Chapter 14 Chapter 14
ELIJAH’S POV
For a moment, time stopped.
Amanda’s face was pale, her eyes filled with disbelief as they moved between Anna and me. That’s when I realized—she had heard everything. She had heard every word I said to Anna. Every truth I should’ve kept hidden.
My throat went dry. “Amanda—”
But she didn’t let me finish. She turned and left the kitchen immediately, her footsteps echoing down the hall like a warning bell.
I stood frozen, my pulse thundering in my ears. Panic clawed at my chest, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to do.
Should I run after Amanda… or stay with Anna?
My heart tugged in both directions. Amanda had seen everything—heard everything. But Anna stood there, her wounded hand pressed against her chest, her eyes distant, hurt, and tired.
For a minute, I considered staying. I wanted to. But then Anna looked up at me, her voice soft and trembling. “Go after Amanda, Elijah,” she said. “She needs you more than I do.”
And she was right.
I had already broken Anna's heart once. Staying now would only make it worse. And I didn’t want to break Amanda’s heart too.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, guilt burning in my chest. “I didn’t mean for your best friend to find out about us like that.”
She didn’t answer. She just looked away, and that silence hurt more than any words could. I hesitated one last time, then turned and ran after Amanda.
When I finally caught up to her, she was already outside the courtyard, her dress swirling behind her as she walked fast toward the west wing.
“Amanda, wait!” I called out.
She turned sharply, her eyes flashing with anger as she stared at me. “Wait? For what, Elijah? To hear more about how you’re still in love with my best friend?”
I stopped a few feet away, breathing hard. “It’s not what you think—”
“Don’t you dare lie to me!” she snapped, her voice echoing. “I heard everything. I heard every single word you told Anna.”
Her hands were trembling, but her anger made her stand taller. “How long has this been going on? How long have you been sneaking around with Anna behind everyone’s back?”
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the pressure of it all. I didn’t know if I could tell her the truth.
But I couldn’t keep lying to her.
I just couldn’t.
“We’ve been in love with each other since before the coronation,” I admitted. “It was supposed to stay secret. We didn’t plan to hide it forever. I loved her, Amanda. I still do.”
Her face fell, the anger melting into something raw and wounded. “You love her...” she reminded me. “And you still chose me to be your Luna. What were you thinking?”
“I had to,” I answered softly. “You know the elders wanted a powerful she-wolf. You know your father—”
“My father?” she interrupted. “You think that makes me feel better? That the only reason you chose me as your Luna was to please him?”
Her voice cracked, and my chest tightened.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I replied quietly.
“But you did,” she murmured, stepping closer. “You stood there in front of everyone, kissed me, crowned me Luna… and all this time, you were thinking about Anna.”
I didn’t have a defense.
There wasn’t one.
She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “Now I understand why you refused to have sex with me since that night.”
I looked up sharply. “Amanda—”
“You couldn’t even look at me properly,” she said. “You didn’t touch me last night either. You didn’t even try. I kept wondering if it was nerves or exhaustion, but now I see the truth.”
Her eyes were filled with tears as she continued. “It wasn’t nerves or exhaustion. It was because you’re still in love with Anna, aren’t you?”
The silence between us said everything.
She was right.
I didn’t even have the strength to deny it.
The moment she said Anna’s name, something twisted inside me. That was the truth I’d been running from all along. I was still in love with her.
Even after everything—after trying to convince myself I’d moved on—I hadn’t.
That was why Amanda and I hadn’t been together since that night. I wanted to, but every time she touched me, I pulled away. My body was there, but my heart… it was still with Anna.
I looked away, jaw tight, fighting the urge to say something—but the words just wouldn’t come.
I took a slow breath and decided to tell her the truth. “It wasn’t about disrespecting you. I just… couldn’t pretend that I was in love with you.”
Amanda’s jaw tightened, her voice lowering. “You think that makes me feel better?”
I stepped closer. “No. But it’s the truth.”
For a long moment, we both said nothing. The tension between us grew insane. Then I took a bold step closer. “Amanda, I didn’t want it to be this way. You don’t deserve this.”
She looked up at me, her tears finally falling. “Then why make me your Luna?”
“Because I didn’t have a choice,” I answered again. “You know what’s at stake. The elders, your father—they would never have accepted Anna. She’s a maid, and you’re a powerful she-wolf. I put the people of our pack first, and that’s why I chose you to be my Luna.”
Her eyes searched mine for a long time, as if she wanted to find the man she thought she was marrying. Maybe she didn’t find him, because she stepped back slowly.
“You know what hurts the most?” she asked quietly.
“What?”
“That even now, while I’m standing here crying, you’re still thinking about Anna.”
I didn’t deny it.
I couldn’t.
Amanda turned away again, her voice steadier now—dangerously calm as she spoke.
“You can’t keep doing this, Elijah,” she said softly. “You can’t keep loving Anna in secret and pretending to love me in front of everyone. It won’t last… because I’ll tell my father the truth.”
The air froze.
I almost didn’t believe what I heard.
“What?”
She looked over her shoulder, a cruel smile curving her lips as she continued. “You heard me, Elijah.” Her voice dropped into a venomous tone. “Let’s see what Elder Matthias—my father—does when he finds out his daughter was nothing more than your cover-up for another girl. He’ll make Anna suffer for your sins. Trust me, Elijah. Don’t make me reveal the truth to him.”
A chill ran through me because I knew what that meant—what Elder Matthias was capable of. One word from Amanda, and everything I’d built would be destroyed. One word from Amanda, and Anna would be in extreme danger.
Amanda suddenly stepped closer, close enough that her perfume mixed with the tension between us. “You should’ve chosen better,” she murmured, her eyes glinting with anger. “Because now, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Then she turned and walked away, her long hair swinging like a dark banner of victory behind her.
And as I stood there, frozen in place, one thought tore through my mind—
Maybe I should’ve chosen Anna that night. But that would’ve meant defying the elders. Choosing Amanda, the powerful she-wolf and daughter of Elder Matthias, had seemed like the smart and best move.
But now, it felt like the biggest mistake of my life.