Chapter 50 Chapter 50
ANNA'S POV
I froze.
My brain short-circuited. My hands felt like blocks of ice. My legs refused to move. The chair next to me sat there innocently, untouched, mocking me. It had the audacity to exist and expect me to sit on it.
I couldn’t.
I just… couldn’t.
I didn't know why Damon wanted me to sit down and join them at the table.
What if I made a mistake? What if I did something embarrassing in front of Damon—Damon, who had the perfect posture, the perfect hair, the perfect everything—and Amanda—Amanda, whose glare could slice steel—and Elijah—Elijah, who might be silently judging me right now and thinking, "Yes, you are hopeless, Anna."
I backed up a tiny step, pretending I wasn’t panicking, but my stomach betrayed me with a tiny growl that I silently hoped no one heard.
Of course, Damon did.
He raised an eyebrow at me and I was flooded with embarrassment immediately.
Instead, I tried to look busy. I fiddled with my apron, shuffled my feet, and stared—stared like a frightened rabbit at the giant, shiny, perfectly set table.
“Anna, you can sit...”
Oh no.
I wanted to melt and run. I wanted to disappear through the floor like a secret passage.
Then, something miraculous happened. Damon—Damon—actually stood up. His movements were smooth, calm, and terrifyingly graceful. One second he was seated, the next, he had walked over, plucked the chair next to me, and gently—but firmly—placed it against my side.
My breath stopped.
Before I could think, before I could do anything, he reached for me. His hands wrapped around my waist like a human vice. And then… slowly, impossibly gently, he made me sit down.
I gasped, my knees wobbling like jelly. I couldn’t do anything except stare at him in stunned silence.
I was supposed to be a maid.
I wasn’t supposed to sit with royals at breakfast. I wasn’t supposed to have him touch me like this. And yet… here I was with my heart hammering like a drumline in a parade.
I looked down at the food.
Eggs, fluffy and golden. Meat, roasted to perfection. Bread, warm and soft. Honey, dripping over fruit like it was painted by angels.
I was starving.
My stomach was practically screaming at me to eat, but my pride… my dignity… refused. I would not let him see how weak I was. I would not let him see how much I needed this breakfast.
“Eat, Anna...” Damon ordered softly, leaning slightly closer. His eyes sparkled, and a tiny, almost invisible smirk tugged at his lips. “You won't get in trouble for eating here.”
I swallowed hard.
His voice… his tone… it was just… hard for me to refuse him, but I wasn't willing to give up so easily.
I shook my head slowly, trying to act casual. “I’m… not hungry.”
He didn’t argue or frown. He just raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and stared at me like he knew every lie I’d ever told.
Amanda, apparently, had finally decided that her life was too short to deal with me anymore. She gave a dramatic sniff, grabbed her napkin, and left the table in a hurry.
She probably thought Elijah had followed her or was about to, but he didn’t. He didn’t move a muscle. He just sat there, quietly, pretending to be completely absorbed by the honey dripping off his toast.
I stole a glance at him.
He wasn’t looking at me. Or maybe he was pretending not to. Whatever. I shouldn’t care. He had his mating ceremony with Amanda in a few days anyway. So clearly, I wasn’t part of his life any longer.
Back to Damon.
He picked up his fork, cut a piece of egg, and gently pushed it toward me. I froze. My eyes widened. My chest tightened. My brain short-circuited again, and I wanted to grab it, I wanted to devour it, but… I couldn’t.
I could not show him how hungry I was.
Instead, I put on my best “I’m fine” face and shook my head. “No… really. I’m not hungry.”
He laughed.
It was just a little laugh, soft, amused, and yet, oh-so-infuriating.
“Fine?” he repeated. “Really?”
My stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, betraying me in front of both brothers. My face turned red-hot, and I prayed the floor would swallow me whole.
I covered my mouth, embarrassed beyond repair. And then, of course, the hunger took over. My pride didn’t stand a chance.
I grabbed the fork, stabbed the egg, and took a bite. My stomach growled again, louder this time. The noise made me freeze in embarrassment. My cheeks burned, my ears felt hot, and I wished I had never been born.
A light chuckle escaped Damon.
I glared at him, but my glare was weak because I was too busy chewing and shoveling food into my mouth like a starving stray dog. My stomach growled again, and I shoved bread and meat in at the same time, hoping—praying—that the noise wouldn’t get worse.
It did.
My stomach grumbled, loudly and dramatic, as if it were auditioning for a lead role in a horror film.
Damon’s laughter shook the table. Even Elijah, sitting quietly, couldn’t hide a faint smirk at the corner of his lips.
“Oh no,” I murmured between bites, muffled by bread. “Please let me disappear. Please let me just… vanish.”
But no...
Damon was watching me. His eyes were sparkling, his arms resting on the table, and a smirk growing on his face.
“You’re enjoying this far too much,” Damon teased, tilting his head slightly, still smiling. “You’re like a little kitten discovering meat for the first time.”
I froze, then glared at him through my food. “I… I’m not a… kitten!” I mumbled between bites.
He chuckled again.
“Sure, kitten. Whatever you say.”
By now, I had demolished half the plate. My pride was in shreds, my stomach was full, and my embarrassment had reached peak levels. And yet… it was the most fun I had had in months.
Damon reached for a piece of fruit, cut it neatly, and held it near my lips. “Open.”
I shook my head slowly. “No.”
“Why not?” he asked innocently.
“I… I’m… not hungry,” I lied again, though I was full-on fantasizing about eating that fruit like it was the last meal on earth.
He laughed.
Oh, I became embarrassed again. I wanted to cover my ears, hide under the table, and beg the universe to forgive me for being so… ridiculous.
“Anna.” He leaned closer, raising one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “You’re lying. Your stomach is growling louder than my wolf last night during training.”
I wanted to sink into the chair and disappear into the floor. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I replied, shoveling another piece of bread into my mouth, completely failing to act nonchalant.
“Really?” Damon asked, smirk widening. “Because I think I just heard it.”
I groaned.
The battle was lost. My stomach won, my pride lost, and Damon was sitting there, laughing at me, enjoying every second.
Finally, I gave up.
I grabbed the fork and started eating like it was an Olympic sport.
Elijah, sitting silently, just watched us. I swear I saw the tiniest twitch at the corner of his mouth, the faintest amusement, and for a moment, I think he actually regretted choosing Amanda instead of me.
After what felt like ten minutes of me practically devouring the entire breakfast while Damon watched and laughed, I finally paused, leaning back in my chair, patting my stomach, and looking around wildly, hoping no one had noticed the chaos I’d caused.
Damon, of course, had noticed everything. He was still smiling, shaking his head like I had just performed some kind of ridiculous magic trick.
“You’re… unbelievable,” he said, still chuckling. “And adorable.”
I could have died right there.
I was embarrassed, flustered, and utterly defeated by food, laughter, and Damon’s impossible charm. Shoving the last piece of bread into my mouth, and wiping my hands on my apron, I made a split-second decision.
I bolted for the door.
“Anna?” Damon called after me, laughing hysterically.
I didn’t answer.
I continued running down the hall, past the servants, past the kitchen, and past the windows where the sun shone too brightly. I ran until I felt like my legs would fall off.
I had never been so humiliated before.
But one thing was impossible to ignore, I had feelings for Damon.