52- The she-wolf

Sirius looked at the two men who definately didn't look like the same race, one being a God and the other being a werewolf and he assumed 'brother' meant they were brotherly to each other and that was the extent of it.

The Beta was indeed pretty arrogant to assume such a status, but Sirius didn't mind.

Heimdall looked away from the Beta and smiled at the twins and the girl that had come along. "Hello my nephews, how have you been? Its nice to see you again. I believe you both were five last time."

The unruly one clasped his forearm with Heimdall's as his father had done and then Heimdall shook the haughty one's hand in a more professional way.

Sirius realized that Heimdall was very good at following the vibe of those around him and that he must be the ambassador of the realm.

"Who might this be?" Heimdall said to the girl.

"Sroka! What are you doing here!?" The unruly teen exclaimed when he realized that his sister had come along.

Heimdall smiled, "Let her be, any daughter of my brother in law is welcome here anytime!"

He shook her small hand with grace and then gave her hand a kiss.

Sirius was confused, "I thought you said the moon goddess was your sister? How are you all related?"

"My sister married his brother." The beta clarified. "So we call each other brothers, though I guess it makes us brothers-in-law."

"I'm surprised that you have come to Asgard." Heimdall said in a serious tone. "Odin doesn't welcome your kind; we had to make an exception, so please represent your species well and don't cause us any problems." He warned.

Then, giving him a stern look, he offered his forearm as well, offering him the handshake of a brother, further setting the expectation.

Sirius hesitated for a moment and returned the gesture. "I am here to save my wife. I am not my father." He promised.

Heimdall gave a nod and then smiled at Lachlan, scruffing his head a bit, which caused the little wolf to "yip!"

"Very well!" he declared, turning to address the group. "Welcome to Asgard!" With a sweeping gesture, he spread his arms wide in a grand, welcoming manner and looked at the guards who stood on the other side of the room.

They responded to the gesture by slamming their spears in their hands hard against the floor and the wall behind them dissipated with a flurry of golden light, revealing a vast abyss and a floating city which shone brightly in the night.

Then the particles began forming a gateway and a prismatic road, made of the same glasslike material as the floor they all stood on. A rainbow road. Sirius watched in awe as it constructed itself out of nothing and extended for miles until it reached the city.

When Heimdall saw his expression of awe he smiled. "Asgard is a magical realm. Here live the race that is above all other races. It is the home of the diety. You haven't seen anything yet!"

Pride shone in his eyes and Sirius nodded enthusiastically, "I am so very grateful to be here. I would have never imagined it!"

"Under better circumstances," the Beta cut in, "I would show you around, but for now, let's hurry. My sister is expecting us."

——————-

Saoirse suddenly woke up gasping in a place that she didn't recognize. At first, she remembered Lachlan's shadow consuming her as if she were stuck in pitch black quicksand, unable to move, see, or breathe. She felt cold and terrified as if she were in a nightmare. She tried to wake up but it was no use. She opened her mouth to cry out for help, and as suddenly as she had felt this, it felt like her whole body had been thrown through a vacuum, the darkness replaced with rainbow light, and then, unable to remember further, she now found herself in a throne room with her wrists chained to a large bolt that protruded out of the tiled floor.

A woman dressed in white and gold sat upon a throne made of white stone. The whole room felt bright and it hurt her eyes a bit. The woman was pondering her next move as she stroked the head of a black she-wolf. An actual wolf, not the kind who could become human. On the floor by her feet lay a white one, sleeping.

Saoirse took in the scene with confusion, she had never seen a wolf before- without a human in it. She could smell their scents, and they had none.

Where am I? This question seemed to come to her mind a lot recently. This made the woman smile, proud of her ownership of the creatures. She sensed Saoirse's confusion.

"Freki, the ravenous one." She said pointing to the one on the floor. "He eats the people that lie to me."

"And Geri, the greedy one." She introduced the wolves. "They are Odin's most loyal wolves, and he has gifted them to me to manage my realm."

"They don't have a human?" She asked curiously.

"None of the wolves here do. Human bodies were to stunt our power as wolves, only the older generation have them. The rest were born outside of the cursed state and can roam freely.

"And who are you?" Saoirse asked.

"I am the goddess of the moon, under Mani. My name is Nanna, the pardoned she-wolf."

Saoirse didn't know what she was talking about. "What do you mean you've been pardoned? Pardoned from what? Why have you summoned me, goddess?"

The goddess smiled as she stood, her golden high heeled boots clacked on the floor as she walked closer to her prisoner. "I summoned you because you asked me to." She said mystically.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you, or did you not cry out to be rescued from that nightmare just now?" The woman asked, a hint of impatience entering her tone.

Saoirse had never prayed to a goddess, but she had cried for help, that was true. She decided to humor the woman. "Suppose I did, why am I here right now?"

The goddess smiled. "Because I'd like you to bring my family together." She replied, "