Chapter 9 Chapter 9
ELIJAH’S POV
My bodyguard’s words still replayed in my head as he told me that Damon was back.
I still couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.
I stood frozen in the middle of the room, unable to move. Amanda’s face looked pale, her lips parted like she wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say.
I didn’t know how long I stood there before I finally asked, “Where is he now?”
The guard hesitated, fear flickering in his eyes before answering. “He’s in the hall, Alpha. He asked to see the Elder Council.”
The Elder Council.
Of course. Damon never did anything quietly. If he was back, he wanted everyone to know.
The Elder Council wasn’t just a group of old wolves. They were powerful—more powerful than any Alpha. They ruled every pack and decided who sat on the throne. Their word could make a king or destroy one.
They were the ones who crowned me Alpha last night. I could still remember it clearly—their long robes and the smell of old magic in the air. They spoke in voices that sounded older than time, and when they touched my forehead, I felt power sink into my skin.
Everyone feared and obeyed them.
And if Damon was back, he wasn’t here for peace. He wanted something from them.
“Tell them I’ll be there!” I instructed the guard.
He bowed quickly and ran out of the room.
Amanda came closer, her hands twisting nervously together. “Elijah, what does this mean? Why is he back now? After all these years—”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
My chest felt tight. My thoughts were all over the place. I didn’t even want her asking questions. I wished it was Anna by my side right now, asking these things instead.
After last night, I was too ashamed to even look for her and apologize for everything. I didn’t know if she would understand that I didn’t really have a choice when I picked her best friend. But Damon was a critical issue I had to deal with right now.
He was my brother—the one everyone once thought would become Alpha. The one who disappeared years ago after a fight with the council. The one they said would never return.
And now he was back—one day after I was crowned Alpha.
I walked toward the window. The sun had fully risen now, spilling light over the courtyard. I could already see movement—guards running, servants gossiping.
News spread fast in this pack.
Amanda spoke again, her voice carrying through the space between us. “Your brother won’t try to take it from you, right? The crown?”
I turned to look at her. “By birth, it’s his right to be Alpha because he’s my elder brother.”
Her eyes widened. “Then—”
“The council chose me,” I replied quickly, cutting her off. “They don’t want him as Alpha. Besides, they’ll put up a fight with him.”
And it was true.
Every member of the Elder Council hated Damon. They said he was wild, reckless, and too powerful to be controlled. He never followed rules, never bowed his head. Even as a child, he was different—calm but dangerous, like fire hiding under snow.
The council had spent years shaping me instead. Teaching me, grooming me, making me the one they wanted. The one they could trust.
I had given up everything to earn that trust.
My love for Anna.
All for this crown.
But now, Damon was back.
And a part of me prayed he hadn’t seen Anna yet. If he had… things would get worse, fast.
She wasn’t supposed to be alive.
In fact, Anna was supposed to be dead a long time ago. I knew she had memory loss and couldn’t remember Damon—or what happened between the three of us five years ago.
Her memories had been wiped out for a while.
But if Damon saw her now, he wouldn’t care that she had lost her memories. He would most likely want to kill her.
He was extremely dangerous.
He wasn’t like me.
Damon wasn’t just a werewolf. He was a hybrid—half werewolf, half vampire. A mix that shouldn’t exist. His strength was unnatural, his speed terrifying, and he could hear a heartbeat from miles away. Even the elders, proud and powerful as they were, trembled at the sound of his name.
Me? I was just a werewolf. I couldn’t switch off my humanity like he always did his. If I was dangerous, he was ruthless.
And right now, Anna was in so much trouble.
The Elder Council hall was already full when I arrived. Everyone’s faces looked pale, their eyes darting toward the door every few seconds, as if expecting Damon to walk through it.
It wasn’t surprising that they were all scared of him. Everyone was.
Elder Matthias, Amanda’s father, stood near the center. His robes brushed the floor as he paced slowly, muttering under his breath. Elder Niran sat with his hands folded, looking nervous. Elder Zara, the only woman among them, tapped her fingers on the table, her lips pressed in a thin line.
When they saw me, they all bowed slightly.
“Alpha Elijah,” Matthias greeted, forcing a smile that felt too fake. “You came quickly. Good.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
My voice sounded calm, but my heart wasn’t.
Matthias sighed as he answered. “The news out there is true. Damon has indeed returned to the Darkburn Pack.”
I nodded once. “I heard…”
“He’s waiting outside the hall right now,” Elder Niran said quietly. “He says he wants to speak to the Elder Council before he meets you.”
“Speak about what?”
No one said a word at first.
Elder Zara finally answered, “We don’t know yet, but we believe Damon has returned to claim what belongs to him.”
The room went quiet immediately.
My stomach twisted as her words sank in.
“And what is that?” I asked slowly, my voice trembling a little, because I already had an idea of what they were talking about.
Elder Matthias looked at me with his pale grey eyes. There was something serious in them—something that made my chest tighten as he spoke.
“Damon wants to be the Alpha.”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
The sound of the torches crackling was the only thing that filled the room. Last night, I was just made Alpha of this pack. And now, not even a day later, Damon was back—coming to take it from me.
Why did he always ruin everything?
And the worst thing was, if Damon wanted something, he always got it—no matter what. And he didn’t care who stood in his way.
Elder Matthias spoke again, as if to reassure me that they would stop him from getting what he wanted this time.
“You have nothing to worry about, Alpha Elijah. The Elder Council stands with you. You’ve done everything right and earned your place. Damon lost his chance years ago when he abandoned this pack.”
I nodded slowly as a sign of respect, but I didn’t believe him.
The Elders said they stood with me, but I could see the fear in their faces. Their voices trembled even when they tried to sound brave. Everyone knew Damon didn’t fear the council. He never did. He was stronger than the guards, faster than the warriors, and far more cunning than any of us.
That was what made them hate him.
And that was exactly why I was scared for Anna.
Elder Matthias suddenly turned to me, his loud voice breaking through my thoughts. “We must stay calm when Damon enters the hall. Don’t let him provoke you. He thrives on power, Elijah. He wants to see fear. Don’t give it to him.”
Before I could respond, the heavy doors burst open with a loud noise that sent the hall into complete silence.
Every head turned.
And then—he walked in with a smirk.
Damon.
My brother.
The dangerous and ruthless hybrid everyone feared. The one I thought I’d never see again. And for the first time in years… I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face him.