Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 165

ISOLDE'S POV

"Are you here to gloat that I've finally landed in trouble?" she added, her eyes narrowing as she looked me up and down through the reinforced glass.

I studied her for a moment, taking in her disheveled appearance. The usually perfect Sybilla looked broken, her clothes wrinkled, her flawless makeup smeared. Her golden hair, normally styled to perfection, hung in limp strands around her face. For a brief second, I almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

"You weren't the one who masterminded all of this," I said calmly, watching her reaction. "The entire plan wasn't yours. It was someone else's, and you were just following her orders. But now, you're being treated as the mastermind."

Sybilla's face twitched with irritation. She paced the small cell like a caged animal, her movements jerky and agitated.

"Cut the bullshit," she snapped, stopping abruptly to face me. "Just say what you came to say."

I tilted my head, observing the way her hands trembled slightly. "Why would I need to say what you already know?"

She flinched, and I saw it then—the shame beneath her anger. The realization that she'd been used and discarded like yesterday's trash. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she struggled to maintain her composure.

"I think you're nothing," Sybilla hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "Just a nobody."

I let out a small, humorless laugh. "That's not news to me. I've been hearing that from you my entire life."

Her eyes flashed with fury as she stepped closer to the glass, her breath fogging the surface between us. "Isolde, what the fuck do you want from me? Why are you here?" The question came out as almost a scream, her composure completely shattered.

"Your accomplice abandoned you when you needed her the most," I said, watching her reaction carefully. "Just like the other girls, you're taking the fall for her. I bet you're shocked. You never thought she would betray you like this, did you?"

Sybilla's face contorted with bitterness. "Why do you care?" she asked, her voice softer but no less hostile.

I noticed the physical signs of her distress—her eyes burning with anger and resentment, her nostrils flaring with each breath. The veins at her temples pulsed with excessive stimulation. She was coming undone before my eyes.

"How could you not know she was just using you?" I continued, pressing where it hurt. "Look where your self-importance has gotten you. In a cell, alone, while she walks free."

She tried to appear unaffected, straightening her shoulders and forcing a cold smile. "At least I made your life miserable, even if just for a short time."

But I could see through her facade. Her body betrayed her—the slight tremor in her voice, the way her eyes darted around nervously. She was terrified of what would happen to her now that she'd been abandoned by her powerful ally.

"Despite wanting to feel sorry for you right now, I'm glad you're finally getting what you deserve," I said, my voice hardening. "Every night you spend in this cell, I hope you remember all the terrible things you've done to me..."

Sybilla's face flushed red. Her eyes grew moist, but she blinked rapidly, refusing to let tears fall. Her breathing became quick and uneven, a clear sign of extreme anger. She ran a hand through her tangled hair, trying to regain some semblance of control.

"Isolde, leave," she demanded, her voice shaking.

I stood my ground, planting my feet firmly on the cold concrete floor. "Not until you tell me why you hate me so much. What did I ever do to you, Sybilla? Why have you always treated me with so much hatred and contempt? Why?"

Something in Sybilla snapped. She let out a strangled cry, tears finally spilling down her cheeks, leaving trails of mascara in their wake.

"Because you always thought you were better than me!" she screamed, her voice breaking, bouncing off the walls of the small cell.

I stared at her in shock as she continued, words pouring out between sobs.

"When I first came to your house, you looked at me like I was nothing! Like I was trash!" Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "I had to work so hard to get people to like me, to get our father to notice me. That's why I turned your friends against you. That's why I made sure my mother influenced our father after your mother left, so he would always pay more attention to me. I worked hard, and I got what I wanted!"

Her confession hit me like a physical blow. I stood frozen, struggling to process what I was hearing. All these years, all the pain and isolation I'd endured—all because she felt inferior? Because she'd been jealous?

"You call that hard work?" I finally managed, my voice rising with incredulity. "Hurting others and stealing things that don't belong to you? That's not any form of hard work. That's wrong!"

My body trembled with rage, my fists clenching so tightly my nails dug into my palms. For years, I'd wondered what I'd done to deserve her hatred. Now I knew—nothing. I'd done absolutely nothing except exist.

"You'll never understand!" Sybilla shouted, pressing her palms against the glass, her face contorted with rage and pain.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Looking at her now, I felt nothing but disgust. Any lingering sympathy had evaporated like morning dew under a harsh sun.

"I'm glad you were caught, and I look forward to seeing you punished for your crimes. As for Evanthe, I'll deal with her. Just like you, she'll be caught. I'll make sure of it."

Sybilla's lips curled into a sneer, a flash of her old self returning despite her disheveled state. "Only if you survive the plans she has for you will you catch her."

I stared at her, baffled by her continued loyalty to someone who had thrown her to the wolves without a second thought. "Your loyalty is refreshing. Hope you enjoy your stay here." With that, I turned to leave, the sound of my footsteps echoing in the corridor.

*She's not worth any more of your time,* Lyra growled in my mind. *Let her rot.*

As I walked away from the detention cell, I felt lighter than I had in years. The weight of confusion and self-doubt that had plagued me since childhood seemed to lift from my shoulders. The knot that had been in my chest for as long as I could remember began to unravel.

*I'm not a nobody,* I thought, straightening my shoulders as I headed back toward the elevator. *She only called me that to make herself feel better. One down, one to go!*