14. Lumi
Chapter 14
Lumi
“ I ’m sorry,” I say again as I close the door behind me.
Ambrose is pouring himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen, not bothering to put any clothes on first. Emeric is nowhere in sight.
Instead of responding to my words, he turns and faces me.
It takes everything inside me not to gasp at the sight of him. I knew blood coated his body before, but I didn’t have time to study the volume of blood on him. An overwhelming metallic scent fills my nostrils, and fear curls in my stomach as I scan every inch of his skin, not even blushing when my gaze flicks over his long, thick cock. I desperately search for the wound that must be gushing blood as he sips coffee.
“Where…? How bad are you…?” My voice slips with each word, unable to ask if he’s injured. I just met this man. I barely know him, but my heart would shatter if he were to die.
He smirks, dark and devious. “The blood isn’t mine. I’m not wounded, but my ego may be if you think I’d get hurt that easily.”
“I didn’t mean…” I snap my mouth shut as he grins at me.
He has a sense of humor.
“Whose blood is it, then?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Yes. If you’re expecting me to be the obedient type who doesn’t want to know any details or the dangers we face, then you need to find yourself a new mate,” I scold.
He cocks his head to the side, his face void of any emotion, and takes another sip of his coffee. He’s as calm as a Sunday morning, not like he’s not standing here naked, coated in someone else’s blood, while I drill him on what he was doing last night.
“Baelor’s.”
I suck in a breath. He fought the alpha with the red hair, who thought he’d found his mate, but when he went to mark her, she died.
“Baelor? Why?”
“He challenged me. He didn’t believe we’re mates.”
I frown. “How bad?”
He furrows his brow. “You really don’t know? You can’t smell what happened on me?”
I shift uncomfortably on my feet but shake my head. All I smell is that cool metallic smell of blood. But it doesn’t give me any clue as to what happened.
“How long have you known you were a wolf shifter?”
“My entire life.” I could lie, but I decide I only want to lie about the things I have to lie about. Keeping as close to the truth as I can without telling him I’m from the Wintermoon, the better.
“And yet, you didn’t grow up in a pack?”
I shake my head. “It was just my father, Kael, and me. My father could shift.” I blow out a slow breath, knowing the words I’m about to speak are the truth, and I’m not sure I can say it out loud. “He died…” the words catch in my throat. “He died about a month ago. After that, Kael and I came in search of other wolf shifters. Nyx found us and brought us here.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. I know what it’s like to lose your family.” His words are a gentle caress, and I feel empathy ripple off him.
Our eyes meet in joined grief, strengthening our connection even deeper.
“What pack did you belong to before your numbers were decimated?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. My father never talked about the pack before. It was too painful for him. My mother died in childbirth.”
He nods. “You smell like Silvercrest. Their numbers have been dwindling, and we haven’t had any members of their pack at the offering in over a decade. That would be my guess.”
“Silvercrest,” I whisper, pretending it’s the missing piece of my family puzzle. But I hate myself for lying to my mate, a man I’ll spend the rest of my life with. But I don’t have a choice—at least, not yet. I need to know how he would act if he found out the truth. He needs time to get to know me before he judges me for my pack.
I don’t know why he can’t smell the truth on me like Nyx did, but I’m not going to argue with him.
“I want to be initiated into the Moonlight pack. And then you can help me get my wolf.”
He chuckles. “You are a bossy thing, aren’t you?”
“I am.” I fold my arms and smirk at him.
He sets his coffee down on the counter and walks toward me, stepping into my space.
Now I can really smell him—the evergreen, earthy, ancient scent that smells like coming home. The metallic smell falls into the background of my mind.
Kiss me , I think. Dammit, kiss me. I need to know what it’s like to kiss him. Just one kiss.
His eyes darken, and his tongue runs over his bottom lip. He’s going to kiss me, my heart sings.
Finally .
He takes another step closer, until our bodies are brushing together, but it’s still not close enough for me. I hold my breath, waiting for him to make the first move. It seems like the right thing to do since he’s the alpha, and I wouldn’t want to break his fragile ego by kissing him first.
“You aren’t ready to be initiated into the Moonlight pack.”
I frown, but my eyes are too locked on his lips to fully register his words.
“And I won’t be the one helping you to get your wolf.”
My heart immediately shifts from a rampant thunder in my chest to a grinding halt.
“What? Why?”
“I’d probably kill you long before you got your wolf.”
I narrow my eyes at him as I glare. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be. I’m the most powerful alpha alive. I could snap your neck in a second if I desired it. No one would question my decision to end your life. I would suffer no punishment for it.”
“You won’t. I’m your mate.”
“And you’re weak. You haven’t been trained even to fight as a human, let alone as a wolf. You can’t even smell what happened on me. You don’t have any of the basic wolf instincts. You can’t shift. You’re useless to me.”
“I’m not weak!”
He growls, trying to get me to back down, to bow to him. I stand taller, growling back.
“I’m. Not. Weak.”
His jaw twitches, and his eyes glow that bright yellow color of the moonlight.
“That is yet to be determined.”
I huff.
“But whether you are weak or strong, you should still be terrified of me. If I don’t find you worthy of being my mate, I’ll kill you. It’s the only way to ensure the universe brings me a new mate, one I actually find up to the task.”
“I’m not the only one who needs to be found worthy. You need to prove your worth, too, if you expect me to accept the mating bond between us.”
He grins approvingly. But right now, I couldn’t care less about what he thinks. This is a two-way street. I don’t care if he’s the most powerful alpha. I know my own worth, and I won’t be bossed around by anyone, especially an egotistical male on a power trip.
“Emeric will train you. He’s the only male you can trust. Do not venture out of this house without him by your side.”
“What about you?”
“You can’t trust me, and you’re not safe with me. I think I’ve made that perfectly clear.”
“Maybe I can’t trust you, but I’m not afraid of you.”
“How bad, you asked? How badly did I hurt Baelor?”
He pauses, and my heart skips a beat.
“I killed him.”
I don’t react. I know he’s looking for a reaction from me, but he’ll find none. I lock my emotions up tight.
“Learn to shift. Become worthy of being part of the Moonlight wolves. And stay away from me until then.”
I grind my teeth together.
“Otherwise, you’ll end up dead.”