The woman bowed to me in a way that seemed even more ancient than Sirhan and the elders of his pack. “I bid you farewell, Gabriel,” she said, even though I had never told her my name.
“Where wilt thou go?” I asked her.
“Back to my people.” Her violet eyes seemed to glisten as she stepped closer to me. “Oh, one more thing, Gabriel,” she said, and touched her lips against my cheek. The feel of it made me clutch the moonstones even closer to my body. “Marie says that she will never stop waiting for thee.”
I watched the woman disappear into the trees, while I pressed my hand against my cheek, holding her kiss there as if it had been from Marie herself—knowing that my beloved still awaits me in heaven.
sixth letter
Editor’s note: This letter appears to have been written recently, sometime between the events of THE DARK DIVINE and THE LOST SAINT.
My dear Katharine,
Many centuries have passed since I started writing to you. I live in a new world called America now, and Sirhan has been the alpha, or the father, of our pack for many years. We live mostly in peace, using our moonstones to help us stay grounded, and we stay away from the public eye. I have dedicated every day of my life to trying to atone for my sins—for the things I did under the influence of the wolf, knowing full well that it would never be enough to save me from the werewolf curse.
But Katharine, news of a girl has reached us—a teenage girl who the others have started calling the “Divine One,” because it is believed that she has cured an Urbat of the curse. Truly cured him. Freed his soul of the demon completely—and he lives, so we know the cure actually worked!
Or at least that is the story.
My moonstone has brought me peace, has helped me keep the wolf under control, but for the first time in my long life as an Urbat, I feel a real hope that I may be able to rid myself of the curse forever. That I may actually be able to keep my promise to Marie.
I do not know if the rumors are true, but if they are, this girl may be in great danger. She does not know the power that she wields in the minds of the Urbat—and other creatures who might see her as a threat. Even Sirhan and my own pack are a danger to her now. Perhaps even I am.
Desperate people can do terrible things.
I pray she stays safe… for the sake of us all.
Your loving brother,
Gabriel