Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 43

Emily’s POV

My hand wasn’t just burning, it felt like it was still on fire.

Stella stood by the stove, her face a mask of fake innocence.

“I don’t know how it happened, Meredyth,” she said, her voice trembling slightly as if she were the one in shock. ‘Her necklace… the clasp must have broken. It just fell right into the flames. I was already reaching for the tongs to get it out, but then Emily just… she just grabbed it with her bare hand.”

I looked at her, my vision blurring from the pain. She was a natural liar.

“Come here, quick!” Meredyth pulled me toward the sink and turned on the tap. Cool water ran over my skin, and

screamed.

1. 1.

The pain didn’t disappear. It changed. It became sharper, deeper, biting into my nerves.

“I know, I know…” Meredyth whispered, holding my wrist gently but firmly under the stream. “You have to keep it here.”

I tried to pull away, the shock finally hitting me. She didn’t let go.

“Emily, don’t,” she said, her voice suddenly strict. “It will only get worse if you stop.”

“Stella, hurry!” Meredyth shouted, not taking her eyes off my hand. “Get Doctor Reed! Tell him it’s an

mergency!”

Stella didn’t hesitate. She nodded, her face a mask of perfect, worried concern, and vanished from the kitchen. I new she wasn’t running out of fear for me; she was running to play the part of the helpful witness.

“He’s coming, Emily. He’s on his way,” Meredyth whispered, her voice shaking as much as my hand was.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay still while the water kept running. But the pain refused to go away. It elt like it was settled deep in my bones.

Soon, Doctor Reed walked into the kitchen with Poppy and Stella.

“Good. Keep it under the water,” he said, his voice calm and professional. “Don’t take it away yet.”

He set his bag on the table and began pulling out medical supplies. He looked at Meredyth’s shaking hands. Poppy, take over. Hold Emily’s hand, Meredyth needs to sit down before she starts shaking too much.”

Poppy moved in and took my arm. She looked at me, her eyes wide with shock and confusion.

“How did you manage to do this, Emily?” she asked quietly,

I looked at Stella, who was watching us from the corner of the room. I wanted to scream the truth.

I wanted to tell them she ripped it off my neck. But I knew how this worked. In my old pack, liars were treated

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against hers. I was the newcomer; she had lived here her whole life.

was… I was clumsy,” I finally said, the he tasting like ash in my mouth.

But that didn’t mean I was giving up. I would be on my guard from now on. I wouldn’t let her touch me again.

“Okay, let’s take it out now, Doctor Reed said.

As he lifted my hand from under the cool stream, the air in the kitchen felt like liquid fire. It was as if my hand was passing through lava rather than just moving through the air. Tears welled up in my eyes instantly.

“This will help,” he said, already preparing an injection.

Suddenly, Stella let out a small, dramatic gasp.

“Oh, I have to go,” she said, her voice trembling as she backed toward the door. “I just can’t stand the sight of

needles. It makes me feel sick.”

Before anyone could say a word, she turned and hurried out of the kitchen. It was a perfect exit–it made her look lelicate and sensitive, but I knew the truth. She wasn’t afraid of the needle. She just didn’t want to be in the room while the doctor started asking questions.

Reed didn’t stick the needle into the burn itself, but the skin right next to it. It still hurt like hell.

“Hold on just a little longer,” the doctor said softly. “The painkiller will work soon.”

A single minute felt like an eternity until the pain finally began to dull. He applied a cool, antiseptic ointment over the skin. It felt like heaven. He wrapped my hand carefully, making sure the bandage wasn’t too tight.

Relief–brief and fragile.

“You’ll need to keep this clean,” he said, looking at me seriously. “No strain. No pressure.”

His eyes lingered on the white bandage for a second longer than necessary.

“It’s a second–degree burn,” he noted. “It’s painful, but you’ll live. With your shifter regeneration, I’m sure it will

leal quickly.”

He handed a small bottle to Meredyth. “Here are some painkillers and antibiotics. If she gets a fever or if anything ooks wrong, call me immediately.”

With a final nod, the doctor left with Poppy.

Meredyth and I walked back into the living room. Then, she sat down directly across from me.

“Tell me the truth,” she said. Her voice was flat, her eyes sharp.

“It was an accident…” I started my lie again, but she cut me off. She looked furious.

“That is total bullshit,” she snapped. “I think I’ve gotten to know you well enough to know you aren’t stupid enough to do something like this to yourself.”

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I stayed silent, biting my lip.

“Emily, please, I am not your enemy.”

“I know,” I said, my voice trembling. “But… you might not believe me.”

“Try me,” she challenged. “Tell me what happened, and I will listen. I’m not letting this go, Emily.”

I took a deep breath and let it all out. I told her everything what Stella had said, the way she had looked at me, and exactly how she had ripped the necklace off my neck and thrown it onto the kitchen stove.

“She did it on purpose, Meredyth,” I whispered, the words finally breaking free. “And it’s not just this.”

I looked Luna in the eyes, my voice growing colder as the pieces of the puzzle finally fit together.

“I don’t think I just tripped during the run. I suspect it was her. I didn’t stumble on a rock–someone hit my legs. I

was pushed off that cliff, Meredyth. I didn’t fall. I was thrown.”

Meredyth’s face went pale. She didn’t move, she processed what I was saying.

“I knew she was heartless,” Meredyth whispered, her hands tightening on my blanket. “But to push a pack

member off a cliff… that is attempted murder.”

“I’m the newcomer,” I said, looking down at my bandaged hand. “If I say anything to Nathan, she’ll just play the victim again. She’ll say I’m jealous. She’ll say I’m making things up to get his attention.”

“I know, honey,” Meredyth sighed, her expression turning grim. “She has everyone fooled, especially my son. But

I believe you.”

She sighed, her anger turning into a worried frown. “But as much as I hate to admit it, you were right to stay quiet earlier. Accusing someone without proof is a serious crime in this pack.”

I shook my head.

“Oh, Emily.” Meredyth reached out and pulled me into a hug. “I knew Stella wasn’t sincere. I felt it. But as long as ny son sees her as a chosen mate,‘ I can’t openly go against him.”

ľ

She pulled back, cupping my cheeks with her hands. “But I won’t let her hurt you again. We will be on our guard. Don’t stay silent next time–you come straight to me. We’re going to watch her.”

She looked toward the door, her expression grim. “And unfortunately, honey, until Nathan sees her true nature for

imself, there isn’t much we can do. He has to realize it on his own. We just have to wait.”

How much more would I have to lose before he finally saw the truth?

I wiped away my tears. I tried to stand up and grab the pendant from the kitchen floor, but Meredyth gently pushed me back and told me to stay put. She picked it up and brought it to me.

The pendant was still warm when I opened it with trembling fingers.

The small photo inside had darkened. The edges were slightly burned, curling inward like a dried leaf. But their

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PPP

faces… were faded. I started to cry again. It felt so bitter, like I had lost them twice–once eight years ago, and again today in that kitchen.

“Let me see,” Meredyth said gently.

I hesitated for a second, but then I placed the pendant in her hand.

“I remember them,” she whispered. “I might have something… but I’ll need to check some old archives.”

She told me to wait and disappeared into another room.

She held a photograph from an old ceremony where the pack leaders had gathered years ago.

She handed it to me. There they were. My mom and my dad, looking so happy, so alive. I looked up at the Luna, ny heart overflowing with a gratitude I couldn’t put into words.

I let out a shaky breath, clutching the new photo to my chest. I had almost lost them. Again.

But this time, I had something even better to hold onto.

The door slammed open so hard it hit the wall.

Nathan was there.

He didn’t just walk in–he practically exploded into the room. The air around him was thick with the scent of

>ure, uncontrolled Alpha rage. His eyes were dark, scanning the room until they locked onto me. More specifically, ›nto the white bandage wrapped around my hand.

In a heartbeat, he was across the room. He didn’t ask permission. He grabbed my wrist, his grip firm but careful,

is eyes burning as he looked at the medical wrap.

“Who did this to you?”

Next Chapter Chapter 44

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