Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Nathan’s POV

The night air was cold, but it didn’t help.

It didn’t calm the storm in my head. My skin felt tight, my blood hot, and Asher, my wolf, wanted to go back

nside and finish what I started.

Liam leaned against the fence, a dark shape in the moonlight, arms crossed like he’d been waiting for me to blow ip. He probably was.

He straightened when he saw me. “Are you good?”

“Why is everyone asking me that tonight?” My voice came out rougher than I intended, a low growl vibrating in ny chest. “I look like I’m good?”

I walked past him, my boots grinding the gravel. Each step felt like I wanted to crush the ground.

Liam walked next to me in silence. I only heard the wind in the trees and faint music from the party.

“So, what happened in there? You looked like you were about to rip someone apart.” Liam said casually.

My jaw clenched.

“If you keep asking,” I muttered, “that’s exactly what will happen.”

Liam laughed quietly, but he didn’t look away. He was waiting for the truth.

Inside, my wolf screamed. Only two words mattered: Mine. Mate. They echoed in my head until I couldn’t think.

“She was dancing with him.” My voice was low.

“With who?” Liam asked.

“With a guard, Owen.”

The name felt bitter in my mouth, like something I wanted to spit out and forget. “That mutt actually thought he

ould stand in front of me.”

Images burned in my mind: his hand on her waist, her not pulling away, the way she looked at him with a spark I

adn’t seen in weeks. It wasn’t fear.

My chest tightened. “That wasn’t just dancing. That was a challenge.”

Liam’s brow lifted slightly. “A challenge? From a guard?”

“In my pack. With my-” I stopped myself, but it was too late.

Liam caught it. He’s been my shadow since we were pups.

5:26 pm

PPP

didn’t answer,

We walked a few more steps before Liam let out a breath. “You know what I think?”

“I don’t care.”

“Yeah, you do,” he said lightly. “You’re just not going to like it. I think you’re surprised.”

I stopped and turned to him. “By what?”

“Knowing that she’s not just invisible to the world anymore. That someone else wants her too.”

“They know I’m the Alpha and ‘she’s mine. There are lines.” I said, my voice as cold as the midnight frost.

“Yeah,” Liam nodded. Then he smirked, a look that made me want to hit him. “But you never drew them, Nathan.

There are only rumors, but no actions from your side. You haven’t spoken in front of the pack, and there is no mark on her neck. You just walk everywhere with Stella, so everyone thinks she is your chosen mate.”

That stung more than a punch. I looked away, watching the moon on the packhouse windows. “Doesn’t matter. He rossed a line anyway.”

“And what are you going to do about it?”

That was the real question. In a pack, you can’t ignore things like this. Rules and ranks matter. A guard getting etween an Alpha and his mate is a big problem.

“He’ll learn his place! A few weeks on outer patrol, night shifts. I want him in the swamps every day, with nosquitoes biting him, spiders in his boots, and thorns scratching his face. If he wants to touch what’s mine, he can pend two weeks bleeding in the mud. Alone.”

Liam let out a low whistle. “That’s almost like kicking him out, Nathan.”

“He should’ve thought about that before touching what doesn’t belong to him.”

The words came out on their own, but they felt empty. Liam noticed my hesitation, like he always did.

“Doesn’t belong?” he repeated. “You didn’t mark her, Nathan. You didn’t claim her. You didn’t even tell the pack what she is to you.”

A heavy silence settled between us. It was the truth, and I hated it.

“And just so you know,” Liam added, “half the pack noticed her the moment she showed up. You were just too usy pretending you didn’t.”

My wolf surged, violent and possessive.

“Not many would risk crossing you,” Liam continued. “But I’ll give it to Owen–guy’s got steel balls.”

I let out a rough laugh. “Or a death wish.”

5:26 pm

PP

“Whatever you say, Nathan,” Lian said, turning to leave. “I’ve said my piece. You need to blow off some steam.”

Finally, he left. I didn’t have to hold Asher back anymore. I let my wolf out and tore into the trees, claws ripping bark and wood until I was out of breath.

I heard him before I saw him. Footsteps on the gravel. Measured. Unhurried.

It was Blake.

I didn’t turn or stop pacing. The field behind the house was already a mess, grass torn up and earth clawed open ‘rom earlier. It still wasn’t enough to burn off my energy.

“She’s home,” Blake said. Simple. Like a report.

I shifted back to human. The cold air hit my skin, and Blake tossed me some clothes. I caught them and dressed quickly, my hands still shaking.

That should have been it. He should have left, but Blake stayed, standing still in the dark. He didn’t move.

“If you came here to ask if I’m alright–don’t.”

“I didn’t.”

I stopped pacing. I turned just enough to look at him. His face was a mask of Beta calm. “Then say it.”

“You handled that wrong.”

A humorless smile pulled at my lips. “Careful, Blake.”

“Or what?” he asked evenly. “You’ll prove my point??

My Beta stepped closer, not challenging me, but not backing down. He was the anchor of the pack, always seeing what I tried to ignore.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify