Page 37 of Marked By Moonlight
“He looks like he’s about to bite your head off. I’m not leaving you,” Kael says.
“He’s my mate,” I say matter-of-factly, saying it as much for Kael’s sake as Ambrose’s. They both need to hear it. Ambrose is stuck with me. Together, we can figure out how I can shift.
Kael’s eyes widen in disbelief.
“Go,” I order Kael.
Ambrose and I continue to stare into each other’s eyes, both tense. Neither of us backs down, but Kael finally leaves.
Finally, I can breathe again. As I exhale, Ambrose shifts back into his human form. He stands naked before me, his pale skin in stark contrast to his dark hair that hangs in loose curls down his neck.
That’s when I notice the fresh scars, the thin lines of blood rolling down his muscled skin. My heart beats slow and steady as I take him in. I realize the cost to him. I realize how he spent his night and this morning. Fighting off men. Fighting for me. He wasn’t hiding from me. He was fighting for me. Fighting to keep me. Fighting to keep me safe.
And this is how I repaid him?By disobeying his orders and doing something so foolish. And he had to fight even more shifters because of me.
“Get inside,”he snaps in my head. It’s an alpha command, but he didn’t need to use his power to get me to listen to him this time.
“I’m sorry,”I think back to him.
He hangs his head in exhaustion but doesn’t say anything back. I can feel the disappointment rolling off of him as I obey his command and walk back into the house.
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?”
