The Betrayed Princess Rising (Lylah and Ezra) novel Chapter 237

Chapter 237

Lylah’s POV

Finished

Tiny candles flickered across the room, their flames trembling as if they could feel the shift in the air. Rose petals lay scattered over the table in deliberate disarray, and at the center of it all-rings, resting where he had placed them with careful intention.

He had planned everything.

Part of me knew I should have felt annoyed. He had moved ahead again, made decisions without me, taken control of yet another moment that should have belonged to both of us.

But the irritation never came.

Only a quiet, aching admiration settled in its place.

“Did you go to a jeweler yourself to have the bracelets made?” I asked softly, stepping closer. “And the rings…”

My voice trailed off as I fixed my gaze on them.

They weren’t just beautiful-they were ancient.

The design looked unlike anything I had ever seen, untouched by fleeting trends. The diamond caught the candlelight with an almost eerie brilliance, as if it held something deeper than mere light-something old. Something that had endured. I felt it hum faintly beneath my skin, like a relic steeped in generations of wows and bloodlines.

Ezra stepped closer behind me, steady and grounding.

‘Sent from Moonclaw,” he said. “I should have given them to you the night we first formalized our mating.”

I turned to him slowly.

‘It’s a family heirloom,” he continued. “In our tradition, mates plàce the rings on each other beneath the moon, during a formal mating ceremony. Under the Moonclaw sky, with the pack elders as witnesses.”

His gaze darkened slightly, something deeper stirring beneath the surface.

“But when circumstances don’t allow it, quiet promises are enough.” He paused, heavier this time. “And even that… we haven’t done.”

The air thickened.

My wolf stirred, alert, anticipation coiling tight in my chest.

Ezra reached for one of the rings.

“Ezra…?”

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2:50 pm P P P P

Chapter 237

Before I could process it, he lowered himself onto one knee.

The world seemed to still.

Even the flames quieted, as if the room itself bowed to the weight of the moment.

Finished

He held the ring out to me, the diamond catching the firelight. His eyes locked onto mine, piercing and unwavering, as though he could see straight through flesh and bone to the very core of me-

To my wolf.

To my soul.

“I, Alpha Ezra of Moonclaw Pack,” he said, his voice resonating with quiet authority, “claim you, Lylah of Ironcrest Pack. My wolf has chosen you-not only as my mate, but as my equal. My heart. My queen.” His grip on the ring tightened slightly. “Will you accept this bond? Wear my mark? Let me love you fiercely, endlessly, for the rest of our lives?”

For a moment, I couldn’t speak.

My heart swelled until it hurt, warmth flooding through me so intensely it felt like I might shatter from it.

I had chosen him long ago.

There had never been anyone else.

I-yes,” I breathed, my voice trembling despite the certainty anchoring it. I nodded quickly, emotion spilling over. “Yes, Ezra. I accept this. I accept you. I’ll stand beside you always. As your Luna.”

Something fierce and unguarded flashed across his face.

Carefully, almost reverently, he slid the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly, as if it had been waiting for me -as if it had always belonged there.

A soft, satisfied purr rippled through my wolf.

Then help me complete it,” he murmured.

I didn’t hesitate.

!

My fingers trembled as I picked up the second ring, excitement and nerves tangling together in my chest. 1 had no idea what I was supposed to say-I had never learned the proper vows. In Ironcrest and even in Blackfang, I had rarely witnessed a true mating ceremony,

“Ezra of Moonclaw Pack,” I said softly, meeting his gaze, “will you accept me as the other half of your

soul?”

A slow, knowing smile touched his lips.

“You already know the answer,” he said quietly.

My breath hitched as I slid the ring onto his finger. The moment it settled into place, something clicked.

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