Chapter 10

Nathan’s POV

I stormed down the long hallway. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Marcus. His smug smile. His lips on Emily’s

are skin.

At the end of the corridor, the heavy wooden door to my father’s office suddenly swung open. Marcus stepped out

nto the hall. He looked relaxed. He looked happy.

“ Oh, there you are! Your father sent me

I slammed Marcus against the wall, pressing my forearm against his throat. The sound echoed through the

orridor.

“ Let me tear him to pieces! ” Asher screamed inside my head.

Marcus choked, his face turning a dark red, but he didn’t fight back. Not yet.

“ Nathan … stop, ” he gasped, gripping my arm. “ Asher, please. If my wolf comes out, we destroy this place. ”

I leaned in so close. “ Never touch her again. She is mine. ”

Marcus smirked painfully. “ Rumor says she isn’t. You haven’t accepted her. ”

“ Don’t believe the damn rumors, ” I hissed, pressing my arm harder against his throat.

“ Mark her, or I’ll take her, ” he whispered harshly.

“ Don’t talk about her! ” I snapped.

“ Let me go, ” he said. I stepped back, fuming.

Marcus began rubbing his bruised neck. “ You know I wouldn’t do anything to her without your permission. ” A vicked, playful grin spread across his face again. “ But Moon Goddess, she is so perfect. Don’t hesitate. Take it as

riendly advice. ”

He held out his hand. “ Peace? ”

I ignored his hand, and kept walking. Marcus caught up to me and threw his arm over my shoulder. “ Oh, come on. Don’t be angry, big guy. ”

We walked into my father’s office together. The conversation between Alpha King Garrett and my brother

topped; they both looked up, waiting.

My father’s sharp eyes went straight to the red bruise on Marcus’s throat. He knew what had happened. I could feel his judgment pressing down on me.

“ Where is your mother? ” Garrett asked, his voice booming.

I sat in a chair, tense and far from Marcus, every muscle tight with anger. “ She is late, ” I said coldly. “ We can start

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didn’t care. I kept seeing Emily trembling under my hands.

“ Alpha Nathan, ” Marcus suddenly said, stepping out into the center of the room. His voice grew unexpectedly formal and stiff. I looked up, surprised by this abrupt shift in respect. “ I wanted to apologize. ”

I stayed silent.

“ You know I wouldn’t go against you. But you provoked me. ‘

“ I did? ” I barked, slamming my hands onto the armrests.

“ After years, the Moon Goddess gives you a miracle mate. You throw her away. ”

I didn’t need a lecture from him. I already had a father for that.

“ Marcus, don’t push your luck, ” I said through clenched teeth.

He looked me over and gave a slow shake of his head. “ Fine, have it your way. ”

“ What was important enough to bring you here in person? ” Liam asked from the next chair.

“ Rogues are looking for someone. That’s why they increased the attacks, ” Marcus said.

“ So, it’s a targeted search? ” I asked.

“ Yeah, it is. Not far away, we had finally caught up to one rogue, and he reluctantly admitted that the Rogue King s dying, having been wounded by Alpha Titus. And there’s only one thing that can save him. ”

‘ What? ”

“ A Special Luna. ”

The room fell silent.

“ The Rogue King believes in an ancient prophecy; she must be the eighth Luna in her bloodne with special

> owers. ”

“ What powers? ”

Marcus’s expression darkened. “ We don’t know. But those powers will be enough to heal him completely. ”

Liam let out a low whistle. “ Alright, let’s recap, ” Liam said, leaning back in his chair. “ We have a dying Rogue King, an army of united rogues, and they’re attacking every pack looking for some miracle Luna? ”

“ Exactly, ” Marcus said.

“ We need to narrow this down, ” I said, my Alpha authority returning. “ We’ll strengthen the borders starting tomorrow. And we need to find that Luna first. ”

“ Agreed, ” my father said, standing up to signal the end of the meeting.

My head throbbed. Marcus walked over to me. “ Let’s go cool our heads, ” he suggested.

I nodded, needing fresh air to clear my head.

The air was freezing, and the full moon was high in the sky, casting long shadows across the pack grounds. It was entirely quiet except for our boots crunching against the grass.

“ So, ” Marcus said, breaking the silence as he looked over at me. “ Are you going to tell me what’s really going on etween you and Emily? ”

I clenched my jaw so hard it throbbed. The peace of the night vanished.

Emily’s POV

I held my breath and waited, feeling desperate.

“ Two years ago, rogues took his sister, and after a long, painful search, Nathan was the one who found her body. Seeing her like that changed him completely, ” Meredyth whispered, her eyes bright with tears she refused to let all. “ After she died, something in him broke. He started to believe that emotions were a weakness he couldn’t fford. ”

She reached out and squeezed my trembling hand. Her skin felt warm and comforting. “ He made it his duty to be trong for others, even if it meant losing himself. But deep down, he’s still there. My Nathan. ”

“ He had always loved sunrises and sweets, ” she continued softly. “ He had dreamed of finding a true mate his whole life, before his sister’s tragedy. That Nathaniel is still there, hidden behind the Alpha’s mask. He would never reat his true mate this way. ”

“ So he wasn’t always a monster, ” Nyx whispered, stirring sadly in the back of my mind.

“ I guess we just met him at the worst possible time, ” I thought back.

“ Lucky us, ” Nyx muttered bitterly.

“ Thank you for telling me, ” I whispered.

After a while, Luna Meredyth stood up gracefully. “ Alright, girls. Time for sleep. ”

Jessie and Tessa rushed through the door, wishing us good night.

୮

Luna Meredyth brushed my cheek. “ Rest, dear. Morning brings clarity. I’ll talk to the Alpha King. We’ll find a way. Try to dream of something kind. Everything will be alright. ”

I wanted to believe her.

An hour passed, and I was still tossing in bed, unable to sleep. The room felt too quiet and heavy. I needed fresh air, so I got out of bed and walked to the large window, opening it just enough for the freezing night air to rush in.

12:19 pm

I saw two dark figures in the silver moonlight on the path below. It was Nathan and Marcus. They walked slowly, their deep voices low and calm. I knew I shouldn’t listen in. I knew it would only hurt me. But I couldn’t move.

“ So, ” Marcus broke the silence. “ Are you going to tell me what’s up with you and her? ”

My heart skipped a beat. I held my breath and gripped the edge of the window.

“ No. Nothing’s going on, ” Nathan said, his voice flat and cold. I exhaled slowly, a familiar ache blooming in my

thest. Of course.

“ Right, ” Marcus snorted. “ That’s why you almost tore my head off for touching her hand. ” Another heavy silence

followed.

Nathan spoke more quietly. “ It’s not that simple. ”

My fingers tightened against the wooden window frame until my knuckles turned white.

“ It never is, ” Marcus replied. “ Mark her, Nathan. Claim her. She’s a miracle from the Moon Goddess. ”

My breath caught in my throat. I waited, praying to the heavens for any sign that I mattered to him.

“ No, ” Nathan said right away. The word came out too fast and too sharp.

Marcus noticed the hesitation. “ You feel it, Nathan. Don’t even try to deny it. You’ve started feeling the mate

bond pulling at you. I saw it in your eyes. ”

I could hear my own pulse drumming wildly in my ears.

“ I feel … ” Nathan stopped, pausing for a second that felt like an eternity. “ … something I don’t trust. ”

His words hurt me.

Marcus let out a dark laugh. “ You searched for your mate for years. Now you’re scared of her? ”

“ I’m not scared of anything! ” Nathan snapped, his lethal Alpha aura flaring with sudden anger.

“ Then what is it? ”

One second. Two seconds passed.

“ I don’t need a weakness, ” Nathan said finally.

My chest tightened so hard I gasped for air.

“ She’s not a weakness, Nathan, ” Marcus argued.

“ She is, ” Nathan replied coldly. Each word crushed my soul. “ She can barely stand on her own two feet. She’s completely broken, Marcus. ”

Something deep inside me shattered into a million pieces.

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“ I need a Luna who can actually lead. A woman who can fight and protect this pack, ” Nathan continued, his voice steady and ruthless. “ Stella can do that. ”

Stella. Hearing the unfamiliar name hurt deeply. He already had someone else in mind.

“ And what about Emily? ” Marcus asked quietly.

Next Chapter

Chapter 11

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Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.