Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 307

Ezra's POV

*Years ago...*

The memory crashed over me like a tidal wave. Lillian beneath me on the silk sheets, her body suddenly going rigid as my hands traced her skin. The way she'd started crying—those heartbreaking sobs that had cut through me like a blade.

"I'm sorry," she'd whispered through her tears, pulling away from my touch. "I can't... not yet."

I'd gathered her trembling form against my chest, my heart breaking for what I thought she'd endured. When she'd finally found the courage to tell me about the assault—how some bastard had violated her when she was just sixteen—I'd held her tighter, promising her we'd take things at her pace.

*I never touched her that night. Just held her while she cried herself to sleep.*

The memory of her supposed trauma, the way I'd tiptoed around her for weeks afterward, apologizing every time she flinched or cried after our rare intimate moments—it all felt like poison in my veins now.

"She was acting the whole fucking time?" I muttered, "Those tears, that fear—it was all just a goddamn performance?"

---

My voice hoarse with barely contained rage. "So... you're telling me that Lillian had a boyfriend when she was fifteen, probably lost her virginity willingly, and she wasn't sexually assaulted like she claimed?"

Orion's expression remained grimly professional. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

My fingers tightened around the crystal tumbler in my hand. The glass exploded in my grip, whiskey and blood mixing as shards embedded in my palm. I didn't even feel the pain—not when rage was consuming me from the inside out.

Orion watched the blood drip from my hand without flinching. "What I'm about to tell you next will make you a hundred times angrier than you are right now." His eyes glinted with deadly seriousness.

I grabbed a napkin, wiping the blood and glass from my palm as my eyes began to glow gold. "What could possibly be more sickening than what you just told me?"

"The identity of her boyfriend." Orion opened his tablet, the screen casting an eerie blue light across his face. "Her boyfriend was Luther Reyes's nephew. Byron Reyes. The same Luther Reyes who orchestrated the attack on our operations five years ago—the attack that killed twelve of our people."

"No." The word came out as a growl, my voice dropping to dangerous levels. "That's impossible."

"I said the same thing when I got the intel." He turned the tablet toward me.

"Did Lillian know who he was?"

"She knew exactly who he was. And even after accepting you as her fated mate, she continued contact with that piece of shit. She was betraying you, screwing that bastard behind your back!"

I shot up from my chair, stalking to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"ENOUGH!" The word exploded from my throat as I spun around and drove my fist into the bulletproof glass. Spider web cracks spread across the surface, but it held.

The sound echoed through the office like a gunshot.

"Where is he now?" I asked, "Do you know where that bastard is?"

Orion's mouth curved into a cold smile as he reached into his jacket. "I was hoping you'd ask that question."

"On the day that attack happened, he disappeared. Just like his uncle... just like Lillian." Orion said.

Nathaniel, who had been silently observing from the corner, finally spoke up. "Don't tell me you're suggesting that Lillian escaped with her boyfriend and his uncle during the attack."

Orion's grave nod confirmed my Beta's worst fears.

"This can't be real. Nothing I just heard can possibly be real!" My voice was a low, dangerous rumble that made the windows rattle.

"Ridiculous!" I slammed my palm against the wall, leaving a crack in the expensive marble. "Why would Lillian choose him over me? Some regional gang punk over the Alpha of Silver Moon? It makes no fucking sense!"

The pain beneath my anger was like a blade twisting in my chest.

Orion held up his hands. "Ezra, these aren't confirmed facts yet. They're highly probable conclusions based on my investigation. I know you're shocked right now—"

"Shocked?" I cut him off, my voice rising to a roar. "I'm not shocked. I'm fucking livid!"

Orion tried to maintain calm. "I understand, but we need to think clearly about this."

"Think clearly?" I laughed, "You really think I can be calm after hearing all this? I just found out that the woman I was willing to die for might have been lying to me every time she opened her mouth. You think I can stay calm?"

"Like I said, these aren't confirmed facts. They're educated guesses based on strong evidence. But we both know we need to be one hundred percent certain before taking action, so I suggest you stay calm," Orion said, his voice steady despite the chaos surrounding us.

I clenched my jaw, knowing he was right.

Nathaniel stepped forward. "Orion's right. If we want to know Lillian's true nature, we have to handle this carefully. She's the only one who can prove her real intentions to us. We don't know her plans or capabilities right now, so I suggest we act like we know nothing and keep watching."

I wiped more blood from my knuckles. "You're saying I shouldn't confront her about this?"

Orion leaned forward. "You can ask about the boyfriend, but don't let her think you suspect more. Just act angry that she hid a past relationship. If she knows we're investigating her movements over the past five years, she might sabotage the investigation. Based on what we've found so far, I'm extremely wary of that woman. She's far more cunning and dangerous than she appears."

The anger in my eyes intensified. "She'll regret ever thinking she could play games with me! I'll make her pay!"

"Ezra, you really need to—"

"Stay calm! I know. I get it. Stop fucking reminding me." I cut Orion off with a sharp gesture.

I walked back to my desk, my expression cold and determined as I poured another glass of whiskey.

I took a long sip of whiskey.

Whatever Lillian's game was, whatever she was really after—I'd uncover it all.