Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 217

Orion's POV

I shifted in my chair, trying to find a comfortable position that didn't exist. My neck felt hot, and I couldn't stop tapping my fingers against the polished surface of my desk. Across from me, Thalia sat with perfect posture, those intelligent green eyes studying my every move.

"You've been fidgeting for five seconds straight," she said, tilting her head slightly. "Whatever you need to tell me must be serious."

I cleared my throat. "This isn't an easy thing to say."

The clock on my wall ticked loudly in the silence. The room suddenly felt too small, too warm. I only hoped that after hearing what I had to say, Thalia wouldn't look at me differently.

"I just..." I stammered, "I, uh..."

Thalia raised an eyebrow, her gaze intensifying. "You..."

I took a deep breath and blurted it out. "The thing is, I once had feelings for Isolde."

There. I'd said it. I waited for her reaction—the anger, the hurt, maybe even yelling. Instead, Thalia sat perfectly still, her expression unchanged. This was worse than I expected. No reaction typically meant a very bad reaction was building.

"Did you hear what I just said?" I asked, my voice strained.

"I heard you," she replied evenly.

"And?"

"And nothing."

I frowned. "Nothing is what? What does that mean?"

"It means nothing," Thalia said, "because I already know."

My head tilted to the side as I studied her, trying to understand. This calm acceptance was the last thing I'd expected. Thalia's lips curved into a slight smile at my obvious confusion.

"You know?" I asked. "How could you possibly know?"

She shifted in her seat, leaning forward slightly. "Well, Isolde has always told me how nice you were to her when she first arrived. How caring you were during training sessions. How, whenever she was called to service Ezra or other executives, you would mysteriously appear in the break room and 'steal' her away."

I listened, speechless, as Thalia continued.

"When she explained all this to me, I figured you had feelings for her and were trying to make her see it, but she wouldn't. So yes, I've known for quite some time."

Not a hint of jealousy or annoyance colored her voice. Her smile remained genuine, her eyes warm. I couldn't help but laugh, stunned by her perception and acceptance.

*The Moon Goddess must be playing with me,* I thought.

"That was all before I found you," I hastened to add, reaching across the desk to take her hand. "Thalia, I swear on my life, the night I first saw you, any feelings I had for any other girl flew out of my heart, my soul, my entire body. Now, I only have feelings for you. No one else. You're my mate, and I love you more than life itself."

Her fingers tightened around mine. "I know that too," she said softly. "Before I found you, I had feelings for others as well. But just like you, those wandering feelings disappeared the moment I saw you. Now it's just us."

"Yes," I agreed, relief flooding through me. "Now it's just us."

She nodded, and then her expression shifted back to seriousness. "Okay. Now, let's not stray from the current topic. Let's get back to discussing how to get Isolde out of this mess."

I cleared my throat, adjusting to a more comfortable position in my chair. The weight that had been pressing on my chest was gone, replaced by renewed determination to help our friend.

"I know who to contact," Thalia said, her voice taking on a strategic quality. "I'm going to talk to those girls Evanthe recruited to do her evil bidding. I'll even visit those locked up in the basement of Silver Moon."

She leaned forward, her eyes intense. "For that, I need you to slightly abuse your authority so I can reach them. Can you do that?"

"Yes. I can," I replied without hesitation.

"I'll talk to those girls and see what I can get from them, or if they can testify that Evanthe made them do things. I believe that would help."

"It would, my love. It would help tremendously," I agreed, already mentally cycling through the access protocols I'd need to override.

I sighed, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on us. "Ezra cannot lose Isolde. If he loses another mate, he will lose his mind..." The memory of her death flashed before my eyes, and I felt my voice catch. "You should have seen how heartbroken he was when she died. If the same thing happens again, he will go mad."

Thalia's expression softened with curiosity. "You mean his previous mate?"

I nodded, feeling a familiar tightness in my throat. "Yes."

"What happened to her?" Her voice was gentle, careful.

"She..." I started, but found I couldn't continue as the horrible memories of her death surfaced. "Let's not talk about this, okay? She's gone now, let her rest in peace. Please."

"Okay," Thalia nodded, understanding in her eyes.

She moved around the desk and knelt beside my chair, taking my hands in hers. "She'll be fine. We'll find a way to get her out of this. I promise."

I rested my head against her chest as she wrapped her arms around me, her fingers gently stroking my hair. From this simple gesture, I drew so much hope.

*We'll do it,* I thought, closing my eyes as Thalia's soothing touch calmed my racing thoughts. *We'll expose Evanthe and free Isolde.*

Whatever it took, we would make this right. For Isolde, for Ezra, and for justice itself.