Page 41 of Marked By Moonlight
“What did you do to become his beta?”
Emeric chuckles. “You haven’t earned that story yet.”
I turn my head toward the door.
“Come on, why don’t we spend an hour or two training while Ambrose sulks in his bedroom? That way, when he decides he’s ready to talk to you, you’ll have a few new muscles growing on you and skills to back up that mouth of yours.”
I narrow my eyes at Emeric. “I still don’t trust you.”
He shrugs. “Maybe I don’t care if you trust me or not.”
“But you do—because if this works, one day I’m going to be your alpha’s mate. And I would have the power to get rid of you as beta. You’ll only stay if I trust you.”
He smirks. “Good thing that you trust me then.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“Except you do. You pretend you don’t because I tricked you into that cave at the offering. When really, you were planning on entering the offering all along. No one had to force you.”
He’s right. I do trust him. Probably more than I should. But he did save my life. And I was planning on finding my mate. Even once the risks of the offering were explained to me, I still would have chosen to go through with it.
“I’m not the only one who saw your truth. Ambrose sensed how brave you truly were. And when he told you that he killed Baelor, he could hear your heart beating the same as I could.”
I swallow hard. “He heard it sputter in fear?”
Emeric’s eyes darken as he speaks in a serious tone. “No, he heard it continue to beat slow and steady, just like I did. He may have said you are weak physically, and that’s true. But you aren’t weak where it matters most. I can whip you into physical shape in no time, but teaching you how to be stubborn, brave, and fearless—I don’t have to teach you that.”
I smile. “Are you always this charming?”
He flashes me a smile back. “Always.”
I stand up. “Fine, then whip me into shape.”
He nods.
I stare at the door for another second, trying to will a message to Ambrose. But it’s like I’ve forgotten how to speak. Nothing works.
I frown. “Does the mental bond we share only work when we are in the same room? Or is that something I have to practice and get better at the same as physical training?”
Emeric stares at the door and then at me. “It’s been a long time since anyone had a connection that allowed them to speak mind to mind. I don’t know exactly what it means to be mates or even how it truly works. But I remember stories from my parents having mental conversations with each other from miles away.”
My frown deepens as I try once again.
“But I’d guess if you can’t get through to Ambrose, it’s because he doesn’t want you to. His powers are immense as an alpha. He could easily be shielding you from talking to him.”
“Gods, he isn’t going to make it easy for me to love him, is he?”
Emeric chuckles. “No, but would you ever love a man who made it too easy for you?”
I don’t answer him as I pull my long silvery-white hair into a ponytail on top of my head and follow Emeric out the back door to train.
Chapter 16
Lumi
“You have no endurance or muscles. Your form is crap. Speed isn’t going to do anything compared to a shifter or vampire. You can’t shift, not even a tingling of anything. No claws are randomly forming, or canines sharpening, or anything. Honestly, I don’t know how you’re even alive,” Emeric says, chuckling to himself, his blue eyes shimmering in the fading sunlight.
“Please, tell me what you really think,” I say between heavy pants as I roll my eyes at him. We’ve been training all day, taking breaks only to refuel, and then we’ve been back at it. Running, strength training, practicing hand-to-hand combat. But even if I was the fastest, strongest human alive, it wouldn’t be enough to defend myself against a shifter, vampire, or witch. Not that I’m even close to being a strong physical human.
