Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 331

Isolde's POV

This morning I felt like I could conquer the world. The stage championship victory was still buzzing through my veins, and for the first time in weeks, I felt genuinely proud of what we'd accomplished. Sure, the sabotage had nearly destroyed us, but we'd pulled through. We'd fucking won.

Standing in the competition hall, listening to the host announce our team as the stage champions, I couldn't help but grin. The applause was thunderous, and I caught glimpses of other participants looking at us with a mixture of envy and admiration.

*Say I feel proud would be an understatement,* I thought, my chest swelling with satisfaction. This wasn't just about the competition anymore—it was validation. Proof that my design skills were real, that all those years of training and dreaming hadn't been for nothing.

The judges had specifically praised our innovative approach in the final challenge, calling it "a perfect blend of functionality and avant-garde aesthetics." Even the usually stoic female judge had smiled when she delivered the verdict.

But then my gaze fell on Mr. Wright, the male judge who looked completely unmoved by the whole thing. The man seemed allergic to giving compliments, like it physically pained him to acknowledge anyone's talent. What a killjoy. I actually felt sorry for his family and friends—if he had any—having to deal with that perpetual scowl.

I shifted my attention back to the host as she continued speaking. "Due to the successful completion of our first stage, the competition will now enter a month-long break period," she announced with a bright smile. "We encourage all advancing participants to use this time wisely to practice and prepare for the next phase."

My heart skipped a beat despite my confidence as the stage champion. Being at the top meant the pressure would only intensify. Everyone would be watching, expecting us to maintain our lead. The target on our backs had just gotten bigger.

Holden leaned close to my ear. "That's cold," he whispered, his breath warm against my skin.

I turned toward him, deliberately moving closer than necessary. "That's why it's called a competition, love," I whispered back, knowing full well how much he hated people invading his personal space. The way his jaw tightened made me grin like an idiot.

The host wrapped up her speech with another radiant smile, and the three judges filed out in formation. Once they disappeared, the hall erupted in conversation, and I finally allowed myself to exhale properly.

A month-long break. I hadn't expected that, but it would give us time to strategize and refine our approach for the next round. We needed to stay ahead of the pack, especially now that we'd painted ourselves as the team to beat.

I hugged and congratulated each of my teammates before gathering my things. Right now, all I wanted was to go home and sleep off this massive victory. Tomorrow I could start planning how we'd maintain our championship status.

"Isolde."

The familiar voice stopped me cold as I headed toward the exit. I turned around slowly, my heart doing a little flip when I saw Daryl standing there with that brilliant smile of his.

He looked gorgeous as always, dressed impeccably and smelling like expensive cologne that made my knees weak for just a moment. But my heart belonged completely to Alpha Ezra now—there was no room for anyone else, no matter how charming they might be.

"Hey, Daryl," I said, genuinely surprised to see him. "How are you? I haven't seen you around much lately."

His deep baritone voice sent a little shiver through me as he replied, "I had to go home for a family emergency. But I heard about what happened with your team's performance today. Congratulations on the stage championship."

"Thanks," I said, then added, "Your team did amazing too. I was impressed with your designs."

Then his expression grew more serious. "I also heard about what Ivy did to you. That was fucked up."

Just thinking about that bitch made my mood darken slightly. "Yeah, well, at least she got caught and won't be able to mess with the rest of the competition."

We stood there for a moment in comfortable silence before Daryl's voice dropped to something more intimate. "I've missed you."

My eyes widened in shock, and I felt my knees go weak. What the hell was he doing?

"Would you like to have dinner with me?" he continued. "To celebrate your stage championship, and to make up for lost time while I was away."

The first thought that popped into my head was Alpha Ezra, and I couldn't help but smile internally at the idea of him being jealous as hell if he found out about this dinner.

"Sure," I heard myself say. "But let's keep it casual, okay? I don't want anything too formal."

Daryl's face lit up with genuine pleasure. "Perfect. We'll dress down, take a walk, enjoy the evening air, grab some junk food and just talk. How does that sound?"

I found myself giggling like a schoolgirl, feeling like I was back in high school. There was something refreshing about his approach—he was handsome, gentle, kind, and he actually listened to women and respected their opinions. The man was a rare treasure.

"Six o'clock tonight?" he suggested.

"Sounds perfect. I'll be ready."

"Great, I'll pick you up."

He offered to walk me to my car, and we'd only taken a few steps when a sleek black sedan pulled into the driveway. A bodyguard in a black suit stepped out and opened the rear door.

I froze in place because I knew exactly who was about to emerge from that car.

Daryl stopped beside me, both of us watching as Alpha Ezra stepped out. His face was its usual mask of indifference, but the moment he spotted Daryl standing next to me, his expression turned cold as granite.

*This is not good.*