Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 303

Orion's POV

The day I'd been appointed as the Gamma felt like a lifetime ago, yet the oath I'd sworn that day remained as clear as crystal in my mind.

*"I swear to protect my Alpha with my life, to serve the pack's interests above my own, and to never betray the trust placed in me."*

Anyone who tried to deceive or harm Ezra would face my wrath, no matter who they were. Hell, even family meant nothing when it came to protecting my Alpha.

I let out a heavy sigh and reached for the door handle in front of me.

A young woman sat on one of the leather sofas in the seating area. The moment she saw me, she immediately stood and bowed her head respectfully.

"Good afternoon, Gamma," she said, her voice carefully modulated.

"Good afternoon," I replied, stepping fully into the room and closing the door behind me with a soft click. "You're Vivienne Mae."

"Yes, Gamma."

"Please, sit." I gestured toward the sofa she'd just vacated.

"Thank you." She settled back down, her posture rigid with tension.

I walked over to the sofa across from her, my footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. Once seated, I fixed my eyes on her, studying her carefully. She looked nervous as hell—like if I raised my voice even a little, she'd completely fall apart.

*Interesting.*

"You must be wondering why I asked you here," I said, keeping my tone neutral.

She cleared her throat nervously before responding. "Your invitation surprised me, Gamma. Even now, I can't figure out what I could have possibly done to warrant a personal meeting with you."

"I called you here to discuss something very important."

I watched as fear flickered across her eyes, her fingers instinctively intertwining and twisting together. She swallowed hard, the movement visible in her throat.

"Something important?" Her voice had dropped to barely above a whisper.

I nodded calmly, adjusting my position on the sofa. "Yes. Your friendship with Lillian."

She frowned, confusion replacing some of the fear on her face as she stared at me.

"My friendship with Lillian?"

"Yes. Ezra's first fated mate. The one who supposedly died five years ago." I leaned forward slightly, emphasizing the gravity of my words. "I've done my research. I hear you two were best friends. Is that true?"

She stammered nervously, "Y-yes... yes, that's true."

"Which means you knew her well. Her past life, from childhood onwards."

"Yes."

"Can you tell me about it?"

She started to lean forward, as if to ask a question. "Gamma, if I may be so bold, could I ask why you—"

"No," I cut her off, my voice calm but firm as I locked eyes with her. "You cannot."

She nodded quickly, backing down immediately.

"Tell me what I'm asking you."

I noticed her hands pressed against her knees, her fingernails digging into her palms from nervousness. *Looks like I'm scaring the hell out of this poor girl.*

"I don't know where to start," she said, her voice barely audible and trembling. "Maybe if you asked specific questions, I'd know what you want to learn."

I leaned forward, pressing my hands together. "Vivienne, I need you to tell me the truth about why Lillian's aunt kicked her out of the house when she was so young. I need you to tell me the truth."

"Lillian was kicked out because she was dating someone. Her aunt didn't like that she had a boyfriend at fifteen. She kept asking Lillian to break up with him and focus on her studies, but Lillian wouldn't listen. So her aunt kicked her out."

Vivienne's expression remained composed as she explained, though her eyes kept darting across my face with confusion, clearly wondering why I was asking about someone who was supposedly dead.

"So... she was dating someone, huh?"

"Yes."

"What was the boy's name?"

"Byron Reyes."

"Where is he now?"

Vivienne's lips pressed together immediately, and she looked away, clearly reluctant to answer.

*Suspicious.*

"Vivienne," I said, my voice dropping to a low, rough growl that forced her to look back at me. "Where is he?"

"He's not here."

"Where is he?"

"He disappeared the day the attack happened."

"What do you mean he disappeared?"

"His uncle was the Alpha who orchestrated the attack that supposedly took Lillian's life five years ago. After that, no one ever saw Byron again, so we assumed he ran away because he feared for his life."

I paused, staring at her, blinking slowly as I processed this shocking piece of information. *Well, fuck. That's a hell of a coincidence.*

"Tell me about their relationship. Were they close?"

"Yes. They were each other's first love."

"Were they still together when she discovered she was fated to Ezra?"

"Yes, they were still together."

"What was her reaction?"

"She wasn't happy. She wanted to reject him and stay with Byron, but I talked her out of it."

"Why did you do that?"

She blinked in surprise at my question.

"Because Ezra was her fated mate," she said, her eyes steady and determined. "I knew if she rejected him, she'd be miserable."

I cleared my throat and straightened in my seat. "I see. So when she dumped him, what was his reaction?"

Vivienne looked confused. "Uh... dumped him?"

"Or did she not. Did they continue dating even after she accepted Ezra as her fated mate?"

"No, she didn't!" Vivienne protested, but her eyes were darting around and she was biting her lip.

*I know she's lying.*

"Vivienne, I told you I want the truth and nothing but the truth. Did Lillian break up with Byron or not?"

"She did!"

"The look in your eyes tells me you're lying."

"Lillian is dead!" she burst out emotionally. "What does it matter if she was cheating on Ezra five years ago or not?"

"Answer the question."

"Or what?"

"So she was cheating."

"You're making assumptions."

"She didn't love Ezra. She accepted him only for his wealth and status."

"Didn't you hear me say I was the one who talked her out of rejecting Ezra?" Vivienne shot back, getting agitated. "She didn't care about his wealth or power. She was ready to give up everything to be with the man she loved—Byron!"

"But she didn't."

"Because I told her not to!"

"And she cheated on Ezra."

"You have no right to judge."

"Actually, I do!" I declared, my voice rising with conviction. "Judging those who wrong my Alpha and bringing them to justice is my duty. It's what I swore to do."

Vivienne threw her head back and laughed hysterically.

"Judge? How do you judge someone who's already dead?"

I stood up calmly from my seat.

*Now I need to find out if she was really kidnapped like she claims, or if she faked her death and ran off with her lover.*

The pieces of this puzzle were starting to come together, and I didn't like the picture they were forming. Not one fucking bit.