Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 164

Chapter 164

Emily’s POV

“Where’s Stella?”

The question left my mouth before I even realized I was speaking.

We walked quickly back toward the long dinner tables. Wolves were still eating under the lantern lights, chatting and trying to pretend life was normal again. I looked through the crowd. No Stella.

“Has anyone seen Stella?” I asked louder.

One of the younger girls near the refugee tables looked up nervously. “She said she didn’t want to join dinner,” the girl answered quietly. “She was packing her things.”

A cold feeling crept over me. “…Packing?”

“She said she was leaving the pack.”

“What is she thinking?” Nathan muttered sharply beside me.

Marcus rubbed the back of his neck. “…That might partly be my fault.”

We turned to look at him.

“What?” Nathan asked, his voice dangerous.

“I’ll explain on the way.”

That did not make me feel better.

We headed quickly through the damaged territory toward the smaller houses near the woods. Halfway there, it hit me—I had never been inside Stella’s house before. Did she even have parents? Family? Anyone waiting for her? A wave of guilt washed over me.

Marcus exhaled heavily. “A while ago, Stella came to me asking for help.”

“With what?” I asked.

“She said she didn’t want to stay in pack territory anymore.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “She wanted to live in the human world for a while.”

“She told me the same thing during the funeral fires,” I admitted quietly. “But I thought maybe once it all ended…”

“Apparently not,” Nathan muttered.

Marcus nodded. “So she asked if I knew anyone trustworthy outside wolf territory.” He glanced briefly at Nathan. “And… I kind of do. I remembered someone.” He looked at Nathan. “Eric.”

Nathan blinked once, then relaxed slightly. “…Okay. Eric’s solid.”

“Who’s Eric?” I asked.

“One of our human contacts,” Marcus explained. “He manages several oil territories connected to pack investments.”

Nathan smirked faintly. “And somehow survives doing business with wolves.”

“So Stella’s with him?” I asked carefully.

Marcus nodded. “He needed a wife. Well, a contract marriage, to be exact.” He winced right after saying it. “Okay, wait, that sounded terrible—”

“It really did,” I told him.

“His human family’s insanely rich,” Marcus corrected quickly. “His mother threatened to cut him out of the inheritance unless he finally settled down and had an heir.”

“…Humans are weird,” Nathan muttered. “Why does he even care about an inheritance? We put him in charge of our oil lands. He’s already making our money.”

“I mean, family is still family,” Marcus shrugged. “Plus, an extra inheritance never hurts. Who knows how his business with wolves will turn out in the long run. He’s just playing it safe.”

Fair point.

“Anyway,” Marcus continued, “I showed him Stella’s photo.” He shrugged. “He liked her. She liked him. He offered her a place away from pack politics and… things moved fast.”

I frowned. “But the human world isn’t safe either.”

“Emily,” Marcus said carefully, “Eric isn’t exactly helpless.”

Nathan let out a rough laugh beside me, rubbing the side of his neck. “Yeah, trust me. I remember.”

Marcus grinned. “Right?”

“What?” I asked suspiciously.

Nathan leaned down and kissed my forehead before I could question him. “Not for your ears, my beautiful Luna.”

“You’re both impossible.” I groaned.

“To be fair,” Nathan admitted, “a breather from the pack is exactly what she needs to reset.”

“Or break poor Eric’s spirit,” Marcus added.

“Probably both,” Nathan agreed, smiling.

I should’ve felt relieved. Maybe part of me did. But that burned paper was still heavy on my mind.

“…Silas is still coming for her.”

The joking stopped instantly. Nathan’s expression hardened. “We only know her name was on the list.”

“With moon phases right next to it,” I reminded him sharply.

“…Maybe it was just record keeping,” Nathan tried. “Tracking pregnancies. Children. Women.”

I stared at him. “That sounds so much worse.”

Nathan looked away grimly. “…Yeah. It does.”

The small house near the forest edge was dark except for one lamp glowing softly through the kitchen window.

Stella was alone. By the time we stepped inside, half the living room was buried under suitcases. Not one or two. At least eight. Clothes, boxes, books, blankets. It looked less like a trip and more like she was trying to erase her entire life here in one night.

Stella froze when she saw us standing in the doorway. A flash of panic crossed her face before she let out a shaky breath.

Nathan crossed his arms. “You were planning to leave without telling anyone?”

“I was planning to avoid this exact conversation,” Stella corrected tiredly.

I looked around the empty house. It felt lonely. No family photos, no parents, no scent of anyone except her. It made my heart ache for her.

“You really decided already?” I asked softly.

Stella looked down at the suitcase she’d been packing. “I can’t stay here anymore, Emily. Every corner of this territory reminds me of… everything.”

The war. The rogues. The humiliation. The fear. Declan. All of it.

Nathan’s expression softened. “The human world isn’t safe either.”

“I know.” Stella gave a weak laugh. “But at least humans don’t try to kidnap me for magical breeding rituals.”

Marcus snorted loudly behind us. “…To be fair, she has a point.”

Nathan shot him a sharp look.

Marcus stepped farther into the room, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Eric’s a good man, Stella.”

She looked up at him and smiled. It was small, but real. “I know.”

That surprised me more than anything. It wasn’t forced or desperate. She genuinely liked him.

“He talks too much,” Stella admitted, folding another sweater into her suitcase. “And he keeps trying to send me flowers like I’m living inside some old romance movie.”

Marcus looked offended. “That’s expensive human courting behavior.”

“It’s weird.”

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