Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 91

Isolde's POV

The unfamiliar ceiling greeted me first. White, sterile, definitely not my apartment or Ezra's penthouse. My mind felt foggy, like trying to see through murky water. Hospital. I was in a hospital room.

I tried to organize my thoughts, but confusion swirled through me. Why was I here? What happened?

Attempting to observe more of my surroundings, I turned my head slightly and immediately regretted it. Pain shot through my skull like I'd been hit by a truck. I winced, instinctively trying to raise my right hand to my forehead.

My arm wouldn't move.

Panic flared as I realized my wrist was secured to the bed rail with a medical restraint. A sharp sting in my hand drew my attention to the IV needle taped there.

*We're restrained. This is dangerous,* Lyra growled inside me, my wolf spirit agitated.

"Don't move, Isolde. The IV will tear your vein."

The calm, commanding voice cut through my rising panic. I froze, then slowly turned my head toward the source, ignoring the pain.

Ezra stood by my bedside, impeccable in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. The moment our eyes met, the pain miraculously dulled. I noticed his knuckles were slightly reddened.

"Ezra..." My voice came out as a rasp. "Why am I here? What happened?"

He released a low sigh, his golden eyes scanning the room before landing back on me. There was anger there, carefully controlled but unmistakable.

"Isolde." His voice was calm but held a dangerous undercurrent. "You were set up last night. Orion fortunately noticed something was wrong in time."

His words echoed in my mind as my heart hammered against my ribs. The back of my neck heated up as Lyra snarled with anger. I tried desperately to remember, but my mind was blank—like deleted security footage.

"I... I don't remember anything," I admitted.

"Given the amount of drugs in your system, that's to be expected," Ezra replied.

"Can you tell me what happened? Please?"

Ezra's jaw tightened. "The doctor says your test results are clear, but they want to keep you for 24-hour observation."

I recognized his tactic immediately. He was deflecting, using the same techniques he probably employed in business negotiations.

"My head feels like the entire fighting arena stomped on it, but right now I need to know what happened last night. Ezra, please tell me." I struggled to sit up, the restraints pulling taut.

"Don't move!" Ezra commanded. "You'll hurt yourself."

He pressed a button on the side of the bed, adjusting it to a sitting position. Then he unfastened the restraint, his hands steady on my shoulders as he guided me upright. I leaned back against the headboard, exhausted just from that small movement.

"Ezra... please tell me what I need to know."

He studied me for a moment. "You were drugged last night with a powerful werewolf sedative mixed with some kind of hallucinogen. You completely lost consciousness and control. Now tell me, did you accept food or drink from any strangers? Or did you take something voluntarily?"

His golden eyes bore into mine, sharp enough to cut through any lie.

"No, absolutely not!" I denied loudly. "I wouldn't be that stupid."

"I believe you," Ezra said. "That leaves one possibility. Think carefully—after dinner in the cafeteria, who approached you or gave you anything?"

I turned away, looking out at the city skyline as I strained to remember. Fragments of memory flashed through my mind.

Ash. An orange juice bottle.

My heart sank as the realization hit me, but I immediately rejected it. *No, it couldn't have been her.*

I shook my head unconsciously, unwilling to accept what my memory was telling me.

"You remembered something?" Ezra pressed.

"I remembered, but... it couldn't have been her. Maybe I'm misremembering."

"Isolde," Ezra's voice carried a dangerous calm. "Tell me what you remembered."

"It couldn't be her," I insisted.

"Isolde." Ezra's patience had clearly run out. "As CEO of Silver Moon and the Alpha of this city, I don't have the patience for guessing games. Tell me who it was."

His eyes flashed dangerously gold, his Alpha presence filling the room with pressure.

"I... I remember someone gave me a bottle of orange juice, saying it was a special drink for Moon Alliance members," I finally admitted.

"Who gave you the drink?" His voice was like steel.

"A girl who came to the Moon Alliance the same day as me."

"A name, Isolde. Give me a name." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

I unconsciously shrank back against the pillows.

"Ash. Her name is Ash."

"Is she one of the girls who bullied you with Evanthe?" Ezra questioned.

I shook my head emphatically. "No. She never did. We became friends."

Ezra's expression darkened further. "Friends?"

"Yes. She's... she's an acquaintance of my stepsister Sybilla."

"The stepsister who's always wanted your position?"

"Yes."

"Now it all makes sense. This was a carefully orchestrated trap."

"No. That can't be right," I tried to explain. "Sybilla looks down on Ash. Ash would never team up with her to hurt me."

"There are two possibilities," Ezra analyzed coldly. "One, Sybilla and Ash are actually working together and deliberately acted like they weren't friends in front of you to gain your trust. Two, Ash was somehow coerced into doing this, possibly to maintain her own position in the program."

Tears welled in my eyes as I considered that Ezra's analysis might be correct. The realization cut like a knife.

"You're certain the name is Ash?" Ezra confirmed.

"Yes, Ashlyn. Everyone calls her Ash," I nodded.

Ezra pulled out his phone and dialed. "Nathaniel, I've confirmed the suspect's identity... the girl called Ashlyn in the Moon Alliance Program. Have her detained in the underground security room at Silver Moon Tower."

"Ezra, please make sure to investigate properly first—" I began.

"Do you know what happened after you were drugged?" he cut me off, his tone ice-cold.

My heart nearly stopped. I shook my head.

"You were dragged by several masked women to a VIP room where a group of paying werewolves were waiting to gang-rape you."

The news hit me like a physical blow. Cold horror washed over me, stealing my breath. I stared at Ezra in shock as Lyra roared for vengeance inside me.

"What?" I whispered, barely audible.

"I've already ordered Orion to investigate the entire chain of events and all participants. But all evidence currently points to Ash. If we can't prove someone else directed her actions, she'll face the consequences alone. In my territory, there's only one punishment for this kind of crime."

I stared at him speechlessly, feeling the cold threat beneath his words. The question that kept repeating in my mind: Why would Ash do this to me?