Chapter 25 Chapter 25
DAMON’S POV
The room was silent after Elijah left.
Only the sound of the fire burning in the hearth filled the air. The smell of smoke and wine mixed together, like the thoughts in my head.
I stared at the door he had slammed on his way out. My fists were still tight, the wall behind me cracked where I had punched it. He thought he could challenge me. He thought he could stop what was already meant to happen.
He was wrong.
Elijah never understood me. He thought I wanted Anna because I was jealous of his little romance with her. But jealousy wasn’t what drove me. It never was. What I felt for Anna was something darker—older—something that had been there since the night I found out what she really was.
He thought he could protect her from me.
But how do you protect someone from fate?
I turned toward the fire and poured myself another glass of wine. My reflection in the glass looked calm, almost cold. But inside, my thoughts burned like wildfire.
It all began five years ago—the night I should have died.
It was raining heavily. The forest was dark, and the rogues had cornered us by the riverbank. Their eyes glowed red under the moonlight. There were too many of them—ten, maybe more. Elijah and I fought side by side, claws and teeth, steel and blood. But they had something we didn’t expect—silver blades dipped in wolfsbane.
I remember the burn when one of them cut across my chest. I dropped to the ground, my vision blurring, my body shaking. I could taste blood in my mouth. I knew then that I was dying.
Elijah tried to stop the bleeding, but nothing worked. The poison was spreading too fast.
That was when she came—Anna.
Back then, she was still a maid. She was a quiet girl who cleaned Elijah’s room. She never looked at me directly. She kept her head down when I passed, too afraid to meet my eyes.
But that night, she knelt beside me. Her hands were trembling, her eyes full of tears.
“Please,” she whispered. “Please don’t die.”
Her voice was soft, desperate. I remember thinking how foolish she was—praying for a monster to live.
Then it happened.
Her hands began to glow. A bright red and silver light filled the cabin. The pain in my chest stopped. My heartbeat steadied. The poison burned out of me as if it never existed.
I gasped for air, staring at her in disbelief.
I looked at Elijah, and he looked back at me. We both knew what had just happened.
She wasn’t a normal wolf.
Her power—what I felt coming from her—was something impossible. I could sense it. It wasn’t just wolf or witch. There was something else. Something darker.
Vampire.
All three bloodlines inside one body.
She was the last Tribid.
I sat up, still feeling her magic burning under my skin. Elijah looked terrified. So did she. She pleaded, “Please don’t tell anyone.”
But I already knew.
I already understood what she was.
She was a Tribid that shouldn’t exist. It was against nature and balance. The elders used to tell stories about her kind—creatures born from forbidden blood. Monsters who could destroy entire packs with a thought. They said if a Tribid was ever born, it must be killed before it could take its first breath.
And one was sitting right in front of me.
That night, I made a decision.
If she lived, she would destroy everything.
But Elijah didn’t agree.
He said she saved my life. He said she wasn’t dangerous. He said she was just scared.
He was a fool.
I told him what would happen if she stayed alive. She would grow stronger. She would turn on the pack at last. He didn’t listen. He looked at her the way only weak men do—like she was some miracle instead of a threat.
He chose to protect her.
We fought over it, and I told him she needed to die before she became something uncontrollable. He told me I was heartless.
Maybe I was.
But I was right...
A few nights later, she disappeared. Elijah said she was dead, and brought me ashes and torn clothes. I believed him then.
But deep down, I knew.
I knew Elijah couldn’t kill her.
And now, years later, I was back to start and finish what he couldn't. Since she couldn't remember what she was, it was even more exciting to kill her.
On her twenty-first birthday, the seal of the witch will break. Her power will come back stronger than ever.
And when it does, I will be ready.
The light from the fire flickered across my skin, and I looked down at my hand. Blood ran down from my knuckles, dripping slowly to the floor. The pain reminded me I was still alive and focused on my plan.
I turned to the cracked wall with a smile on my face. Elijah thought I wanted Anna. He thought I loved her, but I couldn't bring myself to love anyone. I didn't even believe in it anymore.
Love made people weak.
And I’ve already been weak once.
Never again.
This wasn’t about love. If I couldn’t kill her that night five years ago, I would take what she was meant to be and become the last Tribid.
She would not survive either way.
Then—
A knock.
The voice that followed made my chest tighten.
“Damon?”
Anna.
Her voice was soft, gentle—too gentle for someone like me.
I quickly turned away from the wall and wiped my hand on the edge of the bed, hiding the blood on my knuckles. I opened the door slowly, letting the firelight spill across her face.
She stood there in a simple dress, her hair falling down her shoulders, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. Her eyes met mine for a second before she looked away.
“Anna,” I called out, pretending to be happy to see her by faking a smile as she stared back at me. “What are you doing here?”
She hesitated. “I… I came to thank you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
“For… for protecting me last night. Thank you for protecting me from Amanda’s guards.” Her voice trembled slightly. “You saved me...”
I said nothing for a moment.
Then I smiled.
She blushed and looked down, her fingers twisting together. I could hear her heartbeat quicken, giving me a sign that she was extremely nervous.
“Come in...” I offered calmly.
She stepped inside. The firelight touched her skin, and for a moment, she looked almost unreal—beautiful in a way that made even my cold heart stir.
“I didn’t know where else to go,” she murmured. “You’re… you’re not as bad as people say.”
I almost laughed.
Not as bad?
If only she knew that I was worse.
If only she knew I wanted to snap her neck right as she walked in.
But I didn't do that. I just moved closer to her, grabbing her waist as she looked up at me, her eyes wide and innocent.
She absolutely thought I wanted her.
And maybe that was what made it easier.
I smiled faintly and reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She blushed again. I could feel her pulse racing. She wanted to trust me. She wanted to believe I was the one who would protect her.
And that was exactly what I needed.
I leaned down, my breath close to her ear. “You don’t have to thank me, Anna.” I told her quietly. “You’re safe now!”
She exhaled shakily and looked up at me.
“Thank you, Damon.”
I smiled and pulled her gently into my arms. She didn’t resist as her head rested against my chest, her heartbeat steady and warm against me.
I felt her relax, trusting me completely.
And as I held her, I smiled wider.
Now she trusted me enough.
And I was going to ruin her.