Page 28 of Bitten By Bloodmoon
I shifted because of Ambrose.Isolde’s words come back to me.If a witch is the one to cause a wolf to shift for the first time, then that witch is the one who controls that shifter’s wolf forever.
I stare at Ambrose, and my world collapses around me. I can forgive him for not telling me he is a witch, but this…this can’t be true.
My breath quickens as I put the pieces together. Ambrose caused me to shift. Ambrose controls my wolf, not me. That’s why it’s so painful. That’s why I couldn’t shift when he wasn’t around.
I don’t have control of my wolf. I never will. He will always be able to control me. He’s not my mate. He can’t be. And if he is, I’ll reject the bond. Refuse to complete the marking ceremony.
“You control my wolf!”I scream at him in my mind. My body is shaking. The ground seems to be shaking beneath me. The world shifts. My rage explodes out of me, and it’s enough to let go of the wolf holding me captive.
I shift back into my human form. My weak form. The only version of me that I can control. My anger gets the best of me, and I feel compelled to lash out in a vicious manner.
“I reject the bond. You aren’t my mate!”
Chapter 7
Nyx
Lumi’s words crack through my mind like a lightning bolt—frying everything in its path. For a moment, my mind is left stunned, unable to think. The world seems to shatter around us. I’m left in awe of this female with incredible powers—maybe not physical or magical powers, but she has powers all the same. I’ve never felt such formidable strength in my mind before, never felt anything so extraordinary.
Her words weren’t meant for me. It’s clear she sent them to Ambrose, but in her exceptional rage, they also flew through the bond we share. Though technically speaking, she could be rejecting both of our bonds simultaneously. But her words felt more like a lovers’ quarrel, laced with raw disappointment.
She’s standing between us, closer to me than Ambrose, completely naked in her human form. The gash on the side has closed some, enough that she’s not going to drop dead at any second, but it could still use a healer’s touch to close completely. She doesn’t care. The pain doesn’t even seem to faze her at the moment. Her long mane of white hair blows in the breeze as she locks eyes with Ambrose in a stance that displays her undeniable power. She’ll fight the most dominant wolf shifter alpha inexistence with nothing more than her fragile human hands to get her wolf back.
I knew she’d figure out what I had already pieced together—Ambrose was the one who granted her her wolf, which means he’s the one who controls it, not her. I can’t think of anything worse in the world than not being in control of part of myself. He took the most precious part of her and decided it was his without her consent. I want to kill Ambrose for many reasons, but I’d kill him for that alone.
“Get out of my head, Ambrose,” Lumi says through grinding teeth.
Ambrose looks stunned for a second, and then finally says, “I’m sorry. No, I’m more than sorry. Sorry doesn’t even begin to cover it. I never meant to control your wolf. When it happened, it was an accident. It was part of my magic reaching out involuntarily to you to save us.”
“To saveyou, you mean,” she snaps.
He flinches.
If I weren’t so angry on her behalf, I’d be amused watching him squirm. I’ve been waiting for a moment like this for years. And finally, this scrawny girl is the one to bring the mighty Ambrose to his knees. I can’t help but let a tinge of a grin lift my lips.
“We’re mates. You know that. You can hate me all you want. I hate myself, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are mates. We were chosen to break the curses. We don’t have a choice.” Ambrose speaks with cool conviction, as if he already knows that she’ll eventually come to the same conclusion herself.
“We’re not anything. We’re not mates,” Lumi says firmly, sadly.
Ambrose runs his hands through his hair. “Just come back with me. Come back, talk to Kael. See Emeric. Let me talk to Isolde and the other witches about how I give you your wolfback. We can fix this.” His words seem to indicate he’s forgotten that I’m even here.I’lldecide whether to let him walk off my territory without another fight first.
“I’m not going with you,” she says.
“My queen, please. Give me another chance. You’re my mate,” Ambrose’s composure turns to begging as he begins to move toward her.
“I belong to no one.” She takes a step back, and I’ve had enough.
“Don’t take another step,” I snarl at Ambrose.
Ambrose’s head snaps up at me, and he growls, revealing his canines. “You.”
I stay where I am in the shadows, watching him glare at me with more hatred than I’ve ever seen him look give me. Like him taking away her autonomy over such a huge part of herself is my fault.
“You did this,” he growls at me.
I cock my head like he’s insane, and he probably is. “Did what exactly? Forced you to use your magic to control Lumi?”
“No, you’re using your mind control against her now.”
