6. Report

Isabella POV

Even though the thought of escaping sounded like a perfect dream at that moment, I knew deep down that I couldn't just up and leave. I hadn't planned anything. Unlike Evangeline, who had spent weeks carefully mapping out every detail of her escape, I had nothing. She had a strong partner to lean on....someone willing to fight for her until his very last breath and, most importantly of all, she had her own wolf.

While I, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing.

I wasn't even sure I could survive ten minutes past the boundary line before some feral rogue caught my scent and shredded me to pieces.

The mere thought made me shudder, a cold wave of fear piercing through my skin like a thousand sharp needles. I was wolf-less, penniless, and possessed zero skills outside of heavy omega chores. No pack in their right mind would ever welcome a broken, useless she-wolf into their ranks.

But if I chose to stay here in the Eclipse Pack, my future looked just as bleak. There was no guarantee I wouldn't end up rotting in the pack dungeons the second Blaine ascended as the new Alpha. A heavy, sickening dread settled deep in the pit of my stomach at the thought of him holding absolute power over my life.

If I ran, I would be rejected by strangers. Some might even recognize me as the disgraced, fallen daughter of the Eclipse Pack's Beta and drag me right back to my father to gain favor.

That would be a fate far worse than death. I could already picture my father, his eyes blazing a furious, dominant red as he struck me. He wouldn't hesitate to throw me into the dungeons himself just to appease Lyra and save face. Disgracing him by running away was an unforgivable sin; I doubted I would even survive the night to tell the story.

While I sat alone in the heavy darkness of the room, brooding over my misery, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the corridor. It was a group of omegas, gossiping loudly as they made their way back to the dorms.

Within seconds, the door creaked open and several girls filed into the room. I quickly sat up, trying to look inconspicuous. Fortunately, they paid me no attention and continued their hushed, intense chatter.

"Is he really having his Alpha ascension ceremony during the next full moon?" one of them whispered, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"You heard what the Alpha announced, Lily," another replied. "He's officially taking over the pack by the full moon now that he's secured his future Luna!"

"Beta Lyra is so incredibly lucky. And she's stunning, too!" a third girl sighed. "She literally has everything any she-wolf could ever dream of."

"I know, right? I am so jealous," a girl with a longing look whispered. "Imagine having a tall, wealthy, powerful future Alpha as your fated mate."

I couldn't help but grimace in the dark. If only they knew how hollow, cruel, and cowardly Blaine truly was beneath his handsome exterior, they wouldn't be wishing for his touch.

"By the way, where is Evangeline?" Lily asked suddenly, her eyes scanning the dim corners of the crowded room.

"Why are you looking for her?" one of the girls scoffed, clearly annoyed that their exciting gossip had been interrupted by the mention of a nobody.

"How are we supposed to know where she is?" a girl with a slightly hoarse voice shrugged, tossing her jacket onto her cot.

"Well, I lent her my favorite blue bag yesterday, and she was supposed to return it to me today," Lily complained.

"Wait, why did she even need a bag in the first place?" the hoarse-voiced girl asked, her brow furrowing with sudden suspicion.

At her words, my fragile heart began to race like a runaway horse. A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck as fear for Evangeline gripped me.

"She just said she needed to pack some personal items to give to someone, and promised she’d bring it back tonight," Lily explained, looking around.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since we started the party prep this afternoon. I don't think she ever showed up to serve," someone else noted.

"Me neither," another voice chimed in.

"Same here," a chorus of agreement muttered across the room.

"Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?" Lily said, holding her hands out as if trying to piece a puzzle together in the air.

"I think I'm on the same page as you, girl," a short-haired omega tried to joke, but she was quickly shut down by a barrage of sharp scowls.

"Wait a minute," Hannah spoke up timidly from her bed. She was a quiet, dark-skinned girl with soft black curls and eyes as dark as the night sky. Even in my misery, I had always envied her effortless beauty. "Did that blue bag have a thick black zipper?"

"Yes, Hannah! Yes, exactly!" Lily burst out, rapidly losing her patience. "That's the one!"

"Then it's definitely the bag I saw," Hannah said softly.

"When did you see her?" Lily pressed.

"Right before the party preparations started," Hannah explained, shrinking back slightly as all eyes in the room locked onto her. "I walked into the room, and she immediately zipped the bag shut. She was sweating profusely and looking incredibly nervous. But... I didn't think much of it at the time."

I swallowed the lump of terror in my throat. If they kept digging, they would realize she was gone, raise the alarm, and the warriors would hunt Evangeline and her mate down before they could even cross the border. I had to distract them.

"I saw her earlier this evening," I spoke up, forcing my voice to sound as steady as possible.

The entire room went dead silent. Every single head snapped in my direction, their gazes dripping with instant disdain.

"Nobody asked for your opinion, freak," one of them sneered, and the room instantly erupted into cruel, mocking giggles.

"Seriously, stop staring at us. Your face might actually make me sick," another laughed, and I bit my lower lip so hard I tasted copper.

"A freak with freaky eyes," Chloe mocked. She was a petty blonde, and I vividly remembered Blaine flirting with her in the gardens just a few months ago.

I knew exactly why they called my eyes freaky. They were a striking blue which normally would be considered beautiful and rare but mine were heavily flecked with strange, swirling black spots throughout the irises.

Over the years, I had learned to build a wall against their insults, knowing their cruelty would never stop. But the eyes weren't the only strange thing happening to me. Just a few months ago, I had noticed a bright, shimmering blue streak naturally growing into my hair. I had panicked. No werewolf in the history of our pack had ever grown blue hair. Knowing it would only invite worse torment and accusations of being cursed, I had immediately dyed my entire head pitch-black to hide it.

"We shouldn't waste any more time sitting around gossiping," a harsh, familiar voice snapped, instantly cutting through my thoughts and shattering the tense silence of the room.

"We need to go and report this to Madame Sloane immediately."