Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 191

Isolde's POV

The apartment, the pristine furniture and elegant décor. None of it mattered to me. This place wasn't a home; it was a prison.

If only I'd left immediately after Evanthe had announced her pregnancy. Why had I gone to the training center instead? Why hadn't I just grabbed my things and disappeared? I'd had my chance to escape, and I'd wasted it. Now I was trapped here, monitored by security, locked away like some criminal.

Tears burned behind my eyes as I thought about Ezra leaving earlier. My eyes were already red and swollen from a night of crying. My body felt numb, hollowed out.

"It's over," I whispered to the empty room. "Everything is ruined. The relationship is over. I'm now a prisoner in my mate's luxury jail."

The word "mate" sent a sharp, searing pain through my chest. We were mates. Ezra and I were destined for each other by the Moon Goddess herself. That was the truth that hurt more than anything else.

He'd watched me suffer through the humiliation of the Moon Alliance Program, enduring Evanthe's cruelty and my stepsister's plots. All while knowing that I was his Luna, his destined partner.

He could have claimed me at any time. He could have announced our bond and protected me from it all. Instead, he'd waited until a massive crisis hit us to admit the truth.

How could someone who was supposed to be my other half, my destined partner, treat me with such callous disregard?

I wanted to hate him. I wanted to feel nothing but rage and disgust. But the mate bond made that impossible. Even now, separated from him, my body ached for his presence. The bond tugged at my heart, urging me back to him despite everything he'd done.

I had to leave. I'd rather live the rest of my life with a broken heart than stay with someone who could lie to me like this. After everything he'd done...

The electronic beep of the door lock interrupted my thoughts. My heart jumped, pulse quickening as I turned toward the sound. Was it Ezra? Had he come back to talk, to explain?

The door swung open, and my hopes crashed. Una in a Silver Moon Group uniform entered, her expression professional and distant. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here, stuck caring for the Alpha's troublesome almost-mate. I couldn't blame her.

"Good morning, Miss Isolde," she said with practiced politeness. "Alpha Ezra has assigned me to attend to your needs while you're staying here. I'll provide your meals and anything else you might require. Just let me know what you need, and we'll fulfill your requests immediately."

I stared at her, my throat tight with unshed tears. "Where is Ezra?" My voice came out raspy from crying.

Una's eyes widened slightly at my casual use of the Lycan King and Silver Moon CEO's name without any title. I didn't care about formalities anymore.

"Where is Ezra?" I repeated, my voice hardening. "I need to see him now."

Una straightened her shoulders. "Alpha Ezra has gone to headquarters to handle urgent matters. You'll only see him when he finishes his work and comes to visit you." She paused, then added, "Your breakfast is being prepared and will be brought to you shortly. Good day."

She turned sharply and headed for the door. I nearly cursed at her back.

As the door closed behind her, I collapsed back onto the sofa with a heavy sigh, silently cursing both the maid and Alpha Ezra in my head.

*Lyra?* I called internally to my wolf. I could feel her presence, huddled in a corner of my mind, radiating misery.His betrayal had wounded her as deeply as it had me. He hadn't just denied me the connection to my mate; he'd denied Lyra her rightful bond with Prime, his wolf.

*Leave me alone,* Lyra replied, her mental voice thick with pain. *I need some time to myself.*

Her response made my heart twist with sympathy. Two souls, both shattered by the same man.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold together the pieces that threatened to fall apart. The apartment might be beautiful, with its expensive furniture and breathtaking views, but it was still a cage. A gilded cage for a wolf who needed to run free.

"I have to leave," I whispered again, conviction hardening in my chest. "Nothing and no one will change my mind. Even if he is my mate, I can't accept this betrayal."

My mind raced through potential escape plans. The security would be tight—Ezra wouldn't take chances after my previous attempt to leave. But there had to be a way out. Everyone made mistakes, even elite Silver Moon security. I just needed to watch and wait for an opportunity.

My fingers curled into fists. I had survived my father's betrayal, my stepsister's plots, and the entire Moon Alliance Program's cruelty. I would survive this too. Somehow, I would find my way back to freedom, even if it meant walking away from my destined mate.

Even if it meant living with a broken heart for the rest of my life.

The pain of that thought sent another wave of tears to my eyes, but I blinked them back furiously. I wouldn't cry anymore. I needed my strength and clarity now more than ever.

As I sat alone with my thoughts, one truth crystallized in my mind: no matter how tightly Ezra tried to hold onto me, he couldn't force me to love him after this betrayal. My heart might be bound to his by fate, but my will was still my own.

And I was determined to be free.