Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Declan’s POV

The moment the bathroom door gave way, my mind went blank.

Emily sat frozen in the tub, the water dripping slowly down skin that glowed under the dim candlelight.

Moon Goddess.

The water had clearly gone cold hours ago, but she sat there like she could scrub my entire kingdom off her skin if she tried hard enough. Her wet hair clung to her shoulders, and her lips parted the second she saw me. Every instinct I had–every dark, violent urge–snapped into focus on one single thought.

Mine.

I felt a slow smile spread across my face. It wasn’t a sane look. I didn’t care.

Her eyes narrowed. “Get out.”

I leaned against the broken doorframe, acting like I had all the time in the world. “No.”

“I said get out.”

“And I said no, sweetheart.”

Her jaw set. She was beautiful when she was angry. Actually, she was better than beautiful–she was lethal. The

firelight played over her wet skin as the water moved softly around her. She tried to sink deeper the moment my gaze dropped.

Cute. Like that would change anything. My wolf was pacing in the back of my mind, snarling a single command:

Touch her. Claim her. Never let her go.

I pushed off the doorframe and took a step toward her. Her breathing changed instantly–short, jagged bursts of

air.

“Don’t,” she warned.

I didn’t listen. “You’ve been sitting in ice water for hours,” I murmured. “You’re going to get sick.”

“I’d rather freeze than have you anywhere near me.”

That should have made me angry. Instead, it made me want to laugh. “You say the cruelest things when you’re

naked,” I said, crouching beside the tub. “It’s a dangerous habit.”

Her glare was sharp enough to draw blood. “Declan.”

“Emily.”

The air between us grew thick, humming with a tension that made the hair on my arms stand up. I held my hand

out toward her.

1:19 pm P PTM.

“Get out.”

“No.”

I tilted my head, smiling lazily: “Well. That’s a shame for you.

Before she could move, I reached into the water and grabbed her. She let out a sharp gasp as I hauled her straight

out of the tub. The freezing water soaked into my black shirt instantly, but I didn’t feel the cold. All I felt was her struggling against me.

“Put me down!”

Her body pressing against mine only made things worse. She was warm, soft, and exactly where she belonged.

“You’re impossible,” I muttered.

“You’re insane!”

“Probably.”

I carried her into the bedroom, water dripping from both of us onto the rugs. When I set her on the bed, she tried to scramble away, but I caught her ankle before she could move an inch. The look she gave me was a mess of fear

and hatred–but underneath it all, I felt the heat.

I could feel every shiver when my fingers brushed her skin. I could feel how much she hated that she wanted me.

I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her, slowly drying the wet strands of hair away from her face. For a long time, we didn’t say a word. I just watched the way her chest rose and fell. I watched how her thighs pressed together whenever I leaned in too close.

Her wolf was calling for me, even while Emily fought me with every bit of strength she had. That fight fascinated

1. me. It obsessed me.

“You looked terrified downstairs,” I said, my voice low.

Her eyes flashed with a sudden heat. “You butchered them.”

“They challenged me,” I countered.

“You enjoyed it.”

r

“What did you do to Stella?” The words came out sharp, but the second I looked at her eyes, I saw it. Fear. Real

fear. Not for herself.

A dark amusement curled inside me.

“Why do you care?” I asked softly. “You should be happy if she disappears. I’m doing you a favor after everything

she did to you in your old life.”

The second I called her pack and her old life past tense, something in her expression twisted painfully. Good. I wanted her to understand. That world was gone. Burned away. There was only this place now. Only me.

1:19 pm PPTM

1 can’t do that to her,” Emily whispered. “Please… spare her.”

The plea slid through me like warm whiskey. Goddess, I could get addicted to the sound of her begging.

“She tried to take you away from me,” I murmured, brushing my thumb slowly along her cheek. “Her death would make an excellent lesson for everyone else.”

A tear slipped down her face. I caught it before it could fall farther.

“Declan…” Her voice cracked. “Please.”

“And what do I get in return?”

She froze.

I leaned closer, letting her feel the heat of my body surrounding hers. “Everything has a price, little wolf.”

Her breathing turned uneven. “What do you want?”

“I want you to stop running from me.” My fingers slid slowly along her calf again, feeling the violent shiver that noved through her instantly. “Stay here willingly. No more escape attempts. No more looking at the door every

ime it opens.”

“And Stella?” she asked quickly. Clever girl. “Her baby too?”

I almost laughed.. Even now, trapped in my bed and trembling beneath me, she was negotiating.

“That bastard carrying my father’s blood?” I said coldly. “Fine. Him too.”

Relief flickered across her face so fast it almost looked painful.

“There,” I murmured. “See how easy that was?”

Something in her eyes broke a little after that. I could see it happening in real time. The horrible realization ettling into her bones.

She was bargaining with me now.

Depending on me.

I felt a slow, dark satisfaction spread through my chest.

“I don’t have a choice,” she whispered.

“Not true.”

I moved closer until her back pressed fully into the headboard.

“You’re still fighting the wrong thing, Emily.” My hand drifted higher along her leg, painfully slow. “Stop fighting

ne.”

1:19 pm P PTM

Her pulse hammered wildly beneath her skin.

“Open yourself to me,” I murmured against her ear. “And I promise you… you’ll like what you find.”

Her breath caught sharply.

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