Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 10

Nathan’s POV

I stormed down the long hallway. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Marcus. His smug smile. His lips on Emily’s skin.

At the end of the corridor, the heavy wooden door to my father’s office suddenly swung open. Marcus stepped out into the hall. He looked relaxed. He looked happy.

“Oh, there you are! Your father sent me—”

I slammed Marcus against the wall, pressing my forearm against his throat. The sound echoed through the corridor.

“Let me tear him to pieces!” Asher screamed inside my head.

Marcus choked, his face turning a dark red, but he didn’t fight back. Not yet.

“Nathan… stop,” he gasped, gripping my arm. “Asher, please. If my wolf comes out, we’ll destroy this place.”

I leaned in so close. “Never touch her again. She is mine.”

Marcus smirked painfully. “Rumor says she isn’t. You haven’t accepted her.”

“Don’t believe the damn rumors,” I hissed, pressing my arm harder against his throat.

“Mark her, or I’ll take her,” he whispered harshly.

“Don’t talk about her!” I snapped.

“Let me go,” he said.

I stepped back, fuming.

Marcus began rubbing his bruised neck. “You know I wouldn’t do anything to her without your permission.” A wicked, playful grin spread across his face again. “But Moon Goddess, she is so perfect. Don’t hesitate. Take it as friendly advice.”

He held out his hand. “Peace?”

I ignored his hand and kept walking. Marcus caught up to me and threw his arm over my shoulder.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be angry, big guy.”

We walked into my father’s office together. The conversation between Alpha King Garrett and my brother stopped; they both looked up, waiting.

My father’s sharp eyes went straight to the red bruise on Marcus’s throat. He knew what had happened. I could feel his judgment pressing down on me.

“Where is your mother?” Garrett asked, his voice booming.

I sat in a chair, tense and far from Marcus, every muscle tight with anger.

“She is late,” I said coldly. “We can start.”

I didn’t care. I kept seeing Emily trembling under my hands.

“Alpha Nathan,” Marcus suddenly said, stepping out into the center of the room. His voice grew unexpectedly formal and stiff. I looked up, surprised by this abrupt shift in respect. “I wanted to apologize.”

I stayed silent.

“You know I wouldn’t go against you. But you provoked me.”

“I did?” I barked, slamming my hands onto the armrests.

“After years, the Moon Goddess gives you a miracle mate. You throw her away.”

I didn’t need a lecture from him. I already had a father for that.

“Marcus, don’t push your luck,” I said through clenched teeth.

He looked me over and gave a slow shake of his head.

“Fine, have it your way.”

“What was important enough to bring you here in person?” Liam asked from the next chair.

“Rogues are looking for someone. That’s why they increased the attacks,” Marcus said.

“So, it’s a targeted search?” I asked.

“Yeah, it is. Not far away, we had finally caught up to one rogue, and he reluctantly admitted that the Rogue King is dying, having been wounded by Alpha Titus. And there’s only one thing that can save him.”

“What?”

“A Special Luna.”

The room fell silent.

“The Rogue King believes in an ancient prophecy; she must be the eighth Luna in her bloodline with special powers.”

“What powers?”

Marcus’s expression darkened.

“We don’t know. But those powers will be enough to heal him completely.”

Liam let out a low whistle.

“Alright, let’s recap,” Liam said, leaning back in his chair. “We have a dying Rogue King, an army of united rogues, and they’re attacking every pack looking for some miracle Luna?”

“Exactly,” Marcus said.

“We need to narrow this down,” I said, my Alpha authority returning. “We’ll strengthen the borders starting tomorrow. And we need to find that Luna first.”

“Agreed,” my father said, standing up to signal the end of the meeting.

My head throbbed.

Marcus walked over to me. “Let’s go cool our heads,” he suggested.

I nodded, needing fresh air to clear my head.

Emily’s POV

Another heavy silence followed.

Nathan spoke more quietly.

“It’s not that simple.”

My fingers tightened against the wooden window frame until my knuckles turned white.

“It never is,” Marcus replied. “Mark her, Nathan. Claim her. She’s a miracle from the Moon Goddess.”

My breath caught in my throat. I waited, praying to the heavens for any sign that I mattered to him.

“No,” Nathan said right away. The word came out too fast and too sharp.

Marcus noticed the hesitation.

“You feel it, Nathan. Don’t even try to deny it. You’ve started feeling the mate bond pulling at you. I saw it in your eyes.”

I could hear my own pulse drumming wildly in my ears.

“I feel...” Nathan stopped, pausing for a second that felt like an eternity. “…something I don’t trust.”

His words hurt me.

Marcus let out a dark laugh.

“You searched for your mate for years. Now you’re scared of her?”

“I’m not scared of anything!” Nathan snapped, his lethal Alpha aura flaring with sudden anger.

“Then what is it?”

One second. Two seconds passed.

“I don’t need a weakness,” Nathan said finally.

My chest tightened so hard I gasped for air.

“She’s not a weakness, Nathan,” Marcus argued.

“She is,” Nathan replied coldly. Each word crushed my soul. “She can barely stand on her own two feet. She’s completely broken, Marcus.”

Something deep inside me shattered into a million pieces.

“I need a Luna who can actually lead. A woman who can fight and protect this pack,” Nathan continued, his voice steady and ruthless. “Stella can do that.”

Stella.

Hearing the unfamiliar name hurt deeply. He already had someone else in mind.

“And what about Emily?” Marcus asked quietly.