Ascension

Quinn

“What’s wrong with him?” I asked, my fingers gently untangling his matted fur. “Is he…is he…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Harper shook her head. “He’s not dead. Just unconscious. I had to knock him out to bring him here.”

“You knocked him out?” I echoed.

“Yeah. I was tracking him, but he was tracking me too. He jumped out at me. Tried to kill me. He’s completely wild now.”

“Wild…” I whispered, my breath hitching.

“I did my best to catch him without hurting him. It wasn’t easy. He fought hard.”

I looked down at Jax’s wolf-like face.

It was twisted in pain and rage.

I’d never seen him look like this before.

“Can’t we do something for him? Isn’t there some kind of spell…some kind of magic I could use to make him better?”

The twins shook their heads. “If there are such powers, we don’t know about them,” Theodore said.

“The best thing you can do for him, and others like him, is to defeat Matheius and bring back Matedom,” Isabelle said, helping me up from the floor. “Once things are back to normal, we can all start to heal.”

I looked down at my hurt mate one more time.

Tears of determination fell.

I wouldn’t lose Jax.

I wouldn’t let him suffer like this.

Something inside me was telling me to take Jax with me to Astria—to ascend with him, even though he was unconscious.

~But why?~

What good would he be to me like this?

I needed advice. If I couldn’t get it from Selena, I knew who I needed to talk to.

“Give me a minute,” I told the group before stepping out of the Pack House door.

I sat down on a hollow log and closed my eyes.

For a moment, I was able to forget all the fears that haunted me and focus on one single thought.

I started to chant an old spell that Aunt Jodie had taught me.

A soft breeze blew through my hair as I repeated the words quietly.

When I opened my eyes, my father was sitting next to me on the log.

I had called his spirit.

“You’re getting really good at this, Quinn,” he laughed.

“Dad,” I said, “what am I supposed to do?”

He looked at me, a little confused.

“About Matheius! About Jax! About everything! Once I ascend to Astria, there’s a good chance I’ll never come back! What if I let everyone down?”

My father was quiet for a moment before he spoke.

“You won’t let anyone down, Quinn. You’re much stronger than Matheius will ever be.”

“Don’t just tell me what I want to hear!” I shouted, jumping up from the log. “Matheius has already beaten me once. He’s beaten the most powerful werewolf in history. What makes me better than him?”

“Love,” my father said simply.

“What?”

“Matheius’ power comes from his hate for those he thinks have wronged him.”

“But what does that have to do with me?” I asked.

“You’re doing everything out of love,” he answered. “For your family. For your mate. For your people. Your strength comes from all the people who love you. Their strength is yours.”

I sat quietly, thinking about his words.

“Take Jax with you,” he said, “to remind you of your ability to love, when you need it most.”

That reminded me of something Selena said before she turned to stone:

~“You might not win this time, but no matter how dark things get, don’t forget about the power of love. It’s all we have, in the end.”~

Suddenly, everything clicked.

Everything was clear.

I knew how I was going to beat Matheius!

And my father was right. Love was the key.

I turned to tell him, but he was gone from the log.

Just then, another soft breeze brushed my hair.

The last bit of encouragement I needed from my father.

I got up from the log and headed back to the Pack House.

~Watch out, Matheius.~

Everyone looked at me curiously as I walked back into the room and went over to Jax. “I’m taking him with me,” I said confidently.

Harper looked at me seriously. “If you think he looks bad now, you should see him when he’s awake. Quinn, he’s not himself.”

“I know,” I said, “but I think the Astral aura will heal him. I need my mate with me up there.

“Don’t argue with me,” I said, seeing the objections on their faces. “I’ve made my decision.”

My heart was pounding. My head was aching. Every part of me was filled with fear.

I was scared, not for myself, but for those I was leaving behind.

So many lives depended on what I did.

I never thought I’d be in such an important position.

Everyone I cared about was counting on me to beat Matheius. This superpower who had easily beaten me the last time we fought.

How could I win?

But then, how could I not win?

I couldn’t fail.

I turned to the twins. “How do I get there? How do I ascend to Astria?”

Theodore and Isabelle looked at each other, maybe mind-linking. They nodded and turned back to me.

“We think,” Theodore said, “that you can use the Moon Goddess’ stone body as a substitute for the moonstone. It should take you to the gateway to the next dimension, a place no human has ever been.”

I nodded, taking Jax’s hand in mine. I glanced at Harper, silently pleading for her assistance. She understood, grabbing Jax’s feet and helping me move him into the next room. The rest of our group trailed behind us.

Still clutching Jax’s hand, I reached out to touch the icy skin of the Moon Goddess.

~Ascend. Ascend. Ascend.~

I focused on the word, and soon, I felt my feet leave the ground. The world around me twisted and warped, colors and lights blending together in a dizzying display that made my skin prickle.

I couldn’t see anything.

~What’s going on?~

~Where am I?~

~Everything is black.~

~Everything is nothing.~

~Am I…dead?~

I was spinning in a dark, endless void when suddenly, solid ground materialized beneath me.

Blinking my eyes open, I found myself at the foot of the Astrian Mountains.

The towering rocks were painted in colors I’d never seen on Earth.

Their tall, blue peaks reached up into the swirling, dark clouds.

Matheius’ hatred had tainted every part of nature.

His evil had infected all of existence.

It was time to stop him.

To do that, I had to climb the steep Astrian Mountains.

Jax was still lying motionless on the ground next to me. Harper had managed to carry him over her shoulder.

Maybe I could do the same.

I bent down, trying to hoist his body onto mine. To my surprise, he was as light as a feather. Or perhaps my closeness to Astria had made me stronger than ever.

With Jax in tow, I started my climb up the mountain.

With each step, the mountain seemed less daunting, less threatening.

In a strange way, it felt like home.

My new plan filled me with a confidence that pushed me up the mountainside.

All my fear and doubt had been replaced by determination. I went over the plan in my head.

It was as if the words of my mate, my parents, my friends, and Selena had all combined into one clear solution that had been right in front of me all along.

By the time I reached the highest peak of the Astrian Mountains, the sun was beginning to set. Above the clouds, I could see the stars taking their places in the night sky.

Despite all his power, that was one thing Matheius couldn’t change.

I waited until the Moon began to rise.

As soon as I saw its soft light, I started to chant an ancient spell.

Soon, I felt myself shooting up into the sky, beyond Earth’s atmosphere and past the stars and galaxies.

It was a breathtaking sight. One I could never grow tired of.

The mysteries of the vast universe beyond Earth flashed through my mind like shooting stars.

Maybe I would learn their secrets.

Time seemed to freeze as I flew through the universe, heading for Astria.

But by my estimation, it was only a few minutes before I landed at its starry gates.

To my surprise, they were open. There were no guards to stop me.

~Matheius must be waiting.~

Unfazed, I continued on.

The gates led me down a long, narrow path.

The laws of nature seemed different here.

There was no ground, no sky.

No right, no left.

Only galaxies and fog.

The universe itself seemed to form the path I was walking on.

Purple clouds of fog swirled on either side.

The most striking thing about Astria was its eerie silence.

Here, it was as if sound didn’t exist.

My footsteps made no noise as they moved along the cosmic path.

But soon, I found the one source of sound in this celestial plane.

The path curved around a final patch of fog, and I found myself in a vast open space, surrounded by views of distant galaxies.

Then, I heard a cold, deep voice echoing around me.

“Ah! At last you’ve come.”

~Matheius.~