Eighth-Born Luna (Emily and Nathan) novel Chapter 88

Emily’s POV

The pain was sharp. It felt like a knife carving into every cell of my body.

I just wanted it to end.

I forced my eyes open.

In the background, the witch kept mumbling her dark spells.

Through the blur, I saw a massive figure standing in the corner. He didn’t move. He just watched me like I was a toy.

The witch shoved one last, violent burst of power into my heart. I screamed until my voice gave out.

“Done. She is yours now,” the witch rasped.

She handed a dagger to the man. A ruby on the hilt glowed with a sick, red light.

He walked toward me, his boots heavy on the stone. A large hand gripped my chin, forcing my face up.

Finally, I saw him.

The Rogue King.

His eyes glowed a deep, bloody red. He was huge, dressed in black leather. He might have been handsome once, but now a dark rot was spreading across his skin. He smelled like decay. I tried to pull away, but his grip was like iron.

“Finally, little wolf,” he whispered. “You’re mine.”

“I will never… be yours,” I managed to breathe.

A cruel smile touched his lips. “Too late. This blade owns you now. Every part of you belongs to me.”

He waved the metal blade in front of my face. The runes on the steel pulsed, and the ruby on the hilt glowed like a drop of fresh blood.

Nyx? Where are you? I reached for my wolf. I searched the back of my mind with everything I had left. Nothing.

He saw the fear in my eyes instantly. “Your wolf cannot help you here.” His hand—rough and gray with rot—slid slowly over my waist. “Your body and your power belong to me now.”

“I’d rather die.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “You say that like it changes anything.”

Hatred clawed through me.

For a second, he just stared at me.

Then he laughed quietly.

“Oh, little wolf.” The Rogue King stepped closer. “The Goddess truly told you nothing.”

Fear crawled up my spine.

“Even if you die,” he said softly, “your power still becomes mine.”

“No.” I shook my head instantly. “You’re lying.”

“Am I?”

His fingers traced the rune again.

“You’ve already awakened part of the Goddess’s gifts.” His red eyes darkened with hunger. “And once all eight powers surface…” His gaze locked onto mine. “I take them.”

“The Moon Goddess would never allow this.”

His expression changed instantly.

“The Goddess is a liar,” he snapped coldly. “She feeds children to fate and calls it destiny.”

The dungeon suddenly felt colder.

“If you survive the remaining trials,” he continued quietly, “I take everything.” His fingers brushed my chin upward. “Your power. Your strength.” His voice dropped lower. “Even your longevity.”

My breath caught.

“Remove the chains.”

The witch moved forward, her movements hurried and rough as she fumbled with the silver locks.

“Careful,” he added quietly. The warning was sharp enough to make her hands shake.

Finally, the silver cuffs fell away. I felt my strength vanish the moment the support was gone. I slid toward the old floor, my legs too weak to hold my weight. Just as my knees hit the stone, the heavy dungeon door creaked open.

The Rogue King looked toward the entrance, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light.

“Tessa will show you to your room,” he said. “You remember my daughter, don’t you?”

She entered the chamber quietly, and immediately dropped to one knee.

“My King.”

“You succeeded.”

Relief visibly loosened something inside her: fear, devotion, madness.

Like father, like daughter.

“The tunnels collapsed behind us,” Tessa reported quickly. “The underground river erased our scent trail.”

A cold smile touched the Rogue King’s mouth.

“Good. Nathan Blackwood will waste days searching the wrong territories first.”

“He’ll find me,” I said through clenched teeth.

The Rogue King looked at me slowly.

And smiled.

“He’ll find whatever remains of you… when I decide he can.”