Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 254

Ezra's POV

I still hadn't found her.

I ran my hands through my hair, feeling the weight of every sleepless hour. Yeah, I'd fucked up with her—badly. I'd been controlling, possessive, and I'd hurt her in ways that made my chest ache just thinking about it. But this punishment, this complete disappearance? It was killing me slowly, piece by piece.

I'd been so hopeful, so fucking sure that Isolde had sought out her mother. The woman she'd talked about with such longing, the reunion she'd dreamed of for years. When Orion had tracked down the address, I'd felt this surge of relief, thinking I'd finally found her.

Instead, I'd walked into a nightmare.

The memory of that cold, indifferent woman still made my blood boil. How could a mother be so heartless?

But what terrified me more than that woman's coldness was the thought of Isolde showing up there. My beautiful, strong mate who'd been through so much, walking into that apartment full of hope only to have her heart shattered by the one person who should have welcomed her with open arms.

I had to find her before that happened. I had to get to her first and make sure she never faced that kind of rejection.

A knock on my door interrupted my spiraling thoughts. I straightened in my chair, hoping against hope that whoever was about to walk in might have good news for once.

"Come in," I called, my voice rougher than I intended.

The door opened, and Orion stepped inside. He was wearing full black tactical gear, clearly having just returned from another search mission. His amber eyes met mine, and I could see the exhaustion there, the frustration that mirrored my own.

"Please tell me you're here with something that's going to make my day," I said, though my tone was hoarse with fatigue. "Or should I just kick you out now?"

Orion's expression didn't change, but there was something in his eyes that made my stomach clench. "You might want to kick me out after you hear what I have to say."

I groaned, slumping back in my chair. Another dead end. Another failed search. Another day without her.

"Let me guess," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "The teams came back empty-handed again."

"Ezra—"

"For the millionth time, the answer is no," I cut him off, knowing exactly what he was about to ask. "You and Nathaniel are not going out there personally to search for her."

Orion stepped closer, his jaw tight with frustration. "And for the millionth time, I'm telling you that we need to be out there. You need your best people actually looking for her, not sitting behind desks managing everyone else."

"I need my best people here," I snapped, rising from my chair. "I'm barely holding it together, Orion. If you and Nathaniel disappear for days or weeks tracking down leads, this whole organization falls apart. The pack goes to hell. And every Alpha who's been waiting for a chance to challenge me or overthrow me will see their opening."

I moved to the window, pressing my palms against the cool glass. "You think I don't want to be out there myself? But I can't risk it. Not when I still have enemies who remember how my first mate died."

The words tasted bitter on my tongue. My first mate had been killed during a surprise attack when I'd let my guard down, when I'd trusted that my territory was secure. The PTSD from that night still haunted me, and I couldn't—wouldn't—make the same mistake again.

"The elders might be gone, but there are still plenty of wolves who think they'd make a better Lycan King. My presence here keeps them in line. It keeps the other district Alphas from getting ideas. I have to trust the teams I'm sending out."

Orion was quiet for a long moment, and when he finally spoke, his voice was careful, almost hesitant. "Ezra, have you considered that maybe we haven't found any trace of her because that's exactly what she wants?"

Something cold crawled down my spine. "What are you talking about?"

"What if she's hiding from us on purpose? What if she doesn't want us to find her? What if she wanted to get away from all of this, so she left and made sure we couldn't track her down?"

"I..." I started, then stopped. The thought had never occurred to me. I'd been so focused on the idea that someone had taken her, that she was in danger, that she needed rescuing. But what if...

What if she didn't want to be rescued?

I felt like a complete fucking idiot. Of course she was hiding. Of course she didn't want anything to do with me anymore. When she found out about Evanthe's pregnancy, everything went to hell. She'd accused me of being responsible, threatened to leave me. I'd locked her in that secret apartment because I couldn't bear the thought of losing her.

And then I'd forced myself on her. The memory made me sick. She'd promised me that she'd leave me the first chance she got, and I'd ignored her, dismissed her pain, her anger. Then came the accusations that landed her in the cell.

Her rage toward me must have reached a breaking point by then. Her determination to get away from me had probably grown stronger every day.

"She escaped that cell," I said slowly, the realization hitting me like a truck. "She got out, just like she promised she would, and now she's hiding somewhere, making sure I can never drag her back to this place that's brought her nothing but problems and pain."

The pieces fit too perfectly. Isolde wasn't kidnapped. She wasn't in danger. She was safe somewhere, probably holed up in some hideout, doing everything she could to ensure I'd never find her, never bring her back to Silver Moon.

"It's all my fault," I whispered, the words scraping out of my throat like broken glass. "My constant fear of losing control, my arrogance, my stubbornness—I pushed her away."

I walked to the windows. All I could think about was Isolde, out there somewhere, free and determined to stay that way.

"Keep searching," I said quietly, not turning around.

When I finally looked back at Orion, I added, "I agree with you that she's probably hiding now. But she'll have to come out eventually. So... keep searching. She's my mate. I'm not giving up on her."

"Yes, my King," Orion replied with a slight bow. "We'll find her."

He turned and left the office, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

I moved closer to the window, taking another step until I was close enough to see my reflection in the glass—my disheveled hair, the dark circles under my eyes, the hollow look of a man who'd lost everything that mattered.

"I'm such a fucking asshole," I muttered to my reflection.