Epilogue
Lyall
As expected, within days after we liberated the clerics, the Curia gently but firmly informed Eleni that she was no longer welcomed in their Order. My initial anger at what I perceived to be bigotry quickly faded, in no small part thanks to Paulus giving us a different perspective.
Just like with politics and large corporations, appearances played a huge role in how the public perceived an organization and how legitimate they considered them to be.
The Church built itself in large part on the idea of casting out demons and uplifting the divine.
Having become one of the most prominent figures among the Inquisitors over the years, my mate could no longer represent the Order without undermining their image due to her transformation.
Her demonic heritage couldn’t be denied, not that she wanted to.
Initially, I thought she would contemplate using some form of glamour to hide her newly acquired physical traits.
Instead, my Eleni proudly displayed them.
At first, I wondered if it was a kneejerk reaction, an act of defiance against those who might try to shun her for what she was.
Then I realized that she truly was at peace with herself.
In many ways, I believed that my siblings and their mates played a huge part in this smooth transition for her.
We were all weird in our own rights, the sons of a goddess and powerful immortals, each unique in our own ways.
They welcomed her with open arms. But the women undoubtedly had the biggest impact.
Ronika and Kali both stopped being fully human as a result of them bonding with my siblings.
My Eleni was never truly human to begin with.
She only spent years trying to convince herself that she was.
And now, through my beloved brothers’ mates, she got to see how you could still be a formidable force for good even as an oddity.
Watching the friendship blossom between her and Kali seriously warmed my heart.
Now that I had embraced my divine light, my bond with Pharos significantly tightened.
He enjoyed playing big brother and teaching me how to use my new abilities in the most efficient fashion.
Therefore, that our mates would develop a close sisterly bond couldn’t be more perfect.
The fact that Kali was a badass blood mage and necromancer dedicated to demon hunting made them an even greater match. I actually had to worm my way into joining them when they would follow a lead about some abomination terrorizing a village or family.
That said, while the Church had officially severed ties with Eleni, unofficially, they still remained very much connected.
The only difference was that now my beloved got to choose whether to take on a mission or not.
They could no longer command her to do so.
But some situations proved far too delicate for the Church to officially get involved but were also far too dangerous to remain unaddressed.
At first, it upset me how suicidal some of them appeared to be.
I even began to wonder if it was their roundabout way of trying to eliminate her.
Eleni quickly set me straight on that front.
Yes, I had a tendency of always assuming the worst about people, especially when their actions could negatively impact my soulmate’s welfare.
But she made a good point that together, she and I possessed the kind of power that none of the members of their Order could rival.
Although they didn’t know anything about my true affiliation, they understood that we had access to a formidable network of allies and informants.
Anyway, I loved fighting crazy shit and jumping into the type of messy situations wise people steer clear of.
Divine light or not, partial angel or not, I was still a bloodthirsty fiend with a tendency towards sadism.
These wild missions allowed me to channel that dark energy for positive outcomes. And my beloved matched that energy.
Fuck, how I loved her!
For all that, my mate still struggled at times adjusting to her new self. It wasn’t that she disliked or had issues with what she was, but rather the fact that she was walking blindly into all of this. Unlike me, Eleni didn’t have siblings or parents to guide her through this journey of discovery.
Frankly, it’s still messed with my head to discover that Azrael had officially claimed me as his son.
Since that night in Hecate’s temple, he frequently visited me so that we could spend some quality father and son time together.
Some of it involved some training in all the ways to use my abilities or combine them with my mate’s to enhance the symbiosis between us.
And some of it was simply us talking about our respective lives and him filling me in about some of the wildest anecdotes of his insanely long life.
As much as I loved learning new ways to kill monsters and wreck shit, those conversations were the ones I cherished the most. The first time he asked me to call him father really turned me into a complete puddle.
I genuinely felt like a shy little boy and wondered if the word could even cross my lips.
Occasionally, I would still stumble before speaking the word as a vulnerable part of me continued to struggle with the idea that I deserved to be claimed by one such as he.
But that wounded child was steadily healing with each conversation, each moment spent together, and each of those amazing fatherly winged hugs he systematically gave me upon his arrival and before his departure.
How I wished I could have given a similar experience to my Eleni.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to find out who her sire was, considering how she was the result of the magic combination of various demons’ seeds.
But even if we could have, they were the type of true monsters no one in their right mind would want to consort with or have in their lives—just like my sire had been.
At least, Azrael showed her a great deal of paternal love.
And shockingly, so did Alderan, Asheron’s father.
Just like my father had done for me, Alderan had given part of himself to Kali as a reward for helping to bring down Cornelius who had cursed his son centuries prior.
That had significantly enhanced her necromancy and bone magic as he himself was the most powerful bone demon of the Seventh Circle of Hell.
As he would frequently assist Kali in further owning her skills, he jumped at the opportunity to also help my Eleni when Kali brought her along for one of her training sessions.
Although she didn’t have any bone magic, Eleni nonetheless possessed demonic powers that Alderan was able to bring forth.
The one ability that both rejoiced and saddened me was discovering that she possessed demon wings that she could extrude at will.
She squealed and danced with the same excitement I had felt when Pharos informed me that I now enjoyed the same teleportation ability that the Reapers did.
Selfishly, I pouted at the fact that I could no longer use the excuse that she was wingless to convince her to let me carry her around rather than ride her Galadia.
Still, having wings and knowing how to use them were two completely different challenges. I welcomed the pleasure of teaching her how to fly. The blind trust she gave me throughout the process made me fall even more deeply in love with her—as if that was possible.
Gradually shifting from standard flight to aerial combat whipped our adrenaline into a frenzy. Soon, those training sessions turned into just a fun activity where we took turns being the hunted or the hunter. Did some of them end up into some spicy rumble midair? Absolutely.
Having a winged mate definitely had its perks.
But so did having family and friends. To think I had missed out on this incredible sense of belonging by my own poor choices and actions over the years.
It took me far too long to understand how self-loathing truly was the worst form of self-sabotage.
I didn’t believe I deserved love and friendship, so I made sure no one would want to grant me either.
And now, not only did I have a healthy relationship with my siblings and parents, but my mate and I also took to hanging out regularly with that wretched pup in his pack.
Remus truly was a little shit, taking great pleasure in needling me at every opportunity, just like Haroth did.
As much as I grumbled and mumbled about it, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Six months after Elliot and the Oracle’s downfall, Amara gave birth to a set of fraternal twins.
I nearly lost my shit finding out that she had been three months pregnant when she joined the packs who ran through the Wolfmoon forests in search of Eleni’s Amulet.
Despite reassurances from every Lycan that their females continued to hunt and to be steadily active in every aspect of their daily lives until the seventh month, it still distressed me.
The thought that harm could have come to their younglings because of my previous failure at properly protecting my mate would have destroyed me.
But both she and Remus quickly shut me up by asking if I would do them the honor of being their daughter Reyna’s godfather, with Ulric being godfather to their son Ryder. Saying I barely managed not to weep, would be the lie of the century.
I could be so fucking pathetic at times.
They only realized their mistake long after I said yes.
No word could describe how much I spoiled the hell out of her.
It quickly turned into a friendly rivalry with Ulric as to who was the better godfather.
Running in the woods alongside her in wolf forms reminded me of my youth doing the same with Ranael.
I couldn’t wait to do so with him again in the future.
And after my own trials, I had no doubt that day would come for him… in due time.
As we sat in the Howl Inn with little Reyna cradled in my arms, I melted with love.
She was tracing the soft glow of my streaks illuminating her light brown skin—the perfect mix of her parents’ complexions.
She giggled, and her golden eyes—identical to her father’s—shifted towards Eleni, who was tickling her bare feet.
Reyna extended her arms towards my mate, and Eleni took the adorable two-year-old girl from me before giving her a tight hug.
Reyna buried her face in my woman’s neck, her tiny little wolf ears flicking with content.
I locked eyes with Eleni, and the love we felt for each other flowed freely between us almost like a living entity.
We leaned forward and exchanged a tender kiss.
Seeing such strong maternal instincts from her filled my heart with joy.
With her past, I’d dreaded motherhood might not be something she would even consider.
Finding out that, like me, she hoped to have a big family had me over the moon.
But there was no rush. Fortunately for us, time wasn’t a factor we needed to worry about.
Eleni’s demon blood made her long-lived, just like me.
First, my mate and I still had a lot of personal growth ahead of us, countless villains and monsters to tear to shreds, and many more adventures to experience just the two of us before we were ready for that next major milestone. Like my mother loved to say, it would come in due time.
THE END.