson hadn't believed in himself. Could not accept that he was the one who would lead the wolves out of enslavement.
With a great roar, Lawson transformed into the great wolf, and Fenrir stood before Bliss. He was larger than Romulus; larger than any beast of Hell.
His strength will break our chains.
In his spirit we shall be reborn.
Bliss looked at the pack: they had transformed as well. The wolves stood in a circle around her. Their eyes were shining with the blue crescent sigils that marked them as Fenrir's own.
She was alone.
She was no longer a vampire.
But as she discovered, she was no longer human either.
She looked down at herself. Her claws. Felt the sharpness of her fangs. Different from the vampire fangs. She felt the strength in her body, in her animal nature.
She was one of them.
Whatever her mother had done, she had done this. Given her the wolf gift. Given her the strength to belong.
Lawson nuzzled her. You are truly one of the pack now. Run with me.
The wolves howled, a battle cry, a warning:
We are coming. We are coming, my brothers and sisters.
Fenrir has returned.
We shall break your chains. We shall lead you into freedom.
We shall bring war upon our enemies.
Arise, arise! It is our time. The War of Heaven is upon us. Arise, wolves of the den, wolves of the guard. Arise and defeat the enemy we slew once before.