The Betrayed Princess Rising (Lylah and Ezra) novel Chapter 364

Chapter 364

3rd Person’s POV

Damon’s parents kept their gaze fixed on Lylah.

Finished

Unlike the way they looked at Ezra, their expressions did not soften. There was curiosity there, measured, watchful-but beneath it lay something deeper, more rigid. Respect, yes. But not warmth. Not yet.

This was their first time standing before the Luna of Moonclaw-Ezra’s mate,

their Queen. Beyond the instinctive respect carved into their blood, they did not know what else to offer… nor how to reach her without overstepping the invisible line her title had drawn.

“If you say so, Luna Lylah,” Damon’s father spoke first, his tone even, carefully controlled.

The title rang hollow in her ears.

Lylah drew in a quiet breath. “Please,” she said gently, “don’t take my words as those of a Luna…

ut as a friend. Damon is my friend, sir.” Her voice steadied with quiet resolve. “I am also

dying healing. I will see him restored fully, completely. I won’t leave him broken.”

A small nod followed-a polite smile.

But it did not reach him.

The distance remained, an invisible wall she could feel but not cross. It pressed faintly against her senses, like a barrier her wolf could not quite claw through.

So this is what it means to be Luna.

To be revered… yet kept at arm’s length.

“Thank you for your kindness, Luna,” his mother said, her voice softer, though no less composed. “But do not misunderstand us.” Her gaze flickered briefly to Damon, then back to Lylah. “When we spoke of his own spring, it was never to deny his duty to you.”

A faint smile touched her lips, restrained and brittle.

“We are Beta-born. That loyalty does not waver.” Her eyes dimmed, something unspoken passing through them. “And now… I believe my son is right.”

The air shifted.

“Whether Damon takes a mate or not,” she continued, “it will be you and Alpha Ezra who carry Moonclaw forward. We will serve your pup, protect it, guide it.” Her expression softened just a

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Chapter 364

fraction, though it never fully warmed. “That is what matters. For us, that is enough.”

Enough.

The word settled heavily in Lylah’s chest, hollow and cold.

It was meant as reassurance.

Yet it felt like something else entirely.

Damon looked at her the same way he always had-respectful and warm. But Lylah didn’t know what he would see if he looked deeper.

Past the title. Past the composure.

Only uncertainty. Thin, restless, and impossible to fully hide, no matter how still she forced herself to stand.

Night fell slowly over the treatment grounds.

Lylah stood alone on the lawn, the cool wind threading through her hair, carrying the sharp scent of pine and nearby riverwater. The forest whispered at the edges of her awareness, her wolf listening, but offering no comfort.

Footsteps approached behind her.

“That was well done, my dear.”

ice was warm, threaded with quiet pride as he came to stand beside her. “You eased in Damon’s parents without force, without command. You stepped into your role tion, not authority.”

He studied her, his gaze softening. “Lylah, I am proud of you.”

She smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

A pause followed, filled only by the rustle of leaves.

“About what they said…” Vargan added, almost casually. “You needn’t take it to heart. I certainly don’t dwell on it.”

He hesitated for a moment.

“Well,” he amended, clearing his throat lightly, “aside from the pups.”

Lylah blinked, caught off guard. “Grandpa?”

part about

you and Ezra having

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A faint chuckle escaped him, though it carried the weight of something older-something longing. “Ah, I must sound insufferable to you.” He shook his head. “Forgive me.”

His gaze drifted, distant, as though he were seeing something far beyond the present.

“In my old age now, I always find my thoughts wandering to simpler things.” A faint smile touched his lips. “Small footsteps echoing through Moonclaw Manor. Laughter filling halls that have grown too quiet. I imagine children with Ezra’s strength and your light,” he continued. “Running wild beneath the moon.”

His voice gentled.

“But that is my dream-not your burden.” He looked at her again. “You will choose your own time. Do not rush for the sake of anyone, not even this old man’s wishes.”

Lylah nodded.

Yet even as he spoke, she felt it-

That quiet, unspoken hope.

Settling softly and sank deep into her bones.

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The Betrayed Princess Rising