Chapter 47 Chapter 47
ANNA'S POV
When Damon walked into the hall, everything changed.
The room quieted immediately and conversations stopped mid-word. Every eye turned toward him, and I couldn't blame them.
Damon moved like he owned the room, like nothing and no one could touch him. He didn’t even try to hide the power in his steps. He didn’t have to. He was Damon—the hybrid, the royal noble, and the one everyone feared.
And he was walking straight to me.
My heart leaped into my throat.
I couldn’t breathe for a second. I didn’t know if I should smile, bow, or just run. Their eyes followed Damon, then slid to me, waiting to see what he would do. I lifted my hand slowly, almost shyly, hoping he would see me.
He did.
His eyes warmed as soon as they landed on mine. He wasn’t ashamed. He wasn’t pretending he didn’t know me. He didn’t look away from me the way Elijah used to, or act like I was invisible, or treat me like I didn’t matter.
No.
Damon walked toward me like I was the only person in the room.
My fingers trembled as I smiled at him. I didn’t know when I started falling for him. Maybe the first time he defended me. Maybe the first time he called me by my actual name instead of “maid.” Maybe the first time he looked at me like I wasn’t beneath him.
Or maybe it was the night of our one night stand.
When he reached me, he didn’t stop. He slid an arm around my waist, and I felt his chest against my shoulder, strong and steady. His presence wrapped around me like a shield, and I felt safe, even in front of everyone watching.
He leaned slightly closer, his gaze fixed on mine. “Are you nervous?”
I swallowed hard as I told him the truth. “Yes… a little.”
A small, warm smile curved his lips. “Look at me, Anna.” he ordered softly.
I did.
I met his gaze, and immediately the tightness in my chest began to ease. He tilted his head just slightly, studying me, and I felt my worries melt away. His hand moved to the small of my back, drawing me slightly closer to him. His thumb traced slow circles over my skin. “You don’t have to be nervous,” he murmured. “I’m here.”
I felt my heart stop.
For a moment, I forgot to breathe. I melted into him, letting myself feel his warmth, his protection. I wanted to stay like this forever. I was falling for him faster than I could control, and I didn’t want to fight it.
Then, without warning, Damon leaned down and kissed me.
He kissed me right there in front of everyone.
I was shocked.
Gasps also filled the hall. Some people stumbled back, shocked by his boldness, but Damon didn’t seem to care.
His hands moved with certainty—one cupping the back of my neck, the other holding my waist tight. He deepened the kiss slowly, deliberately, and my fingers curled into his shirt.
I still couldn't believe that he was really kissing me in front of everyone.
His touch sent shivers through me, and every inch of me leaned into him, wanting more. I felt the strength in his arms, the heat in his body, and I melted completely. He pulled me closer, pressing me into his chest.
The world around us suddenly ceased to exist.
I dared to glance at my stepmother. Her face was twisted in anger, and that little spark of satisfaction made my chest tighten even more against Damon’s.
He didn’t stop.
His hands roamed just enough to remind me he claimed me, yet gently enough that I felt safe. His lips moved against mine, slowly and deliberately. I concentrated only on him, letting every other thought slip away.
Then, the huge doors at the front of the hall opened and I gasped and pulled back from the kiss slightly.
It was Elijah.
And Amanda was with him.
It looked like he was ready to give his announcement now. I didn't know what it was going to be but I knew I might not like it.
My eyes were still locked on them.
Elijah held Amanda's hand gently, guiding her forward, confidently and proud. Amanda leaned into him, her face soft and glowing, a picture of devotion, and he brushed a kiss against her forehead.
The entire hall seemed to sigh in admiration at the sight of them being in love.
And in that moment, my heart twisted painfully as I felt a little more jealous than expected.
The man who had once claimed me in his chambers, who had kept our relationship a secret because I was just a maid, was now showing Amanda to everyone proudly.
The sight of it broke something inside me.
I remembered all the times he had been with me. He had always been careful about appearances, always careful about what others would say, and always careful not to be seen with me.
He had always made sure no one knew about our relationship.
And now I was watching him show off another woman proudly to everyone.
My chest ached. My hands trembled slightly at my sides. It suddenly felt like I could hardly breathe.
Amanda, my former best friend, smiled up at him as if she belonged there, as if this moment was meant for her and only her. She leaned against him, her hair brushing his chest, and it made me sick.
The difference between him and Damon burned inside me. Damon had never hidden me. He had never cared what others thought. He had never made me feel like I had to shrink into the shadows. Damon had chosen me openly, without shame or hesitation. He had made me feel wanted, seen, and important.
And Elijah… Elijah had done the exact opposite. He had hidden me. He had kept me as a secret.
And now he was open with Amanda.
My heart ached. I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he still had that power over me.
The hall seemed to hold its breath as he suddenly began to make his announcement. “I want everyone here to see something important,” he said.
My chest tightened further. My heart raced. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe properly.
He brushed a hand against Amanda’s cheek. “Amanda, you have been my strength, my guide, and my light. I could not imagine this life without you. I love you, more than anyone else in this world.”
Her eyes brightened as she whispered back, “I love you too.”
And then he kissed her.
I felt my stomach drop, and all I wanted to do was look away, but I couldn’t.
My eyes were glued to them.
Elijah, the man I had loved, the man who had once growled my name in his chambers, was kissing her like I had never existed, like I had never mattered to him.
The hall was filled with excitement. Everyone seemed delighted. Everyone seemed to celebrate them, but I felt like I had been stabbed repeatedly.
Elijah pulled back from Amanda but kept her hands in his. His gaze swept over the crowd, slowly and deliberately, as if searching for someone.
And then… his eyes finally landed on me.
He paused.
Just for a moment, it felt as if the whole world paused. Then he lifted his head, and his voice rose—clear, strong, and impossible to ignore—and it carried effortlessly through the quiet hall.
“I’ve already chosen Amanda as my Luna, and I couldn’t have chosen better. Even if fate offered me every other option, I would still pick Amanda—again, and again, and again.”
Elijah's words hit me before I could brace myself.
For a second, I forgot how to breathe. It felt like Elijah had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart, until everything inside me twisted. Heat rushed up my throat, not enough to cry, just enough to burn.
He couldn’t have chosen better.
He would pick Amanda again and again...
It was as if every moment we ever had—every touch, every look, every kiss we shared—was being scraped out of me one brutal word at a time. I stood there, frozen, trying to pretend I didn't care while everything in me quietly broke into pieces.
“That is why Amanda and I have chosen to take the next step with a royal mating ceremony,” he continued, as if each word wasn’t cutting straight through me.
My heart skipped a beat.
A mating ceremony.
The words sank into me slowly, and painfully.
A mating ceremony wasn’t just a celebration. It was the final bond. It was the moment two souls were tied together in a way that could never be undone. Once completed, their scents, their power, their hearts—everything—would merge. He would belong to Amanda completely, and she to him.
I would also be completely out of his life.
My chest tightened.
Someone in the hall spoke up, asking when the ceremony would take place.
Elijah suddenly looked at me again—only me—and then announced, “It will be held in five days’ time.”
My heart skipped again, harder this time.
And then it hit me.
Five days…
In five days, I would turn twenty-one.
He was holding his mating ceremony with Amanda on my birthday.
The realization struck me like ice.
Elijah wasn’t just announcing his mating ceremony to Amanda. He was humiliating me without saying a word directly to me. He was showing me, that I had been replaced, and that I meant nothing to him anymore.
My heart skipped a beat.