Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 186

Isolde's POV

My heart was still bleeding after a day's training. Not literally, but it might as well have been from the way it throbbed painfully in my chest. I paced across my high-end apartment bedroom at Privilege Apartments, fingers trembling as I pulled clothes from my closet and tossed them onto the bed.

"What did you expect, Isolde?" I whispered to myself, voice cracking. "That someone like him would actually choose someone like you?"

The news of Evanthe's pregnancy had shattered everything. Evanthe—my enemy, my nemesis—carrying Ezra's child. The Silver Moon Group's board members would insist he choose her once they learned of the pregnancy. She was from an elite family, daughter of someone powerful in the company. And now she carried the future Silverwood heir.

God, I loved him. I loved him so much it physically hurt. But this situation was beyond salvaging. The thought of Evanthe's triumphant smile made my stomach turn. She would use this pregnancy to drive me from Ezra's life by any means necessary.

*We need to leave,* Lyra insisted in my mind. *He's just like all the others. He'll hurt us in the end.*

I nodded, wiping away a stray tear. "We're leaving. We'll find Mom, start over somewhere new."

Maybe I'd even find my true mate one day—someone who wouldn't lie to my face while another woman carried his child.

This was too exhausting. I sighed shoulders slumping. I just wanted peace now.

Since becoming close with Ezra, my life had been one drama after another. The politics, the schemes, the constant feeling of walking on eggshells... I was done.

The sound of the bedroom door opening startled me. I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't heard anyone enter. I turned from the mirror where I'd been staring blankly at my reflection and nearly fainted.

"Mr. Silverwood," I gasped.

"Hey, baby," Ezra replied, his voice hoarse.

He looked nothing like the impeccable Lycan King I was accustomed to seeing. His custom suit jacket hung over his right arm, expensive leather briefcase in his left hand. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and his usually perfect hair was disheveled. But what struck me most was his face—exhausted, defeated, the strain of everything clearly visible.

Part of me wanted to comfort him, but I hardened my heart. He'd brought this on himself.

"You're back," I said coolly.

"Yes, baby. I'm back," he replied, those simple words somehow causing my heart to race traitorously.

Every time he called me "baby," it was like a knife to my heart, especially now that I knew about him and Evanthe.

Ezra stepped into the room, setting his briefcase on a nearby chair. "Have you calmed down? Can we talk?" he asked, his eyes pleading.

I nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. After my session with Nyssa at the training center, I did feel somewhat better—physically exhausted enough that the emotional pain had dulled slightly.

Ezra approached the bed, and I nearly gasped at the raw grief on his face. He looked like a man on the verge of collapse.

"Isolde," he said, then suddenly switched course. "How was your day?"

I stared at him. "What do you think?"

Ezra closed his eyes, massaging his forehead before sighing heavily. "Listen, Isolde... I know we're facing a difficult situation..."

"'Difficult situation?'" I interrupted, my voice rising. "Mr. Silverwood, you got another woman pregnant, and not just anyone—it's Evanthe. She's the daughter of someone high up in Silver Moon's management... Once the board members hear about this pregnancy, they'll all suggest you get rid of me and accept Evanthe because she's always been their choice for you."

"Who they choose for me doesn't matter," Ezra fired back. "What matters is who I choose, and I choose you!"

"Ezra, I'm tired!" My voice cracked with emotion. "Since we started getting close, there's been one problem after another. I don't even know what to do anymore."

He moved closer, his expression softening. "You don't need to do anything. Just sit back and let me handle this."

"And how exactly are you going to handle it?" I challenged, eyes narrowing.

"I will," he insisted. "You need to trust me."

I shook my head, fighting back tears. "No. I'm sorry, I can't. This is too complicated... I think the best thing for me is to withdraw." The last word nearly broke me, but I believed it was the right decision.

"This proves our relationship will never be peaceful. Maybe it's a sign we shouldn't be together. So, let's end this. Let's break up and let me go."

Ezra's expression darkened, horror flashing across his face as his wolf Prime stirred just beneath the surface. "You can't be serious."

My throat tightened. "I am serious."

"Isolde, I really don't understand you," he said, frustration evident in his voice. "I got Evanthe pregnant weeks ago, before we were officially together, which means I didn't betray you. Even if that child is born, it doesn't change anything because you're the one I've chosen. You're the one I want to be with. No matter what, I intend to make you my Luna!"

The last sentence sent a chill through me. My eyes widened, tears glistening. Becoming Ezra's Luna—his official mate and the true power behind Silver Moon Group—had once been all I wanted.

"No. I don't want that," I replied, shaking my head vehemently. "I don't want my current life to be a constant reminder of my past. My father's affairs forced two families to merge... Evanthe will always be a dark, ominous shadow... She's the security director's sister and the daughter of someone very powerful in this group. She's elite! Now she's pregnant with your child... your future heir. The group will choose her and see me as the enemy... This is all too messy!"

"Isolde, you seem to forget one thing—I am the Lycan King," Ezra countered, his voice deepening with authority. "I have the power and authority to silence anyone who opposes our relationship. Evanthe won't be a problem... and if this bothers you so much, we'll have our own child, and he or she will be my heir."

"That's impossible," I denied. "Things won't be as simple as you think. I saw what happened between my mom and dad. I know how this story ends."

Ezra's expression hardened with anger. "Why can't you look forward and stop thinking about your past? Why do you keep letting it control how you think?... I think it's time to stop trying to connect our situation with your parents'."

I glared at him, his anger fueling my own. I could feel Lyra growling inside me.

"If you think it's so easy, then let me go and choose Evanthe as your mate," I challenged, voice rising despite the tears threatening to spill. "After all, we're not married, and you haven't marked me."

"You are my mate, Isolde," Ezra burst out, his voice filled with desperation. "I will never let you go!"

"Then why haven't you marked me, for fuck's sake!" I burst out too.