“So what are our theories?” Sylara asks, finally coming back to the land of the living.
“Well, the most obvious is now that Lumi has accepted Ambrose as her mate, even if not officially through the marking ceremony, that she is getting more markings to cement their mating bond together,” Emeric says.
Nyx flinches, so slightly that I know I’m the only one who notices.
“I’m sorry,”my words tumble off the cliff toward him. My heart squeezes so tight at causing him pain. My entire body tenses, wishing everything were different.
“Any other reason we can think of?” Kael asks.
The room is silent. My heart sinks a second, knowing that Emeric is right. But I hate that I don’t like the markings for that reason.
Brax clears his throat suddenly. “It looks like a snowflake.”
Everyone stares at him as if not understanding where he’s going with this. “We don’t know what it means. It looks like a snowflake. Nothing like the other Moonlight markings. Her name means snow. She’s from the Wintermoon pack. I’m not saying I have any theories as to what it means, just that it could be connected to her past, to who she is. And not necessarily because of some mating bond that she accepted.”
I smile at him. I don’t know why I needed the hope that I wasn’t going to be covered in markings soon that claimed me as Ambrose’s mate. I will accept him. I will complete the markingceremony with him. But I don’t want my entire identity to be tied to him.
“For the time being, we should focus on how we break the curses and keep Lumi alive,” Ambrose says.
Everyone starts bobbing their heads in nods.
I take a sip of my coffee, knowing this conversation isn’t going anywhere. There is only one way to keep me alive, and I hate it.
Silence stretches once again.
“Magic,” Riven says.
“What?” I ask, my heart jumping in hope.
“Magic has to be the solution to breaking the curses without having to actually fulfill the conditions that break the curses,” Riven continues, staring at Ambrose like he knows this has to have occurred to him as well.
“The magic it would take would have to be immense. It would have to equal the gods’ magic,” Ambrose says.
“Does it, though? Does anyone really believe the gods were the ones who created the curses, the magic for the blood deals, any of it? Or was it a witch?” Riven asks.
“Why would a witch curse their own the most severely?” Emeric asks.
Everyone stares at Emeric. I’m not sure which species has been cursed the most severely, but no one here has any sympathy for the witches. The witches have attacked the wolves at every turn.
“I’m not saying I have all the answers, but the gods are just that—gods. Would they really care enough about us to put curses on us?” Riven continues.
“What else would they bother themselves with? Of course, they would do something like this. Living an eternity must bore even the most righteous of creatures. My theory is they want towipe us all out and create new magical creatures in our places,” Nyx says.
I stare at him across the table. Unable to take my eyes off him once he’s spoken, I study everything about him. His chiseled jawline, the way his hair falls longer in front of his eyes than usual, the way he sits forward in his chair, so engaged in this conversation. There is nothing about him that doesn’t mesmerize me. I’m as drawn to his perilous beauty as ever. Automatically, I try to float into his mind, but I’m met with emptiness. A hollow cave where no matter how far I venture, he won’t be at the end of it.
Nyx clenches his jaw, his eyes flickering over mine, like he knows exactly what I’m trying to do. It frustrates him as much as it does me that he can’t talk to me in my mind. At last, he breaks eye contact with me, turning his attention to Riven.
Frustratingly, I do the same.
“Magic has to be the answer. If we can get enough witches, with enough power together, working together to undo the curses, then there is a chance they can be broken,” Riven continues.
“You’re a witch, right?” Ambrose asks.
Riven nods.
“How? How, when every other witch with natural-born power is a female? I was given my powers by Isolde, which means my powers aren’t the same as a full-blooded witch,” Ambrose asks.
“I’m not sure how. My mother was a witch. My father is a wolf shifter. I know most witches prefer humans to procreate with, but not my mother.