Kiril had asked him to command his packs.

Packs. Plural. Full of people who either didn't know him, didn't like him, or didn't even consider giving him the time of the day. He had struggled with commanding his own pack. Singular.

In the end, the only way to impose his authority had been to almost murder his former Beta in front of everyone.

I swear, Lycans are the one species where the brain shrinks to the size of a pea when it comes in touch with sheer force and dominance.

In the back of his mind, he couldn't help thinking that Samira would have been a much better choice. She was a natural leader, while he wasn't even sure if he could ever grow into that role. But then again, Samira was pregnant and only hours ago host to some demonic mage.

Sighing, he conclude that Kiril was right after all. Sadly, he was his best shot. All his life, people had been doubting him, and then that very infamous guy came along and decided to trust him with his life, just like that.

Kiril is weird.

Sitting on the rubble of their former home, Angel started thinking. First of all, they had to recapture Katharina because if she would find Mila so would the Earth Goddess and that meant game over.

According to Dasha, Mila was afraid to use her powers or to step in the sun because then the Sun God would find her.

She doesn't even know about the, seemingly equally crazy Earth Goddess.
What type of creatures are these gods anyways if they gang up so easily on each other?

It was almost dawn and he had to go because the packs would arrive shortly. His initial plan to talk sense into Michael failed spectacularly as did his plan B, to beat sense into him. He only got his ass kicked.

I mean, what were you expecting, Angel? He taught you how to fight, there was no way in hell you could actually win. Yet you were stupid enough to try...

He didn't know Katharina that well but he knew what she wanted, namely to get to Mila. Michael's scent still lingered in the air and he followed it for a bit without thinking, when the other familiar scent entwined with his.

Katharina was smart. It made perfect sense for her to side with Michael and his murderous new friends. What other choice did she have?

The dungeon was only an hour's run away and they were both heading in that direction when suddenly several other scents came to meet them.

Fuck!

But then Angel noticed that the proximity he felt towards her through the chain weakened if he walked further in the direction of the dungeon. He sniffed again. 

They did part ways. How odd.

And then it hit him, a literal fist out of the blue. Katharina huffed and bit with her elongated fangs into his shoulder.

It had been such a horrible day so far and now this. It just started raining and Katharina was putting up an actual fight. Why? She was hurting herself too.

"Stop it! Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

"I just picked my part in your marital dispute and astonishingly it's not you. Michael needs a hand to become Lycan King and I am willing to help. You are weak Angel, so terribly weak. Alpha only in name," she stated while he was having a hard time blocking her hits.

She was saying all those terrible things, those things that he also considered true so they hurt more than anything and suddenly something snapped in him. Without thinking, acting only on impulse and rage, like that time with Rodrigo, he channeled his alpha power, and suddenly all the raindrops were under his control and the pressure that moved them became abruptly so high that they behaved like weapons.

Water can erode rocks and water at a high enough pressure can peel concrete off metal, so it could certainly also peel the flesh off bones.

Katharina screamed and started bleeding all over. The drops injured her, like little blades and bullets. Angel also felt the pain and fell to the ground almost fainting once again but he contained himself. As a whole, he was healing faster. Water was his element, it was all around him and it was helping.

"I'll take it from here," said a familiar voice.

He lifted his gaze to see Samira that already packed ropes around Katharina's body. She seemed fine but Angel couldn't forget what happened only hours ago.

"I am not coming with you. I know it's dangerous. I will have Ju lock me in the basement with Katharina till it's over, but I thought you needed some help. I know it's hard to impose authority in front of a pack if you are... not the standard alpha, but me being there, will help with at least some pack members. I want to help because I want you to come back with Mila. What Michael does isn't right. I believe in you. Tell Kiril he should show no mercy and... Not die. I mean to kill him myself when the time comes."

Angel smiled and took her hand.

Only minutes later the first wolves showed on the horizon. In short time, it were dozens, then hundreds. Angel felt cold sweat on his brow.

"It is going to be fine," whispered Samira.

"Sure... I suppose I should just be myself?" asked Angel sarcastically.

"No. I wish being yourself would help because you are a great guy but many of them are jerks and brutes. Pretend to be the complete opposite of how you feel like being. This one time, be horrible, be a bit like Kiril."

This time his somber moon would be helping, also the weather. It was still raining.

After most wolves had gathered, some in their beast form some as humans, one of them, whom Angel didn't know, stepped forward. He was tall, broad, obviously older than Angel, and most probably a better fighter. By the way he spoke he was likely part of Kiril's initial pack.

"We are here because our alpha summoned us but I don't see him anywhere."

"I am to lead you into battle and we have to march now," said Angel as sternly and imposing as he could muster in himself.

"Who are you, boy? And why do you think I, or anybody for the matter, should listen to you?"

"Till recently you were used to being told what to do. By Michael Wittfeld," said another, this time from Samira's former pack, and part of the crowd started laughing.

"Is now Kiril telling you how to bend? Huh, Angelito?" Angel could recognize Rodrigo's voice anywhere.

The crowd laughed again and Samira was growling.

"Ok, so I am out of here," said the first man. "Tell Kiril that if he wants us to fight for him he should bloody show up himself."

"Yeah, what a joke. A summoning and after coming all the way we are met by... this."

The crowd gasped when Rodrigo's body was suddenly pierced by thousands of invisible weapons that made his skin explode into a singular bleeding wound across all his body.

Nobody made a sound for solid minutes.

"We are going to march now. We are going for a surprise attack so move silently and don't do anything until I command you," said Angel.

They all bowed their heads and obeyed.

"That was... very Kiril-like," said Samira a tiny bit frightened.

An hour later they were silently approaching the solitary dungeon ruin in the middle of the woods.

Michael's and Nodin's packs were already there expecting them.

Right, now they are both Michael's packs.

Michael was missing though. And when he had to actually give battle commands, Angel noticed once more how much he missed him. Michael was a good warrior and general and it was going to be really hard to best him. He had taught him everything he knew about fighting, but then again, he was also the one that knew Michael best, the good, the bad, the ugly, the sad.

It was pure carnage and Angel's initial instinct would have been to flee, but he was well aware that he couldn't.  He had the numbers, and even if it was Michael's territory, he had spent most of his life there too, he knew those woods and Rodrigo's death, even if it didn't make him proud whatsoever, did give him some confidence and the needed authority. 

Michael's pack seemed to have been instructed to guard the entrances at the price of their lives.  The just couldn't breach inside. 

Above all the battle frenzy Angel could feel the slight tremor of the ground beneath his feet. That meant that Kiril was inside but if the feeling was dim, it meant that he was in trouble. It was amazing that he was still alive if he was alone in there. 

A few familiar howls pierced the air, Kiril's and Michael's and again a small quake, and then another, but they were getting weaker. He knew he had to do something. If they couldn't use the existing doors or windows maybe they could make their own entrance. Nobody would expect that, so they would not oppose it. 

But how? Think, Angel!

His eyes fell on the stream that was flowing a few meters away. That was enough water and moved with enough power it could actually work like a magic siege engine.  

"Buy me some time!" he screamed at the wolves that were now at least listening to his commands even if reluctant. 

His heart was beating frenetically when he became one with the stream and bored his away across the stone wall that splintered under the force of the unusual weapon. 

Don't cave now! 

From inside Kiril's scream and a strange shockwave of power were overturning everything around. 

He huffed, and when the stone finally gave in, his eyes were met with the horrific image from inside. Mila was bleeding on a table that looked like being prepared for a sacrifice ritual and Michael and the monk mages were now all gathered around Kiril that managed to shatter his chains. 

"We are here, at your command," he proclaimed to also attract the attention of the many attackers towards him. 

Wolves stormed inside from both parties. Everything was in total disarray and Michael and the one that seemed to be the leader of the monks were fighting Kiril, rather Michael was, while the other man was chanting.

It looked rather ridiculous, everyone was fighting only he was singing. How wrong had Angel been in his presumptuousness, he would soon notice. 

"Angel! Yield your power to me," screamed Michael."You can still do the right thing. We can win and we can be together again."

Kiril's face turned pale but he didn't say anything. He was clearly thinking that there was nothing he could say that would matter to him.

Dark power emerged from the monk and enveloped Kiril totally, choking him in shadows.

Lies, those are only lies.

Michael didn't want that, but he was telling him what he wanted to hear. It made him so angry that he attacked Michael recklessly. 

"Angel, why are you doing this? You know you cannot win. You are not a fighter, not an alpha. Know your place!" screamed Michael. His claws were crushing Angel's windpipe. "If you don't yield I will take it."

"Angel," screamed Kiril desperately while the shadows were battling to engulf him. "Mila!" he said again almost choking.

Mila was convulsing on the table. Everybody was dying, Michael was killing him. 

"I... yield..." he whispered, battling for breath. 

Kiril was on his knees inside the shadow tornado. When he heard that, his eyes were looking desperately at Mila and then at him. 

"Kiril... alpha and master..." said Angel collapsing and feeling how the power was shooting toward his new master, which rose now more powerful and sent a thunderbolt towards Michael. 

"Traitor! After everything I did for you!"

He was sagging on the ground looking at how his lover was preparing to strike him before Kiril's bolt hit him. A small tear fell over his bruised cheek. Motionless he watched how Michael moved towards Kiril and the shadow monk towards Mila.  Another thunderbolt stopped him from reaching her but then the man changed his plans and started singing again, entering a heavy trance.

His eyes became pitch dark and buggy and the shadows appeared again just that this time they were directed towards Michael, and he was embracing them. His eyes became dark too and he turned into his beast form, but this time the wolf was not golden brown as usual but dark all over and acid was dripping out of his mouth. 

It was strong and frightening and matched Kiril's many alpha powers as Angel could see between the episodes of unconsciousness. 

"Don't die..." he whispered and then fell into darkness. 

When he woke up again, Kiril was holding the giant wolf down with tremendous effort, pointing a kind of elemental weapon crafted from water, ice, rock and thunder towards it.

What si he doing? 

He was talking to him.  Kiril was hesitating to kill him. That was so unlike him and such a bad idea, when distracted as he was, he didn't see the monk that planted a silver dagger into his back. 

He turned and grabbed the monk's skull ready to crack it. 

Behind his back, Michael struggled to stand but, leaped forward to crash Kiril's neck between his fangs.

It was the most difficult choice Angel made in his life and he had to make it in seconds. With fading strength, he grabbed the other silver dagger that had fallen at Mila's feet and stabbed the wolf with it with all the strength he had left. 

He aimed for the heart and didn't miss. 

The monk's bones cracked under Kiril's claws and at the same time, Michael howled and turned back to his human form. 

"Angel..." he whispered and sagged to his knees beside him. "Why did you betray me? Didn't you love me anymore?"

It felt like his heart had been stabbed too. Falling beside Michael, the took his bleeding body into his arms.

"I never stopped."

"Lier and traitor," huffed Michael with his last breath. Power emerged from him, like a cry of desperation, setting the location on fire.

"It's for the greater good," he sighed, watching Michael heave his las breath in anger, while flames were swirling around them.

Angel laid down by his side, taking his limp hand and kissing his liveless lips.

The markings that were just forming on his chest were burning traces in his already shattered soul.

It was the sad end to something beautiful but they would leave this world together.

_________________________________

It was planned, but still tragic.

Thought on Angel? And Michael?

I always wanted to write a tragic love story ending.