Nature is not a place to visit 28

hapter 28
*“Submission is not in the bowing of heads or knees but in the humbling of your whole being.”*
*-Ikechukwu Izuakor*
I’d never thought the sight of someone holding a bloody heart in their hands would make me feel better, but as I looked
at Ambrose, all I felt was relief. It rolled through me like a wave, even subduing the sharp agony from where the man’s
claws had sunk through my side.
That heart in Ambrose’s hand meant he’d killed my attacker before he could kill me. It meant I’d been saved.
Unfortunately, Ambrose did not look relieved.
He looked pissed.
I don’t think I’d ever seen so much fury in his eyes. Or anyone’s eyes.
His eyes roamed over me, and the heart dropped from his hand with a splat! as he closed the distance between us.
I’d been swept into his arms before I realized it, his nose nuzzling into my neck.
“Little wolf,” he murmured, “I heard your scream.”
*He was here in less than five seconds after I screamed. How did he get here so fast?*
In truth, I hadn’t even thought that Ambrose would be able to save me. Not when we were so far underground, and he
was still fending off the majority of the Blood Moons. I almost trembled in his arms. I’d never come that close to dying
before.
“It’s okay, little wolf,” he said, his lips close to my ear, “You don’t need to be afraid anymore.”
It took me a moment to stop freaking out long enough to form a coherent thought. “How many times are you going to
save me in twenty-four hours?” I whispered back, “You’re starting to make me look bad over here.”
Ambrose ignored that, pulling back to look at me. “I need to heal you,” he said, “You’re hurt.”
For the first time, I got a good look at my injured side, and the damage was more extensive than I thought. The side of
my shirt was ripped to pieces, exposing four long claw marks that stretched from the top of my ribs down to the top of
my hip. There was a lot of blood, but even still, I could see where he’d dug in deep enough to rip through my skin and
expose muscle.
*And suddenly I feel a little woozy.*
Ambrose didn’t waste any time. “Hold still,” he commanded, but as he said it, one of his hands fell to my shoulder to
keep me in place.
*Even if I wanted to move, there’s no way I’m getting out of this iron grip.*
His other hand lingered over the injury, and I watched with wide eyes as blue light emitted from his fingertips – the same
light he’d healed Luke. I couldn’t see what the blue light was doing to the injury, but my entire side began tingling with
crazy.
I glanced at Ambrose and my breath hitched. His eyebrows were knitted together in concentration, his eyes fixed on the
area he was healing. The blue light illuminated his olive skin, and in that moment, I was pretty sure he was the most
beautiful man I’d ever seen in my life.
The tingling only lasted a second before the blue light faded and Ambrose pulled his hand away. “There,” he said, kissing
my forehead, “All fixed now.”
Sure enough, as I looked at my side, it was all fixed. There was no trace that I’d ever been injured at all besides the blood
that stained my ripped shirt. The pain and tingling were gone too.
I opened my mouth to say something, but the sound of Marcus’ loud gasp suddenly drew our attention. He’d taken a
step forward, staring at Ambrose with wide eyes.
“I’ll be damned,” he breathed. “It can’t be…”
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“Yeah, I thought the same thing,” I said.
Marcus’ mouth was agape, his eyes fixed on Ambrose, who merely regarded him with cool eyes. For someone who’d
been asleep for the past millennium, he didn’t seem too bothered by everyone’s shock.
“What?” Rae suddenly butted in, looking at Marcus. “What can’t be?” Her eyes fell to Ambrose, lingering on the way he
stood close to me and kept a hand on my shoulder. She didn’t say anything, but I could see the gears moving in her
head, things clicking into place.
“You’re the…” Marcus trailed off again as if the words were stuck in his throat.
“He’s the what?” Rae asked.
Marcus swallowed. “The Moon God.”
“Yes,” Ambrose said flatly. “I am.” He said it as if he was confirming it was a full moon tonight or that there were stars in
the sky.
At his confirmation, shocked gasps erupted from the small group of warriors.
“What?” Rae scoffed, but I could tell from her tone that she was shaken. “I thought that was just a myth. A kid’s story.”
She turned to me with wide eyes. “That’s not true, right, Ollie? He’s not really the Moon God…right?”
“It’s a long story,” I said, “But he is.”
Marcus looked at Ambrose’s hand on my shoulder. “You’re his mate,” he said. It wasn’t a question this time – just an
observation.
“Yes,” I said.
“You woke him from his slumber,” he continued, “When I sent Luke and you to the temple to pray, you woke him.”
“Yes.”
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“You sent my mate to me?” Ambrose asked, finally addressing Marcus.
Marcus nodded slowly, looking like he may faint from information-overload any second now. In fact, most of the warriors, minus Luke, looked that way.
“Then you have my gratitude,” Ambrose said, “For bringing my mate to me.”
One of the other warriors in the group let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “You’re the one who saved us all,” he said.
Ambrose’s hand gently squeezed my shoulder. “It wasn’t just me,” he corrected, “My mate and this one over there –” he
gestured to Luke. “Insisted that you needed to be rescued.”
I glanced over at Rae, who was looking at me in disbelief. She often hid her emotions behind a mask or a wall, but right
now, I could read everything splayed across her face. Disbelief, confusion, and fear. It still felt unsettling to see her so
openly afraid.
Marcus, who’d been silent in thought for the past few moments, suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed his head. “I
have always believed in you…but I never dreamt you’d wake up in my lifetime,” he said quietly, “And to stand here with
you, in the flesh, you must know how honored I am to be able to even speak with you.” His eyes flitted to me. “And your mate.”
I’d never seen Marcus look at me that way.
Like I was his superior. Someone he needed to submit to.
Something foreign and uncomfortable rolled in my stomach as I watched every single one of my pack members, people I
considered friends, people I’d grown up with, drop to their knees and bow just as Marcus did.
Even Rae, who I could’ve never imagined bowing to anyone, fell to her knees just like Marcus, but her wide eyes stayed
locked on mine the entire time. Luke bowed last, averting his eyes from both of us.
Well…this feels weird.
*Author’s Note: If you’d like to follow along for updates/announcements about the Moon God’s Curse or my other novels,
you can find me on Facebook at HC Dolores Books!*