The first few days, Katia did nothing but sleep, shower, and eat. It was like she was so exhausted that if she wanted to stay awake for longer than an hour or two, she couldn’t. Aza slept curled in a ball on the end of her bed with Katia. Grandfather had a large log cabin built on an island that had mountains. At the foot of the mountains was a beach with a gentle lake and a huge forest with large green trees as far as Katia could see. The best part was that grandfather had imparted some of the magic that allowed Katia and Aza to live as two separate entities. His reasoning was so she did not get lonely.
On the fourth day, Katia and Aza awoke. As they stretched, Katia said, “Do you think grandfather did something to make us sleep so much?”
Aza rubbed her snout against Katia’s palm for pets while answering, “I don’t know it is possible. I do feel differently though. Like everything is calm inside me.”
Petting her, Katia said in wonderment, “Me too. I can’t describe it. I just feel different.” Shrugging her shoulders, she told Aza to follow her, so they could get something to eat and explore their new home.
Once outside, they explored most of the day. They had decided that they would explore one area a day. Katia couldn’t believe that the whole island was hers. She could do whatever she wanted. No one would get mad at her or tell her no. She was completely free. Uranus had protected the island with his powers to notify him, Cronos, or Lucifer, if she needed them. One of them visited once a day and would spend time exploring with her and her wolf.
Katia and Aza were getting to know the grandfather. He was different than she imagined. Katia imagined him angry all the time and he wasn’t. Oh, he could be mean as a lioness protecting her cubs if someone did something to him or offended him, but he was not when he was with her. They spent time talking about what his sons had done to him. When the anger towards them did start to calm, he did not know how to stop the revenge against them. Uranus had told Katia how he missed Gaia and the rest of his children and grandchildren. He explained that he knew he would eventually die the god’s death at the hands of one of his sons someday. He hoped he could see all his family again first. He did not want to make amends. He said, “they all deserve what they got. Except you girls and look what I did to you. I made you and Selene suffer so much because of my anger.”
Smiling shyly, Katia told him, “Yeah, because you are a big bully and were afraid of your sons, so you went after little girls. For what? A pokey stick?”
Uranus just stood up and said, “A what? Did you just call my manhood a pokey stick?”
Laughing, Katia told him the story of when she was first introduced to Nathan’s manhood. How she had heard it called other things, during her almost rapes, and when Thomas made her watch him with other women, she had thought those names were what it was called during those times. When Aza called it a pokey stick during a non-threatening situation, she believed her wolf.
Uranus was laughing so hard he collapsed to the ground. Wheezing as he said, “I can imagine your mate’s reaction. It must have been golden, especially what you caught him doing in the shower.”
Katia splashed water at him, as she was sitting at the edge of the lake bank, she grimaced, “It was not that funny. I was so embarrassed later that night when he gave me the birds and the bees talk. I could have killed Aza.” She said, ruffling her wolf's head. Then she looked at her grandfather and whispered, “He is not my mate. A true mate that loves you does not do what he did.”
A tear slid down her cheek and her grandfather immediately sat down next to her. He put his arm around her as she leaned into him. He let her cry for a little while and then asked her, “Do you still love him?”
Katia pulled her head away from his shoulder and replied, “I don’t know. I want to forget him, but I cannot. It doesn’t matter though. He is no better than Thomas or the parents I grew up with. He broke all the promises he made to me and Selene, so I would return and give him a chance.”
Uranus set her straight though, “You were returning to that life anyway. You had decided to return because Selene was convinced that you two could stop me this time. She was probably right too. After trying to kill you as an infant this time and it not working, I had enough. I have done a lot of things in my life but sinking to the level of baby killer on purpose, that is too much.”
“It doesn’t matter, grandfather, regardless of what I have decided, listening to Nathan and his pack plead for my life was the cement to my decision. His sister’s pleading really got to me. A girl having that much faith in her brother, I thought he must be a special man. I was wrong. Thankfully, I found out now and not after we had pups.”
Uranus watched his granddaughter kicking her feet in the water as she sat there petting her wolf. The sadness on her face along with all the scars from the torture and punishment he caused her to live through, broke his heart. What kind of god would do the things he has done and all of it was for power? His son Cronos was going to face the same situation in the future when he overthrows Uranus. Uranus hoped that Cronos would make better decisions. If not, Zeus would see that Cronos did not survive long in power.
Wanting to lighten the mood, Uranus picked his granddaughter up and threw her in the lake. She shrieked like a banshee until she hit the water going under. He stripped down to his shorts and joined her for a swim before leaving her to do her own thing for the rest of the day.
The next day, Lucifer arrived around noon. Katia made the three of them a lunch of chicken salad sandwiches and orange slices. Somehow, everything she needed or wished for magically appeared. Putting Aza’s in her special Wolfie bowl, they sat and had a quiet meal. Afterward, Lucifer helped Katia till a garden and plant some of the fruits and vegetables she wanted to grow. As they worked, Lucifer told Katia of the day they told her loved ones, Nathan, and her packs, of her death.
“I don’t know how he was able to do it so easily, but he did and gave the reason for no one feeling the breaking of the bond like it was something that truly could be done. No one questioned it. I really thought your parents would know that wasn’t true.” Lucifer was telling her why he helped cover the seeds she planted.
Katia stopped as she was thinking about it, then continued planting seeds while she spoke, “Maybe mama and dad believe Uranus is powerful enough to do something like that. I know that I can block the links indefinitely. I can block the bond for long periods of time, but not forever like grandfather has.”
Lucifer stopped gazing at the little goddess in front of him. He thought how beautiful she was. It did not matter that her injuries could not be healed properly because she and her wolf were so young when she received most of them. She was beautiful inside and out. Anyone, God or mortal, would be lucky to have her. She was not for him though, but he would watch over her now to pay penance for his involvement with Uranus’ plans for the girls. Finally, he said, “Katia, remember Uranus can always reverse the blockage of the bonds. You just have to ask him.”
Looking at him with those big purple eyes, she squeaked softly, “Why would I do that? I am happy here with peace and quiet.”
“What about your wolf? Doesn’t she miss her mate?” Lucifer wanted to know.
Her head shaking back and forth, Katia was smiling, “No, she doesn’t. Kalen showed that he had no control over Nathan. They are not one like she and I are. Then Kalen tried to get Wolfie to betray me, and that did it for her. A wolf never betrays their human unless that side of them is evil or damaged.” Katia frowned and continued, “He should have never asked her to do something like that. She reached out to let him know we were fine. I was right there and heard the whole conversation. Like I said, we are one.”
Lucifer did not understand the relationship between the wolf and human in the werewolf species. So, he had to take Katia’s word for it. He was a completely different species. He did shift between his human form and his demon form, but he was still the same person.
Once he finished helping her with the new garden, he followed her back into the cabin for a cool drink and said, “I think if you really wanted to go back someday, Uranus would free you from the deal and allow you to return.” Holding up his hands in defeat, he finished, “I am just putting it out there for future thought.”
Katia snorted, “No need. I am happy here and do not ever want to experience any more violence from any man, let alone the one that is supposed to be my mate and love me.”
Lucifer kissed her forehead and left shortly afterward. Once he was gone, Katia cleaned up and readied for bed. As she lay there just about to doze off, she said, “Ya know what, Wolfie? I do miss the love and mating part of having a mate.”
Wolfie returned, “Me too, girly. Me too.”
They fell asleep and dreamed of their mate.