Chapter 6 Chapter 6

ANNA’S POV

My heart stopped.

I still couldn't believe it was the stranger from last night—the one who had kissed me, touched me, made my body burn, and then vanished before dawn. And now… he was here, in the hall, standing dangerously and impossibly hot. His black coat brushed the floor, his eyes scanning the room with power, and then… they landed on me.

My chest tightened.

My stomach flipped as I tried to hide behind a pillar, to disappear, but it was too late. He had already seen me.

I remembered last night.

My mind went to how his lips had pressed to mine, how his hands had held me, teased me, and made me shiver—how his voice had rolled through me when he whispered things that made my mind go blank.

How he had been… perfect in bed.

And now he was here as Damon Darkburn. I still couldn't believe he was Elijah’s brother—the hybrid everyone feared. He was a werewolf and a vampire combined, and that made him faster, stronger, and more dangerous than anyone alive.

I swallowed hard and tried to calm myself. I didn’t want him to see me like this, but he already did.

He stepped forward slowly, pulling the eyes of the hall toward him.

Finally, he spoke.

“I am back to claim this pack,” he announced with a smirk on his face. “I have returned to make this pack extremely powerful. I have also returned to choose a Luna for myself.”

The room went quiet.

Murmurs spread like fire immediately after he made that announcement about choosing a Luna.

I also froze, my heart beating too fast. I could barely hear anything else over the sound of my own pulse.

“I will compete with Elijah, my brother,” Damon continued, his eyes sweeping the hall. “Because I should be the Alpha and not him. I'm here to challenge him and become the Alpha of the Darkburn Pack—and I need all your support to do that.”

My pulse raced faster. I wondered where Elijah was, but then I remembered that he was probably having fun with Amanda, his new Luna—laughing, unaware that his dangerous older brother had returned to the pack. I wondered if he had even had sex with Amanda last night.

It didn't take long for Damon's speech to end, and the hall began to empty. People walked away, whispering, excited, and also curious. My legs felt like they couldn't move, but I was forced to join the others and leave.

Besides, I’d planned on avoiding Damon altogether. I was still mortified that the man I’d spent one reckless night with turned out to be Damon—the brother of the man I loved, the same man who had betrayed me.

I was walking toward the kitchens with the other maids, and my chest tightened. I tried to think of anything else—anything to make me stop remembering last night.

But I couldn’t.

The maids were even making it worse. They were talking quietly among themselves, and I tried to listen without being obvious, but my ears picked up every word.

“Did you see him?” one said, her eyes widening. “Damon is so fucking hot!”

“Look at him… so tall, so muscular… I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to be under him,” another whispered.

I froze.

Under him...

My stomach flipped. My face burned with embarrassment. I remembered… last night—how it had actually felt to be under him.

Oh, it was the best thing ever.

The maids didn’t know yet.

They had no idea that I had sex with Damon last night, and it should remain like that. They were laughing and imagining what it would feel like to be under Damon without knowing I had actually been there already.

I felt my hands clench into fists at my sides.

They were still talking about him.

The way his voice had sounded when he said he would choose a Luna for himself had made the whole hall go silent, and now the maids couldn’t stop dreaming about being picked by him to be his Luna.

“He might pick someone from the castle,” one of them said, her eyes shining with so much excitement. “Maybe one of us. He might actually pick one of the maids to be his Luna. Who knows? He looked right at me when he said those words about picking a Luna.”

The others laughed.

“You?” another maid teased. “He wasn’t looking at you. He was looking at me. You didn’t see how his eyes stared at my body. I felt him staring at me for too long.”

The first maid frowned, her excitement fading a little. “But do you really think he’d choose a maid? He's supposed to be an Alpha, if not that Elijah just claimed that title last night. I don't think he'll want to have anything to do with a maid.”

I could hear the doubt in her voice, and I felt bad for her. She looked hopeful—and somehow sad, too.

I tried to comfort her.

“Who knows?” I murmured softly. “He could choose anyone from the maids. I don’t think—”

They all turned to me sharply.

“Nobody was talking to you, Anna!” one of them snapped.

I took a step back, extremely embarrassed.

“Wait, do you think Damon would ever consider you?” another asked, laughing. “Oh please, Anna. Don’t start dreaming above your level.”

Their laughter filled the small space, loud and cruel, and I tried to smile weakly, but my chest hurt. “I didn’t mean—”

“Save it!” one of them snapped, waving her hand. “Prince Damon wouldn’t even look at you twice. He’s a Prince who’s meant to be the Alpha. You’re just… Anna.”

They laughed again—louder this time—and their words stung like a slap. I looked down quickly because I didn’t want them to see how much it hurt.

But it did.

Their laughter kept replaying in my head, mixing with the memory of Damon's voice from last night. I blinked fast, fighting the tears gathering in my eyes. I turned away before they could fall.

But then… I ran straight into someone.

“Oh!” I gasped, stumbling back.

My head lifted slightly.

It was him.

Damon.

He was standing there—tall, dangerous, and impossibly hot—his eyes locking on mine. Every nerve in my body tightened and released all at once.

My heart skipped a beat.

My pulse raced faster than ever.

He looked at me, a slow smile playing on his lips, and said softly, almost teasingly...

“Hello, love…”

The way he said it…

The way he pronounced the word love sent a shiver down my spine. I nearly died as every muscle in my body froze. The maids behind me—the same ones who had just mocked me—were now frozen, staring at us too. Their gossiping and laughter stopped immediately.

Tears threatened to fall from my eyes, my cheeks were burning, and my heart felt like it might explode. I wanted to turn, to run, to hide, but I couldn’t.

My eyes locked on him.

Damon Darkburn—the stranger, the hybrid, the dangerous, irresistible man I’d given myself to last night—was standing right in front of me.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe.