“You underestimate me. Because I can think of plenty of things I could do that would leave you hating me,” she says.
Chapter 10
Lumi
“How does it feel to be free of a curse?” I ask Emeric.
His smile is so big that I know no words will ever do justice to how he feels. “It feels incredible. So much more than I could have ever imagined. Because I didn’t think it was truly possible to break the curse except through the mating bonds. I thought I might be in pain for the rest of my life, always tied to Ambrose,” Emeric looks over at Ambrose with something that looks a little like heartbreak all over his face. As much as he’s happy for what he’s gained, it’s clear he’s heartbroken for what he’s lost. Because the relationship that he and Ambrose shared will never be the same. He will never be his beta again. He’ll never be a Moonlight pack member again. While they can still be friends, it will never be the same. And the sting of that hurts. Will always hurt.
I stare down at his chest, where the Moonlight rune used to sit.
“It’s gone,” he says with immense sadness. “I knew it would be. I knew what I was doing, but fuck, the ache in my chest is going to take a long time to recover from.”
I place my hand on his chest. “Don’t let it take too long to recover. You deserve to live without any pain after what you’ve endured.”
He sighs, looking at me with a heavy expression. “We all do.”
I nod.
“Have you figured out what your witch curse is yet?”
I laugh. “No, my curse is probably that I’m cursed with endless curses. There are so many curses piling up now that I can’t keep track of them all.”
He laughs, but then his face drops. “Love him, and then make him hate you. Don’t focus on any of the others. Just this one. None of us will survive if you die.”
“Because then I couldn’t break any of the other curses.”
“No, even if you weren’t the one who could break the other curses, we still wouldn’t survive without you. You’re the glue that holds us all together. The reason every person here wakes up every morning is willing to fight whatever we are about to face. We’ve all seen how selfless you are. How you’d sacrifice your life for any one here. But don’t actually fulfill that promise. Don’t you dare die, and definitely not at any of our hands.”
I nod. “I’ll do my best. But I don’t know how to love both of them at the same time. As long as I love Nyx, I don’t know if my heart has enough space to also love Ambrose.”
“You don’t have to give Nyx up to love me. You can love us both,”Ambrose says in my mind, confirming he’s listening to my conversation.
I stare at Ambrose across the room, before glancing at everyone else, knowing that they are all listening to our conversation. “So, how do I do it? It seemed like you just decided you wanted to break the curse, change your pack, and did it. Is it really that simple?”
“For me, yes. But as soon as I decided, I felt it in my entire body. For you, it won’t be that easy,” Emeric looks to Nyx.
I yawn.
“We need to get you to bed. Whose on Lumi duty?” Emeric asks.
I groan. “Do you really have to say it like that?”
Emeric chuckles. “It’s a privilege to watch you.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Talonis and I will guard her,” Brax says.
I smile, knowing that Brax will ask me the fewest questions and make me feel safe.
I don’t say goodnight to anyone. In fact, I try to make as little contact as possible with anyone as I leave and head for the room that is now mine. But it doesn’t feel like my bedroom. It feels like an empty hotel room I’m renting.
I stumble into the bedroom, barely paying attention to Talonis or Brax as I’m lost in thought.
“Too bad she can’t take a love potion or something. Something that can make her love instantly, and then the magic can be undone later,” Brax says.
My ears perk up at that. “What did you just say?”