The Betrayed Princess Rising (Lylah and Ezra) novel Chapter 45

Finished

That morning, the atmosphere at Blackfang College shifted the instant Rowan arrived. His fury rolled ahead of him like a living force, thickening the air and pressing against the lungs of every wolf within its reach.

Whispers died mid–breath when he slammed the office door open and seized the Gamma by the collar, forcing him to his feet.

“Damn you Stone,” Rowan growled, his voice vibrating with Alpha power, “it seems you no longer value your life.”

Stone–Lylah’s mentor for years–met his gaze, jaw tight. He had known this reckoning would come.

“Alpha Rowan, what is this about?” Stone said evenly, though his pulse thundered beneath his skin.

Rowan’s lips curled. “You dare ask? You helped Lylah apply for the Junior Assistant position at Lunar Grace -behind my back!”

Stone inhaled slowly, bracing himself, then reached up to loosen Rowan’s grip.

“That program is independent, Alpha. Open to any qualified applicant, regardless of pack affiliation. Annual pack quotas don’t bind it.” His eyes hardened. “She didn’t need your approval.”

A sharp intake of breath rippled through the wolves crowding the doorway.

Gavriel stiffened. Cora’s face drained of color.

“No approval?” Rowan repeated softly, dangerously. “How amusing.” His aura flared, his claws threatening to burst through his skin. “I am her Alpha. For five years, Lylah’s life has been under my authority. Every choice she makes concerns me.”

Stone swallowed, then lifted his chin. “And yet you had no trouble deciding her future without her–when you gave her undergraduate placement to Lady Cora.”

Rowan’s grip fell away.

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to tilt.

Emotion flashed across his eyes–shock, then something darker. He hadn’t expected Stone to strike there.

“So I think what Lylah did is only fair,” Stone continued, his voice steady despite the danger. “I supported you once when you took what should have been hers. I won’t do it again.”

His mind drifted back to the day Lylah had stood in this very room, quietly asking about the Junior Assistant position he had offered.

He remembered the disappointment she tried to hide, the hurt she folded neatly away. The ache she swallowed as she spoke of finding another path.

1/2

1:21 pm

Chapter 45

Finished

“Alpha,” Gavriel said, slipping past the stunned onlookers. He lifted a document from Stone’s desk. “Look. This is a copy of the application form Lylah submitted.”

Rowan tore it from his Beta’s hands and scanned the page.

A low growl rumbled from his chest, shaking the walls.

“Why,” he demanded, eyes snapping up, “did Lylah list her status as mated?”

Stone frowned. “I don’t know, Alpha. But if she wrote it, then it’s true. A mating bond doesn’t lie. She already has a mate.”

“Impossible!” The paper was shredded between Rowan’s fingers. “There is no bond!” he snarled. “No one has claimed her!”

He spun toward his Beta. “Gavriel.”

“Yes, Alpha?”

“Arrange my departure to Lunaris. Fastest train. I’ll be there before the next day.”

With that, Rowan stormed out–only to halt at the doorway.

Tiara stood there, arms crossed, her eyes glittering with undisguised satisfaction.

“Well,” she drawled, “don’t you look regretful now after taking pleasure in hurting my friend piece by piece.”

Rowan’s snarl was instant. “You-”

“You’re unbelievable, Alpha Rowan,” Tiara snapped, her words cracking like a whip. Gasps rippled through the crowd behind her. “A hypocrite.” She stepped closer without hesitation. “You won’t find what you’re looking for in Lunaris. Do you know why?”

Her gaze burned into his.

“Because Lylah doesn’t want to see your face anymore. So leave her the fuck alone!”

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