Chapter 21 Chapter 21
ANNA’S POV
My knees felt weak as I stared at Amanda in shock. What was going on? What was she trying to do? What was happening?
Her smile wasn’t the one I used to know—it was sharp, cruel, almost hungry for something I couldn’t understand.
I swallowed hard. “Amanda… what are you doing?” I asked softly, still trying to laugh it off. “Stop joking around like this.”
“Joking?” she repeated with a tilt of her head. “You think I’m joking, Anna?”
The sound of my name in her mouth hurt more than a slap. For years, she had said it with warmth. Now, it sounded like poison.
“I’m your best friend friend, Amanda.” I reminded her, stepping closer. “No matter what happened, that won’t change. I’ll always see you as my best friend.”
Her eyes darkened. “Best friend?” she repeated again, laughing bitterly. “After everything you did?”
I blinked, confused. “I didn’t do anything—”
The slap came out of nowhere.
It landed across my cheek so hard that my head jerked to the side. My face burned. My ears rang. For a second, I couldn’t even breathe.
“Amanda…” I whispered, tears filling my eyes. “Why would you—”
“Because you disgust me!” she snapped sharply. “You stood there in front of Elijah like you still belonged to him. You think I didn’t see the way you looked at him in the garden?”
Her words stabbed straight into my chest.
I didn’t even try to defend myself.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered again, my voice shaking. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought you..."
“Enough!” she shouted.
The room went silent. Even the guards near the door straightened, unsure of what to do.
Amanda pointed at the ground in front of her. “If you truly think I’m your Luna,” she said coldly, “then show me.”
I froze. “What do you mean?”
“Get on your knees,” she said. “And kiss my feet, Anna.”
I stared at her, my heart stopping for a moment.
“Amanda… please… don’t do this.”
Her expression didn’t change. “I said, get on your knees.”
The guards exchanged uncertain glances, but no one dared speak. My throat tightened. “Amanda… we grew up together,” I whispered. “We used to play in the woods, remember? You used to call me your sister.”
She smiled faintly. “That was before I knew who you truly were. That was before I found out that you're a whore.”
Tears filled my eyes as I slowly sank to my knees. My hands trembled. I wanted to stand up. I wanted to fight back. But she was the Luna now. She had power—and I had none.
The grass was cold under my palms.
When I bent my head and kissed the tip of her shoe, the tears finally fell.
The memories hit me all at once—the nights we laughed under the stars, the secrets we shared, and the dreams we had. All of it was gone.
I had lost her.
“Maybe you do remember your place after all.” Amanda retorted with a smirk.
My heart broke a little more.
But she wasn’t done.
“Guards!” she called out sharply.
Two of them stepped forward immediately. “Yes, Luna?”
“Take her to the storage room,” Amanda ordered. “Let her remember that she’s nothing more than a servant. Let her feel what it means to disobey her Luna.”
The guards looked at each other, clearly uncomfortable.
“Luna… you want us to—”
“I want you to drag her out there,” Amanda said, her tone dangerous. “Now! I don't care what you do to her. You can use her as a whore if you want.”
They hesitated.
That made her snap. “Did I stutter?”
One guard grabbed my arm roughly. The other took hold of my wrist.
“Amanda, please,” I cried, struggling against their grip. “Please, don’t do this. We can still talk about this and save our friendship. Please—”
But she turned her face away, ignoring my tears.
They dragged me through the hall, my feet scraping against the floor. The pain in my knees burned from where I had fallen earlier.
When we stepped into the storage room, the cold air hit my skin like knives. I shivered as they pushed me to the floor.
“Stop!” I screamed, my voice breaking. “Please, just stop!”
They ignored me. I tried to scramble back, but the room was small, and I had nowhere to run. My heart pounded in my chest. “I—I don’t understand,” I sobbed. “Why are you doing this to me? I won't tell her you disobeyed her orders to take turns with me. Please just let me go!”
One of the guards hesitated, his hands shaking. “I… I don’t want to,” he muttered. “She’ll—she’ll punish us if we don’t.”
Tears streamed down my face. “Please just let me go!” My voice cracked with desperation, and my hands scrabbled against the cold floor.
I scrambled backward, trying to put distance between me and them. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to escape, to get out of this room before they could corner me.
One of the guards stepped in front of me, blocking the door. The other circled behind, their shadows merging in the dim light. My chest tightened, and fear clawed at me. I couldn’t get past both of them.
“Anna…” The one in front murmured, his voice calm, but there was a dangerous edge that made my skin crawl.
I tried to push past him, but his hand caught my wrist like iron. The second guard grabbed my other arm. I struggled, kicking my legs, trying to twist free, but their grip was strong, unyielding.
“Let me go! I don’t care! You can’t do this!” I screamed, as my nails scraped against their chest as I flailed.
“Anna…” the first guard called out again. “Stop struggling. You’ll only hurt yourself!”
I shook my head violently, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I don’t care! I’ll fight you till I die! Just let me go!”
They tightened their hold, lifting me slightly off the ground. My feet scraped the floor, trying to find strength. My chest heaved and I gasped for air. Panic clawed at me like a living thing.
I tried to kick free, but the second guard pushed me forward, pinning me against the wall. My back slammed into the cold wood. I pressed my palms against their chests, trying to shove them away, but they didn’t budge. L
“You can’t run...” the first guard murmured, almost lazily, but his words were like chains. “Not from us.”
I tried to wriggle free again, slipping slightly from their grip. My fingers found the edge of the window ledge, desperate. I pushed, struggling to reach it, but they pulled me back with terrifying speed. My knees hit the floor, and I collapsed in their hands.
Suddenly, the door slammed open and a shadow filled the doorway.
“Back off!” a strong, furious voice roared.
I froze.
My heart leapt when I saw him—Damon. His eyes were dark with anger, his fists clenched. The guards flinched, stepping back instinctively.
“Leave her alone!” Damon barked, his voice echoing in the room. “Now!”
The guards looked at each other with fear in their eyes, and then slowly, reluctantly, moved aside.
I scrambled to my feet, shaking, my chest heaving as I ran toward him. Relief and fear collided inside me. “Damon…” I whispered, my voice trembling.
He stepped closer, and grabbed me before I could fall. “I’ve got you, Anna.” he reassured me, holding me fiercely. “No one will hurt you again!”
For the first time that night, I believed him.