From Betrayed Luna to Wolf Queen (Lillian) novel Chapter 287

Chapter 287

Lylah’s POV

+30 Free Com

I wanted to hold on to the anger. It burned hot and righteous in my chest, sharp enough to steady me I needed it, needed something solid to brace against the way they spoke about Ezra, as if he were nothing more than a position waiting to be filled.

But no matter how tightly I clung to it, something inside me began to unravel..

The fire dimmed. Folded in on itself. And in its place came something softer.

Sadness.

It swept through me in a slow, crushing wave, stealing the air from my lungs. A deep, aching throb pulsed through my chest, as though an invisible thread had been hooked into my very being and pulled taut. My breath faltered.

Was this… our mate bond?

“That’s not how family should speak of each other, Ezra,” I said quietly, “What makes them treat you like this?”

I knew this pain–the kind that came not from enemies, but from those meant to stand beside you.

And I wouldn’t let my mate carry it alone.

A smile touched his lips, caught me off guard.

“I don’t see anything funny,” I muttered, nudging his arm.

His smile deepened, softer now, almost fond.

“Hearing you being so protective of me… It makes me happy. But truly, you don’t need to worry about it. my love.”

Before I could answer, a voice cut cleanly through the room.

“Lylah!”

Conversations stilled. Heads turned.

Vargan was already striding toward us, his sharp eyes bright with recognition. He took my hand withour hesitation and turned to face the gathered wolves.

“You can all put an end to that meaningless discussion, he announced, his voice carrying the unmistakable weight of authority. “Your Alpha and Luna have arrived.”

“Luna?” someone echoed.

An elder stepped forward, her gaze cold and measuring, devoid of warmth. It settled on me like a blade.

13

O

r

apter 287

+30 Free Cons

1 met it head on

Yoen av une are coiled beneath my skin, I smiled.

So this is the Luna of Moonclaw, she said slowly. “Alpha Ezra’s mate? I assumed it was nothing more than

Another voice followed, smooth but edged. “She is indeed a beautiful lady. Fitting, perhaps. Though itis rather unfortunate His eyes flicked to Ezra, “Why were none of us informed of your mating ceremony

A third joined in. “When you choose a mate, Ezra, you are not only choosing for yourself you are choosing a Luna for this entire pack. We are your elders. We had every right to witness it

“And which pack is she from?” someone else added, openly scrutinizing me. “I’ve never seen her before. She looks…” His gaze dragged over me, dismissive. “Fragile. Moonclaw is not a place for the delicate. Tell me, Luna, surely you are not with our Alpha simply because of his status?”

The temperature dropped.

1 felt it before I saw it

Vzra’s aura darkened, something ancient and predatory stirring, beneath his skin. Ager flashing like bared fangs beneath the surface.

Without thinking. I slipped my hand into his.

Grounding him.

Anchoring him.

“I understand your concerns,” I said, forcing calm into my voice despite the tension tightening my chest. “But I assure you, I am not with Ezra for something so shallow.”

A sharp laugh cut through the moment.

“Funny how you all suddenly care now.”

Zyrelle stepped forward, her presence slicing through the crowd as she came to stand beside us. “And trying to meddle in Ezra’s affairs after all this time?”

“Suddenly?” one of the elders scoffed. “We are his family, Zyrelle. It is our responsibility to be concerned. Since his parents passed, it has been our duty to ensure what is best for him and for Moonclaw. We are bound by blood. He should at least respect us.”

“Family” echoed softly.

But there was nothing soft in my gaze.

Her it sweep over them–one by one–taking in the faces that claimed that word so easily

The only people Ezra has ever named to me as his own family…” I continued, my voice steady now are

23

OOG

ぐ

18:53 Sat, Jun 6 MM.

Chapter 287

+30 Frée Copi

Grandfather Vargan, Lady Zyrelle, and Beta Damon. They are the only ones I’ve seen stand beside him. The only ones who have ever reached out.”

My fingers tightened slightly around Ezra’s.

“As for the rest of you….” My gaze hardened. “If your idea of concern is silence year after year, only to

appear when it suits you to question him, to judge him, then tell me… what is that, if not a falfe pack dressed as family, poised to drive the blade into their own Alpha?”

Even if those so–called pack members harbored ambitions against their Alpha, they would have found subtler ways to act on them. Yet here they were, standing beneath Ezra’s roof, groveling before his grandfather, offering up their sons like bargaining chips… all while the true Alpha still lived and breath

Lylah’s voice cut through the room, calm but edged with quiet steel.

“That isn’t just pitiful,” she said. “It’s humiliating.”

The words landed harder than any shouted accusation.

At her side, Zyrelle’s lips curved, though she could no longer fully suppress the flicker of satisfaction in

She had expected many things from Lylah–hesitation, fragility, perhaps even fear.

eyes.

But not this.

Not a Luna who stood her ground against wolves twice her age.

Across the room, one of the elders–Myranda–stiffened, her expression sharpening with clear displeasure.

“You would do well to watch your words, Luna,” she said coldly. “We have known Ezra far longer than you It is not your place to lecture us.”

Before Lylah could respond, Vargan’s voice rose.

“Lylah speaks the truth.”

He stepped forward, his presence alone enough to still the restless tension in the room.

“She is Ezra’s mate,” he continued, “That alone grants her more right to speak on his behalf than any of you.” His gaze swept over them, unflinching. “And I do not recall a single day when any of you were truly present in his life. After my son and his mate died, I raised Ezra myself. Alone. Until he found her, his

mate.”

A ripple of discomfort spread through the gathered elders.

“That was not entirely our fault, Master Vargan,” one of them countered, though his voice lacked us earlier confidence. “Ezra has always been so strict. Even as a pup, he kept others at a distance.”

A low, quiet shift of energy answered him.

“I learned early,” Ezra said, his voice smooth, almost conversational. “how to tell the difference between those who truly sought me and those who sought my crown

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

“For some of you,” he continued, eyes glinting faintly, “it was never about me

OIG

12

Chapter