Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 130

ISOLDE'S POV

Two weeks had passed since that unforgettable night in Ezra's office shower. Two weeks of spending every night in his penthouse, waking up in his bed, and leaving countless whispers and rumors in my wake. The gossip was becoming impossible to ignore.

Now I was at my own apartment. I folded the freshly dry-cleaned suits and formal wear on my bed, trying to organize my closet while my mind wandered to the countless rumors circulating about me and Ezra.

Some said I had incredible skills in bed that kept Ezra coming back for more. Others whispered that I must have used some kind of "special technique" to bewitch him. Then there were the kinder souls who suggested something involving actual feelings—that Ezra had fallen in love with me.

Oh, how I wished that was true.

The reality was much simpler and far more painful. Our relationship consisted of nothing more than enjoying ourselves as much as possible, having sex, and sleeping. We never talked about each other, the rumors, or what was happening between us. The undefined nature of our relationship was like a constant ache in my chest, but I preferred speculation to confrontation, terrified of hearing an answer that would shatter me completely.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in," I called, not looking up from my task.

The door opened immediately, and Thalia walked in with a cheerful, "Hello!" She closed the door behind her.

"Hi," I responded flatly, continuing to focus on organizing my clothes.

After weeks of her treating me like I was invisible, I wasn't eager to open myself up to more disappointment. The last thing I needed was to let her in only to be hurt again.

Thalia nodded and disappeared into the walk-in closet. A few minutes later, she emerged carrying a takeout box and a bottle of apple juice, walking toward me.

"For you," she said. "I grabbed it from the café in the Silver Moon building on my way here."

My stomach growled traitorously, reminding me I hadn't eaten yet. But I hesitated, staring at the food with suspicion. Taking anything from Thalia right now didn't feel safe.

Noticing my hesitation, Thalia opened the food container, took a few bites of the pasta inside, then opened the juice bottle and took a sip before placing both items on the nightstand beside my bed.

"It's not poisoned," she said matter-of-factly.

"I didn't say it was," I replied.

"Your eyes suggested it was," she argued.

I sighed, putting down the suit I was holding and looking at her with annoyance. The audacity of her to act innocent was infuriating.

"If you were in my position, wouldn't you be suspicious?" I asked.

Thalia shrugged, conceding. "I would be. I've been pretty terrible to you lately."

I stared at her in disbelief, my voice rising. "Lately? You've been ignoring me for almost a month! Treating me like I don't exist, like I'm your worst enemy. All without any explanation, and now suddenly you acknowledge my existence and bring me food? What's the game here?"

"If you'd let me explain—" Thalia started.

"I might have wanted to hear your explanation two weeks ago," I cut her off. "Now I don't want to hear anything from you. Just keep being mean to me. I'm used to it."

"They threatened to kill my parents if I didn't cut all ties with you," Thalia blurted out.

My blood froze. I stared at her in shock, unable to process what I'd just heard.

Thalia nodded calmly, confirming my unspoken question. "Yes. And I think you know who I'm talking about."

"Evanthe?" I whispered.

"The one and only," she confirmed.

"But why would she threaten to kill your parents? You didn't do anything wrong to offend her."

Thalia explained, "Apparently, she doesn't like you having any friends. She felt like she'd lost to you multiple times, so she decided to make your life miserable through other means."

*I knew it,* I thought. *I had a feeling Evanthe was behind this, and I was right. She'll never stop tormenting me. She even threatened to kill Thalia's parents. That woman is a psychopath.*

"I know this doesn't make up for how awful I've been these past few weeks, but I'm sorry," Thalia said. She described how the person who threatened her made her truly afraid—mentioning her parents' names, her siblings' names, her parents' occupations, their daily routines, even their home address. "And knowing Evanthe isn't one to make empty threats, I had to do what she said. I'm sorry."

"What about now?" I asked, concerned. "You're being friendly with me. If she finds out, you'll be in big trouble."

Thalia shook her head, looking at me with confusion. "No, I won't be. Two weeks ago, the person who threatened me came to tell me that I could be friends with you again, and my family wouldn't be harmed. That's why I've been more friendly these past few days. I was too ashamed to say anything. I don't know what happened, but the threat has been lifted, and I can be your friend again."

My mind immediately went to my conversation with Orion the day he took me out. He had promised to "get to the bottom of things." I was certain he had confronted Evanthe and forced her to withdraw her threats. A smile spread across my face.

*That Orion guy is better than I thought, braver too,* Lyra commented in my mind.

"What's so funny?" Thalia asked curiously.

I shook my head calmly as I looked at her.

"Nothing," I shrugged. "I'm just... you know... surprised at how far Evanthe would go to make my life at Silver Moon miserable. It's terrifying."

"It is," Thalia warned. "You really should watch out for her. That woman has killed before, and she wouldn't hesitate to do it again. You need to be very careful around her."

"I know, I will be," I said. "And I'm glad to have my friend back. Thalia, you have no idea how much I missed you." My eyes welled up with tears.

"I missed you too, Isolde. I'm sorry I threw it in the trash. After you confronted me and we fought, I cried. I felt terrible, but I had to make it look convincing. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I smiled through my tears. "I completely understand."

"The entire Moon Alliance Program is talking about how you've replaced Evanthe," Thalia mentioned.

"Yeah. And as you can imagine, she's not happy about it."

"Kick her ass!" Thalia encouraged.

"I feel like one day she'll send someone to assassinate me in my sleep," I joked. We both laughed.

"She wouldn't dare!" Thalia exclaimed. "Especially not with Ezra backing you. And... speaking of Ezra... you haven't slept in this apartment for the past two weeks. Are you two official now?"

I sighed dejectedly. "I wish!"

"So you two are just... fucking each other?" Thalia asked tentatively.

"Mm-hmm," I confirmed. It was sad and annoying, but it was truth.

*I hope someday he'll be ready to mark me and make me his true mate,* I thought to myself.