Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 264

ISOLDE'S POV

I stood at the front door, my stomach churning with a mixture of excitement and dread as I faced my family for what felt like the hundredth goodbye of the morning.

"Mom..." I said, reaching for her hands. "I've told you for the millionth time today, I'm going to be fine, I promise. You just have to promise me you'll come visit me often."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and I felt my own throat tighten in response. It was ridiculous how emotional this was making me. I'd survived two years building a company from scratch, faced down hostile reporters just yesterday, and now I was getting teary-eyed over a temporary separation from my mother.

"Take care of yourself," she whispered, her voice thick with worry.

"I'll miss you too," I replied, swallowing hard against the lump in my throat. "Take care."

Before I could completely lose my composure, I turned to Bruce, who immediately opened his arms wide. I practically threw myself into his embrace, and he wrapped me in one of his signature bear hugs that made me feel like a little kid again.

"You have to give it your all, okay?" he said firmly, pulling back to look at me with those kind eyes that had welcomed me into this family two years ago. "You're an incredible designer. I know you're going to win. You just need to work hard."

The sincerity in his voice broke something loose in my chest, and I felt tears spring to my eyes. "I'll miss you too," I managed. "Thank you so much, Bruce."

His unconditional support still amazed me sometimes. From the moment I'd stumbled into their lives, he'd treated me like I belonged there.

I turned to Lydia next, offering her a smile despite knowing she'd probably have some sarcastic comment ready. True to form, she just shrugged, not moving from where she leaned against the doorframe.

"So I'm not important enough to get a hug too?" she asked, but there was something almost playful in her tone rather than her usual hostility.

We both burst into laughter, and she stepped forward to wrap me in a surprisingly warm embrace.

"I'll come see you every weekend," she promised, and I could hear genuine affection beneath her usual cool exterior. "I know you're going to win."

"I'll look forward to it," I said, meaning it. "Thank you, Lydia."

Our relationship had been rocky from the start, but moments like these reminded me that underneath her prickly exterior, she actually cared. In her own complicated way.

I took a step back, looking at all of them standing there in the doorway. "Goodbye, everyone."

"Goodbye, sweetheart," Mom called out as I walked toward the waiting car.

I slid into the backseat and found Holden already there, looking characteristically composed despite the early hour. He must have slipped out while I was getting emotional with everyone else.

"You have to teach me your method," I said as the car pulled away from the curb. "How do you always manage to avoid the long goodbye hugs?"

Holden's mouth quirked up in one of his rare smiles. "You're not ruthless enough to learn my ways."

I laughed, grateful for his dry humor cutting through the heaviness of the morning. "I'm really glad you're coming with me."

"Me too," he said, settling back in his seat. "I'm looking forward to learning from the best designer."

I blinked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Yeah. You're the best designer out there."

The casual way he said it, like it was just a simple fact, made my heart do a little flip. Holden wasn't one for empty compliments or flattery. If he said something, he meant it.

"That... doesn't feel real," I admitted.

He just shrugged and put in his earbuds, effectively ending the conversation in typical Holden fashion. But I found myself replaying his words as the city landscape rushed past the windows.

*The best designer out there.*

It was surreal to hear that from him, from anyone really. For so long, I'd felt like I was just surviving, just trying to build something from the wreckage of my old life. But maybe I'd actually succeeded in creating something worth being proud of.

My thoughts inevitably drifted to Alpha Ezra. *I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees me again after all these years.*

The drive seemed to pass in a blur, and before I knew it, the car was slowing down. I looked out the window and felt my breath catch.

Silver Moon Group headquarters rose before us. The driver came around to open my door, and I stepped out with a smile of thanks.

Here I was. On Alpha Ezra's territory once again.

It was exactly as I remembered it, and yet everything felt different now.

Two years ago, I'd been brought here as part of the Moon Alliance Program, forced into a world I didn't understand, expected to serve the desires of powerful Lycans.

God, how they'd hated me. All of them except Thalia, who'd been the only one to show me any kindness in that suffocating place.

I felt a pang of guilt thinking about Thalia. I'd left without saying goodbye, without explaining anything. But she'd understand, wouldn't she? She'd always been perceptive. She'd know I'd had to run.

"Impressive!" Holden's voice broke through my reverie as he joined me on the sidewalk, looking up at the building with obvious appreciation.

"Yeah," I murmured, still lost in thought.

"I can't believe you turned down all this," he said with a shake of his head.

I shot him a look. "Don't take Lydia's side."

"I'm just saying, having a sister who's queen of all this would be nice... you know. Unlimited access to this place."

Despite everything, I found myself smiling. "You never fail to surprise me, Holden."

A security guard approached us, professional and courteous, and gestured toward the building. "This way, please."

As we followed him through the grounds and into the building, I recognized the route immediately. He was leading us to the same conference hall where all of us Moon Alliance members had been brought on that first day two years ago.

The parking area was packed with luxury cars, and people were streaming toward the building from all directions. Other designers, I assumed, here for the competition that would determine the next rising star in fashion.

But as we got closer to the conference hall, my heart started beating faster and faster. I felt like I might faint.

It wasn't the competition making me nervous. It wasn't even the crowd of people or the importance of this moment for my career.

It was knowing that Alpha Ezra was going to be in there. That he was going to address all of us. That after two years of carefully avoiding any possibility of seeing him, I was about to be in the same room as him again.

*I'm going to see him. And he's going to see me.*

My hands trembled as we approached the entrance to the conference hall, and I had to force myself to keep walking forward.