Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 48

**Isolde's POV**

 

"Sleeping Beauty finally awakes."

 

Thalia's amused voice pulled me from the depths of a dreamless sleep. I stretched my limbs across the comfortable mattress, wincing slightly as the movement awakened the aches from my combat session with Evanthe. A yawn escaped my lips as I blinked away the remnants of sleep.

 

Thalia sat cross-legged on her bed, eyes focused on a tablet in her hands. 

 

"I better get up before I mess up my sleep schedule completely," I muttered, making my way to the bathroom.

 

I splashed cold water on my face, examining my reflection in the mirror. Faint bruises were forming along my jawline and collarbone – souvenirs from my victorious match against Evanthe. The memory of her furious expression after her defeat brought a small smile to my lips, despite knowing the danger it had put me in.

 

When I returned to my bed, Thalia set her tablet aside, her expression suddenly serious.

 

"Your name is all over the Alliance residence," she said without preamble.

 

I froze. "My name? Why?"

 

"There's a rumor going around that you seduced your stepsister's boyfriend of two years and slept with him behind her back."

 

I covered my face with my hands and let out a frustrated sigh. These girls, including Sybilla, wouldn't stop spreading rumors anytime soon, especially after I'd defeated Evanthe in combat.

 

*These lies are ridiculous!* Lyra growled within my mind.

 

I looked up to find Thalia watching me with an unreadable expression. "Wait... you don't believe it's true, do you?"

 

"I want to hear your side," she replied carefully. "Something happened, but I doubt Sybilla's version is the whole truth. I want to hear it from you directly. I'll believe what you tell me."

 

"What if I lie?" I challenged.

 

"Then I'll accept your lie and stand by you anyway, just like those Silver Moon girls are doing for Sybilla." A sweet smile spread across her face. "But I'd prefer if you didn't."

 

I took a deep breath. "It's not a lie. Sybilla reversed the roles in her story. She's the one who seduced and slept with my boyfriend. I caught them together."

 

Thalia's eyes widened as she covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my god, that's terrible. Sybilla is such a slut! And she has the nerve to paint you as the villain when you're clearly the victim of her malice. God, she's awful!"

 

"You have no idea how terrible Sybilla can be," I replied. "I don't care much about this, because she's done worse. But you're right, she's damaging my reputation here at Silver Moon."

 

"Wait... so you were sold into this place with a freshly broken heart? Because that was only days ago."

 

I sighed and nodded. "Yes."

 

My mind drifted back to that painful moment—finding Kieran entangled with Sybilla in the bed. The memory should have hurt, but strangely, it didn't anymore.

 

Everything I'd felt for Kieran had disappeared. Now when I thought of him, I felt... nothing. No pain, no anger, no disgust. Just emptiness. This miraculous transformation confused me, but I was also grateful for it.

 

My thoughts shifted to Ezra and our encounter in the Silver Moon headquarters garden that afternoon. I could still feel the strength of his hands catching me, preventing my fall—so powerful yet surprisingly gentle, almost making me want to lean into him. He tried to determine why I'd been crying, his concerned expression shocking me to my core.

 

His words echoed in my mind: "No one is allowed to bully those who belong to me in my territory."

 

*Stop it, Isolde,* I chided myself. *He has Evanthe, and you're just another girl in the Moon Alliance Program, which means I’m not much better than a whore.*

 

"You look distracted," Thalia observed. "Thinking about Alpha Ezra?"

 

I smiled and shook my head. "The most dangerous thing I could think about in this building."

 

"Are you going to do anything about Sybilla's false narrative?"

 

"No, I won't. Let her play her games. I'd rather focus on finding clues about my mother."

 

Thalia frowned. "But she's destroying your reputation in this place. Eventually, no one will respect you, and that will affect your standing at Silver Moon."

 

"Maybe." I shrugged, though her words hit home harder than I wanted to admit. "But I'm more concerned about Evanthe's retaliation. Defeating her has made me her number one enemy."

 

A shiver ran down my spine at the thought. Evanthe wasn't just any high-ranking executive—she was Orion's sister, the PR Director, and Ezra's... what? Girlfriend? Lover? The woman who shared his bed, at any rate. And I had humiliated her in front of Silver Moon's warriors.

 

The training session victory had felt sweet in the moment, but now the potential consequences loomed over me like storm clouds.

 

"I just hope she doesn't have something truly terrible planned," I murmured, more to myself than to Thalia.

 

Thalia reached across the space between our beds and squeezed my hand. "Whatever comes, you won't face it alone."

 

Her simple words meant more than she could know. For the first time since arriving at Silver Moon Group, I felt like I had found a true ally—maybe even a friend.