Chapter 8 Chapter 8
ELIJAH’S POV
Last night was a disaster.
I wasn’t sure if I even slept for a second.
After I woke up this morning, I just kept walking around my room, staring at nothing. The candles had already gone out, but my mind wouldn’t rest. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Anna.
She had promised me she would come to my coronation as Alpha so I could pick her as my Luna. I told her it meant everything to me. I waited for her in that hall full of nobles. I searched every corner, every face in the crowd.
But she wasn’t there.
I waited until I couldn’t anymore.
Then the elders started whispering. They were watching me. Elder Matthias was watching me the most. He was powerful, and his daughter, Amanda, was standing near him, smiling politely, like she already knew what would happen.
And I knew what they were all thinking. I had to choose my Luna because I couldn’t stand there forever.
So I did what everyone expected me to do.
I picked Amanda.
It wasn’t because I loved her. It wasn’t even because I wanted her. It was because her father’s support meant power and peace for the pack. Elder Matthias’s daughter as Luna was a safe choice. It would keep the elders happy.
That’s what I told myself, over and over again— that it was for the good of everyone.
But it still didn’t feel right.
Now Amanda was lying in my bed, and I didn’t even love her for a second. Anna had been my first choice, but she never showed up at the coronation.
And here I was, watching the sky turn gray as the sun tried to rise. Behind me, I heard Amanda’s voice, soft and sleepy.
“Elijah?”
I turned slightly but didn’t face her fully.
She sat up slowly, her hair falling over her shoulders. “You didn’t sleep at all through the night…” she said.
“I couldn’t…” I answered quietly.
She smiled, but her eyes studied me. “You’re the Alpha now, and I’m your Luna. I think you should be extremely happy to have me as your Luna.”
“Maybe…” I replied, trying to sound calm.
“Maybe?” she repeated, with a chuckle that felt forced. “Do you not want me as your Luna?”
I forced a smile that didn’t reach my eyes but didn’t reply. It wasn’t like I could change anything. She was already my Luna, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Amanda tilted her head in annoyance. “You’ve been walking around the room all night, thinking. About what?”
I didn’t answer.
“Was there someone else you wanted to pick as your Luna?” she asked softly after a moment.
My heart stopped for a second.
I didn’t move, didn’t breathe—and I also didn’t tell her. I couldn’t possibly bring myself to say that Anna, her best friend, was supposed to be my Luna. It would be too cruel for her to know she wasn’t even my first choice.
“It’s morning already,” I murmured, trying to change the topic. “You should get dressed. The elders will—”
She laughed softly, interrupting me. “The elders? Really, Elijah? That’s the first thing you want to talk about after our first night together?”
I looked down, unsure what to say.
Her smile faded a little, replaced by something else—annoyance, maybe even hurt. “You didn’t even have sex with me last night,” she said suddenly.
I froze.
My heart skipped a beat.
“You went straight to the window and didn’t say a word to me. You didn’t even look at me or make any effort to kiss me. You just stood there like I wasn’t even here.”
Her voice wasn’t angry, just disappointed.
I didn’t even know what I was supposed to say.
“You know we’re supposed to bond, right?” she said after a pause. “That’s what happens after the ceremony. Everyone expects us to have sex to establish our bond.”
I turned away, the guilt crawling up my chest.
She was right. It was tradition for an Alpha to have sex with his Luna on the night of their ceremony—and I had failed at that.
Among werewolves, that night wasn’t just about pleasure or claiming. It was sacred. The joining of an Alpha and his Luna through sex sealed their bond in blood and spirit. Without it, the pack would gossip that the bond was weak, that the moon had rejected their union.
Some even believed the Moon Goddess herself turned her back on Alphas who didn’t complete the ritual—punishing them with restlessness, anger, or loss of power.
It wasn’t just about desire. It was about dominance, connection, and energy—two souls merging under the moonlight to create one heartbeat. The ceremony marked their rule over the pack; the night that followed made it unbreakable.
And I hadn’t done it.
I hadn’t touched Amanda last night. She had tried—walking into my chamber, undressing slowly, pressing her breasts against me, trying to remind me of the tradition.
But I couldn’t. I didn’t want her.
“I know we were supposed to have sex last night…” I murmured, my voice hoarse.
“Then why didn’t you?” she asked softly, confusion lacing her tone.
I stayed silent.
How could I tell her that when I looked into her eyes that night, I saw fear? That I couldn’t bring myself to touch her because she wasn’t the one I wanted?
Because every time I closed my eyes… my heart still chose Anna instead of her.
Amanda sighed, pulling the blanket off herself as she got out of bed. She walked slowly toward me, her gown brushing softly against the floor as she moved closer.
She stopped in front of me, close enough that I could feel her breath against my chest. She placed a hand gently on my arm, her fingers moving slowly down, tracing the edge of my sleeve.
Her eyes met mine. “We could still have sex right now. I could get naked for you and show you that I'm better than anyone you've ever been with.”
Her words hit me like a slap. For a second, I just stared at her, unable to believe what I’d heard. My jaw clenched, the muscles in my face tightening as heat rushed through me—not from desire, but annoyance.
All I could think about was her—Anna. The one I shouldn’t be thinking about. The one who haunted me every time someone else tried to touch me.
I tore my gaze away before the guilt could drown me completely and took a small step back. “It’s morning already, Amanda,” I said softly. “I’m tired. There’s a lot to do today.”
Honestly, if only she knew.
If only she knew that every word I just said was a lie. Because the truth was, I wasn’t tired. I just couldn’t bring myself to be with her. Not when every part of me still belonged to someone else.
Anna.
Her best friend.
Amanda turned away and sat back on the edge of the bed. The sunlight touched her hair, making it glow faintly as she spoke, “You’ll make it up to me tonight, then.”
“Sure!” I replied, even though I didn’t mean it.
She smiled, satisfied with my answer, and began brushing her hair.
I thought of Anna again. I wondered where she had gone after the coronation. Did she hear when I announced Amanda as my Luna? Did she see Amanda standing beside me when I placed the crown on her head?
Did she cry?
The thought made my chest ache.
I clenched my hands and shut my eyes. I wanted to go back in time. I wanted to do it all over again—to tell the council to wait, to tell them I’d already made my choice.
But it was too late.
The world thought I had chosen love and strength. But I knew what I had chosen—power and peace.
And now, I couldn’t even breathe right.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside and a knock hit the door once, then twice, before it swung open. A guard rushed in, breathing hard, as he called out, “Alpha Elijah,” he said quickly, bowing his head. “There’s bad news.”
I turned sharply. “What is it?”
He looked nervous, his eyes moving between me and Amanda.
“What’s wrong?” I asked again, my voice louder this time.
The guard hesitated for half a second before giving the announcement I wished he hadn’t made. “Damon is back!”
Everything went still.
The world seemed to slow down.
My brother...
He was back.
I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. I just stood there, staring at the guard, as his words replayed in my head.
Damon was back.
Of all the things that could have gone wrong this morning, this was the one I feared the most.
Because if Damon was back, it meant trouble. It meant questions. It meant the past—the one I tried to bury—was about to come crashing through my walls.
And Anna was going to get hurt the most.