Chapter 472
Chapter 472
3rd person’s POV
The question lingered between them. Before leaving for the volunteer program, she remembered this conversation all too well. Ezra had never wanted her to come. Not because he doubted her abilities. No because he wished to control her.
He had feared for her safety.
In the end, she had been the one to convince him. She had promised everything would be fine. Promised she would be careful. She promised to return to him unharmed.
And now…
Tonight had proven that his instincts had been right.
“That response was necessary,” Ezra said at last.
His voice remained calm, but beneath it she could hear the restrained growl of his wolf.
Lylah set aside the jar of ointment before moving closer to where he sat on the edge of the mat.
“That wasn’t Lunar Grace’s fault p>
“Wasn’t it?” A muscle flexed along his jaw. “An attack like this should never have happened. If they truly cared about the students under their protection, they would have ensured your safety before anything else p>
His voice roughened.
“I make certain that not even the smallest scratch reaches you, Lylah. I can’t stand seeing you hurt p>
His gaze dropped briefly to the fading marks on her skin.
The scratches.
The dirt.
The evidence of how close he had come to losing her.
“What do you think I felt,” he said quietly, “when I arrived and found your life in danger p>
The memory flashed through him.
The scent of her fear.
The thunder of pursuit.
The sight of wolves closing in on his mate.
Even now, the recollection stirred something savage inside him. His wolf snarled beneath the surface.
Take her home.
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Chapter 472
Keep her safe.
Never let her out of our sight again.
For one terrible moment after arriving in Lunera, a thought had crossed his mind.
A selfish thought.
One he despised himself for having.
Withdraw her from the healer’s path.
End this before another mission, another village, another threat could place her in danger again.
Because this life she had chosen would always carry risks.
Always.
The thought remained lodged inside him like a thorn.
But Ezra couldn’t bring himself to speak it aloud.
Not when he knew what becoming a healer meant to her.
Not when he knew how brightly her soul burned whenever she helped someone.
“I’m sorry,” he said instead.
Immediately, Lylah shook her head.
“No.” She reached for his hand, threading their fingers together. Her touch soothed some of the tension coiled inside him. “Your worry is valid, Ezra. I was the one who promised you everything would be fine. I told you I’d come back safely.” A small, sad smile touched her lips. “But somewhere along the way, I forgot the most important part p>
Her fingers tightened around his.
“Coming home to you p>
The simple words struck directly at his heart.
“Nothing here is worth risking my life for,” she whispered. “Not when you’ve already placed so much trust in me.” in
The Alpha aura pressing against the cabin walls softened instantly.
The storm inside him eased.
“Come here.” The command emerged as little more than a murmur.
Yet Lylah obeyed without hesitation.
The moment she moved closer, Ezra pulled her into his arms. His embrace closed around her with almost
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Chapter 4:2
painful intensity. As though he still needed proof she was truly here.
Alive.
Safe.
His nose buried itself in her hair.
Her scent flooded his senses. The scent he had missed every second they had been apart.
Only now did he realize how empty the last few days had felt without her beside him.
Lylah relaxed against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
“Ezra,” she said softly. “I promise this will never happen again p>
His arms tightened.
“Please don’t ask me to give up becoming a healer p>
For a moment, silence filled the cabin.
Then his hand slid gently through her hair. “Shh p>
The sound was almost tender.
Guilt flickered through him that the very thought had crossed his mind,
“I would never ask that of you.” His lips brushed her forehead. “I realize, to solve a problem, you remove the cause. The problem isn’t your dream p>
His thumb traced her cheek.
“The problem is anything that threatens it p>
A dangerous glimmer entered his eyes. “My duty isn’t to ask my Luna to abandon what she loves. It is to remove every obstacle standing in her way p>
Every threat.
Every enemy.
Every danger.
Until the world became safe enough for her to walk through it freely.
Ezra would carry that promise to the end of his days and beyond.
Afterward, Lylah finished tending his wounds.
Not that there was much left to treat. His Alpha healing had already begun repairing the damage. The scratches that had worried her so much were fading before her eyes.
By midnight, most had nearly vanished.
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The cabin had fallen into comfortable silence when a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
“Alpha p>
A familiar voice carried through the woods.
“It’s me. I heard you were injured. I hope both you and Luna Lylah are unharmed p>
Lylah blinked and closed the ointment jar. “That sounds like Damon p>
“It is,” Ezra replied.
Lylah’s eyes widened. “He came all the way from Moonclaw p>
Without waiting for an answer, she sprang to her feet and hurried to the door.
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The Betrayed Princess Rising