Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 99

5:03 pm

Chapter 99

Nathan’s POV

The flashlight beam cut through the damp air as Blake crouched by the stone wall. The light shook slightly in his

hand.

“The tracks are fresh,” he muttered.

I stared into the mouth of the tunnel–a narrow, jagged hole hidden beneath the twisted roots of the forest. Cold air drifted up from the dark, smelling of wet earth and old stone.

“She was here,” I growled. I could feel the vibration of my own voice deep in my chest. I stared at the scuff marks on the ground where Tessa had dragged her.

For the first time since the night she disappeared, I finally knew where to look.

“Move,” I snapped at the others.

****

Emily’s POV

We stood in the throne hall. It was a massive room with black stone walls that disappeared into the darkness

above. The floor was polished marble, reflecting my pale face like a mirror.

I stepped closer to Declan without even thinking. Around us, the rogues watched the throne in a wide circle. Servant girls stood against the walls with their heads down.

That’s when I saw Stella. Her eyes went wide when she saw me with Declan, but she quickly looked away.

In the center of the room on the throne sat Silas. He looked dangerous.

Tessa stood a few feet in front of him. She was the only one who didn’t kneel.

“You failed,” Silas growled. His low voice shook the floor. “The trail wasn’t destroyed.”

Tessa’s face twisted. “I did everything I could!”

“You left tracks,” he snapped. “If Nathan follows the scent your rogues left in the forest, he’ll find the entrance to he portal.”

Nathan. Portal? He was looking for me. He was actually coming.

Tessa threw her hands up, her voice rising to a scream. “Maybe if you actually gave me authority, things would get done properly!”

The rogues around the room shifted, looking uneasy. Silas narrowed his eyes, but Tessa was too far gone to care.

“If I had real power, I could’ve taken enough rogue to cover every trail!” she shouted. “But you keep treating me

ike I’m useless!”

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The temperature in the hall scemed to drop.

“I’ve done everything for rogues!” she screamed. “Everything for you!”

Silas slowly stood up. The movement was smooth, like a predator waking up, but I could see the way his body was failing him.

The rot was spreading, creeping up his neck and across his jaw like a slow–moving stain. Beneath his heavy shirt, he knife wound from the Alpha remained open–a jagged tear in his stomach that refused to heal, no matter how nany years passed. It was a permanent mark of his defeat.

He tilted his head, watching his daughter with a cruel curiosity.

“You know what your problem is?” he asked, his tone almost casual.

Tessa’s hands went wide, her eyes darting to the dark patches on his face.

“You think surviving here makes you special. But after all these years… you finally did one useful thing.”

Silas’s gaze suddenly snapped to me. He grinned, and it was a terrifying sight. “You brought me her.”

Tessa looked like she had been punched. “I’m your daughter!”

Silas barked out another sharp laugh. “Barely.”

“You can’t keep treating me like this!” she shouted. “I should be your heir! I should stand beside you!”

I felt Declan go rigid beside me.

“Tessa,” he warned in a low, dangerous whisper.

But she wasn’t listening. “If I had real authority-‘

Silas moved.

One second, he was by his throne, smiling. The next, his hand was locked around Tessa’s throat.

The sound of her choking echoed off the high walls.

“No, please… stop,” she gasped, her fingers clawing at his iron grip.

The entire room recoiled, drawing back from the Rogue King’s sudden, violent rage.

Silas pulled her in until their noses almost touched.

“You think I owe you something?” he whispered.

Tessa clawed at his wrist, her fingernails digging into his skin, but his hand didn’t move. He was like stone.

“You were born because I was bored one winter,” he said.

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Tessa’s eyes filled with tears, and Silas watched them fall with a strange, fascinated look. Then, his face went completely blank, Empty.

A loud crack echoed off the high walls.

Tessa’s body went limp. Silas let go, and she dropped to the floor like a bag of trash. Her eyes were still open, staring at nothing, pointing right at me,

Silas didn’t even blink. He simply stepped over her body as he walked back to his throne.

“Pathetic,” he muttered.

Horror crawled up my throat. A servant girl near the wall started crying, a small, broken sound. Silas’s head snapped toward her instantly.

“You want to join her?”

The girl collapsed to her knees, sobbing into her hands. “N–no, my King-”

Sila’s burst out laughing, the loud booming sound making my skin crawl. He looked like he was having the time of

is life.

“Take her body out of my sight!” he shouted.

He turned toward Declan.

“Declan, deal with it. Clean up every trace Tessa failed to cover.”

Declan lowered his head slightly.

“Yes, Father.”

I stumbled backward, my mind spinning. Before I could fall, Declan’s hand locked around my arm.

He pulled me out of the room, his grip firm as he dragged me through the doors. They slammed shut behind us, utting off.

The second we were in a side room, I ripped my arm away.

“What is wrong with him?!” I gasped. My hands were shaking so hard I had to ball them into fists. “She was his laughter!”

Declan shut the door and bolted it. “Lower your voice.”

“She’s dead!”

‘And?”

The word was cold and sharp. I stared at him, breathless.

Declan didn’t look horrified. He didn’t even look angry. He just looked exhausted.

“Not everyone survives this place, Emily,” he said quietly.

“How can you live like this?”

A bitter smile crossed his face. “Most of us aren’t living.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying stop the shivering. “Why would anyone stay? Why not just run?”

Declan leaned against a heavy desk, his eyes dark. Some rogues had their packs destroyed. They were given a choice: join Silas or die. Some came here because they wanted to stop feeling anything at all.” He paused, his gaze moving to the door. “And some were born here.”

My mind flashed back to the servant girls. I thought about the silk ribbons around their necks and the way they linched whenever a rogue moved. The breeding quarters. The way Silas looked at me.

The truth hit me all at once. The ribbons weren’t decorations. They were marks.

I turned away and pressed my hand over my mouth, feeling sick. The walls of the castle felt like they were closing in. I had to get out. I had to leave before I became another girl with a ribbon around her neck.

Declan walked over and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me once, hard.

“Emily, listen to me. You have to get it together. Your trial is tonight. You have to pass it.”

“And then what?” I whispered, my voice breaking. “He kills me? He takes my powers?”

Something dark and dangerous crossed Declan’s face.

“Will you help me?” I whispered desperately. “Declan… please.”

He went still.

“Your father ordered you to clean up the trails,” I continued quickly. “Please… leave something behind. Anything. A scent. A mark. Nathan will find it. He’ll come for me.”

‘Emily”

“Please,” I begged again, my voice cracking. “They’ll come here. Nathan will help us.”

I stepped closer without realizing it.

“And maybe they can help you too.”

His jaw tightened sharply.

“You saw what he did to your sister,” I whispered. “What’s stopping him from doing the same thing to you the moment you stop being useful?”

Something broke across Declan’s face then.

5:03 pm

For a long moment, he just stared at me.

Then finally-

“I’ll see what I can do.”

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