“Rowena didn’t love you, Ambrose. Did Raya? Did she ever say she loved you back, out loud, as you did her?” I ask.
Ambrose looks at me with fury for a second, but I can tell he’s thinking, replaying every conversation he’s ever had with her. Finally, he answers, “No.”
I nod, looking deep into Lumi’s eyes. “Then, it’s possible the key to breaking the curse, the magical loophole to these smaller curses, is that you have to do the thing it’s asking for. Ambrose fell in love with Lumi. So if Lumi fell in love with Ambrose—the kind of unwaivable love that’s big and out loud—then maybe that would break Ambrose’s curse. Lumi has the power to save herself; all she has to do is fall back in love with him.”
Chapter 7
Lumi
If looks could kill, Nyx might get his wish and be dead right now. I hate his suggestion. I hate every fucking thing about it. Except the part where I can save myself—that part I believe. But this—this isn’t the way.
“That’s an interesting theory,” Riven says, pondering Nyx’s thoughts.
“No, it’s not. It’s stupid. I loved Ambrose before. I loved him fiercely. I loved him so much that I thought he was my mate immediately upon meeting him. He still has his curse. My love didn’t stop it from happening.”
“You loved him. Loved being the keyword. You’re not in love with him now,” Nyx says.
The air shifts awkwardly around us as the entire Moonlight pack and Bloodmoon pack members listen to our conversation. It must be confusing for them to listen to, knowing that I loved Ambrose before. I’ve accepted him as my mate now, but don’t love him.
“I can’t just force myself to fall in love with Ambrose to test a theory!”
“You can start by forgiving him. You can start by trying. Clinging to a love that will bring your demise is stupid love.Ambrose is your mate, start acting like it. The only reason you won’t let yourself fall back in love with him is your own stubbornness. You loved him for a reason. Your feelings weren’t fake. They were real. Find them again,” Nyx says.
I want to scream. I want to shift into my wolf and go after him. Lock him in a brutal fight until I knock some sense into him.
I want to tackle him to the ground, plant my lips on his, kiss him like tomorrow might never come. I want to rip his clothes to shreds, claim him right here in front of everyone.
Nyx stares back at me with his cold, unflinching eyes. Eyes that pretend he can’t read my thoughts anymore. That he can’t tell exactly what I’m thinking, despite not being able to climb into my mind like before. It doesn’t matter. He knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“We’re done here,” Nyx says to his Bloodmoon pack members.
Ambrose must have told the same thing to the Moonlight pack members, because the number of people surrounding us has suddenly diminished greatly. And Nyx—he’s just gone.
Talonis and Brax are still standing in the shadows where he was a moment before. The only thing that gives me any hope that Nyx is going to be okay alone is his promise to me. That he won’t kill himself to save me. He will fight his curse every day as long as I’m fighting to find a way to break it.
But for now, it leaves the rest of us staring at each other like we don’t have a clue what to do next.
“I’m going to scour my mother’s journals to see if she wrote anything down about breaking witches’ curses. Maybe there is something else we can do,” Riven says, lost in his thoughts.
“We’ll make sure Nyx doesn’t get into any trouble,” Talonis says, and Brax nods.
“Thank you,” I whisper back. Although it all seems moot. We’re all doomed to die, no matter what we do.
Sylara and Kael walk over to me. Sylara opens her mouth to speak.
“Go,” I say, before she speaks.
Her eyebrows jump up. “We all agreed not to leave you alone with anyone. There always needs to be at least two of us with you.”
“Ambrose’s curse triggers other people to kill me, not him to kill me. I’m his mate. He loves me. I’m safe with him, I promise.”
Sylara looks from me to Ambrose suspiciously. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
Kael, on the other hand, sees right through me. “We’ll be nearby if you need us.”
I nod. “I won’t. Get some rest.”