The Betrayed Princess Rising Chapter 28

Lylah's POV

“Was the photo not to your liking?” Alpha Ezra asked, his voice calm but probing as Beta Damon guided the car through the city streets toward our residence. “You’ve been so quiet.”

“It turned out beautifully.” I replied softly, then added, “I’ll keep one copy, Alpha. You may have the others perhaps for your family. Or for whatever purpose you need.”

If he required proof of our mating status as much as I did, then surely someone would demand to see it.

An elder. A rival. Or perhaps the ghosts of a past that still had claims on him. Whatever the reason, it wasn’t my place to pry.

“You can keep them all,” he said after a moment. “If I need one, I’ll ask.”

“Alright.”

The car came to a smooth halt in front of the building.

Beta Damon stepped out first, then helped Alpha Ezra, and instinctively, I moved to support him.

Inside the elevator, Damon pressed the button.

“Which floor?” I asked.

“The highest.”

When the doors finally slid open, I froze.

I’d expected comfort—perhaps a big apartment—but not this. Not a penthouse perched above the city like a throne above its kingdom. The air itself felt different here, heavy with dominance, saturated with Alpha Ezra's presence.

The smart door slid open as though it recognized its master.

And then,

“Daddy!”

The voice echoed from within, bright and unmistakably joyful.

Alpha Ezra’s pup.

The same voice I’d heard over the phone before. But hearing it now in person sent a strange ripple through my chest.

“You can leave your things in your room and rest,” Alpha Ezra said.

“Wait.” I opened my bag quickly. “I brought something for your pup, Alpha. It’s not much, but I hope he likes it.”

I pulled out the slingshot I’d bought on Mount Silvaris with Tiara.

"Pup?” Damon’s eyes widened.

I nodded slowly. “The voice I heard earlier, he’s Alpha Ezra's son, isn’t he?”

“A pup,” Alpha Ezra said evenly, “is what we called a child born of a bonded mate, Selene’s blessing.” His gaze lingered on me. “This one, however, I created myself. Does the name still apply?”

My breath caught.

“W-what do you mean, Alpha?”

Did he play me? Confusion knotted in my chest. Wolves cannot create pups alone.

Beta Damon merely scratched the back of his head, not explaining.

“Daddy,” the voice chimed behind me, bright and obedient. “I did exactly as you asked. I behaved. I didn’t wreck your office!"

I turned.

And my world tilted.

Alpha Ezra’s “son” was a robot.

A small one, shaped like a boy no taller than my thigh, crafted with unsettling precision. His eyes were wide and luminous, innocent in a way that almost hurt to look at.

“Daddy,” he tilted his head, “You bring a friend!"

I stepped closer without realizing it. Curiosity drowned my shock.

“Alpha,” I whispered, “was this… the voice I heard during our call?”

The robot’s gaze flicked to me, scanning—analyzing—learning. His eyes reminded me of a wolf pup’s on its first full moon night.

“You’re my Mommy!” he declared suddenly. “Daddy finally brought Mommy home!”

I jolted upright, heart pounding.

“So you heard Bambi’s voice, Luna?” Beta Damon laughed. “No wonder you kept asking about a pup.”

“Bambi?” I echoed.

“That’s his name,” Damon explained. “A robotic companion Alpha Ezra designed himself a year ago. He records, analyzes behavior, and adapts emotionally. If other Packs ever learns of this, it will shock the whole Verdanth."

I stared at Ezra, awe threading through my disbelief.

“This is… incredible.”

He remained composed, as though he hadn’t just created something that could rewrite the future of Verdanth.

“Mommy, look into the camera,” Bambi said excitedly. “I’m saving your data!”

I did, unable to resist.

“Take Lylah to her room,” Alpha Ezra instructed.

“But Alpha, I will guide you first-"

“No need.” His tone was firm, absolute. “This is my home. I know it well.”

Not wanting to offend him, I simply nodded.

Bambi squealed happily and motioned for me to follow, then shifted, metal folding like living sinew as his body rearranged itself into a small silver wolf.

I laughed, warmth blooming unexpectedly in my chest.

Damon followed me to my room, and I was grateful. My mind was too full to stay silent.

“Your Alpha…” I began carefully as we arrived. “He’s a man who carries more than he ever reveals. He hasn’t stopped surprising me since I arrived.”

Alpha Ezra’s reputation had always preceded him—wealth, a powerful pack, a name spoken with caution across Verdanth. But this? To secretly develop technology so advanced, to conceal it so completely that it escaped even the notice of other Alphas?

It was unthinkable.

If Rowan ever learned of it, the outrage alone would set the realm ablaze.