Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 301

Isolde's POV

I gave Holden my sweetest smile as the car pulled into Orion's driveway. "Thanks for driving me here. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," he replied, but there was something in his tone that made me study his profile. "Alpha Ezra's covering all the services anyway."

I laughed softly, unbuckling my seatbelt. "Of course he is." The arrangement had been made last night when Orion mentioned Thalia would be home today. I'd been planning this surprise visit ever since.

"Can I ask you something?" I turned to face Holden fully. "Why are you so... friendly with Alpha Ezra? You're not like this with other guys who show interest in me. Hell, you practically interrogated Daryl."

Holden's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Because Alpha Ezra is your fated mate, Isolde. And he's the fucking Lycan King. I'm not about to pick a fight with someone who could snap my neck without breaking a sweat."

I rolled my eyes. Great. Another person who thought I should just roll over and accept whatever fate threw at me. "Yeah. Whatever."

A security guard appeared at the car door, opening it with a respectful bow. "Good afternoon, Luna."

The title hit me like a physical blow, sending an unexpected thrill through my chest. Luna. Part of me wanted to correct him—I wasn't their Luna, wasn't anyone's Luna—but Holden caught my eye in the rearview mirror.

"Just go with the flow," he suggested quietly.

I nodded to the guard instead. "Thank you."

"I'll text you when I'm done," I told Holden as I stepped out.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"See you later."

"Have fun!"

I watched him reverse out of the driveway before taking a deep breath and following the guard toward the main entrance. My heart was racing, though I couldn't figure out why. It was just Thalia. My friend. Except...

*The Thalia you knew two years ago is different from the Thalia of today,* I reminded myself as we walked up the stone path. *She's married with a Gamma now. She's respected here. She's part of this world in ways you never were.*

But when I'd seen her at the villa, she'd seemed like the same humble, happy, down-to-earth person I remembered. That had to count for something, right?

Still, my nerves were getting the better of me.

The guard led me into the living room, where I spotted Thalia immediately. She was hunched over her laptop, completely absorbed in whatever was on the screen. So absorbed that she nearly tripped when she finally noticed me standing there.

"Thalia," I said without thinking.

Her head snapped up, pupils dilating as she took me in. Her mouth fell open in shock.

"Oh my God! Isolde!" She shot up from her seat and rushed toward me, arms spread wide.

I didn't hesitate. I threw my arms around her, squeezing tight as tears pricked my eyes. My chin rested on her shoulder, and I held on like I never wanted to let go. God, I'd missed her.

"It's really you," she breathed against my ear, pulling back to stare at my face in wonder. "What are you doing here?"

"Returning your visit," I said simply. "You came to see me, so now I'm here to see you."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh Isolde! You know that doesn't matter."

"It does!" I insisted.

She grabbed my hands, tugging me toward the couch where she'd been sitting. "How have you been? I'm so sorry I haven't come to see you again. I've been swamped with work."

I settled beside her, studying her face. She was wearing makeup today, and she looked beautiful. "You don't need to apologize. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me." I bit my lower lip, looking at her with what I hoped was an appropriately contrite expression.

"Thalia, I cannot—"

"Stop!" She held up a hand. "If you're going to apologize for leaving the way you did two years ago, don't. There's no need."

I blinked in surprise.

"That was the Moon Goddess's plan for you," she continued firmly. "You needed to get away from everything, and the Moon Goddess made sure that happened. Look how she blessed you—you're an amazing designer now. This was the Moon Goddess's plan for you!"

I frowned, processing her words. "If that was the Moon Goddess's plan, then it means she doesn't want me to be with Alpha Ezra again. She even sent his former mate back to reclaim her place."

"That's definitely not what's going on."

"Then what's going on?" I asked, feeling my chest tighten with familiar frustration. "Why is Lillian back from the dead after five years?"

Just mentioning her name made my blood boil. I hated that I cared this much. Hated that it affected me at all.

Thalia leaned back slightly, studying me with a strange expression. "You're mad that she has shown up, aren't you?"

I couldn't deny it. The evidence was probably written all over my face.

"You don't need to worry about her," Thalia said gently. "You're the one Alpha Ezra loves, and when the time comes for him to make a choice, he will choose you!"

I shook my head. "You don't understand the situation, Thalia. What if Lillian gets hurt because of this? I don't want to be the reason for someone else's pain."

"Listen to me carefully," Thalia said, her voice taking on an almost urgent quality. "The Moon Goddess chose you to replace Lillian in Alpha Ezra's life. If the Moon Goddess didn't want you to be with the Alpha, she wouldn't have made that decision. Lillian's time is over. Now it's all about you and you alone!"

"Don't you think something about her return is off?" Thalia pressed. "Why did she only return after five years? Five good years."

"Maybe she was kidnapped," I suggested, remembering what Alpha Ezra had mentioned about finding her in terrible condition. "Maybe something awful happened to her."

"We'll find out when Orion is done investigating," Thalia said matter-of-factly.

"Wow!" I sat back against the couch cushions, feeling some of the tension leave my shoulders. "Orion's investigating?"

"He doesn't trust people easily. Alpha Ezra gave him permission to look into it."

I was speechless. The idea that there might be more to Lillian's story than met the eye... it changed things. Maybe.

"Just wait and see what happens," Thalia advised. "I'm telling you, Alpha Ezra only loves you. He only wants to be with you."

"How can you be so sure?"

Thalia's expression softened. "Because I saw what happened to him when you left. I watched him break apart and go completely insane. And now that you're back, I can see the joy in his eyes. You two are endgame, Isolde. Whether you like it or not!"

"It's not a must for us to be endgame," I protested.

"But you are endgame."

I rolled my eyes and looked away. *If only it were that simple,* I thought. *If only Lillian's return didn't make everything so uncertain.*

But then another thought crept in, one that made me uncomfortable: *Why do I even care this much? I thought I was going to stay single?*