What's it like to be the new protector of a pack of intelligent, talking wolves? Well, it's nothing out of the ordinary - if you happen to be the Green Goblin, that is! But the pack itself isn't thrilled with its unlikely guardian angel. Yet it's becoming more and more obvious that they're going to need to make peace with him in order to finally bring this strange saga to a close. But that doesn't mean that they have to like the idea of the Green Goblin as "Jasper's Newest Protector"!

I put down the phone after having a long talk with Meredith. I apologized for being such a jerk before and we managed to patch a lot of things up. Now I'm not saying it's gonna be smooth sailing from here on out. No, but there's at least some hope of better things on the horizon when I get back to New York. Cool!

Then I throw my phone away and look out the cave. Several wolves pass by, trying to gain glimpses inside. If they're hoping to see the Green Goblin, they'll be disappointed to learn that it's just Philip Urich here right now. My Goblin costume's currently strewn all over the floor (Hey, it's not like there's any point in hiding it anymore!) and I'm just relaxing in an old Rangers jersey and a pair of blue jeans.

But everybody seems… almost starstruck anyway. Starstruck? About me? As if! But that doesn't change the fact that they all seem quite interested in me despite my not exactly cutting a heroic figure right now. Wolves are weird.

I now notice that Can-do's standing guard in front of the cave entrance. I decide to go over, see what's up.

"Ah man," I say, "you mean they're still keeping me under guard – even after everything we've been through together?"

Can-do nods slightly and slowly. "Actually, you are under 'observation.' But really, there is nothing different. Winston and Eve are very upset toward you right now."

"Typical. They would be upset at me. And all because I saved their lives! And the lives of their daughters and sons-in-law. I can see why they wouldn't like that…"

Can-do tilts his head slightly. "If it's any consolation, I still believe in you."

And all of a sudden, the prospect of having a heart-to-heart with Can-do sends shivers down my spine. I slowly back away before he can add any other words of encouragement.

Then I see those two vegetarian wolves, Reba and Janice, walking past, their faces stained with the juice from those disgusto blue berries. Janice smiles at me while Reba shouts, "Power to the Omegas," in my general direction. Whatever, I guess.

I return to my lair and chill out for a while until I'm surprised to see a figure entering the place. I recognize immediately the big red body of Garth. Or at least, on some rational level I do. But the emotional part of me can't grasp that Garth would be coming in here by himself with no Lilly in sight.

"Philip," he says, with all that annoying seriousness that the Alphas tend to get up to, "I need to talk to you."

"Okay," I say.

"It's about Lilly." Not this again!

"Look, Garth. Like I said before, there is nothing going on between me and her. I'm not, like, in competition with you or anything. I mean, can you imagine a wolf and a Goblin, together?"

"I couldn't have imagined a Goblin in the first place or even that an Alpha like me would marry an Omega. So I'm not really the best person to ask that, as much as I don't like admitting it."

"Then what is it about?

"I just came to say I'm sorry." It clearly pains Garth to do this, swallow his pride like this, and I know that I should put on a brave face and just quietly accept.

Too bad! No matter how much I know I should stop it, I can't help but grin wide at the thought of Garth apologizing to me. I even laugh a bit, causing Garth to cringe. I really need to get better control of that…

"Well, if you're just going to laugh in my face–" Garth begins.

I quickly shake my head. "No, no, buddy. It's just the idea that you would actually have something to apologize to me about. After all, we haven't exactly seen eye-to-eye this whole time and it just seems kinda surprising. But it's big of you to say you're sorry. I really appreciate it."

Garth nods without any trace of emotion. "It is true that we haven't been on the best terms. But I think Lilly is right about you; you're no threat to us."

"Thanks for what I prefer to think is a compliment. And while the love-fest lasts, I suppose I should apologize to you."

Garth, for the first time in this conversation, actually shows emotion. He looks startled. "Apologize to me, what for?"

"For, you know, hitting you so hard that you went flying back into the rock wall. I honestly did not know my own strength at the time."

Garth smiles bashfully. "Oh… that. Well… um… that was just because I had poor footing and lost my balance and let my own momentum carry me into the rocks. Yeah, just that and nothing else."

I give him a knowing look. "We both know that isn't true."

His head sinks down. "Yeah, but do you have to rub it in?"

"No, man. I was just apologizing straight and simple. But it's no good if you won't accept it."

He looks up again. "Fine, I'll accept it. But what I came here to say is that Lilly has trusted you almost this whole time. She was the first one to trust you, even though I never did. But now I think she's right. I think that you really care about her and wouldn't intentionally do anything to harm her."

"You got that right!"

"Unintentionally, maybe. I mean, you should have that laugh checked out…"

"Says the wolf who regularly stuns innocent bluebirds with his howl."

He gets a little angry. "Hey, it's a problem and I'm dealing with it! Besides, that's only when me and Lilly are on the out-and-out. She taught me how to howl, you know, and it's only because of her that I can. Only by focusing all my mind and all my heart on her am I able to come up with something beautiful. Otherwise, nothing but pain."

"Still, I wouldn't be criticizing the methods that saved me if I were you."

"I suppose that's a fair point. I just don't want anything you do to harm Lilly. Though I'm sure now that Hotshot and his gang are out of the picture, there is no more reason for you to become the Green Goblin."

I look over Garth's shoulder at the peaceful valley slowly becoming orange as the evening sun descends behind the mountains. "Yeah, I guess I probably won't be fighting any more baddies here."

I think I hear a familiar green voice laugh cruelly, but the thought quickly passes.

"So… I just want to bury the hatchet. I don't know if we'll ever be completely comfortable with each other. I don't think I want to be comfortable with… that thing that you are. Those scales must be uncomfortable. But, I know that Lilly has good reason to trust you and I don't want us to be enemies any longer. What do you say? Forgive and forget?"

I smile. "I never had a problem with you, Garth. You were never my enemy. Somewhere along the way, we just ended up on the wrong side of things. That's all."

"That's all," Garth mouths, apparently thankful that I don't go into it any deeper than that. With a single solitary nod, he leaves the cave.

But I'm surprised because, almost immediately after that, I see Humphrey trot in. Fun-loving as ever, by the looks of him – a wolf after my own heart. I wonder what he's doing here.

"You want me to go log-sledding or something?" I ask, as that's the only thing I figure he could want.

He shakes his head and then I notice his smile start to fade. "No… not exactly. I mean, close… but not exactly. I mean… what's a log-sled compared to that flying thing of yours? I really wish I had one of those. Could you teach me to build it?"

"No can do. You'd need special parts, like the ones I got. You just couldn't build it out of logs!"

"Too bad. Oh well, I figured that human technology might be a little beyond the resources we have in the valley."

Then he's silent for about three minutes. He just sits there in front of me, looking like he's trying to build up his courage. As I'm not, you know, a complete dork, I figure there must be something else he has to say.

"Is there anything else, Humphrey?"

"Is there anything… anything else? Uh, you bet! I was just… I was just wondering, what's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"What's it like to be what you are. Not Phil, but the Green Goblin. What's that like?"

I can't help but doing a small Goblin laugh. Humphrey cringes, but only slightly. I say, "It's awesome. It's, like, the coolest life of all. You'd love it!"

He tilts his head from side to side. "Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I've always loved being an Omega. As far as I'm concerned, those Alphas take life too seriously."

"Even your future mate?"

"Why, she's the worst of the bunch!"

We both break out into laughter, though I'm careful to prevent mine from reaching Lunatic level.

Humphrey grows serious again. "But really, Phil. Is it really worth giving up the life of an Omega? That's a pretty great time, too."

I have to be amused at his idea. "Why should I have to give up one to get the other?" I say. "Why not have them both?"

"That's just not how the world works," Humphrey says. "You're either Alpha or Omega. One thing or the other."

"You sound a little like Lilly used to."

"Used to?"

"Not important. But what about Betas? They're neither."

Humphrey is at first flabbergasted by my brilliant response but he quickly recovers. "Yeah well, Betas are also only one thing. And they're far closer to being Alphas than Omegas."

I now start to grin deviously – about as deviously as I can be, which is quite a lot when I put real effort into it – and say, "Maybe I wasn't meant to be just one thing or the other. But maybe all things rolled together. Ever think of that?"

"I don't see how you could be like that. I mean, you got the jokers and the leaders. Simple as that!"

"Who says the jokers can't also be the leaders?"

Humphrey thinks about this for a moment. "I guess the same people who say an Alpha can't marry an Omega. You know, I think I'm beginning to see your point."

"Good. 'Cause I don't know how to explain it any better. I've never had a way with words."

"But you do just fine under that mask of yours."

I shrug. "What can I say? It just brings out the better part of me. That's why I do it, ultimately."

"The better part? You don't think that the Omega part is good enough?"

"Like I said, it's not about Alphas and Omegas. It's about knowing that you're something more than what people have always thought you were. And that's a powerful feeling. No lie, my friend, no lie. You must have felt that way before!"

Humphrey finally seems to understand what I'm saying. He nods in agreement. "Yeah, especially when they told me that Kate and I couldn't be mates because we were from different parts of wolf food chain. And then, I felt like so much more than an Omega when I brought her back to Jasper and then when we saved the pack from war and stampede. Then… then I knew that I was something special."

I nearly jump up and down, which is quite an accomplishment considering that I'm still sitting. "That's it! That's exactly it! That's the feeling I get every time I put this mask on and get on this glider. Like, at least for once in my life, I am special. I am better than what I thought I could be. And that is something I wouldn't switch for anything."

"Good for you," Humphrey says, sincerely. "I know how you feel. I mean, I was never anything like this, but I know how you feel. Me and Lilly, we're going to be the first Omegas to lead a pack and two of the first four leaders of the united pack. Yeah, we're pretty special. I think Lilly's folks finally got her to accept that."

"Oh, right!" I say. "I almost forgot. How did that go? I offered to go with Lilly, but it was something she felt she needed to do alone."

"It was rough at some points, I won't lie," he says with a serious face. But there's that hint of a smile returning. "She really upset her parents and Kate and Garth with what she had to say, but I think she felt better for saying it. And then, they discussed it and everybody came to an understanding. We pretty much all agreed that Kate and Eve and Winston might have been occasionally neglectful toward Lilly but that it wasn't for any lack of love or respect. It's just hard for Alpha parents to raise an Omega."

"I can just imagine."

"So, everybody agreed to pay her more attention in the future. And this is the first time that I've actually seen her demand it. Before today, I never thought she was cut out to be a pack leader – but now I'm reconsidering my opinion!"

I grin big. "That's my girl!"

"Yeah," Humphrey says with an excited nod. "You should have seen her, having the courage to tell her mother – her mother of all people! – that her parenting style had some flaws. And to stick with it until they all reached an agreement. It was amazing for someone as shy as she is."

"That is a change. And a good one at that!"

"Maybe she's becoming as big a lunatic as you. Next you'll both be sneaking onto the valley floor during Moonlight Howlings!"

"Like the man says, we lunatics are so drawn to doing weird stuff at the full moon! It's why we're luna-tics!"

Humphrey laughs a lot, much more than I thought the joke was worth. But if he wants to think of me as a great comedian, I don't mind…

He says, "Lilly said the very same thing! At least, she used to same pun!"

"I am rubbing off on her!"

"Uh-huh. You certainly are! It's really showing!"

He's silent for I don't know how long before adding, "You've changed her, Philip. She's better because of you."

We hope you've enjoyed this peaceful little interlude. Because it's not going to last. That's because our next issue will have plenty of action as Philip Urich will once again find himself in the middle of a dangerous feud. The final part of this epic adventure finally begins when the Green Goblin is forced to confront "The Last Enemy"!