Chapter 19 Chapter 19
ELIJAH'S POV
The morning sunlight poured in through the long curtains, touching my face before I was ready to wake up. I groaned and turned my head to the side. Amanda wasn’t in bed anymore. Her side of the sheet was cold, and the faint smell of her perfume still hung in the air.
My chest felt heavy.
Last night, she had said it was the best night of her life. She had moaned things against my skin, words that were supposed to make me feel wanted, but I felt nothing.
I fucked her last night, but I didn't care for it. I didn't get anything from it. Not warmth, not satisfaction—just emptiness. I had done what was expected of me as Alpha. I had claimed her because everyone said she was perfect for me.
But she wasn’t the one my heart wanted.
I sat up slowly and rubbed my face with my hands. My mind wouldn’t stop going back to Anna—her eyes, the softness in her voice, the way she looked at me like I was someone worth saving. The thought alone made my heart ache.
I shook my head hard. No, she betrayed me by having sex with my brother. I wasn't sure I was ever going to forgive her for that.
The door opened quietly. Amanda stepped in, wearing a white silk robe that brushed the floor. Her long hair fell down her back. When she saw me awake, she smiled brightly.
“You’re finally up,” she said and came closer. “You were amazing last night, Elijah. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”
I forced a small smile and nodded. “Glad you enjoyed it.”
She sat beside me and traced her fingers across my chest. “You didn’t?”
I caught her hand gently before she could go further. “It’s not that,” I lied. “I'm just so tired.”
She laughed softly. “Of course. You really utilized all your strength last night. I didn't know how damn good you are in bed.”
Her words, meant to flatter me, only made me feel sick. I didn’t deserve her praise. Not when every moment I was with her, I was thinking of someone else.
After she left to get ready for breakfast, I stayed sitting there for a while, staring at the wall. My chest felt hollow, and the silence in the room was louder than any noise. I hated this side of me—the side that pretended so well.
When I finally dressed and stepped out of my room, the hallways were already busy. Servants moved quickly, bowing as I passed. I could hear voices coming from the dining hall. As I entered, the smell of roasted meat and bread filled the air. Amanda sat beside her father, smiling brightly, charming the elders. Anna's stepmother was at the other end of the table, her sharp eyes following every servant that walked past.
Then I saw Anna.
She was standing near the far wall, holding a silver tray. Her hands trembled slightly under the weight of it, but her face remained calm.
She looked pale, tired.
My chest tightened.
“Anna!” her stepmother’s sharp voice cut through the hall. “Can’t you even serve properly? You’re slower than a dying snail!”
Laughter filled the air from a few nobles. Anna bowed her head quickly. “I’m sorry, mother.”
“Sorry?” Her stepmother rose from her seat in anger. “You embarrass me in front of guests, and all you can say is sorry?”
Everyone was watching and laughing at Anna being ridiculed. Amanda was smiling faintly, excitedly enjoying the scene.
And me?
I should’ve stopped it. I should’ve ordered her stepmother to stop the insults.
But I didn’t.
I stood there, cold and silent, pretending I didn’t care. When her stepmother slapped the tray from Anna’s hands and it crashed to the floor, I still didn’t move. The food mistakenly spilled on my robe. Anna knelt quickly, gathering the broken pieces with shaking hands.
“You’re a maid, Anna!” I retorted angrily, surprising even myself. “Are you blind? What the hell is wrong with you?”
Her eyes lifted to mine, wide and filled with hurt. For a second, the world seemed to stop moving as she stared at me, shocked.
She managed to apologize, “I'm sorry, Alpha.”
Then she lowered her head again, continuing to pick up the mess. Something broke inside me at that moment, but I turned away before anyone could see it.
The rest of the morning passed in silence for me. I didn’t talk to anyone. I didn’t even touch my food. All I could think of was the look on her face—the way her eyes were filled with sadness when I spoke to her rudely.
After the meal, I left the hall and walked down the corridor, stopping near one of the tall windows. Through the glass, I could see the garden below.
There she was again.
Anna.
She was in her plain brown dress, kneeling on the soft grass, picking ripe fruits from the trees.
I watched her for a long time. Guilt twisted in my stomach. Why did I let her be treated like that? Why did I say those rude words to her?
It was because I was angry. It was because I was jealous that she might look at Damon the way she once looked at me. I was angry that she had sex with my brother.
I clenched my fists. I had no right to feel that way. Not after everything. But the thought of her with another man—with Damon—still made my blood run hot. He was stronger, darker, and more dangerous. He would crush her if he wanted to.
Maybe Amanda was just lying.
Maybe she was just trying to get me to have sex with her. Anna wouldn't possibly sleep with Damon, would she?
Before I knew it, my feet were already moving. I left the corridor, went down the stairs, and walked through the open garden doors. The air in the garden was warm, with the smell of flowers thick in the air.
She didn’t notice me at first. She was still busy with the basket of fruits, and I noticed how the sunlight made her skin glow.
“Anna...” I called out.
She froze. Her hands stilled on the fruit. Slowly, she turned around. Her eyes met mine, full of sadness and fear.
I took a step closer. My heart was beating too fast. I wanted to tell her I was sorry for what happened earlier. I wanted to tell her that I hadn’t meant any of it, that I still…
But the words wouldn’t come.
She looked at me, waiting.
The silence between us became unbearable.
So I said the only thing that came out—the one question that burned in my chest since last night. I looked straight into her eyes and asked quietly, “Tell me, Anna… did you sleep with my brother?”
Her lips parted slightly. Her eyes widened in shock. She looked like I had just slapped her.
The world around us froze.
And that was where everything ended.