From Betrayed Luna to Wolf Queen (Lillian) novel Chapter 288

288

+30 Free Coins

Heavy silence followed.

Several of the elders looked away, their expressions tightening, shame burning red beneath their/

composure.

Vargan was in complete agreement with his grandson, but as the eldest of the family, he also understood that his role was to stand as the mediator between them.

“You all came here for the New Moon celebration, right?” he said firmly. “Not to claw at my grandson’s crown like starving dogs.” His gaze hardened. “Let this end here. It would be disgraceful to faint a sacred night with greed.”

Reluctantly, the tension broke.

The elders withdrew, returning to their seats with forced composure.

Tea was poured, dishes passed, but the air remained thick, the unease lingering like the scent of a storm that had not yet fully passed.

By the time night fell, the estate had quieted.

The moon hung high, its pale light spilling through the windows like silvered mist.

Lylah stood in the room she and Ezra had been given–his old room. Her gaze settled on the long couch beneath the window, bathed in moonlight.

It hadn’t been there before.

“Ezra,” she called softly, her voice quieter now, threaded with curiosity. “I don’t remember that being here last time. Did you have it brought in?”

The bathroom door opened behind her.

Ezra stepped out, a dark silhouette against the dim light.

A bathrobe hung loosely over his frame, the fabric clinging just enough to hint at the powerful lines beneath. Damp strands of black hair fell across his forehead, shadows cutting sharper angles along his already chiseled features.

22

“I mean that couch. Lyic

piece of furniture by the window.

She had seen something like it before on one of those discreet adult storefronts. The memory alone was enough to send warmth rushing to her cheeks.

Ezra didn’t even hesitate. “Yes. I bought it,” he said plainly.

Her eyes widened, her wolf stirring restlessly beneath her skin. “But what for?”

He moved closer. His presence pressed in around her, his scent wrapping around her senses like smoke. Her wolf bristled, alert and reactive, caught between instinct and something far more dangerous. There was a naughty glint in his eyes now.

“They say…” he murmured into her ear, “that the night of the new moon is… the most auspicious time for intimacy. Most Moonclaw wolves still hold to this belief. It’s called the mating night here.”

Lylah’s pulse faltered. Her breath caught as realization dawned.

“So that couch…” she began, barely above a whisper.

“Yes. For us.” Ezra replied without shame, without restraint. “For variety,” he added, his tone maddeningly casual, as if discussing something entirely ordinary. “We’ve only ever stayed within the confines of the bed. I considered taking you outdoors…” A faint, almost teasing note slipped into his voice. “But I know you wouldn’t like that.”

Lylan’s face burned, heat spreading down her neck as her wolf shifted restlessly, caught between embarrassment and an unfamiliar, instinctive curiosity.

Ezra, meanwhile, looked entirely unaffected–calm, composed, as though this was the most natural conversation in the world.

Dinner that evening passed in a blur for Lylah.

Though she sat beside Ezra at the table with Vargan and Zyrelle, her thoughts kept drifting–unbidden- back to his words, to the couch bathed in moonlight, to the way his voice had lowered when he spoke of mating night.

Her wolf hadn’t settled since.

The dinner tonight followed tradition–an exchange of gifts beneath the quiet reverence of the new moon. When it was her turn, Lylah presented Vargan with the gift she had prepared back in Lunaris a warm hand–knitted wool shawl.

“For you, Grandpa,” she said softly

Vargan accepted it with a rare gentleness, his hands brushing over the tabru with quiet appreciation

OOG G

#11

0

13

In return

And one for Damon, when he arrives.”

At his signal, the butler stepped forward, carrying a tray with three sealed envelopes.

One each for Lylah, Ezra, and Zyrelle.

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Lylah said with a bright smile, her sincerity unmistakable.

Across the table, Zyrelle remained composed, but something flickered beneath the surface For years, Vargan’s blessings had been reserved for Ezra alone. This time, she had been included.

A childish envy she couldn’t quite suppress arose.

Later that night, as the estate quieted under the watchful glow of the moon, Lylan’s phone lit up with a ca from Tiara.

“I still can’t believe I couldn’t come with you to Moonclaw,” her friend conplained the moment the video call connected, her voice bursting through the screen with familiar energy.

Lylah smiled, “You would’ve loved it here.”

“Tell me everything,” Tiara pressed. “You said the elders give gifts too? That’s unheard of. In Blackfang. they expect diamonds from us and give nothing but half–hearted prayer in return.” She snorted, laughing at her own remark

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify