Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 101

Isolde's POV

"Isolde," Ezra said softly.

I tried to pull back to look at his face, to gauge his expression, but his arms tightened around me. It was as if he never wanted to let go.

I felt Ezra's nose brush against my hair, inhaling deeply. My breath caught in my throat as I realized he was scenting me.

"Why do you always smell so nice?" he murmured, his breath warm against my scalp.

The question caught me off guard. "Do I?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Don't you know?" he replied, and I shook my head slightly, still unable to see his face as he held me.

His arms tightened even further, and I wondered if my ribs would crack under the pressure. He was so incredibly strong, the power of a werewolf—no, a Lycan—manifested to its fullest extent in his body.

Finally, he released me, his fingers trailing lightly down my arms as he stepped back.

"I can't begin to tell you how much your smell affects me," he said.

I looked up at him then, finding myself drowning in those mesmerizing eyes.

*What the hell is happening?* I thought frantically. *What game is he playing now?*

"And why do you always choose the most boring options?" Ezra asked, his lips curving into a slight smirk. "A kiss in public would have been amazing."

"It would've been scandalous!" I corrected him sharply. "Evanthe would kill me!"

He chuckled, shaking his head. With a gesture toward the private elevator that would take us to his penthouse, he silently commanded me to follow. As the doors closed behind us, I caught sight of several employees in the distance, their curious gazes fixed on us.

*Fuck. There goes any chance of keeping this quiet.*

During the elevator ride to Ezra's penthouse, my mind raced with possibilities of what might happen when we reached our destination.

Would he finally take me to bed? Or would this be like all the other times—teasing kisses and touches that left me aching and unsatisfied while he walked away?

*If he leaves me unsatisfied one more time, one of us won't make it to morning,* I thought viciously.

The elevator opened directly to the entrance of his penthouse, where his personal security nodded respectfully to Ezra. As we walked through the hallways toward the master bedroom, passing servants cast shocking gazes our way.

It wasn't hard to understand why. Alpha Ezra was holding my hand—our fingers intertwined—all the way to his bedroom door.

Once inside his master bedroom, I closed the door behind us and leaned against it, releasing a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Did you see the looks I got from your staff?" I exclaimed, my eyes wide with disbelief.

Ezra laughed softly, dismissively waving his hand as he shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it carelessly over a chair.

"Forget about it," he said simply.

"Easy for you to say," I snapped. "You're not the one who's going to be gossiped about and stared at weirdly at the residence tomorrow by Greta and Evanthe."

The moment the words left my mouth, I froze.

I had just used a disrespectful tone with the Alpha—the kind of tone one might use with a mate, not the reverent voice expected from a Moon Alliance member.

Ezra paused in the middle of loosening his tie, turning to face me with a furrowed brow. His expression was puzzled, and his eyes flashed gold for a brief moment.

"What was that tone?" he asked quietly.

Terror gripped me as I realized my mistake. I lowered my head instinctively.

"I'm so sorry Alpha. I didn't mean to snap at you. I was just really worried and trying to—"

Ezra walked toward me.

"Alpha Ezra please don't be upset. It wasn't—"

He stopped just inches from me.

"I'm really sorry," I said again, my voice almost trembling.

I gathered my courage and looked up, expecting to see anger on his face. Instead, I was met with a charming smile and eyes that sparkled with interest. Confusion washed over me.

*Why is he smiling?*

"Stop apologizing because I'm not upset," Ezra said. "I am far from upset. I am surprised. Happy even. If you can use that tone with me, it means you're getting comfortable being around me and that's what I want."

I raised my eyebrows.

*What's going on? He doesn't mind me talking to him like I would to a mate?*

*Because you ARE his mate, dummy,* Lyra whispered in my mind.

"Stop giving me that look. It's creepy," Ezra said.

I shifted my gaze away from him, looking around at the luxurious decorations in his suite, my thoughts a jumbled mess as I tried to process what had just happened.

"I'm happy you feel comfortable around me," Ezra continued, still smiling. "That was my goal. I'm glad I accomplished it."

He winked at me, and I found myself smiling back, feeling a strange sense of intimacy with him.

*He's happy I'm comfortable. But am I really?* I questioned myself. And the answer surprised me. Yes, I was. I no longer trembled at the sound of his voice or his presence. My thoughts didn't scatter when he spoke to me. While his Alpha aura was still powerful, it didn't terrify me anymore—instead, it drew me in with a strange magnetism.

*He's succeeded in making me comfortable around him,* I realized. *But that might just be part of his plan.*

My smile remained, my heartbeat steadying, but deep inside, a wariness persisted. Meanwhile, Lyra was practically celebrating in my mind.

Ezra's eyes studied my face, his gaze almost tangible as it traced over every inch of my skin.

"Do you know what you'll be doing for me tonight?" he asked. I silently shook my head, feeling the sudden electric tension in the air.

"You'll be giving me an oil massage."

I stared at him in shock, my throat suddenly dry.

"Yeah. Naked oil massage," he clarified.

Heat flooded my body, and I felt slightly dizzy. Lyra howled with excitement in my head.

"Naked oil massage?" I repeated, stunned.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"And before that's done, you'll bathe me."

"I'll bathe you?" I nearly shouted.

Ezra raised an eyebrow, his eyes flashing dangerously gold. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

I stood frozen, my mind racing with how to handle these tasks—bathing him, giving him an oil massage. I felt nervous yet excited at the prospect.

*This means seeing him completely naked,* I thought. *Not that I mind. His body is perfect, all muscle, and I could stare at it all day.* Lyra growled appreciatively in my mind.

"Isolde." His voice pulled me back to reality, low and magnetic.

"Do you have a problem with doing any of the things I just mentioned?" he asked.

I nodded, then shook my head, clearing my throat as heat rushed to my cheeks.

"No," I said hoarsely. "I don't."

"Good then, meet me in the bathroom." he said, disappearing into his luxurious walk-in closet, leaving me alone.

I looked around the opulent master bedroom, my body burning, my heartbeat audible in my ears.