The Betrayed Princess Rising (Lylah and Ezra) novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

3rd Person’s POV

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Finished

The muddy grounds of Blackfang Packhouse trembled as a sleek black Bentley rolled through the gates and came to a hard stop before a modest wooden house.

Rowan stepped out–and the air shifted.

Conversations died mid–sentence. Wolves stilled in their tracks, instincts screaming as the Alpha’s aura unfurled without restraint. It slammed into the surrounding pack members like an invisible force, heavy with dominance and barely leashed fury.

Rowan’s gaze locked onto the door before him.

“Tiara Ashcroft,” he called, his voice deceptively calm as it carried through the courtyard. “Open the door. Your Alpha wishes to speak with you.”

Silence answered him.

Seconds stretched. His patience thinned, fraying like a snapped tether.

Murmurs rippled through the gathered crowd, hushed but unmistakable.

“What does Alpha Rowan want with Tiara? This is so unheard of.”

“She’s Lylah’s friend. It must be about her.”

“But look at him, he looks like he’s ready to tear the place apart.”

A second car screeched to a halt beside the Bentley, silver paint splattered with mud.

Gavriel and Cora rushed out, both freezing the instant they saw Rowan standing there.

“Alpha!” Gavriel rushed to his side, eyes widening. “Alpha we’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Rowan hadn’t shown up at the office today. He hadn’t returned to his estate.

Cora’s sharp gaze took him in, and her heart dropped.

“Rowan,” she said carefully, stepping closer. “What are you doing here?” Then her nose wrinkled as the scent hit her. “Did you… Did you spend the entire night drinking?”

His eyes were bloodshot, gold dulled, and rimmed red. Alcohol clung to him, but beneath it–rage.

Obsession.

Rowan ignored her.

“Tiara Ashcroft,” he called again, this time louder. Dark amusement curled his lips as his wolf surged closer to the surface. “You dare defy me?”

He lifted his hand, claws threatening to break skin.

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1:20 pm

Chapter 42

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Finished

“I know Lylah is hiding inside. I’ll count to three. If you don’t open this door,” Rowan paused, voice dropping into something lethal, “I will order my warriors to burn your house to the ground.”

The roar that followed was not entirely human.

Fear rippled through the crowd like wildfire. Several wolves staggered back, whispers turned sharp, filled with horrors.

“So cruel…”

“He’s lost control.”

Gavriel stepped forward despite his instincts screaming at him to submit. “Alpha, please control yourself. I’ve already retrieved every gift Lylah sold-”

“I don’t give a fuck anymore!” Rowan snapped, the words slurring just enough to betray his drunken state. “All I want is to see her walk out of this damn den and face me.”

His chest heaved.

“Does she really think it’s amusing?” he snarled. “To play games with me?”

“N–no Alpha,” Gavriel murmured, forced to bow as Nightborne surged. His Beta wolf crumpled under the pressure, submission instinctively overtaking him.

Cora watched the scene unfold–and something inside her snapped.

The murmurs had grown louder. Phones were lifted, cameras shamelessly recording. The pack was watching their Alpha unravel.

All for her.

For Lylah.

Anger burned hotter than fear in Cora’s chest.

“Tiara doesn’t live here anymore Alpha,” a voice from the crowd said timidly. “She moved to another house a long time ago.”

Before Rowan could roar again, Cora surged forward and grabbed his face. Forcing him to look at her.

“Enough, Rowan!” she shouted “Lylah isn’t here!”

For a heartbeat, Cora forgot who she was touching. Forgot the danger.

“She’s gone!” she said fiercely. “She’s no longer in Blackfang. Stop looking for her. Just forget her. She didn’t even remember you when she left for Lunar-”

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