Colton’s POV | was stabbed deep by one of those snake tendril things. | felt pain for the first couple of seconds and watched as blood soaked my entire body and dropped to the ground below me. Ella was released and she fell to the ground.
Thankfully, Bastien was running toward her and caught her.
I saw a faint slight and a gust of wind whooshing over us, knocking most of them off their feet. When | looked below me, | saw Selene running as fast as she could toward Bastien and Ella.
Her eyes were back to their normal purple and blue color.
She got her abilities back.
| knew the only thing holdingtogether was the fact that the tendril was still inside of me. Pain seared through my body, and | found it difficult to hold onto my consciousness. | wanted to get to Ella, but if | moved, | would bleed out for sure.
Bastien was handing an unconscious Ella to Xander, telling him to get her to safety.
| was wondering why the snake things weren't doing anything and why Zagreus had gotten quiet. | saw that he was staring atwith utter horror while Jazzy kept demanding him to finish the job.
Soon, | was blinded by this intense ray of light, unsure of where it was coming from. Just as the light whooshed over me, the tendril was yanked out of my body, and pain shot through me. | felt blood gushing out of me.
My body began to fall as darkness quickly consumed me.
When | cthrough, | was in a field. | didn’t feel any pain, nor did | feel any blood on my body. It felt as if was waking from a terrible dream.
| lifted my head and felt the warmth of the sun. Which was odd because it was nighttwhen | was stabbed by that snake thing. Or so | thought it was.
| thought about that intense ray of light and wondered if it could have cfrom the sun.I struggled to sit up, expecting to feel pain, but I felt nothing. | soon realized | was in a meadow of ssort, and | also wasn’t alone.
Beside me, was a large familiar wolf, sitting and watchingwith concerned eyes.
“Max?” | asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
It was strange seeing my wolf like this and not through my mind's eye.
Sadness soon washed over his gaze, and he lowered his head without saying anything.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWhat happened? Where was Ella? Max looked off in the distance, fixing his eyes on something. I followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at.
Someone was coming toward us.
With a pounding heart, | stood to my feet quickly, watching as this person ccloser into view.
It was a woman with a flowing white dress and long blonde hair with a crown of white flowers around her forehead. She was oddly beautiful in an indescribable way. Her face was flawless, maybe even porcelain. She also had a glow about her that | had never seen in any other being.
It was an aura that was so bright that | found it hard to look directly at her.
She was barefoot as she walked through the meadow of white flowers; the flowers in the meadow matched her crown.
When she looked at me, she had a gentle smile placed on her perfectly formed lips.
“Colton...” she spoke gently; her voice was like a song and instantly calmed me. “You have done so well my child...” Staring at her, | suddenly knew who she was.
“You're the Moon Goddess,” | said slowly; her smile widened, becoming more radiant than ever.
“I am,” she confirmed. “I am also very incredibly proud of your brave and selfless act of light and love.” “I don’t understand...” | said, glancing around at the meadow. “Where am 1?” Before she answered she turned toward Max, lowering herself and holding her hand out to him. Max stood and walked toward her, bowing his head in front of her so she could stroke her long slender fingers through his thick fur.
“This is where your wolf chose to come,” she finally answered. “A place to keep your spirit safe until it can return to your body.” My heart went crashing into my stomach. | was detached from my body... which meant...
“I'm dead...” | said out loud.
The moon goddess glanced up atand then rose to her feet, keeping her eyes on mine.
| couldn’t read her expression, which made the knot in my stomach tighten even more.
“With your brave act, you banished darkness from your world,” she breathed. “You sacrificed yourself for the life of your mate. A sacrifice like that creates the brightest light to ever exist. It was enough to defeat darkness and stop Jazzy from killing your mate. You did well and you should be proud of yourself.” “Ella is okay?” | asked in a low whisper, remembering that tendril that was about to pierce her.
“She will be soon enough,” the Moon Goddess said softly. “Thanks to you, all the Volanas have their abilities back and the dark curse has been broken. Zagreus has been banished from this nation and Jasmine is powerless. You took part in restoring this nation, just as the prophet had stated.” “The prophet?” | found myself asking.
She nodded her head once.
“Ella is not the strongest Volana alone. You have Volana blood inside of you as well, Colton. With your light, love, and strength, you complete the other half of what makes her the strongest. Without you, this nation could never be restored as it was intended.” | was in disbelief at her words; | had no idea | carried that much power within me. I stared down at my hands like | was expecting them to do something.
The Moon Goddess stepped toward me, reaching her hand out and placing it on my cheek, makinglook up at her.
Warmth instantly spread throughout my body.
“You have endured a lot in your lifetime, but you have learned so much and you grew into such a wonderful young man, Colton,” she said softly. “I'm so proud of you.” | found myself smiling at her kind words, feeling a bit lighter and at ease. But that feeling soon went away when | thought about being detached from my body.
“What is it?” She asked gently, reading my expression.
“It’s just that... I'm dead... which means | can’t be with my mate anymore...” | said slowly. “Don’t getwrong, I'm glad | could help restore this nation. I'm glad Ella will be safe... but | wish | could be with her. There is a fight still going on and I'm not there to help them.” To my surprise, the Moon Goddess let out a laugh. Her laugh was musical, her aura grew more intense if that was even possible.
“A spirit cannot die,” she said lightly. “Your body can only be damaged. But not to a point of unrepair.” | narrowed my eyes at her, furrowing my brows together.
“What does that mean? I'm not dead?” “With your light and love, you were able to save Ella and restore the nation, but she is still your other half. She is still the other piece of the puzzle needed to fully restore this nation. Allow her to work her magic and restore not only the nation but you as well.” “She can save me?” | breathed.
A twinkle in her eyes danced as she swayed her arms around her sides and an image appeared beside her like on a TV but floating in the air.
It was Ella.
She was crying and sobbing over my bloody and destroyed body. My stomach clenched at the sight, and | found it difficult to breathe watching it.
| had a gaping hole in my stomach, and it was clear | wasn’t alive, but she still shookand pleaded forto wake up.
But then Ella said something that madefreeze.
“I can’t do this without you, Colton. I'm pregnant with our pups. You can’t leave us... | love you....” My entire body froze.
The Goddess swayed her arms again and the image disappeared. It was too soon; | needed to see more. | needed to see my mate.
Max was also staring wide-eyed and for once in my life, | had no idea what he was thinking.
“She’s pregnant?” | said in barely a whisper, staring up at the Goddess. “I'm going to be a dad?” “To twins,” the goddess confirmed. “Both boys. You will later have a little girl.” My heart swelled at the news.
Twin boys and a little girl.
My family; my life.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“I have to get back to her,” | said firmly. “Tellhow to return to my mate.” The Goddess smiled.
“Just trust that your mate will restore you,” she said, stepping away. “Rest assured, that everything is going as it should.” Her image was beginning to fade, and | knew she was leaving.
“Wait, don’t leave yet,” | called after her. “What if | need more guidance?” “Look inside yourself, Colton. You have all the answers you could ever possibly need. Use them to your advantage.” As she spoke those words, her voice grew much softer as her image faded.
“Wait... will our children be strong and healthy?” | found myself asking, still in disbelief over this news.
She smiled, that twinkle returning to her eyes.
“Just like their parents,” she said as her body faded and she was gone.
| closed my eyes, sitting in the meadow of flowers as Max rested his head over my lap. | draped my fingers through his thick fur, and I laid my head on the ground, allowing the warmth of the sun to blanket over us.
| focused my attention on how much I truly loved Ella. | thought about how | wanted to be with her and how | would do anything to see her again. | allowed the light of the sun to fillwith strength and energy. | soaked under the warmth as the thought of Ella filled my head and my heart.
“I trust you...” | found myself whispering.
When | opened my eyes, | was no longer in the meadow. | was lying on the ground with a loud battle going on around me. | peered up and saw Ella staring wide and misty-eyed at me.
I heard loud howling in the distance, bringing my head back to the moment.
| sat up, confused as to what was happening. But before | could fully grasp it, she flung herself into my arms, crashing intoand sobbing in my completely healed chest.
“I thought I lost you...” she whispered as | held her tightly.
“You'll never lose me...” | said in return, basking in her incredible scent. “Neither will our pups...” She peered up atwith alarmed and tear-filled eyes.
Before she could say anything, or ask how | knew, we were interrupted by the stampede of wolves that charged toward the battle.
It looked as if sof the rogues were taking off running in a different direction. Jazzy, now powerless, was also running, knowing that this was a battle she couldn't win.
Hazel went after her.
The stampede of wolves, | realized almost immediately from their glowing purple and blue eyes and the lighting that shot from their claws as they ran, were Volana wolves.
My heart was pounding as | saw the Volana in the lead.
Tears filled my eyes as | stood to my feet, taking Ella with me.
“It’s my mother.”