Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 250

Isolde's POV

I hadn't slept a minute.

I'd been lying on bed for hours, staring at the ceiling of this unfamiliar room, my mind churning over every detail of last night's dinner.

My mother had saved me from that concrete hell, yes. But the woman who'd held me so rigidly last night felt nothing like the mother I'd dreamed of reuniting with for years. She'd been polite. Distant. Like I was some obligation she'd reluctantly accepted.

*"You're overthinking again,"* Lyra's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

*Am I?* I shot back mentally. *Because it sure as hell feels like I'm the only one who actually wanted this reunion. Like I'm the only one who's been thinking about her all these years.*

Lyra went quiet, which somehow made it worse. Even my wolf didn't have reassuring words for me.

I rolled over, burying my face in the pillow. The sheets smelled like lavender fabric softener—clean, domestic, normal. Everything I'd been craving during those nightmare weeks at Silver Moon. But now that I had it, all I could think about was how much my mother's new family seemed to hate having me here.

Holden had been surprisingly kind during dinner, but Lydia... Christ, the way she'd looked at me. Like I was some disease that had infected their perfect little home.

And maybe I was. Maybe I brought nothing but chaos wherever I went. First, I'd destroyed my father's family with my very existence—the living reminder of his failed first marriage. Now I was disrupting my mother's new life too.

The worst part? I had nowhere else to go.

My father's territory in Emerald Valley District was probably under Alpha Ezra's control by now. And I'd rather die than go back to Silver Moon Group.

I was tired of lying here torturing myself. Maybe I should go find my mother, try to talk to her again. If she didn't care about me at all, she wouldn't have risked everything to get me out of that place, right?

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my bare feet hitting the cool hardwood floor. The house was quiet, but I could hear faint sounds from somewhere down the hall—voices, maybe the sound of a coffee maker. Normal morning sounds from a normal family.

A normal family that I was disrupting.

I walked to the door, my hand hovering over the handle. Just as I was about to turn it, a loud voice from down the hall stopped me cold.

"First of all, you never told us you had a daughter!" Lydia's voice rang out, sharp and angry. "You just suddenly bring her back here and now you expect us to accept her?"

I froze, my heart slamming against my ribs. They were talking about me.

Lydia's words hit me like arrows, each one finding its mark and piercing straight through my chest. My body started trembling as the full impact of what she was saying sank in. This was it. This was what I'd been dreading.

"I'm not asking you to accept her right away," my mother's voice responded, and I pressed myself closer to the door. "Not immediately! I'm just asking you to be kind to her. Don't make her feel unwelcome here."

"But she is unwelcome!" Lydia shot back, her voice rising. "At least by me! She's got an Alpha father. She should go to him. She shouldn't be here! I don't want her here!"

My mother's voice came again, disappointed but firm: "Lydia! I didn't raise you to be so inconsiderate. Isolde needs our help, and we're going to give it to her!"

"I don't care, Mom," Lydia spat back. "I only know that I hate her and I don't want her here. That's it!"

I couldn't take anymore. My whole body was shaking now, and I felt like I might collapse right there in the hallway. This was exactly what I'd been afraid of—that my presence would tear apart my mother's new family, that they'd resent me for existing, that eventually my mother would have to choose between me and them.

And I already knew who she'd choose.

A deep male voice—Bruce—cut through the argument: "Let me handle this."

I heard his authoritative tone, then him addressing Lydia: "Lydia, sit down and be quiet!" His voice brooked no argument.

That was my cue to get the hell out of there. I couldn't listen to anymore. I stumbled back from the door, my hands shaking as I twisted the handle and slipped back into my room, closing the door as quietly as possible.

I collapsed onto the bed, my whole body trembling with fear and panic. My mind was racing, spinning out of control.

I bit my nails nervously, staring blankly at the wall as my thoughts spiraled. Where would I go? I didn't know this community, this district. I had no money, no resources, no friends here. If I left, I'd probably have to change my identity somehow, find a way to hide from Alpha Ezra's surveillance systems and his people who were probably still looking for me.

A knock on my door made me jump so hard I nearly fell off the bed.

"Isolde."

My mother's voice.

Terror flooded my system. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead, and my breathing became rapid and shallow. This was it. She was coming to tell me I had to leave.

*She's here to kick me out,* I thought, my heart hammering like a war drum in my chest.

The knock came again.

"Isolde."

I was trembling so hard I could barely speak. "Come... come in," I managed, my voice cracking.

The door opened, and my mother stepped inside. She had this strange half-smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes, and I noticed immediately that her whole demeanor was different from last night. Less rigid. Less cold.

I forced myself to stand up, trying to appear calm even though my heart was racing and my palms were sweating.

"Mother... good morning," I said, my voice hoarse with emotion.

Something in my voice must have reached her, because her tight smile relaxed into something that looked more genuine. More warm.

"Good morning, Isolde," she said, moving to sit on the edge of my bed.

I watched her carefully, trying to read her expression. The smile on her face seemed real now, not the forced politeness from last night. Her whole attitude was warmer, more welcoming. It was such a dramatic change from yesterday that it caught me completely off guard.

*I wonder what happened overnight to change this?* I thought, studying her face.

"How did you sleep last night?" she asked.

I cleared my throat, trying to steady my voice. "I... I slept very well. Thank you." The lie came easily. I forced a smile, trying to match her energy while inside I was still terrified about what she might say next.

I felt completely unprepared for whatever conversation was coming. If she told me I had to leave, I was going to break down crying.

I could already feel the tears building behind my eyes, threatening to spill over.