Chapter 24 Chapter 24
ELIJAH’S POV
I paced around my room, my jaw tight, my thoughts circling like a curse I couldn’t shake off.
I couldn’t believe Damon had protected Anna from Amanda’s guards—the same man who once swore he’d kill her. The same man who said no creature stronger than a hybrid deserved to live.
What the hell was he doing?
Anna couldn’t even remember what she was.
She didn’t know that she was a Tribid—a supernatural being feared more than hybrids, more than Alphas. She didn’t remember that I had taken her to the witch who wiped away her memories—erased her powers, erased me and Damon from her mind.
If she ever found out the truth…
If she ever discovered that I was the one who hid her powers and made her forget what she was—
She would hate me forever.
I pressed my fists to my temples, trying to silence the voices in my head. My anger wasn’t just at Damon anymore—it was at myself. At myself for what I’d done, and how it was all starting to fall apart.
But Damon...
He was supposed to kill her. That’s what he wanted. That’s what he always wanted. And yet, she was alive.
Why?
If Damon wanted someone dead, he didn’t hesitate. He didn’t wait a second. He killed them before they even saw him coming.
So why was Anna still breathing?
Something was off.
Something wasn’t adding up.
I grabbed my jacket and stormed out of my room before I could stop myself. I didn’t care that it was early morning. I didn’t care who saw me. I needed answers.
Damon’s quarters were on the far side of the west wing—dark, cold, always smelling faintly of blood these days. His guards didn’t dare stop me as I walked through.
They knew better.
I pushed open his door without knocking.
He was sitting on the edge of his bed, shirtless, a scar running down his chest like a jagged lightning bolt. His crimson eyes flicked up lazily when he saw me.
He didn’t even look surprised.
“Well,” he murmured in that calm, mocking tone, “to what do I owe this rude visit, dear brother?”
I ignored the sarcasm and stepped closer. “I need you to tell me what you want with Anna.”
His expression didn’t change. He took his time—reached for the glass on his table, poured himself some wine, and sipped it slowly.
Then he looked up again, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Why do you care?”
My blood boiled. “Answer the damn question, Damon!”
He set the glass down carefully and stared at me for a long time before replying. “Anna’s none of your concern anymore, Elijah. You made that clear when you picked Amanda over her.”
The reminder stung, but I didn’t flinch. “Don’t twist this. I know you, Damon. You never do anything without a reason. You wanted her dead, and now you’re protecting her. Why are you doing that?”
“You think you know me?”
“I know you better than anyone!” I shot back. “You’re a coward. You can’t kill her because you’ve fallen in love with her—just like I did.”
The moment I said it, the smirk on his face vanished, and his eyes went dark.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of me. His hand shot out and slammed me hard against the wall. “Say that again,” he hissed. “Say it again, and I’ll kill you where you stand.”
“Do it!” I spat. “Kill me then, Damon!”
His grip tightened around my throat.
For a second, I thought he might actually do it—he was that unpredictable. His eyes glowed red, his jaw tense.
Then suddenly, he let me go, stepping back.
He turned away, clenching his fists and breathing hard. Then, without warning, he punched the wall beside him. The sound echoed through the room, and blood ran down his knuckles.
He stood there in silence for a moment, his chest rising and falling, before speaking. “You think I’m protecting Anna?”
“Yes,” I answered coldly. “Why else would she still be alive if you really wanted her dead?”
He gave a low, humorless laugh. “You’re a fool, Elijah. I’m not protecting that naive girl. I have something special planned for her.”
The tone in his voice made me uneasy.
“What are you talking about?”
He turned around slowly, his eyes sharp as knives. “She’s dangerous. You think wiping her memories fixed anything that day? You think you can bury what she is forever?”
I frowned. “She’ll never get her powers back. She doesn’t even know that she’s a Tribid. She’ll never have her powers again.”
At that, he laughed—loudly, mockingly. He poured more wine, still laughing, and took another long sip before looking at me again.
“Oh, Elijah,” he said softly, almost pitying. “You really don’t know anything, do you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped.
He tilted his head, his lips curling into a smirk. “Her powers can’t be sealed forever. On her twenty-first birthday, they’ll return—every last bit of them. The witch only locked them temporarily. You can’t erase a Tribid’s nature.”
My stomach dropped. “That’s not possible. The witch—she said—”
“She lied,” Damon interrupted, walking toward me. “No spell can hide what she is. The moment she turns twenty-one, her powers will awaken again. And when that happens…” He smiled, dark and hungry. “She’ll become a threat to the entire pack.”
I stared at him, trying to read his expression. “Is that why you’re keeping her alive? Are you waiting for her powers to return?”
His eyes glinted with something cruel. “Exactly, Sherlock. I’m not keeping her alive because I care. I’m keeping her alive because I want what she has.”
My heart pounded. “You want her powers?”
“I want to become the last Tribid,” he revealed with a smirk. “I want her strength, her immortality, her gift. Once her powers return, I’ll take them for myself—and she’ll die in the process.”
“You’re insane!”
He smiled. “That’s why I’m the better Darkburn brother, Elijah.”
I shook my head, my voice breaking. “You can’t do that, Damon. You can’t—”
“Oh, I can,” he said simply. “And I will.”
He walked back to the table, refilled his glass with wine, and took another slow sip. “Anna’s birthday’s in a few days, isn’t it?”
I froze.
Yes. It was.
“Perfect timing,” he murmured. “The night her powers rise, I’ll be there to take them. She won’t even know what’s happening.”
Anger surged through me as I stared at him. How could anyone be so heartless, so ruthless? How could my brother be this selfish?
“You’ll have to go through me first!”
He laughed softly. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
I turned and stormed out of his quarters, my heart pounding in my chest like thunder. My thoughts were chaotic—I didn’t know what to think, what to believe.
I walked fast down the hall, trying to catch my breath. Everything Damon said replayed in my head—her birthday, her powers, his plan.
If what he said was true, then Anna was in more danger than ever. And worse, I was the reason she didn’t even know how to defend herself.
I had taken everything from her—her memories, her powers, her identity.
And now, that choice might kill her.
Her birthday was just a few days away. If he was right, her powers would awaken again—and he’d come for her.
I looked down at my trembling hands.
I had made so many mistakes.
But I wasn’t going to make another one.
Not this time.
I would protect Anna, even if it meant facing my brother again. Even if it meant dying for her.
Because no matter what I’d done to her, no matter how much she would hate me when she found out the truth—
I still loved her.
And I wasn’t going to let Damon kill her.
Not while I was still breathing.