Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 114

ISOLDE'S POV

I stepped into the Privilege Apartments lobby just before 8 AM, hoping I hadn't missed Thalia. My heart was heavy with worry about her—she'd been acting strange lately, and I couldn't figure out why.

When the elevator doors opened on my floor, I was surprised to see Thalia just stepping out of our suite, dressed in training clothes with a gym bag slung over her shoulder.

"Thalia! Good morning," I called out, genuinely happy to see her.

She barely glanced my way, mumbling, "Morning," as she continued fussing with her training bag.

I noticed immediately that she wasn't wearing the silver wolf-head bracelet I'd given her. My heart cracked a little, but I pushed the feeling aside. She had every right not to wear it.

*It's her choice,* I reminded myself. *She doesn't have to wear your gift every day.*

Thalia finished adjusting her bag, swung it over her shoulder, and finally turned to face me. I offered her a smile, but she didn't return it.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, concern creeping into my voice.

"Yeah, why?" Her tone was clipped, distant.

"I feel like you've been a bit cold toward me lately."

"I haven't." The shortness of her reply only confirmed my suspicions.

I took a deep breath. "I saw you yesterday in the company cafeteria. I called your name, but you turned and walked away. It made me wonder if something was wrong."

"Nothing's wrong, Isolde." Her voice remained flat, emotionless.

"Are you sure?"

Thalia sighed impatiently, taking two steps closer with a frown creasing her forehead. "Just because I don't want to play or talk with you doesn't mean something's wrong. Now, if your interrogation is over, please let me pass."

Her cold words hit me like a physical blow. I silently stepped aside, watching as she strode past me and disappeared down the hallway.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, shutting my eyes as I felt my heart shatter into even smaller pieces. What the hell just happened?

The shock of her reaction left me stunned. Her expression, her tone—they weren't just dismissive; they were almost hostile. This wasn't the Thalia I knew. Something was seriously wrong, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what I'd done.

"What the fuck just happened?" I whispered to the empty room.

I walked over to my bed and sat down, completely dumbfounded. I was in shock, utterly lost about what to do next. Thalia had seemed genuinely angry with me, but I couldn't recall doing anything to upset her.

*Stop blaming yourself,* Lyra advised. *When she comes back, you two can clear things up.*

I nodded in agreement. I needed to talk to Thalia. I hated this tension between us. Her friendship had become precious to me—one of the few genuine connections I'd made since entering this twisted Moon Alliance Program.

Sighing deeply, I flopped back onto my bed, arms spread wide. I felt awful. Today definitely wasn't a day for training. Thankfully, Ezra had given me permission to skip if I wasn't feeling well, and right now, I felt terrible.

If I went to training in this state, I'd probably get my ass handed to me by Nyssa or Evanthe. They might even break all my bones or end my life! And I had too much to live for to let that happen now.

I groaned, sitting up and glancing around the room. My eyes landed on the pile of dirty clothes in the corner, and I smiled slightly. At least I wouldn't be bored to death—I had laundry to do.

Getting up from the bed, I walked to the closet and grabbed my laundry basket filled with dirty clothes, then left the room. After fifteen frustrating minutes of searching for a laundry room in the Privilege Apartments with no success, I decided to head to the Moon Alliance residence area instead.

When I arrived at the laundry room, it was nearly packed—not surprising for a Saturday morning. As I entered, all the girls inside fell silent, watching me. I offered a casual "Hi" to the nearest one.

To my surprise, she smiled and waved back. In fact, most of them did. It was quite interesting how their attitudes had changed—from eye-rolls and ignoring me to friendly greetings.

My attention was quickly drawn to Sybilla, who had commandeered four washing machines while a line of girls waited patiently beside them.

"Sybilla," I called out, approaching her.

She turned, her expression instantly souring. "What?"

"What's going on here?" I asked, looking pointedly at the machines and the waiting girls.

"Can't you see I'm doing laundry?" she replied rudely.

"Using four machines?"

She raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Do you have a problem with that?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "You. You're ridiculous." I gestured toward the line of waiting girls. "Hogging all the machines like some spoilt princess while everyone else waits."

"Isolde. I don't have time for this today... if you want to do laundry, get in line." She smirked, crossing her arms and staring at me defiantly.

Challenge accepted. I dropped my laundry basket to the floor and walked to the nearest machine Sybilla was using. Maintaining eye contact with her, I reached out and switched it off.

Several girls gasped. Sybilla's jaw dropped in shock.

"You wouldn't dare!" she hissed, stepping toward me.

I leaned in, my voice low and dangerous. "Touch me once, and I'll throw you into this washing machine and wash you like a dirty sock."

Sybilla's shoulders slumped as she backed up two steps. I pushed past her and removed her clothes from two more machines, dumping them unceremoniously on the floor, leaving just one running.

"Now you have one, as you should. Continue with your laundry."

"You'll regret this, Isolde. I swear you'll pay for this!" she screeched before storming out of the laundry room.

"Spoilt princess," I muttered under my breath.

I turned to the waiting girls. "You can use these machines now."

"Thank you, Isolde," they chorused.

Looking down at Sybilla's clothes scattered on the floor, I thought of Ash. If she were still alive, she would be here doing laundry too. My jaw clenched as I thought about whoever had killed that innocent girl. They would pay for what they'd done.

One of the girls offered to help with my laundry, and before I could decline, she was already loading my clothes into a machine. I found a chair and sat down.

"Isolde?" Another girl approached me, her face lit up with a smile.

"Yes?"

"Can you tell us your secret?" she asked eagerly.

I frowned. "What secret?"

"Ezra is totally smitten with you. How did you make him fall for you?" She giggled. "He only has eyes for you now! Do you know that since the first night you spent with him, he hasn't slept with any other girl? Not even Evanthe. Oh, they were lying!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the other girls.

My eyebrows nearly hit my hairline, and my eyes and mouth widened in shock. All this time, I'd assumed Ezra was getting his satisfaction elsewhere. Was he actually... saving himself for me?