The Betrayed Princess Rising (Lylah and Ezra) novel Chapter 283

Chapter 283

3rd Person’s POV

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+5 Pearls

“When you went to Rowan, did he attack you?” Lylah asked, her gaze already sweeping over Ezra’s body, searching. “Are you hurt?”

She knew what Ezra was. Knew the kind of power that lived quietly in him-the kind that made other Alphas recalibrate the moment he entered a room. Rowan was no real threat to him. And yet, something primal stirred within her, a protective instinct she couldn’t suppress.

“No.” Ezra’s lips curved faintly. “Don’t you already know? That night at the hotel, we laid ourselves bare to each other. You’ve seen.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it.

Just moments ago, he had been gutting her with his sadness, and now those same eyes held a glint that could only be described as deliberate.

“Or,” he added, his voice dipping lower, “was it too dark for you? If you’d like a better look now, I can show you.”

His fingers were already at his shirt, unfastening the buttons with ease.

Lylah’s eyes widened, heat flickering unexpectedly through her chest.

She caught his hands before he could go further. “No no.”

But it was already too late. The sharp lines of his chest were exposed, muscle shifting beneath his skin, and she swallowed, her pulse quickening despite herself.

“No need, Ezra,” she said quickly. “I believe you.”

A glint lingered in his eyes before it softened.

His hand rose, brushing gently against her cheek.

“I’m sorry about Nyx. I should have told you sooner that I had found her, that I had brought her to Moonclaw.” His jaw tightened slightly. “But in the end, I couldn’t keep her alive.”

His thumb stilled against her skin.

“I was afraid to tell you. Afraid you’d be disappointed. Sad. Angry. All of it.”

Lylah’s chest eased, something heavy loosening within her.

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10:47 Sat, Apr 11

Chapter 283

So she had been right.

Not silence out of indifference, but silence born of fear.

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“Don’t apologize,” she said softly. “I should be thanking you. For finding my friend, for bringing her somewhere safe, and for showing her kindness in her final days.” Her gaze steadied on his. “I’m not disappointed. I’m not angry. I’m grateful. Do you hear me? Grateful.”

Something shifted in Ezra’s expression-relief, raw and unguarded, long held at bay.

His other hand rose to cradle her face, both palms curved gently against her cheeks. Slowly, he leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers.

Silence settled between them, soft and weightless as falling snow.

It was late into the night when Rowan’s guards brought him the news. Lylah had made contact -not with him directly, but through one of his guards.

A warning.

If Rowan so much as messed with Ezra again, she would come to him personally.

And she would be his nightmare.

She would break him until he regretted the very moment their paths had ever crossed.

The instant the message reached him, Rowan became something else entirely. Bottles shattered under his hands. The air thickened with the sharp scent of alcohol and Alpha fury, his wolf surging too close to the surface. One of his guards lay bloodied, caught in the wake of his rage -too slow to escape.

In the end, they had no choice but to call Cora.

She arrived at ruin.

“Rowan!” Her voice cut through the tension as she rushed forward.

His face was flushed, his breathing uneven, blood trailing once more from his injured nose. His eyes were unfocused, burning with something feral beneath the haze of alcohol.

Her gaze snapped toward the remaining Blackfang guards, fury blazing. “What are you all doing? Are you his guards, or just brainless mutts waiting to be given orders? Useless. Everyone of you.”

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