The Betrayed Princess Rising (Lylah and Ezra) novel Chapter 399

Chapter 399

Lylah’s POV

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The accusation was so absurd that for a moment, I genuinely wondered if Rowan was drunk.

But the sharpness in his eyes told me otherwise.

There was no haze in his scent. No instability from alcohol. Only rage. And the desperate, violent certainty of a wolf cornered before an entire territory.

He truly believed he could accuse Ezra in this manner.

A heavy silence spread across the moonlit garden before one of the nobles finally spoke.

“But Alpha Rowan… you and Alpha Ezra have never worked together before, have you? How would he even know about your idea?”

I felt secondhand embarrassment crawl beneath my skin.

Enough.

I was already preparing to pull Rowan away before he humiliated himself further when his gaze snapped toward me.

“Not him.” Rowan said darkly. “Her.”

A cold ripple passed through the crowd.

“Lylah knew about it.”

“Me?” The word left my lips before I could stop it, stunned disbelief flashing through me.

“You all may not know this,” Rowan continued, “but before Ezra, she was with me.” His eyes locked onto mine with suffocating intensity. “She lived in Blackfang far longer than she ever did here in Lunaris.

“She witnessed how I built Corlis Prime, my tech company, from nothing. She knew about my ideas. She knew what I was working on.” His gaze sharpened with accusation. “So tell me, if Ezra suddenly created the same system afterward, then where else could he have gotten it from?”

Around us, whispers erupted almost immediately.

“Is that true? Luna Lylah was once involved with Alpha Rowan?”

The voice came from somewhere within the gathered nobles, hushed but impossible to miss

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Chapter 300

beneath the suffocating tension.

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“That explains why her mating with Alpha Ezra was always surrounded by mystery. No one even knew where Moonclaw’s Luna came from before she appeared beside him.”

“And there was never any formal announcement about their mating ceremony either…”

“That would explain it If she truly used to belong to Alpha Rowan.”

“But then what happened? Why didn’t they end up together?”

The words spread through the gathering like wildfire beneath dry leaves.

And Rowan heard every single one.

I watched something ugly flare brighter inside him as the reactions fueled his wolf.

“Before you left Blackfang,” he said hoarsely, “before you left me… we used to share so many things.” His voice lowered. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that.”

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him.

If this had only been about me, I would not have bothered explaining anything.

If he wanted to drag our past back into the light, to rip open old wounds in front of the entire continent to satisfy his pride, then fine. Let them talk. Let them speculate. I could endure it.

But this no longer involved only me.

Rowan had dragged Ezra’s name into it.

And that…

That I could not allow.

“Yes,” I said quietly. “I remember.”

The crowd fell still again.

“I remember watching you build Corlis Prime while Blackfang was collapsing around us.” My voice remained calm. “I remember those days very clearly, Rowan.”

A strange flicker crossed his face, almost triumphant.

But then I continued.

“But your ideas? How would I know them well enough to steal them for Ezra when you never

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shared your work with me in the first place?”

The triumph vanished instantly.

“You never involved me in your discussions, Rowan.” I said. “Not once.”

The memories rose sharper now, cutting through me like winter wind.

Back then, Rowan had been consumed by rebuilding Blackfang. Corlis Prime had become his obsession. His pride. His escape.

And me?

I had simply stood beside him, trying to hold together everything that was already slipping

away.

Even when I myself was still bleeding inside.

A lost teenage girl cast aside by her Pack. By the very wolves I had once believed were my family.

“I supported you with my own savings,” I continued, my voice growing colder. “I offered suggestions. Resources. Foundation ideas for your company.” My gaze locked onto his. “And every time I asked if there was anything you wanted to share with me about your work, you told me that what I’d already done was enough.”

A faint murmur rippled through the nobles again. Because they understood now.

Rowan had thrown a spear in desperation,

only for it to turn back toward him.

“You seem to have forgotten that,” I said quietly.

But I hadn’t. I remembered everything.

The sleepless nights tending his injured legs.

The hunger was spreading through Blackfang while Rowan buried himself deeper inside ambition.

The way I stretched every coin I had was to feed his struggling pack members while he chased survival through business deals and expansion plans.

I never demanded access to his work.

Never forced my way into his world.

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Never tried to pry open doors he chose to keep shut.

Because while he fought to save Blackfang in the only way he knew how, ran off searching for sparks,

I was already the ember keeping the fire alive in the dark.

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