Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Emily’s POV

“If Declan takes my powers, Nathan, please kill me before…”

Nathan sat upright. Fast. “No.”

“But listen—”

“No.” His voice sharpened, all the sleepiness gone. “Absolutely fucking not.”

I pushed myself up too, pulling the blanket around me. “Nathan, if my power could make him stronger like Silas—”

“I said no!”

The Alpha command cracked through the room, heavy and dominant.

Nyx growled inside me, and my own power flickered dangerously beneath my skin. Nathan realized what he’d done, but he was too angry to back down.

“You are not dying in this war,” he snapped, his eyes flashing in the dark. “Do you understand me?”

“You can’t promise that!”

“And you don’t get to ask me to murder the woman I love!”

The words hung in the air, raw and bleeding. Nathan dragged a hand through his hair before suddenly climbing out of bed.

“…I can’t do this right now.”

I stared at him in shock. “…Where are you going?”

“Away from you.” He grabbed a blanket from the chair nearby.

“Nathan, stop. This is your room.”

“Exactly.” He threw the blanket over his shoulder. “Which means I’m leaving it.”

“Nathan—”

“I’m furious with you right now.” He pointed toward me, his finger shaking slightly. “So I’m going to sleep downstairs before I say something cruel.”

He turned and walked out. The bedroom door slammed behind him.

I flinched. Guilt twisted deep inside me, heavy and cold.

The sound of the slam echoed in my ears, leaving a terrible, ringing emptiness behind. I crawled back to the bed.

Panic started to creep in, making my heart race. I ruined it. The thought kept repeating in my head.

He had just told me he loved me, he had just given me everything I ever dreamed of, and I pushed him away. Tears finally spilled over my cheeks, hot and bitter. I wanted to run downstairs, throw my arms around his neck, and take my words back. I wanted to tell him I was sorry.

But I couldn’t. Because I knew, deep down, that if Declan caught me, I would still want to die rather than become a weapon against Nathan.

I spent the rest of the night staring at the dark ceiling, listening to the quiet house, waiting for the door to open. But Nathan didn’t come back up. By the time my eyes grew heavy, the dark was already turning into a faint, pale ray.

When morning finally came, sunlight barely touched the windows when I quietly slipped out of bed.

I padded downstairs and found Nathan asleep on the couch. One of his large, muscular arms hung off the edge, his massive frame completely overtaking the small cushions. Even in sleep, his jaw was set, and a hard, stubborn line remained between his brows.

A heavy guilt settled deep in my bones as I watched the slow rise and fall of his chest.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words catching in my throat.

Then, I left the house before his mate bond could wake him up. The morning air was sharp and cool against my skin. It felt peaceful, a cruel contrast to the dark plan forming in my mind.

I walked over to Marcus’s place and knocked. When he opened the door, he looked completely wrecked. His dark hair was a wild mess, and there was a fresh, telltale bite mark on his neck.

“Emily?” He blinked sleepily, rubbing his face. “Do you know how early it is?”

He stood in the doorway, barefoot, his shirt unbuttoned, breathing heavily as if he had run miles to get here. The sheer force of his presence made the kitchen feel half its size. Rage poured off him in waves, so violent that the cups on the counter rattled.

But his eyes weren’t on me. They were locked onto Marcus.

“Nathan,” I spoke up, trying to draw his attention.

“You were gone.” He didn’t look at me, his voice dangerously low. “I woke up and couldn’t feel you anywhere.”

Marcus slowly stood up, keeping his hands visible, refusing to back down. “It’s not what you think, Nathan.”

“Oh, really?” Nathan let out a dark, humorless laugh. “Because from where I’m standing, it sounds like my Beta just agreed to murder my mate.”

Marcus exhaled, his jaw tight, his posture stiff. “I tried refusing.”

Nathan’s eyes flared, a dangerous golden light snapping into his irises. “Then refuse harder!”

In a blur of motion, Nathan closed the distance, his large hands slamming into Marcus’s chest, shoving him hard against the counter.

Marcus didn’t take it lying down. He snarled, his own wolf rising to the surface, and pushed Nathan back with enough force to dent the wood. “She came to me, Nathan! Look at her! Look at how terrified she is!”

The entire kitchen seemed to shake as their power collided. The air grew thick, heavy with the suffocating pressure of an Alpha’s dominant aura. Plates vibrated on the shelves.

I scrambled backward, my heart hammering against my ribs. I wanted to yell at them to stop, but the sheer weight of Nathan’s energy kept me glued to the spot.

“If anyone thinks they are taking you from me,” Nathan growled, his voice dropping into a deep, guttural vibration that rattled my bones, “they will have to tear me apart piece by piece to get to you. You don’t get to choose death, Emily! You are staying right here with me!”

Marcus shoved him again. “Then fix it, Nathan. Protect her so she doesn’t have to ask me to tear her throat out!”

Nathan didn’t argue. With the sharp crack of shifting bone, his clothes ripped to shreds as a massive, pitch-black wolf took his place.

He slammed Marcus onto the kitchen table, pinning him down under his huge paws.

A low, vibrating growl shook the room as Nathan bared his fangs right over his throat, his golden eyes glowing with pure animal fury.