Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 249

Ezra's POV

I looked up from my desk as Orion entered my office, his expression unreadable as always. But something was different about him today—there was a subtle tension in his shoulders, a slight tightness around his eyes that I'd learned to recognize after years of working together.

"The meeting with your father didn't go well," I observed, gesturing for him to take a seat.

Orion settled into the chair across from my desk, his posture straight and professional. "That would be an understatement," he said, his voice calm. "My father has officially disowned me."

I felt my eyebrows rise in shock. "Your father disowned you?"

"This isn't the first time he's said those words to me," Orion continued, his tone remarkably steady. "But from the look in his eyes, I could tell this time he meant it. I think I finally crossed his bottom line."

I stared at him, stunned by his composure. "Your father just disowned you, and you can be this calm about it?"

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Orion's mouth. "You have to understand, Ezra—my relationship with my father has been toxic for years. He's always criticized me, never given me any validation, always tried to control my life. He wanted to control my life, but I made it clear that wouldn't work, so he got angry and decided to be a terrible father."

The casual way he spoke about such devastating family rejection made my chest tighten. I'd known Orion came from a complicated family situation, but hearing it laid out so starkly was jarring.

"My father only ever saw me as an heir who had to maintain his reputation and status," Orion went on, his amber eyes distant. "I hate him for that. I always have. Your father—the former Alpha—he was the only one who ever treated me like a son."

Poor Orion.

He met my gaze directly. "I'm telling you this so you understand I'm not some cold-blooded monster. What happened to my family—what's happening to them now—I see it as the Moon Goddess's justice. I appreciate her fairness. She punishes everyone at the right time."

The matter-of-fact way he spoke about divine retribution against his own family was both impressive and deeply unsettling. It explained so much about his reaction to Evanthe's execution, his distance from family drama. No wonder he'd seemed so detached.

"I can see why you've always been distant from family matters," I said quietly. "And why you didn't react more strongly to Evanthe's behavior."

Orion shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the personal direction of our conversation. "Speaking of matters at hand—the search teams sent to Silver Lake District just returned. They didn't find Isolde, but our people in other regions are still searching."

The mention of Isolde's name hit me like a physical blow. The brief distraction of Orion's family drama evaporated, replaced by the familiar ache that had been gnawing at my chest for days.

"I miss her," I whispered, the words escaping before I could stop them. "God, I miss her so much I feel like I'm dying..."

My voice cracked on the last word. Three days. Three fucking days since she'd vanished from that cell, and every hour felt like an eternity. I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to push back the wave of despair threatening to drown me.

"That door was locked," I said, dropping my hands and looking at Orion desperately. "How the hell did she escape? Orion... you don't think she just vanished into thin air, do you?"

Orion's expression remained carefully neutral. "Honestly, Ezra, I don't know what to think or say right now. How Isolde left that room is still a mystery to me."

The helplessness in his voice only made my own frustration worse. I slammed my fist on the desk, making the papers scatter.

"This is punishment for me not marking her immediately when I first saw her," I said, my voice rough with self-recrimination. "This is all my fault. I hesitated, I doubted, and now the Moon Goddess has taken her away from me."

"Don't lose hope," Orion said firmly, leaning forward in his chair. "We'll keep searching. Nathaniel and I will personally lead teams if we have to. We will find our Luna!"

His determination should have been comforting, but I felt like I was drowning in my own guilt and desperation. Where could she be? How could someone just disappear from a locked, secured cell?

Then, like lightning striking, a thought hit me.

"Her mother," I breathed.

Orion frowned. "What?"

"Her mother!" I said again, louder this time, my heart suddenly racing with the first real hope I'd felt in days. "Isolde was always talking about wanting to see her mother. What if she's with her mother right now?"

I jumped up from my chair, pacing behind my desk as my mind raced. Isolde had mentioned her mother several times during our conversations. She'd talked about missing her.

"Quick, Orion, contact her father," I ordered, my voice sharp with urgency. "Ask him everything about Isolde's mother. Her name, her whereabouts, how to find her. Do it now!"

"I'll get right on it!" Orion said, already rising from his chair. He rushed toward the door with the kind of efficiency I'd always admired in him.

"Her mother!" I repeated, excitement coursing through my veins. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?"

As the door closed behind Orion, I felt a surge of hope that made my hands shake. This had to be it. This had to be where she was.

I moved to the sofa area of my office, settling onto the leather cushions as I tried to center myself. In my mind, I reached out to my wolf.

*Prime,* I called silently. *I think we finally have a lead on Isolde's whereabouts. I think we're finally going to get our mate back.*

Prime's response was immediate and cold. *If you had listened to me in the first place, we never would have lost her.*

I immediately fell silent, settling back into the sofa cushions. There was no point in arguing with him. Because he was right.

Instead, I closed my eyes and let myself feel the first real hope I'd experienced in days.

*I found her,* I thought to myself, a smile tugging at my lips for the first time since she'd disappeared. *I found her.*