22. Lumi
Chapter 22
Lumi
M y hand keeps reaching out into the empty space in front of me. I keep thinking if I reach out far enough, I’ll feel Ambrose’s hard body again. But no matter how long I keep reaching, my hand comes up empty.
Slowly, I pull it back to my chest, feeling my heart rapidly beating and the warm flush that still floats through my body. I’m barely able to process what the hell just happened or what my feelings toward Ambrose are now.
The room is still cascaded in dark shadows, but my eyes cut through the darkness and clearly see the cage door shut. Shut, but is it locked? And did he lift his alpha command?
I suck in a deep breath, and I swear I can still smell every musky, evergreen, and lusty scent of Ambrose. Layers of different smells continue to invade my nostrils even though he’s gone. But I know he’s gone, not just from this room, but from the house because his scent is muted. My sense of smell has been enhanced—wolf scenting. Another tiny part of my wolf unlocked. I’m one step closer to my full wolf unleashing, and it’s because of Ambrose.
I stare at the caged door once again. Is it locked? That’s the question. The question that will tell me how I feel about Ambrose. Is he continuing to keep me locked in this cage, or is he letting me be free?
I tremble slightly, but I don’t move toward the door. I’m not sure I’m ready to find out the answer.
“Lumi, you down there?” a high-pitched voice echoes down the stairs.
“Yes,” I squeak out.
Before I can even register what is happening, Rowena is standing in front of me.
“Thank gods, you’re okay,” she says, breathing hard. She looks like hell. Her golden eyes are bloodshot, and she has bags under them like she hasn’t slept in days. Her long hair is pulled up in a tangled knot on top of her head, making her appearance even more disheveled.
“What happened?”
She swings the door open. “Come on, I’ll explain as we go. There’s no time.”
She starts heading for the stairs, but I can’t keep my mouth from gaping at the door she just swung open. It wasn’t locked. Ambrose set me free.
“Lumi!” Rowena gets my attention again.
“Sorry, coming.” I race after her, struggling to keep up as we climb the stairs. I have no idea what’s going on, but in the limited time I’ve spent with Rowena, I know I can trust her.
“Where’s Ambrose?” Rowena asks me.
“I don’t know.”
Rowena furrows her brow. “I can smell him all over you. It’s fresh, like he was just here. He didn’t tell you where he was going?”
I blush, like I should be able to answer the question. “Ambrose doesn’t tell me anything.”
She sighs. “He should. He can’t keep things from you. You’re going to be an alpha, equal to him in every way if you’re mates.”
I swallow at that thought. Becoming Ambrose’s mate is more than just becoming his. It means becoming an alpha. I’m not sure I have what it takes. When I look at Rowena, I see an alpha. She’s confident, strong, and experienced. She’d be the perfect woman for the job.
“Are you sure you aren’t his mate?” I ask.
She breaks out laughing. “Yes, I’m very sure.”
“Did Ambrose do something to you?” Worry etches my eyes. I know what he’s capable of. But...
“No.” Rowena narrows her eyes at me as if just registering that she found me in the basement in a cage. But then that cage door was unlocked, so she shakes off any thoughts of concern for me. “Emeric isn’t here either.”
I frown at that. “Really? You’re sure?”
She listens carefully and then sniffs. “He’s not here.”
I sniff, mimicking her movements, not finding any of Emeric’s scent either. But I can’t believe that Ambrose would have left me here unprotected.
“You’re safe in this house. Ambrose would never leave you unprotected. It’s spelled by a powerful witch to keep others out.”
“It didn’t keep you out.”
“Because I’m not a threat.” She smiles genuinely.
“Tell me what’s going on.”
Her smile drops. “There was an attack. The vampires and witches, along with the Bloodmoon wolves…” She pauses as if she can’t speak the rest of it but then forces the words out. “They attacked. I’m not sure how many were hurt. I’m sure that’s where Ambrose and Emeric are right now, helping the injured. But...” she trails off again.
My heart sinks even though I have no idea what she’s going to say. “Spit it out!”
“Kael is gone. The last I saw him, he was being dragged off by a vampire.”
I gasp, my hands shooting to my mouth to cover my shock. Water fills my eyes at the thought that Kael is most likely dead. That everyone I ever loved or cared about is probably dead. My father, my pack, and now Kael.
“I don’t understand. I thought they just came here to see if I could shift and break the curse. They attacked after they came after me?”
“They came after you?”
I nod.
“Yes, they attacked the rest of the pack about an hour ago. I’m not sure why. These things happen from time to time about territory or revenge or threats. I would guess it would be a warning to Ambrose that if he doesn’t break the curse on the next full moon, they will attack again and destroy us.”
I frown. “I have to find Kael.”
Rowena nods, like she knew I would say that. “Come on, I’ll help you.”
She starts jogging out of the house, and I follow as quickly as I can, pushing any sense of dread down, knowing it won’t help me find Kael. The second we step onto the main dirt road that leads through the village, I gasp again. I don’t know what I expected to see, but it wasn’t this. Smoke billows out of several rooftops. Wails and cries echo through the woods, and blood—so much blood marks the grass and dirt, even where bodies aren’t lying in agony.
This is my fault. This happened because of me. Because I was distracting Ambrose. Because I can’t shift.
Moans and groans fill the air, and the overwhelming metallic scent infiltrates my nostrils. Ambrose’s house sits on top of a hill overlooking the rest of the pack’s homes. The number of people tending to half-broken human and shifter bodies seems like the entire pack was affected in one way or another. And Kael could be among them. I have to find him.
I know that wolf shifters can heal from remarkable injuries, but I don’t have enough experience with vampires to know what wounds can be healed and what can’t be. For a moment, I’m torn between staying and trying to help save the pack members that I can and finding Kael.
“Last time I saw Kael, he was being dragged this way,” Rowena says, heading into the forest at our right.
I hesitate for another moment, but ultimately, I know my limits and who I have the chance to save. “Let’s go.” I start running full out, but the second Rowena starts jogging, I know I won’t be able to keep up with her. And she’ll waste valuable time staying with me.
“Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”
“I can’t leave you unprotected.”
I frown. “Please.”
She shakes her head.
I sigh but don’t try to ask her to go on ahead again as we trudge through the forest, following the scent of blood. But I haven’t picked up on anything specific of Kael’s. I don’t know if that makes it better or worse. Does that mean he was dragged in this direction, or is he back with the pack healing his injuries?
A howl of agony rings through the forest.
“Kael,” I gasp, knowing that howl anywhere. I look at Rowena, knowing the howl is too far away. Whoever is threatening him, we won’t get there in time.
“Please, he’s all I have,” I whisper through my tears.
Rowena hesitates for just a second, looking in the direction of the howl and then back at me.
“Tell Ambrose where you are, and then don’t move until he gets here. I’ll go after Kael.” Gold fur splits through the air where Rowena’s soft pink flesh was before. She doesn’t look back at me as she runs full speed through the forest.
“Thank you,” I whisper after her, wishing I could shift and join her. But I trust her to do everything she can to save Kael. She’s as strong as any wolf I’ve seen, maybe even as strong as an alpha.
I start to search for that connection to Ambrose in my mind to tell him where I am and to come find me. But I stop before I speak to him. He’s back with the pack. They need him. I can’t be the reason that he’s not there for them again.
I listen carefully, but I hear nothing out of the ordinary. I don’t smell anyone or see anyone. I’m safe here. I want to run after Rowena, but my conscious stops me. My relationship with Ambrose is fragile, and I know he won’t forgive me for putting myself in danger.
The urge to flee after her is impossible to resist, though, especially when a deep voice surprises me from behind.
“Looking for someone?”