Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 74

Emily’s POV

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Alright then. Educate me.”

Jessie’s smile was a little too bright, a little too satisfied. “Rule number one,” she said, leaning in until our foreheads almost touched.

“Never give him everything at once.”

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? That’s your big secret?”

“Completely serious,” Poppy cut in. “Alphas are hunters. It’s in their blood. If the prize just falls into their lap without a fight… they get bored. Fast.”

“I’m not a prize,” I muttered, the word tasting bitter.

“Of course you aren’t,” Poppy said softly. “But his wolf doesn’t know that. To him, everything is a chase.”

I felt a small shiver of realization crawl up my spine. “So, what am I supposed to do?”

Jessie held up a finger, her eyes gleaming. “Tease him.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Are you for real right now?”

“More than ever.”

Poppy leaned back, watching me closely. “Make him feel like he’s inches away from having you. Let him smell victory.”

She paused, a wicked grin spreading across her face.

“And then take a step back.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “That’s cruel.”

“No,” Jessie said, her voice perfectly calm. “That’s how you stay in control.”

I looked from Jessie to Poppy, my mind racing. It was a dangerous game to play with a man like Nathan. One wrong move and the hunter might decide to stop playing nice.

What if I pushed him too far?

The next morning, the car glided over the uneven road, the tires crunching against gravel. Outside, the trees pressed closer together, turning into a wall of deep green and tangled shadows. The air felt heavier here, smelling of damp earth and pine.

Nathan’s hands were tight on the steering wheel. He hadn’t said a word since we left the main territory.

5:57 pm

“You’re wound up,” I said, watching the way his jaw stayed locked.

He didn’t look at me for a long time. “My father left,” he finally said.

I shifted in my seat to face him. “Left? Where?”

“To another pack. It was sudden.” He shifted gears, his movements sharp and restless.

There was a strange edge to his voice. It wasn’t just stress; it was something he was keeping buried under that cold Alpha mask.

“Is this about the rogues?” I asked.

“Everything is about them lately.”

The car was quiet for the next few miles. I wanted to ask what he meant by “urgent,” but the trees suddenly opened up.

A lake appeared. The water looked like dark glass in the fading light. Right on the shore sat the cabin. It looked lonely against the huge lake—a perfect place to hide, or a perfect place to get trapped.

He was too close. Every sense I had was screaming. I could smell the forest on his skin—pine needles and cold rain—and feel the steady, powerful thud of his heart through his shirt.

“You’re distracted,” he said, his voice dropping to a rough whisper that vibrated in my chest.

I couldn’t find the words to argue. He was right. My mind wasn’t on the training anymore; it was on the way his thigh felt pressed against mine and the dark intensity in his eyes.

“In a real fight, you’d be dead by now,” he added, his gaze dropping to my lips for a split second before locking back onto mine.

I gritted my teeth, a spark of defiance flaring up. “Then don’t let me lose. Teach me better.”

He went completely still. The world around us seemed to fade away, leaving only the sound of our breathing and the electric tension humming between us.

I remembered what Jessie had told me. Tease him.

I didn’t try to push him off. Instead, I shifted beneath him, a slow, deliberate movement that brought us even closer. I wanted to see if I could rattle him as much as he rattled me.

The reaction was instant. His muscles locked tight, and a low, guttural growl started deep in his throat—a sound that wasn’t human at all.

Nathan took a sharp, jagged breath. “Emily…”

I let a slow smile touch my lips. “What?”

Before I could say anything else, the pressure was gone. He let go so fast it felt like he’d been burned. He scrambled back, putting distance between us as if he was suddenly afraid of what he might do if he stayed a second longer.

“Break,” he snapped, his back to me. “We’re done for now.”

I stayed on the grass, my lungs burning. My heart was slamming against my ribs, a frantic, heavy rhythm that had nothing to do with the fall or the fight.

“Go take a shower,” he said.