Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 220

Isolde's POV

I stared at Thalia through the glass, my heart aching as she spoke about gathering evidence and fighting for my freedom. Her words should have brought comfort, but all I felt was a hollow emptiness spreading through my chest.

"I'll go talk to those girls," Thalia promised, her voice thick with determination. "Sybilla, Nyssa... everyone. I'll try to get information out of them. I promise."

"Okay," I replied, the word coming out lifeless and flat.

"And you should be his wife, the Luna of this pack!" Thalia pressed, her eyes blazing with conviction.

I just stared at her blankly. Wife? Luna? The titles felt meaningless when I was trapped behind bars like a common criminal. What good were theoretical positions when I couldn't even get a glass of clean water?

Thalia's expression faltered as she read my face. "I have to leave now. The pack elders don't want anyone visiting you, and Orion had to pull some strings just to get me down here. Securities will be back soon."

Ollie, that fucking bastard. It made my skin crawl, but I forced a weak smile. "Then you should go. Don't get yourself in trouble."

Thalia reached through the small gap in the door and grasped my hand, her touch warm against my cold skin. "Stay strong, okay?"

I nodded vigorously, tears streaming down my face despite my efforts to hold them back. "Okay."

"I'll come see you again soon," she said, releasing my hand reluctantly.

As her footsteps faded down the corridor, I slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor. The concrete was freezing against my back, but I barely noticed anymore. Everything hurt—my body, my heart, my fucking soul.

*She's trying to help us,* Lyra said softly. *We're not completely alone.*

But I was alone. Sitting in this goddamn cell while everyone else lived their lives above ground.

I don't know how long I sat there before I heard footsteps again. My heart leaped with desperate hope—maybe it was Ezra, maybe he'd finally come to take me out of this nightmare.

But when I looked up at the door, my stomach dropped.

Ollie stood there with three other guards, all of them looking just as menacing as him. I quickly wiped my face with the back of my hand and looked away, every instinct screaming that I was in trouble.

One of the guards gestured toward my untouched food tray. "Looks like she hasn't touched her meal."

Ollie's voice was cold and mocking. "She's made it clear she'd rather starve than eat cold, stale food. Too good for prison rations, apparently."

I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my head on them, staring at the far wall. Maybe if I stayed quiet, they'd leave me alone. My body was already damaged, my spirit broken—I didn't need physical pain on top of everything else. I couldn't fight four trained guards, not in my current state.

"Doesn't she know that trash like her doesn't get to make choices about what she eats?" another guard sneered. "If we give her cold, spoiled food, she should eat it whether she likes it or not!"

My heart rate spiked, sweat breaking out across my skin despite the cold. This was going somewhere bad.

"Well, she's refusing to eat," Ollie said, his tone deceptively casual. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Force her to eat it," the guard replied, his voice dripping with malice. "Just like she forced our dear Evanthe to drink that poison that killed her unborn child."

I whipped my head around to stare at them, my mouth opening to protest my innocence. But then I caught myself. What was the point? Evanthe was a brilliant actress. All the evidence pointed to me. I would always be guilty in their eyes.

So I closed my mouth and turned away again.

"Look!" one of them laughed cruelly. "She knows she's guilty. The moment we mention it, she can't help but look at us."

They all laughed, the sound echoing off the concrete walls. I watched them with what I hoped was a steady gaze, but inside, my heart was racing out of control. Sweat was pouring down my back now.

One of the guards stepped closer to the door. "Evanthe lost her baby because of you. You poisoned her. You murdered the future heir of this pack, and you're going to pay for it. The elders will make sure you're publicly executed for treason, and no one will ever speak your name again."

*Don't listen to them,* Lyra snarled in my mind. *They're trying to break us.*

But her voice seemed so far away. All I could focus on was the hatred in their eyes, the way they looked at me like I was less than human.

Ollie pulled out his keys, that evil smile spreading across his face again, his eyes wild with anticipation. He unlocked the cell door with a metallic click that seemed to echo forever.

My soul felt like it was leaving my body.

The four men crowded into my small cell, making the walls feel like they were closing in around me. The space that had felt cramped before now felt suffocating.

"What were you thinking when you put that poison in Evanthe's drink?" Ollie demanded, looming over me. "That she'd lose the baby, or maybe die too, and then you could have Ezra all to yourself? Was that your plan?"

I didn't speak. Didn't look at him. I turned my face toward the wall and closed my eyes, trying to disappear into myself.

"She's being disrespectful again," one of the others observed. "Even now, she's choosing to ignore your questions."

"Looks like I'll have to force the words out of her," Ollie growled.

A large hand grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head to the side. Pain shot through my scalp like fire, and I cried out, suddenly staring up at four angry faces glaring down at me.

Ollie tightened his grip on my hair, pulling upward until I was forced to meet his evil eyes. "When I ask you a question, you answer, murderer!"

I kept my mouth shut, glaring back at him with all the defiance I could muster.

Ollie's smile turned vicious. "Just so you know, your little plan failed. Ezra is taking excellent care of Evanthe right now, and I'm sure he hates your guts. You've lost him forever!"

He laughed mockingly, the sound making my stomach churn.

I swallowed hard against the pain in my throat.