Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Emily’s POV

The ceremony lasted far longer than I expected. Not because the priestesses dragged it out, but because tonight, Nathan wasn’t simply crowning leaders.

He was rebuilding our entire world as Alpha King.

Twelve Alpha positions stood empty after Silas’s war. Twelve broken packs were waiting for someone strong enough to hold them together before everything collapsed into chaos.

Nathan took every single choice seriously. Especially the sons.

Seven of the candidates were heirs of dead Alphas. They were young men standing beneath the memorial tree, wearing their fathers‘ old ceremonial colors like armor that was still too heavy for their shoulders. Some looked

terrified. Some looked angry. Others looked hungry for power.

And that was exactly why Nathan kept glancing at me during every oath.

Because I could feel them. Every lie, every fear, and every hidden crack beneath their masks.

The first son stepped forward, kneeling before Nathan while the priestesses circled him slowly beneath the antern light.

“Do you accept responsibility for the Black River Pack?” the priestess asked.

The boy’s voice shook slightly. “I do.”

Nathan’s mental voice brushed against mine through our bond. “What do you feel?”

I focused carefully on the boy’s energy. Fear. Deep grief. But there was genuine loyalty there, too. No greed. No Corruption.

“He’s clean,” I answered softly.

Nathan gave a single nod. “Rise, Alpha Harvie.”

The crowd erupted into applause.

One by one, the ceremony continued. Some candidates Nathan accepted right away. Others… not so much.

One Beta from the western territories smiled too easily while swearing loyalty. But underneath his polished confidence, I felt ambition twisting sharply beneath the surface. It was the dangerous kind–the kind that would eventually lead to betrayal.

“No,” I warned Nathan quietly.

Nathan didn’t even hesitate. “Rejected.”

The wolf’s face fell, his confidence vanishing. Good.

Then came the representative from my old pack. The moment he stepped forward, a wave of cold recognition Kashed over me.

I remembered him. He hadn’t been openly cruel back then, but he was weak. Cowardly. He was the kind of man who looked away while innocent–wolves suffered because protecting his own skin mattered more than anything else.

Nathan sensed my reaction through the bond. “…Problem?”

‘Yes.”

The candidate smiled nervously toward us, clearly already imagining himself wearing the Alpha Alpha title.

I looked straight into his eyes.

And I felt it.

Resentment. Greed. A desperate fear of losing his authority.

“He’ll abuse his power,” I told Nathan firmly through the bond. “And he still thinks Omegas exist just to obey him.”

Nathan’s expression darkened.

“Then he’s done.”

The wolf turned pale beneath Nathan’s stare.

“You are not fit to lead a pack,” Nathan announced coldly before the entire gathering.

Whispers exploded through the crowd. The man looked horrified. “But-”

‘Leave.”

The man started to argue, his voice cracking, but then he looked at Nathan’s face and backed away. He was gone.

Nathan leaned slightly toward me. “Then who?”

For a second, my mind went back to the pack gates. I remembered the cold rain. I remembered shaking hands secretly pressing keys into mine, helping me escape. A quiet wolf who risked his own safety simply because he Couldn’t watch the injustice anymore.

“There was someone else,” I said softly.

Nathan waited patiently.

“He helped me run,” I said. “When nobody else did.”

‘Name?”

I gave it to him. Nathan nodded once without hesitation.

“Then we’ll go to his territory personally,” his eyes hardened slightly. “And I’ll make him Alpha myself.”

Relief washed over me. My old pack actually had a chance.

Hours later, the ceremony transformed into a celebration. Music filled the territory beneath the glowing lanterns, and long buffet tables stretched across the grass under the memorial tree. For weeks, we had only known stress, but now, wolves laughed freely again.

Surviving Alphas stood beside their Lunas, drinking together while elders traded stories near the fire pits. Some danced, some cried quietly, and others simply sat staring at the sky like they still couldn’t believe they survived.

The rejected candidates left early. Nobody stopped them.

Nathan stood beside me near the center tables, speaking with several newly crowned Alphas. His hand stayed warm against my lower back the entire night.

Mine. Still mine. That thought never stopped feeling miraculous.

Eventually, I slipped away toward the drink tables. Marcus stood there holding Poppy’s hand while she leaned against him, laughing softly at something he whispered.

I smiled as I walked up.

“So,” I asked casually, “when exactly is your ceremony happening?”

Marcus blinked. “…What ceremony?”

Poppy smacked his arm. “Our mating ceremony, idiot./

“Oh.” Marcus looked thoughtful for a second. “We could do it right now.”

Poppy froze. “…Wait. Seriously?”

“Why not?”

I laughed. “The Moon Goddess knows he’s actually serious.”

Marcus shrugged. “I already almost died about six times this year. Seems stupid to wait now.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify