Chapter 13 Chapter 13
ANNA’S POV
After talking with Amanda, I went back to the Pack’s kitchen to do my chores. I was still scared of what would happen if she found out about Elijah and me.
I stood by the sink, washing the dishes. The water was warm, and my hands hurt, but I didn’t stop. It was easier to keep working than to think about anything else.
Suddenly, my fingers slipped.
The plate I was holding fell to the floor and shattered into tiny pieces. Before I could react, a sharp pain sliced across my palm.
“Ah!” I screamed out, jerking back.
Blood spilled from the cut, and the pain burned sharply, spreading through my arm. A moment later, my stepmother stormed into the kitchen in anger. Her eyes were cold as always.
“What did you do now, useless girl?” she snapped.
“I—I mistakenly broke a plate...” I stammered, clutching my hand.
She didn’t even look at the blood. She grabbed my ear hard and twisted it until I cried out. “Do you know how expensive those are? You stupid child!”
“Please, I didn’t mean—”
“Shut up!” she yelled. Then she let go of my ear and pointed to the floor. “Clean it up before someone steps on it.”
Tears blurred my vision. My hand was shaking, bleeding badly, but she didn’t care. She turned and walked out, leaving me kneeling on the floor.
I bit my lip to stop from sobbing. The pain in my hand pulsed with every heartbeat. I tried to gather the broken pieces, but the more I touched them, the worse it hurt.
I didn’t even hear him come in.
“Anna?”
His voice.
My whole body froze.
I slowly turned, and there he was—Elijah.
Standing at the door, his expression twisted in shock and worry as he saw the blood dripping down my hand. I couldn’t believe the guy I had tried to avoid had finally found me.
“Elijah...” I murmured, stepping back.
He rushed forward, kneeling beside me. “What happened? You’re bleeding.”
“It’s nothing,” I answered quickly, trying to hide my hand. “I’ll take care of it.”
He caught my wrist gently. “You can’t. It’s deep and needs to be bandaged right now, Anna.”
“Let me go!” I snapped, trying to pull away.
My heart was already racing too fast.
“I won’t,” he said softly. His voice was low, steady—the same voice that used to make my heart melt. “You’re hurt, Anna.”
“I said I’m fine!”
He looked at me, his golden eyes full of something I didn’t want to see—care.
It made everything harder.
I stopped struggling, breathing hard.
He sighed, stood up, and went to one of the cupboards. Within seconds, he came back with a small first-aid kit.
“Let me help you, Anna.” he said quietly.
I wanted to refuse. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him to leave me alone, but my hand hurt too much. So I just looked away, tears still in my eyes, as he sat down beside me again.
His fingers brushed my wrist as he opened the kit. Even that tiny touch made my skin tingle. I hated it. I hated that after everything, he could still make me feel this way.
He tore a piece of cloth and dipped it in clean water. “This might sting...” he murmured.
“I don’t care!” I muttered.
He carefully wiped the blood away. His touch was slow and gentle, like he was afraid I would break.
When he leaned closer to blow softly on the wound, my heart skipped a beat. His lips were so close to my skin, and I could feel the warmth of his breath. My eyes lifted, meeting his.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
The world felt silent. It was just us—the broken plate, the blood, and the memories we both wished we could forget.
“Why are you doing this?” I whispered. “You should be with your Luna right now. You should be with Amanda, my best friend. She’s your Luna, isn’t she?”
He looked up, his jaw tightening in anger. “Don’t ever call her my Luna.”
“You chose her as your Luna, Elijah!”
His eyes softened. “Anna, what I feel for you… it’s real. It never went away, even though I chose someone else.”
I pulled my hand from his. “Stop. Please don’t say that.”
“I have to,” he said. “Because you keep running from me. You think I wanted any of this? You think I don’t regret it every day?”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Then why did you do it?”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” I said quietly. “You could have waited.”
He shook his head, his eyes glistening. “You don’t understand—”
“No,” I interrupted, standing up. “I don’t want to understand. Whatever reason you have, it doesn’t matter now. You have Amanda as your Luna. You should find a way in your heart to love her.”
He stood too, reaching for me, his eyes filled with tears. “I can’t love her as much as I love you. Anna, my heart is still with you.”
His voice sounded believable and desperate, and for one painful second, I believed him.
My breath trembled. We were standing too close now. I could feel the heat from his body, his eyes searching mine like he was trying to find the girl he lost. He slowly reached out, brushing his thumb over the bandaged part of my palm. “Does it still hurt?” he asked softly.
I swallowed. “Yes, it hurts, but not as much as what you did to me.”
His eyes blinked with pain. He took a step closer, close enough that I could feel the tension between us again. His fingers brushed my cheek, and my heart betrayed me—it skipped.
“Don’t!” I warned.
He lowered his hand slowly, his voice breaking with tears. “I’m still in love with you, Anna.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but then I heard a sound behind us.
Slowly, I turned.
Amanda stood by the door.
Her eyes moved from Elijah’s hand on mine to the bandage, then back to his face. It was obvious that she had heard everything. Amanda had just listened to Elijah confess his love for me.
My heart dropped to my stomach.
If she told her father what she just heard… I wouldn’t survive the night.