Chapter 4 Chapter 4

ANNA'S POV

I didn’t even know how I got outside.

One moment I was standing in the coronation hall, watching Elijah kiss Amanda, and the next, I was running into the woods, crying and heartbroken that he had chosen my best friend to be his Luna.

My gown was torn, and my eyes burned from crying but I didn't stop. I didn’t care where I was going. I just wanted to run until I couldn’t feel anything anymore.

When I finally stopped, I took a deep breath and realized I had mistakenly ran out of town.

I was standing in front of a building glowing red in the dark. A sign above the door said "The Velvet Den." I had heard of it before—a club where men and women met for money, pleasure, and drinks. It was a place for people who wanted to forget their problems.

My heart was pounding as I just stood there.

If my stepmother found me here, she would kill me. Especially after what I did to her... I had pushed her to get into the Coronation hall and she would punish me severely for that.

I took a deep breath.

“Maybe a drink will help...” I whispered to myself, desperately hoping I was right.

Then I opened the door and went in.

The air inside was filled with perfume, sweat, and smoke. Red and gold lights flashed over the people dancing and laughing. The music was loud and wild. Women in sexy dresses leaned against the walls as they danced while the men watched them with hungry eyes.

I had never been in a place like this before. I didn’t even belong here, but for the first time, that didn’t matter.

I walked to the bar and sat down. My hands were still shaking as I murmured quietly, “A drink, please.”

The bartender looked at me for a second before pouring something into a glass. I took a sip and coughed as it burned my throat.

It had to be alcohol or something worse.

The bartender let out a slight chuckle. “First time?”

“Yeah,” I answered in embarrassment, wiping my lips. “I just… want to have fun tonight.”

He nodded and moved away.

I took another sip. Then another. After a while, the pain in my chest didn’t hurt so much. The world around me blurred a little and I felt like I was already drunk.

That was when I saw him.

An insanely attractive man was sitting in a dark corner, watching me. His shirt was black, the sleeves rolled up, showing his strong and muscular arms. His hair was dark and messy, falling into his eyes. And those eyes—they looked like he could see right through me.

When our eyes met, he winked at me.

I looked away quickly, but my heart started beating faster. I could still feel his eyes on me, even though I was trying desperately not to look at him.

Then he stood up and walked over. His steps were slow and confident, his voice smooth when he spoke. “You look like you don’t belong here!”

I turned to look at him, deciding whether to answer or ignore him. No, it would be extremely rude to just pretend like he didn't exist when he was talking to me.

“I don’t...” I admitted.

“Then why are you here?”

I looked at my half-empty glass and remembered everything that had happened tonight again. “I'm here because I made a mistake. I'm here because someone I trusted betrayed me. And also because if I go home tonight, I might not make it out alive.”

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Honestly, that’s quite a lot for one night.”

I laughed weakly. “You have no idea.”

He leaned against the counter beside me. “Boy trouble?”

I hesitated for a while, then nodded. “Yeah. You could say that...”

He tilted his head. “A man broke your heart?”

I swallowed hard. “He chose someone else when he promised he'd choose me. It's crazy how heartbreaking it is.”

He was quiet for a moment, and I didn't know what he was thinking because his face was extremely unreadable.

“Any man who lets a girl like you go doesn’t deserve you!” he replied calmly, and when I looked at him again, he was smiling—that kind of sexual and seductive smile that makes you forget what you were sad about.

He looked kind, but there was something dangerous in his eyes too that I couldn't quite figure out. It was something that almost made my stomach twist.

“You don’t even know me...” I whispered.

He ran a hand through his messy hair and winked at me again. “I don’t need to know you...”

I looked down at my hands, at the glass between my fingers, and realized if I stayed there for one more second, I would actually fall for his charm.

But he didn't stop...

He leaned closer as he talked, making it unbearable for me to resist him any longer. How could anyone be so insanely sexy and attractive?

I couldn't even hear his words anymore. I just kept staring at his lips. I wanted to stop thinking about Elijah. I wanted to be someone else, to feel something else. And maybe, the solution to that was right in front of me. I didn’t think again, I just reached up and kissed him even though he was a stranger.

For a second, he froze, then his hand came up to my face, holding me still as he kissed me back. His other hand settled on my waist, his thumb rubbing my breasts through my dress.

I didn’t know it could feel that good.

Quickly, I gripped his shirt before I could stop myself, my fingers twisting the fabric until I felt it pull. He made a groan against my mouth, and the sound only pushed me further. I could already feel the hard ridge of his cock already straining against his trousers, pressing into my hip.

He pulled back just enough to breathe, his forehead pressed against mine. “You don’t even know who I am yet!” he reminded me, a soft smirk curving his lips.

“I don’t want to know...” I moaned, arching into him, letting him feel my breasts against his chest as he rubbed them with his hands. “Just—don’t stop what you're doing to me!”

The world tilted, and before I knew it, we were moving—back through a dark corridor, the sound of our steps echoing against the walls.

He opened a door without looking, pulled me inside, and shut it behind us.

Without a word, I took his hand and guided it from my cheek, down over the neckline of my dress, and pressed his palm firmly against my breasts again. His thumb circled my nipple through the fabric, and a soft moan escaped me.

That was everything I needed.

My whole body reacted before I could even think and I pressed myself closer to him, feeling his breath against my skin. It was too much but I didn’t want him to stop. I just wanted to forget everything.

All of it...

His touch made me feel alive again, like the world outside didn’t matter. I didn’t care who he was or what would happen later. All I knew was that, in that moment, I wanted to forget all of my pain and feel something else.

I wanted to feel him inside me.