Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 223

Thalia's POV

Emma demanded, "Are you kidding me? What the fuck are you talking about?"

I stared at Emma with a look that clearly said, "You face told me everything I needed to know before you even opened your mouth".

"You're seriously going to sit there and pretend you don't know what I'm talking about?" I let out a bitter laugh. "You delivered a box containing sex toys to Isolde, claiming Greta had instructed you to take it to Beta Nathaniel's house. That little lie of yours got Isolde into serious trouble."

Emma's face went pale, her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap. She couldn't even look me in the eye.

"You might not have masterminded the whole scheme," I continued, my voice growing harder, "but you helped them make Isolde look like some kind of deviant. You were complicit in destroying her reputation."

Emma shifted uncomfortably in her chair, her face flushed with guilt. She started scratching at the back of her neck, a nervous habit I'd noticed before, and her gaze darted anywhere but at me. The silence stretched between us, thick with tension.

"Nothing to say?" I pressed. "I thought so."

I turned my attention to Nyssa and the other Moon Alliance girls sitting around the lounge, their faces carefully neutral but their eyes betraying their unease.

"And you girls," I said, my voice cutting through the room like a blade, "you committed the crimes Isolde was framed for during those underground arena matches. You know it, I know it, and Isolde's stepsister Sybilla took the fall for all of you."

Nyssa cleared her throat but remained silent, her eyes flickering with something that looked suspiciously like shame. The other girls exchanged uncomfortable glances, but none of them spoke up.

"Isolde used to be your friend, Nyssa," I said, focusing on her specifically. "But you betrayed her without a second thought, like it meant nothing to you. How do you sleep at night knowing what you did?"

Still nothing. Just more uncomfortable shifting and averted gazes.

I felt my anger building, but I kept my voice steady. "And we all know who was pulling the strings, don't we? Evanthe Hawthorne, the former Gamma's daughter. She poisoned your minds, made you all her little puppets, and she'll destroy every single one of you in the end."

Now I had their attention. Several girls leaned forward slightly, their eyes wide with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

"Look at her track record," I continued relentlessly. "The female bodyguards who were caught when Isolde was drugged and nearly assaulted by those executives? Gone. Ash—" I paused, letting the weight of that name sink in. "You all know who killed her. And now Sybilla, rotting in prison while Evanthe walks free."

The girls exchanged terrified glances, and I could see my words hitting their mark.

"Do you want to end up like Ash, Sybilla, or those other girls?" I asked pointedly. "Because that's where this is heading if you keep following Evanthe's lead."

Emma's hands were trembling now, and I could see the fear creeping into her eyes. Perfect.

"Isolde came here to fulfill her father's debt contract and serve Silver Moon Group," I said, my voice taking on a more reasonable tone. "She never did anything to hurt any of you. But your malicious actions made her life miserable and fed Evanthe's ego. And Evanthe? She's manipulative, selfish, and dangerous."

I leaned forward, delivering the bombshell I'd been saving. "And here's something you might not know—Ezra isn't the father of the child she was carrying."

Nyssa's eyes went wide. "You know saying something like that could get your tongue cut out, right?"

"It's the truth," I said firmly. "And I can get Security Director Orion to testify to that fact."

Emma finally found her voice. "Evanthe would never do something like that."

I turned to her with a sardonic smile. "Do you really believe that, Emma? Do you honestly think Evanthe is incapable of something like that?"

Emma's gaze dropped again, and she couldn't meet my eyes. "I thought so."

"The reason I called you all here," I said, standing up and pacing in front of them, "is to expose Evanthe and get Isolde her freedom. Evanthe has committed crimes against so many people, and it's time she faced the consequences."

I stopped pacing and looked directly at each of them in turn. "Isolde didn't poison Evanthe. Evanthe poisoned herself."

The room was dead silent now, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"I want you all to help me expose her," I continued. "Help me clear Isolde's name once and for all."

Emma's voice was small and uncertain. "How do we know you're not lying? Isolde is your best friend. Even if she really did commit those crimes, you'd still stand by her."

I turned to face her fully, my expression calm but my eyes burning with intensity. "Emma, of all the crimes Evanthe has accused Isolde of, can you honestly tell me that any of them were actually committed by Isolde? Or were they all orchestrated by Evanthe?"

Silence. Again.

"Ezra and Nathaniel are investigating Evanthe too," I said, playing my trump card. "And when she's exposed, you won't be able to escape the fallout. So you have a choice: either you come clean now and join Ezra's side, or you stay silent and go down with Evanthe when she's finally revealed for what she really is. The choice is yours."

The girls exchanged fearful glances, and I had to bite back a smile. I could see them wavering, the fear eating away at their resolve.

Emma looked like she was about to faint, and Nyssa was trying to maintain her tough facade but failing miserably. The other girls looked like they were on the verge of breaking down completely.

"I'll give you some time to think about it," I said magnanimously, then added with calculated precision, "I know you girls were involved in those crimes somehow, because I've seen the surveillance footage. There's concrete evidence pointing to all of you, so I hope you'll make the right—"

"We'll tell you everything you need to know!" Emma suddenly burst out, her voice cracking with panic.

I felt a surge of triumph but kept my expression neutral.

"I'm worried Evanthe will throw us under the bus to save herself," Emma continued rapidly. "If we confess now, maybe the punishment won't be as severe. I don't want to be executed!"

Nyssa closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh, the sound of complete defeat. It was clear she was ready to break too.

I couldn't help the broad smile that spread across my face.

*I did it!* The plan had worked perfectly.