Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 24

Nathan’s POV

I was supposed to be working.

There were reports piled on my desk, patrol routes to approve, border inspections to schedule, and updates on rogue activity waiting for my attention.

Yet for the third morning in a row, I stood by the same window, watching Emily train.

She moved quickly around the sparring ring, dodging attacks with ease. Every day, she got better at avoiding hits. But fighting back was another matter. Her punches were weak, her stance was unsteady, and she depended too much on her speed.

“I could teach her better,” the thought came so naturally it caught me off guard.

I wanted to stand behind her, help her with her posture, and guide her movements. I wanted to show her how to use her hips for power instead of her shoulders, and how to tighten her core before she struck.

“Then go teach her,” Liam said from the doorway.

I turned around. My brother was leaning against the frame, chewing on an apple.

“What?” I asked.

“You said that out loud, brother.” Before I could answer, he tossed another apple my way.

I caught it without thinking, my eyes drifting back to the training field. “I wonder what color her wolf is.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Asher suddenly chimed in from the back of my mind. “I’m sure she’s beautiful.”

I stopped myself from sighing. Here we go again.

“And you’re a cruel bastard,” my wolf continued, his voice sharp with blame. “You won’t even let me get close to her.”

I shoved him behind a mind wall, cutting off the link, but the last thing he snapped was: “Emily’s wolf is probably prettier than Stella’s anyway.”

My eyes narrowed at the mention of Stella.

The odd part was, I didn’t notice the changes at first. It happened slowly, building up a little more each day. A month ago, if Stella walked into a room, I would notice her right away. Now, she could stand next to me for ten minutes and I might not even realize.

Stella’s scent didn’t affect me anymore. Her touch irritated me. Whenever she tried to hang onto my arm, I pulled away. Her laughs sounded forced, her smiles felt rehearsed, and the way she looked at me just felt wrong.

“Liam,” I said.

“What do you think about Stella?”

My question surprised him so much he almost choked on his apple. He coughed twice and stared at me like I was crazy. “Why are you asking me that?”

“No reason.”

“Right. Which means there’s definitely a reason.”

I let his comment go as Liam walked to the window and looked down at the training grounds. Emily and Stella were being put on opposite sides of the sparring ring.

“If we’re talking pure looks?” Liam finally said, leaning against the sill. “Most wolves would probably pick Stella.”

I rejected that right away. No. Definitely not.

“But?” I prompted.

Liam smirked. “But I like Emily more.”

“Why?” I asked, keeping my voice level.

“Why what? Why do I like her more?” Liam watched the field for a second. “She’s real.”

I frowned. “Real?”

“Yeah. She’s not pretending to be someone else. She’s kind, honest, and sometimes a bit awkward.” His face softened as he watched her. “She feels real. Stella always seems like she’s acting.”

I stared at him, the word echoing in my head. “Acting.”

“Exactly.” He clapped me on the shoulder, but a bit of apple stuck to my jacket. Liam brushed it off. “Oops. Sorry.

“But really, I don’t get how you never saw the mask she puts on.”

Before I could answer, movement on the field drew my eyes back to the mats. Emily and Stella had just stepped into the ring.

My muscles tensed right away. The reaction surprised me. I leaned closer to the glass, watching every step, every punch, and every dodge.

Emily slipped right beneath Stella’s attack and landed a clean punch to her chin. A sudden surge of satisfaction rushed through me. Good. Do it again.

Emily blocked another strike. Perfect.

Then Stella’s fist connected. Emily stumbled, and pain crossed her face.

Something snapped inside me. My claws went right through the edge of my desk, breaking the wood. I stared at the damage, realizing my hands had partly shifted on their own.

“Nathan…” Liam said, his voice cautious.

I ignored him and threw out a mind-link. “Kane.”

A second later, his voice came back. “Alpha.”

‘Status,’ I demanded, my mental tone absolute.

There was a brief pause on Kane’s end, then understanding as he realized what I was asking about. ‘Emily’s fine.’

‘Details.’

‘Just a minor hit during training,’ Kane reported quickly. ‘Nothing serious, Alpha. She’s safe.’

That should have been enough to relax me. It wasn’t. Not even close. I still wanted to go down there, pull her into my arms, check for injuries myself, and make sure she wasn’t hurting. The thought should have worried me, but it didn’t. It felt completely natural.

Then, down on the field, Emily froze. Her head lifted, and she looked directly up at my window.

She was too far away to really see me through the glass, but it felt like she could. It was like she knew exactly where I was and what I was feeling. Neither of us moved.

Then Poppy said something to her. Emily blinked, looked away, and the connection broke.

Liam stepped up beside me, his voice much quieter now. “You’ll see her wolf tonight at the Remembrance Ceremony.”

Remembrance Day. It was the one night I hated more than my own birthday. It always reminded me of what we had lost.

The lighter mood vanished from the room.

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