Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 320

Isolde's POV

Jeremy Wright stepped up to the microphone with that same stern expression that had terrified half the designers into tears just hours earlier. My team and I sat in the back rows, our faces carefully composed into polite smiles that felt more like grimaces.

"Today's top three teams are..." His voice echoed through the competition hall as he announced the winners.

*This is bullshit,* Lyra snarled in my mind. *We should have been in the top three. We would have been if those bastards hadn't sabotaged our equipment.*

I couldn't agree more. When my team finally arrived thirty minutes after the competition started, precious time had already been wasted. By the time we got all our backup equipment installed, a full hour had passed. Two hours simply weren't enough to design and sew three complete summer outfits. We'd only managed to finish two pieces.

Tenth place. That's where all our hard work had landed us.

Daryl's team, Ethereal, was right in the thick of it as always, basking in their continued success.

I let out a heavy sigh, plastered on my most perfect fake smile, and walked over to congratulate the day's winners. The words tasted like ash in my mouth, but I forced them out anyway. Then I headed for the exit, desperate to escape this suffocating atmosphere.

I made it to the parking lot before my carefully maintained composure started to crack. But then I saw him.

Alpha Ezra was leaning casually against my car, looking devastatingly handsome.

"Alpha Ezra," I called out softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

As I got closer, tears began to burn behind my eyes. All the frustration and anger I'd held back in that competition hall came rushing to the surface. I'd fought so hard not to break down in front of all those people, but seeing Ezra here... part of me wanted to run into his arms and cry.

*I want to be close to him,* Lyra whimpered. *I want to feel his wolf Prime.*

"Isolde..." Ezra's deep, magnetic voice washed over me as he walked toward me. "What's wrong? You look so sad. Is everything alright?"

"No." My voice cracked despite my best efforts to keep it steady. The tears in my eyes burned hotter, threatening to spill over with the slightest movement.

He studied my face with concern. "Can we talk in the car?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak without breaking down completely. I followed him silently to his sedan parked nearby.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked again, and the genuine concern in his voice made everything worse.

A fat tear rolled down my cheek before I could stop it.

"I... I don't even know where to start." My voice shook as the words came out.

"Start anywhere," Ezra said.

"I don't know what to say." I felt like a lost little girl.

He leaned closer, and his scent enveloped me completely. "Just say words... I just want you to get whatever's bothering you off your chest. Please."

That's when I completely lost it.

A violent sob escaped my lips. Ezra immediately pulled me into his arms, his warmth and scent surrounding me completely. I cried and gasped and choked on my tears while my wolf cried alongside me.

He didn't try to stop me or ask questions. He just held me silently, letting me cry until I had no tears left.

*God, I'm such a crybaby,* I thought when I finally started to calm down.

When I finally pulled away from his chest, I felt a strange sense of loss at leaving his warmth behind. He handed me a silk handkerchief, and I used it to wipe my face.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, using his thumb to gently caress my cheek. The touch sent electric currents through my skin.

"Why are you apologizing?" I asked.

"For you having to listen to people talk about Lillian and the choice I have to make," he explained. "I'm doing everything I can to handle this situation. The gossip within Silver Moon Group will be dealt with."

"I know you're trying. And I won't lie, when I hear people talking about it, I feel terrible. But that's not why I was crying."

His eyes flashed gold again. "What happened?"

"Someone destroyed my equipment. We got there and found everything damaged and taken apart." My voice carried all the anger I'd been suppressing.

"What?" His concern immediately transformed into rage. His face darkened. "Who would do something like that?"

"We don't know yet. The judges promised to find out who did it by the end of the week. But that's not what's bothering me most. I almost missed today's competition entirely, and my team came in tenth place. I feel so discouraged right now. My design career might be over."

"I will find out who did this and make sure they're punished. That's a promise."

"If something like this happens again, it could ruin my chances of winning the competition. I'm so scared."

"I'll meet with the organizers. I guarantee we'll get to the bottom of this and implement more rules to ensure this kind of thing never happens again. I promise." His eyes had returned to their normal gray, but they still blazed with determination.

I knew he would say that, and I believed he would follow through.

"Thank you so much, Ezra." My voice was soft and sincere.

"You're welcome, baby." His voice was low and intimate, carrying a tenderness that was just for us.

He took my hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of it. His lips were warm and soft against my skin.

A cool, sweet, floating sensation traveled up my spine, and heat pooled in my belly.

God, I missed this man's kisses. I found myself staring shyly at his lips, a strong urge rising in me to lean over and kiss him.

"You've had a really rough day." His gentle voice interrupted my thoughts, his eyes warm as they looked at me.

I shifted my gaze from his lips to meet his eyes, feeling the intense connection between us. *It felt like Lyra and Prime were communicating across the space between us.*

"What can I do to make you feel better? Where can we go?" he asked with genuine concern.

"Mmm." My voice was soft and hesitant.

"Where would you like me to take you?" His eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"A restaurant."

"A restaurant?" His eyes widened with surprise, as if he hadn't expected such a simple request.

"Mm-hmm." I nodded, pouting like a child.

He let out a small chuckle, then burst into full, warm laughter that filled the entire car.

Watching him laugh so openly because of my request made my face light up with joy. *My day just got so much better!*