The Betrayed Princess Rising (Lylah and Ezra) novel Chapter 162

3rd Person’s POV

The man who stepped outside the restaurant looked to be in his mid–forties, his posture straight, his expression calm despite the rising tension in front of his establishment.

He adjusted the knot of his tie before speaking, his voice firm but controlled.

“Please,” he said evenly, sweeping his gaze across the gathered wolves, “if anyone here intends to start violence, you can leave now.”

Soren smirked.

“Perfect,” she said coolly, gesturing toward Lylah and Iris. “Then those two should be the ones leaving. They don’t belong among us anyway.”

Before the manager could respond, a voice suddenly rose from the waiting line.

“Hey! Wasn’t it you who started insulting her?”

Another woman nodded in agreement. “Yes. I heard it too. The black–haired one accused the other lady of selling herself to some old wolf in Lunaris.”

A low murmur rippled through the crowd.

“Unbelievable,” someone muttered. “Pups these days really have poison in their mouths.”

Soren’s lips parted in shock.

Her gaze darted around the line.

She hadn’t expected anyone to speak up. Much less defend Lylah.

Lylah had just opened her mouth to respond when she felt the manager’s attention settle on her.

His eyes lingered, studying her more closely than the others.

“Please don’t ask us to leave,” Iris blurted quickly. “We didn’t start this.”

“No, no,” the manager replied calmly.

Then he smiled. And the smile was directed squarely at Lylah.

“Ah,” he said warmly. “You two.” He gestured toward the entrance. “You’re both welcome to have dinner inside. Please–come in, ladies.”

Lylah blinked. “What?”

Iris, however, didn’t question it at all.

Her face lit up with delight, and before Lylah could stop her, she had already grabbed Lylah’s arm and marched toward the entrance.

“But why us?” Lylah asked the manager hesitantly as she followed. Her instincts rarely trusted kindness offered too easily. “Did someone tell you to prioritize us, sir?”

“Ah, nothing like that,” he replied smoothly. “I simply heard that you were insulted while waiting in line.” He spread his hands politely.

“So I thought… why not offer you a table to make up for the unpleasant experience?”

The explanation still felt… slightly suspicious.

But Iris was practically glowing with excitement, and Lylah decided not to press further.

If nothing else, the night had made her friend happy.

And that was enough.

Much later that evening, Lylah returned to the penthouse.

The moment she stepped inside, something felt wrong. The entire penthouse was cloaked in darkness. Usually, the soft ambient lights activated automatically the moment she entered.

Her senses sharpened instinctively.

The Alpha still wore his white work shirt, the sleeves rolled carelessly to his forearms, the top buttons undone.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify