Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 15

Suddenly, everything went dark.

For a split second, twisted metal flashed before my eyes. I saw broken glass, blood, and my mother screaming. Then my father’s hand was reaching out for me through the wreck.

Just as quickly, the vision was gone. I took a deep breath and held onto the edge of my seat.

We left the tunnel.

“Emily?” Liam asked softly beside me. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I lied, looking down at my lap. “It was just a memory. Or part of one.”

Liam gently nudged my shoulder, cutting Marcus off before he could push me further. “You don’t have to talk bout it if you don’t want to.”

“Thanks, both of you,” I whispered, really grateful they didn’t make me talk.

“Welcome to the human city, birthday girl,” Marcus said with a smile as the SUV rolled under the glowing city

ights.

After being locked away and pushed out by my pack for so long, looking out the window made my heart race. No. trict pack rules. No harsh Alpha commands. Just freedom.

Our guards got out first to check the mall parking lot. Marcus opened my door and held out his big, tattooed land. As soon as I took it, Liam cleared his throat.

“Careful, Marcus,” Liam warned.

Before they could argue, Jessie ran up and grabbed my arm. “Come on! We’re getting you a completely new style.”

We hurried to the second floor, and she pulled me into a fancy boutique filled with expensive dresses. Behind the ounter, a human saleswoman watched our guards. For a moment, I saw greed in her eyes before she put on a fake,

weet smile.

“Welcome,” she purred. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Jessie didn’t notice how strange the woman seemed. She handed me a stack of clothes and nudged me into a

hanging room.

When I came out wearing a soft, fitted dress, Marcus gasped.

“Emily, you look adorable.” His voice sent a sudden thrill straight down my spine.

I looked up at the mirror, my cheeks burning. The dress Jessie had picked for me clung to every curve, making me feel like a completely different person. Not the broken, discarded wolf I usually was.

31. 31.

J

Tom behaving. Marcus smirked, leaning against the doorframe.

“No, you’re Marcus behaving, Liam shot back, his jaw tight with warning. “That’s worse.”

“Alright, girls,” Marcus chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m starving, Liam, how about attacking the

nall’s food court?”

“That’s a very good point,” Liam agreed, slipping his phone into his pocket while keeping a protective eye on me.

Marcus just laughed, not bothered at all by Liam’s glare. He turned to Jessie and me, a playful grin on his face.

“I’m leaving my strongest warrior behind to protect you and pay for everything. Consider it a gift from me.”

“No need, Marcus,” Jessie said proudly, waving a sleek black card in the air. “Liam already gave us his.”

“Sweetheart, take mine anyway,” Marcus insisted. He pulled a shimmering gold card from his wallet and handed it o his warrior with a wink. “Besides, mine is gold. Spend as much as you want.”

A strange, unfamiliar warmth bloomed in my chest. For so long, I had been treated like garbage, a worthless Omega. Now, they were treating me like something precious.

For the next two hours, we piled so many clothes on the checkout counter that it disappeared under them. There vere beautiful dresses, soft sweaters, and delicate underwear stacked high. Jessie even slipped in a black leather kirt, acting like she didn’t care, but I could tell she was excited.

Surrounded by all these pretty things and Jessie’s manic determination to dress me up, I almost felt happy.

A few stores away, Tessa was completely lost in her own shopping.

Marcus’s warrior stood right outside our boutique, keeping a sharp eye on both stores. He looked like an

mmovable wall.

I didn’t think much of it when the sly saleswoman approached him with a sweet, helpless smile. She softly asked if e could help her carry some heavy reward boxes from the back room–boxes she claimed were special VIP gifts for

୮

Before the warrior could refuse, Jessie rolled her eyes and snatched Marcus’s golden credit card right out of his

and.

“Go help her. We aren’t going anywhere.”

The warrior hesitated, but looking at the helpless human woman and the expensive bags, he finally nodded and

tepped away for just a single moment.

“Alright, birthday girl,” Jessie said, as she held out two shiny credit cards right in front of my face. One was gold,

he other black.

“Which one are we choosing, Emily?” she asked mischievously.

I immediately reached for the black card. I didn’t want to owe Marcus anything.

Liam’s card, huh? Jessie teased, nudging my shoulder.

The saleswoman packed our things with extra care. Her hands shook, and she avoided my gaze. My stomach. ightened, but I tried to ignore it, telling myself I was just paranoid.

Jessie and I picked up the heavy shopping bags and headed for the exit. I took one step through the security gate.

ВЕЕР. ВЕЕР. ВЕЕР.

The alarm blared through the quiet boutique.

I froze. My heart sank. No. Please, no.

Everyone in the store stared at me. People started whispering. A security guard by the door stepped forward right way. He was huge, with a shaved head and a hard, mean look.

“Miss,” he barked, his voice echoing off the walls. “Come with me right now.”

“I… I didn’t do anything,” I whispered. My hands shook so much that the bags slipped from my grip and hit the

loor.

Jessie instantly stepped in front of me, her eyes flashing with fury. “There must be some mistake. Check the bags

gain!”

The security guard ignored her. He lunged forward and grabbed my arm, squeezing hard. Pain shot up my

houlder.

“Hey! Don’t touch her!” Jessie screamed, shoving him back.

The guard looked Jessie up and down. There was something nasty in his eyes.

“You can come too,” he growled.

I looked around in panic. Where was Marcus’s warrior? He was gone, trapped in the back of the store. We were ompletely unprotected.

୮

Before I could even scream, the first one dragged me toward a heavy gray side door.

“I’m coming with her!” Jessie grabbed my hand.

“Good.” The second one smiled. It was a nasty, oily smirk that made my skin crawl.

The door slammed shut behind us.

Click.

The lock clicked. The sound cut right through me. The room was small, dark, and windowless. It smelled of old sweat and sour coffee. Panic rose in my throat. Not again. Please, not another locked room.

The guard threw my shopping bags onto a metal table and tore them open. Dresses spilled out everywhere.

12:21 pm

ruined.

PPP

duin’t steal anything,” I gasped, tears burning the backs of my eyes. “I swear!”

“We’ll see about that. He dumped the last bag. Something glittering tumbled across the cold metal.

Diamond necklaces. A heavy gold bracelet. A pair of diamond earrings. Things I had never seen before in my life. My blood went completely cold.

“Those aren’t hers! Someone planted them!” Jessie stared in absolute shock.

“Sure, they did, sweetheart.” The security guard’s mouth curled.

A third man entered, locking the door behind him. He was younger, but the dark, greedy look in his eyes was even

worse.

“Rich little thieves,” the young one spat. “Always think your boyfriends‘ money can make problems disappear.”

“We can call the police,” Jessie warned, her voice dropping into a cold, dangerous tone. “And we have guards right

outside. You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

The first security guard laughed. It was a horrible, mocking sound. “Oh, I’m sure your rich boyfriends would rather pay us cash to keep this quiet than see your pretty faces on the news.”

The harsh truth hit me hard. This wasn’t about pack politics. It was just ugly, human greed. They saw the expensive outfit Jessie was wearing. They thought we were weak, rich girls who would give them anything to avoid

shame.

The guard picked up the necklace and dangled it in front of my face. “This is worth more than I make in a year.”

“I didn’t take it,” I said, and stepped back.

He stepped closer. His breath smelled like stale cigarettes. “Maybe you’re hiding more stolen goods under those

>retty clothes.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify