Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 143

ISOLDE'S POV

I pushed open the door to the laundry room in the regular section of the Moon Alliance Program residences, already regretting my decision to come here. The Privilege Apartments had better facilities, but all the machines were occupied. Unfortunately, this meant dealing with the regular section girls—not that the ones in Privilege were any better with their designer clothes and fake smiles.

The laundry room was crowded, typical for a weekend. Girls clustered in small groups, some folding clothes, others waiting for their cycles to finish. The chatter died down momentarily as I entered, several heads turning my way before the whispers resumed, more intense than before.

I kept my eyes down, focusing on finding an empty machine. The weight of their stares made my skin prickle uncomfortably.

"Look at her, still pretending she hasn't fallen out of favor," a girl with auburn hair stage-whispered to her friend, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Laughter rippled through the room. My hands tightened around my laundry basket, knuckles turning white as fear crawled up my spine. I hated this feeling—being the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.

The girl continued, emboldened by the audience's reaction. "I heard Alpha Ezra's been really cold to her lately. Doesn't even call her up to his penthouse anymore." She smirked, looking directly at me though I refused to meet her gaze. "Looks like he's going to do to her what he did to Evanthe. Use her and toss her aside. Poor thing."

My chest tightened with anger and humiliation. I recognized her—just days ago, she'd been all smiles and compliments when she thought I had Ezra's favor. The fickleness was sickening but predictable.

*When I was in Alpha's good graces, they all pretended to be my friends. Now that things are rocky, they show their true colors,* I thought bitterly.

A redhead sitting nearby added fuel to the fire. "She's losing her grip on him. I bet she's freaking out. He's completely ignoring her. It's only a matter of time before he kicks her out of Privilege."

"Oh, that would be something to see," another girl chimed in with fake concern. "Come back to us regulars, Isolde. If this happened to me, I'd be so ashamed I'd jump off the Silver Moon Tower."

They all turned to me with exaggerated sympathy. "Oh, poor Isolde."

"All you'll have left are your memories of being with Ezra," one said with a theatrical sigh.

"...and then watching him choose another girl and treat her like a queen," added another.

The conversation quickly devolved into speculation about who would be Ezra's next favorite. The redhead tossed her hair confidently. "He's going to choose me. Just wait and see!"

I stood frozen, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing me run away. My laundry basket felt heavier by the second, but I wouldn't let them win. I wouldn't let them see me break.

*I'm not leaving. I won't let these bitches get to me.*

"Don't listen to them..." a soft voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned to see Cleo standing beside me, a gentle smile on her face. She was the girl who always offers to get my food at the cafeteria and one of the few girls who hadn't openly participated in the mockery.

"Cleo," I said, unable to keep the suspicion from my voice. "Are you here to make fun of me too?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "No, of course not." She took my laundry basket from my hands and led me to an empty machine in the corner. "Those girls are two-faced. One minute they're kissing your ass, the next they're stabbing you in the back. You shouldn't take anything they say seriously."

"But they're right!" I blurted out, pain evident in my voice. "He used me and then discarded me!"

Cleo's expression softened as she started sorting my clothes. "Even if that's true, you need to move forward. There's no point dwelling on it."

"You really suck at comforting people, you know that?" I said, but couldn't help the small smile that formed on my lips.

She grinned back, continuing to help with my laundry. For a moment, the cruel whispers around us faded into background noise.

"Those girls were talking shit about Sybilla yesterday too, by the way," Cleo mentioned casually as she separated colors from whites.

My eyebrows shot up. "Really? What were they saying?"

Cleo leaned closer, lowering her voice. "There's a rumor... well, not really a rumor because it's true. Sybilla's been sleeping with a lot of Lycan men. They say she doesn't discriminate... executives, wealthy businessmen, investors, plain ones, handsome ones... she sleeps with all of them. The Lycan men talk about her when they get together, discussing their experiences with her... I accidentally overheard some guys in the elevator at Silver Moon talking about her... you know... size... sensation...'"

I gasped.

"She ruined her own reputation," Cleo said matter-of-factly. "If you ask me, she deserves it. Karma for framing you and teaming up with Evanthe to make your life miserable in the Moon Alliance."

"Cleo—" I began.

"ISOLDE!"

The shrill voice cut through the room like a knife. The laundry room erupted in laughter as Sybilla stood at the entrance, her face flushed with anger. I heard someone whisper "Whore" just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Sybilla stalked toward me, a cold smile plastered on her face. "You don't look as miserable as I expected."

"What do you want?" I asked tiredly.

"Just letting you know your days in Privilege are numbered," she announced triumphantly. "Soon, you and that ugly friend of yours, Thalia, will be sent back to the regular section. I wanted you to be prepared for that."

I stared at her, genuinely surprised by her fixation on my living situation. "Why are you so obsessed with my life, Sybilla?"

Cleo stepped forward before I could stop her. "Yeah... don't you have Lycan men waiting to fuck you? I'm sure you're itching for it right now. Go find someone to scratch that itch instead of talking nonsense!"

"Cleo!" I warned, but the damage was done.

Sybilla's face turned crimson as the other girls erupted in laughter. She looked around the room, realizing she was now the target of their mockery.

"You should leave before this gets more embarrassing for you," I suggested quietly.

She pointed a trembling finger at me and then at the other girls in the room. "You, all of you... you'll pay for this!" She stormed out, nearly in tears, as the laughter followed her.

Cleo tried to contain her giggles, and even I found myself fighting a smile. Sybilla had no idea what she'd walked into.

*She has no clue what kind of situation she's put herself in,* I thought, watching the door swing shut behind her.