Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 267

EZRA'S POV

My mind was completely consumed by her.

Isolde.

Even now, sitting in this car, I could hardly believe she was real. That she was back. I'd seen the photos plastered across every social media platform and business news outlet for the past few days, but seeing her in person... fuck, nothing could have prepared me for that.

I rubbed my face with both hands, trying to process everything that had just happened at the fashion event. Until I saw her with my own eyes, part of me had refused to believe it was true. Two years of searching, two years of sleepless nights and dead ends, and there she was—more beautiful than I'd ever seen her.

That beauty was impossible to describe with words. She'd grown into herself, become more confident, more mature. The scared girl was gone, replaced by a woman who commanded respect without even trying.

Every cell in my body had been screaming at me to kiss her, to mark her right there in front of everyone, to announce to the world that she was mine. The urge had been so strong I'd had to clench my fists to keep from reaching for her.

Damn it, I missed her so much. Right now, I wanted to order my driver to turn around and go back to her.

But I couldn't do that. Dragging Isolde away would be stupid and selfish, and it would destroy any chance I had of rebuilding what we'd lost. I'd lost her for two years, and now that she was back, the last thing I wanted to do was push her away or make her hate me. Our relationship was complicated enough already.

I needed to do a lot of work to win back her trust. I couldn't fuck this up from the start. I had to be careful, or I'd lose her forever.

She wasn't the same person who'd been forced into the Moon Alliance Program two years ago. She was a successful, independent, accomplished woman now. She was my equal, and I needed to learn to treat her as such.

"Ezra," Prime's voice was sharp and threatening. "I swear to the Moon Goddess, if you screw this up again, I'm going into dormancy. You know what you'll become if I go dormant."

His words hit me like a knife to the heart. I rubbed my temples and let out a heavy sigh.

"Prime..." I said quietly. "That won't happen again. I made mistakes before. I've learned my lesson. I will never let Isolde slip away from me again. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to win her back. It's only a matter of time before we're reunited with our mate. Stay calm and let me handle this."

"I trust you'll do the right thing this time," Prime replied, his tone slightly less hostile.

"Thank you for your faith in me."

The car slowed. I straightened my tie and tried to focus on whatever emergency had called me back here, though part of me resented having to leave Isolde so soon after seeing her again.

The car came to a stop, and I heard Nathaniel unbuckling his seatbelt in the seat across from me. A security guard opened my door, and I stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"What's the situation?" I asked the guard immediately.

The man's face was pale with obvious fear, and he bowed again. "My King. I... I can't describe it in words. Please, you need to see for yourself."

Something was very wrong here. I turned to Nathaniel, who looked equally confused.

"Lead the way," I commanded the guard.

"Yes, sir."

The closer we got to my private elevator, the stronger my sense of unease became. The last time my security had been this panicked and confused was the day Isolde disappeared from the Moon Alliance Program.

We rode the elevator to my penthouse in tense silence. As we stepped into the hallway leading to my private suite, I caught something that made every muscle in my body tense.

A scent. Light and familiar. Female werewolf pheromones.

My spine prickled with recognition. I knew this smell. I was certain I'd encountered it before. It belonged to a female werewolf.

But that was impossible. The only female werewolf scent I should be able to detect was Isolde's, and Isolde wasn't here at Silver Moon headquarters right now. Besides, this wasn't Isolde's scent. I could never mistake Isolde's scent for anyone else's.

I followed the scent trail into my living room, my heart beginning to race for reasons I couldn't explain.

There, sitting on my leather sofa several feet away, was a young woman. Her head was down, disheveled hair covering her face so I couldn't make out her features.

When I looked at her again, she raised her head and stared directly at me.

My blood turned to ice.

Lillian Torres. My former fated mate.

I felt all the strength drain from my body.

"Holy fuck!" Nathaniel breathed behind me.

My legs went weak, and I stumbled backward, catching myself before I could fall. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might explode. My blood felt like it was boiling in my veins.

Total shock. Complete inability to speak. Confusion. Terror.

She looked terrible—weak and broken. I noticed bruises covering her entire body and face. She was hurt, badly hurt.

"Alpha Ezra," she whispered, her voice so weak I could barely hear her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

My brain felt like it had been hit by a bomb.

"Lillian," I managed to say, my voice hoarse with shock. I tried to take a step forward, but my legs felt like they were filled with lead. "What... what happened?" I whispered, completely bewildered.

She began crying silently.

"I... I... I thought you were dead," I stammered. "We found a body we thought was yours. What... what happened? How are you possibly alive?"

My mind was racing, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

The ambush. The assassination attempt. So many killers. They'd taken her. Killed her. We'd buried her shifted, mangled, unrecognizable body...

Fuck! We'd buried someone else, thinking it was Lillian.

"This... this is a long story," Lillian said weakly. "I can't say much right now because of my condition. I..."

I turned to the security guard. "Get her to the private hospital immediately! Carry her carefully. We're leaving now."

"Yes, Mr. Silverwood."

The guards moved to lift Lillian while I led the way out of the suite. I wanted to carry her myself, but the shock and amazement had drained all my strength.

Lillian was alive. Lillian was back. The fated mate I'd mourned for years had never died, and now I had two fated mates.

How the hell was I supposed to deal with this unprecedented and fucked-up situation?