Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 57

Orion's POV

I pushed open the door to my office, my muscles tense beneath my tailored suit. A full day of combat training and security meetings had left me exhausted, craving nothing more than the solitude of my penthouse apartment.

My phone buzzed. My personal assistant's name flashed across the screen.

"Sir, your sister Evanthe is waiting in your private office. She claims there's an urgent matter that requires your immediate attention."

I exhaled deeply. Evanthe always had "urgent" matters.

I considered asking my assistant to tell Evanthe I had an important meeting, but I knew my sister all too well. If I didn't see her now, she'd wait until she could corner me, no matter how late.

"Tell her I'll be there in twenty minutes. I need to handle some documents first."

"Yes, sir."

I procrastinated for slightly longer than twenty minutes before reluctantly making my way to my private office. Pushing open the door, I found Evanthe pacing restlessly across the Persian rug, her usually perfect golden hair slightly disheveled, blue eyes burning with fury.

"What took you so long?" she demanded instantly, her tone sharp.

"Calm down, lady," I replied evenly, closing the door behind me. "I couldn't just drop everything to run to you."

Evanthe looked on the verge of explosion, which was rare for someone who prided herself on image control. As Silver Moon Group's PR Director, she typically maintained complete command over her emotions and expressions. This state could only mean one thing: the situation was serious.

I walked to the mini-bar in the corner of my office, retrieved a bottle of Scottish whiskey and a crystal glass. Before I could pour, Evanthe rushed over, snatched the bottle from my hand, and filled the glass to the brim, downing it in one go.

"Enough," I said, watching my sister with concern. I'd never seen her this unraveled.

"I need more," Evanthe reached for the bottle again.

I gently gripped her wrist, guiding her to the leather sofa. "Tell me what's happening."

Evanthe bit her lower lip, angry tears shimmering in her eyes. "Ezra is interested in Isolde. I mean, he definitely likes her."

At the mention of Isolde's name, I felt my heart jump. As Silver Moon's Security Director, I'd always done my duty diligently, ensuring company safety, but with that chestnut-haired girl, I couldn't maintain professional distance. Each time I saw her training in the arena, I felt an inexplicable pull. Now, hearing that Ezra—the Lycan King himself—also had interest in her, a familiar rush of jealousy and anger shot through my spine.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

"Haven't you heard?" Evanthe's eyes widened incredulously.

"Heard what?"

"Isolde is serving in Ezra's private penthouse tonight." Evanthe spat, eyes flashing with rage. "He personally requested her! Not any girl from the Moon Alliance Program, but specifically her!"

"Is that so?" I maintained a calm tone, though my heartbeat accelerated with anger and jealousy. In Silver Moon's underground world, this was equivalent to a territorial declaration. If Ezra personally requested Isolde's service in his private suite, it meant I couldn't approach her without offending the Lycan King.

"God! Orion, do you live on Mars?" Evanthe ran fingers through her messy golden hair, voice rising with frustration. "The entire Silver Moon Tower is buzzing with this news. Every executive knows the CEO is spending the night with that debt girl."

"Oh." I managed.

"'Oh'? Just 'Oh'?" Evanthe jumped to her feet, her silk blouse shimmering under Silver Moon's lights. "Can't you do something? I thought you liked that girl."

I slowly sipped my whiskey, letting the alcohol burn my throat. "I do admire her, but as I said before, I will not compete with the Lycan King over a woman. He's shown interest in her, so I must step back."

Evanthe laughed mockingly. "You could compete without making your intentions obvious, Orion. Like in this situation, you could fabricate some urgent security incident to prevent them from spending tonight together."

"Are you listening to yourself, Evanthe?" I raised an eyebrow, my amber eyes darkening. "You want me to lie to Ezra Silverwood. Do you know how much trouble that would bring me? In my position, lying to the CEO could result in not only losing my job but being permanently banished from Silver Moon Group and all its affiliated enterprises."

"But you can't just sit here doing nothing." Evanthe slammed her fist on my coffee table, making the crystal decorations wobble dangerously. "The girl you like is about to sleep with another man. You should stop that from happening."

My gaze sharpened on my sister. "Don't pretend you care about my feelings. It makes me sick. I know you want me to do this solely for yourself. So Isolde won't have a chance with Ezra. Evanthe, you yourself said he likes her, and if he doesn't spend tonight with her, he'll do it another time because he likes her! Get that through your head, and don't try to drag me into your mess."

Evanthe was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling with anger. "Orion, don't you understand? Or are you just stupid? If I successfully become Ezra's Luna, the Hawthorne family's position within Silver Moon Group and the entire werewolf world would reach unprecedented heights. You might even become Beta, directly above that sweet Nathaniel Thornfield. I'm doing this for our family! For you and me, and you refuse to help!"

I set down my glass calmly, eyes flashing dangerously. "No. You're lying. You're doing this only for yourself, and you're trying to make me feel guilty so I'll get involved in your schemes. Even if you claim it's for our family, you'd better stop, because nobody asked you to do this. The Hawthorne family already holds a fairly high position in Silver Moon Group. I'm content with my position, and if I deserve a promotion, I'll get it from Ezra when I've earned it, not because my sister married him. Don't listen to your greed, Evanthe, or it will get you in trouble. I won't ask you not to pursue what you want, but do it the right way, so when you win, you'll know you've achieved something real. If you continue with this greedy attitude, you'll bring yourself a lot of trouble, and don't expect me to help you out of it."

Evanthe's face reddened with intense emotion, blue eyes flashing with icy light. She rose slowly, every inch of grace transforming into menace.

"I'll remember your words, Orion," she said quietly, her voice like silk wrapped around poison, "and when I finally get what I want, I'll repeat them back to you. If you won't help me, fine, but know that I will become Ezra's Luna at any cost. Remember my words!"

Evanthe stormed out of the office, slamming the door so hard that a valuable artwork on the wall nearly fell.

I fell back onto the leather sofa, closing my eyes, feeling that familiar ache in my chest—the one that appeared every time I thought of Isolde. Tonight she would be with Ezra. I had lost without even starting the fight.