Rise Of A Shattered Luna (Natalie) by Kave Derry novel Chapter 108

Chapter 108 The Portrait Of Resemblance

Chapter 108 The Portrait Of Resemblance

Natalie’s POV

Ruby Stone lay back against her pillows, watching me with an intensity that made the hairs on my neck stand.

Her lips were curved into a faint smile, and she didn’t blink.

Ruby was beautiful even with the traces of age and her recent crisis, her features remained elegant.

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As I sketched the slope of her brow and the delicate curve of her jawline, my breath caught. It was like looking into a mirror that reached twenty years into the future.

The resemblance was uncanny, almost haunting. I realized then that she hadn’t just been mistaken about me… In this light, with my new skin settling into the contours of my face, I looked exactly like her.

I was so absorbed in the flow of the lines, mapping out the architecture of her face, that I didn’t even notice the world around me but I could see Waylon and Flynn watching from the corner.

For the first time in five years, I wasn’t working for anyone… I was simply a woman with a pencil, capturing a soul.

Finally, the tension in my hand eased, and I set the pencil down. I held up the portrait like a child showing a prize, my heart racing with a strange, nervous energy.

“Look. What do you think?”

Ruby’s eyes reddened instantly as she reached out with a trembling finger tracing the air above it. “Your fundamentals… they are very strong. You draw with so much life.”

I smiled, a genuine warmth flooding my chest. “When I was little, nothing made me happier than losing myself in painting. It was my only escape.”

I couldn’t tell them that I could transcribe… at least not yet.

Ruby reached out and stroked the edge of the paper, a flicker of hesitation crossing her eyes.

“What is it?” I asked gently, leaning in. “Is something wrong?”

Ruby’s voice was cautious, almost shy. “It’s beautiful. Truly. But maybe here – on the temple – if the strokes were a little lighter… it would be even better. Don’t be upset with me, I’m just rambling.”

I looked at the spot she pointed out and felt a sudden, sharp clarity. She was right… The shading was too structural.

“You’re right, that’s exactly what it needed.”

Seeing that she could actually help me, Ruby lit up with a delight that was the brightest thing I had seen in decades.

Her smile transformed her, erasing the illness until she looked vibrant and alive.

Soon, we were deep in a discussion about classical techniques and how she loved simplifying ancient texts and images.

We had so much in common… She was also a transcriber when she was younger.

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10:31 am Pppp.

Chapter 108 The Portrait Of Resemblance

Time slipped by unnoticed.

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I was so caught up in the joy of finding someone to talk to that I didn’t even realize it was noon until a presence came into the

room.

“Finding a familiar spirit is wonderful,” a familiar, deep voice said with a smile. “But Natalie, isn’t it time we had lunch?”

I blinked, startled by how quickly the hours had passed.

How long has Baron been here for?

I turned to Ruby with a warm smile, my hand still resting near hers. “Madam, rest well. You’ve given me so much to think about… I’ll come back this afternoon to show you the progress on the sketches and also bring some texts.” I whispered the texts to her, making her smile.

But Baron cut me off, “no. You’re still not fully recovered, Natalie. You need a midday rest… a full one. Don’t push yourself

I laughed softly, shaking my head at his protectiveness. “Fine, then. Since the Alpha has spoken… I’ll come see you tomorrow instead, Mrs. Stone.”

“Yes, yes!” Ruby cried, her hands fluttering. “Listen to him! Why didn’t you tell me you were still unwell? Go, rest, eat! I won’t have you fainting on my account!”

Baron’s POV

I stood in the doorway, no longer draped in the heavy robes of the Witch Doctor.

My chest tightened as I watched the scene before me.

Natalie was laughing… Watching her with Ruby, I felt a rare, suffocating sense of hope. If – just if – the Stone family really was Natalie’s family, it would be perfect.

It would be a rewrite of her entire tragic history.

I had watched from the hallway as Flynn approached her and cut off a strand of her hair.

When he spotted me at the

e door with the

hair in his hand, he faltered, looking like a teenager caught in a lie. “Mr. Gunn, I..

“Go ahead,” I had told him, my voice low and clinical. “I want to know too if she has any connection to your family. Natalie was switched at birth, Flynn. The people who raised her, the ones who let her burn, aren’t her biological parents. I want to know if her real parents are standing in this room.”

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