7. You Absolute Bitch

Isabella POV

No way. Reporting this to Sloane only meant absolute catastrophe. She would immediately take the news to the Alpha or Vivienne, and that would instantly arouse their suspicion. I couldn't even begin to imagine the horror of what would happen next, but I was completely certain of one thing: Evangeline and her mate would be brutally punished.

"Hold on a moment," I spoke up, trying to inject some hesitation into the room to buy them more time. "Don't you think you are all rushing to a pretty massive conclusion?" If I could just keep them arguing a little longer, maybe the couple would manage to cross the borders and turn rogue safely. By then, they would have finally found the freedom they were searching for.

"Are you trying to say we are being impulsive, freak?" Chloe sneered, stepping forward and aggressively pinching my cheeks. I didn't even try to hide the fierce glare I threw right back at her.

"I didn't say that, Chloe. You are putting words in my mouth," I rasped out, forcefully twisting my face away to free myself from her rough, painful grip. "I was just offering a simple suggestion."

"Whatever. Let's just go and inform Madame Sloane right now!" Lily snapped, turning toward the door.

I had no choice but to trail reluctantly behind the group. It didn't take them long to locate Sloane near the service corridor.

"Madame Sloane, we need to report something incredibly important!" Lily announced, her voice pitching up into a dramatic, high-strained whine. Sloane instantly went rigid, her sharp eyes flashing with an alert, alarmed intensity.

"And what exactly would that be?" Sloane asked, pretending to sound utterly unbothered even though I could tell her curiosity had just skyrocketed to its peak.

"We wanted to inform you that..." Chloe began in her usual saucy, self important tone, but a deep, booming voice suddenly cut her off from behind. I didn't even need to turn around to recognize that voice. It belonged to the Beta of the pack....my father, a man who had completely severed all ties with me for the crime of shaming him in front of the entire kingdom.

"What is the meaning of this commotion?" Beta Steve demanded, stepping into the corridor.

The sheer weight of his dominant aura had Sloane practically trembling for no reason. The other girls instantly cowed under his cold, authoritative gaze, and even the bold Chloe shrank back. I immediately lowered my eyes, doing everything in my power to avoid his sight so I wouldn't draw any unnecessary trouble onto myself.

"Beta Steve!" Chloe squeaked, quickly plastering a fake, trembling layer of concern over her voice.

"I was just trying to inform Madame Sloane that one of the omegas has been missing since this morning. We’re deeply worried that something terrible might have happened to her!" The sheer theatricality of her performance was staggering; she even managed to make her voice quiver at the end.

What an absolute actress, I scowled bitterly inside my own head, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

"Do you have something to do with this?"

My father's voice suddenly pierced right through me. He had caught the subtle shift in my expression, and his attention locked onto me like a predator.

Great. Now I am in some seriously deep shit.

"No, Fa—" I started, but the instant, lethal scowl he flashed me made me choke back the word. I cleared my throat and corrected myself immediately.

"No, Beta Steve. I don't know anything about this."

"Good. Because if I find out you are involved, I won't hesitate to throw you right back into the subterranean cells," he threatened coldly. A few malicious snickers erupted from the girls standing right behind me.

"But Beta! She was literally just trying to defend the runner a second ago!" Lily piped up, determined to drag me down.

"I did no such thing!" I snapped through gritted teeth. These omega bitches were actively trying to rope me into a massive, life-threatening mess, and I was absolutely not going to let myself walk blindly into their trap.

"Besides, I wasn't the one lending out my personal bags to people right before they suddenly vanished into thin air," I added, seamlessly turning the tables right back on her. If I couldn't stop them from investigating, I could at least use petty distractions to waste their time and punish the girl who tried to sabotage me.

Lily went completely pale, her mouth snapping shut as she found herself totally defenseless.

"Take her in for immediate interrogation," Beta Steve ordered, gesturing to the heavy-set guards stationed at the end of the hall. They stepped forward and grabbed Lily by the arms.

"No! No! I had nothing to do with this, I swear! Please believe me!" she wailed frantically, her voice echoing down the corridor as they dragged her away toward the security wing. Watching her panic, a small, unexpected pang of guilt twinged in my chest, but I quickly suppressed it. Survival came first.

"Give me a precise description of Evangeline," my father commanded Sloane, before turning to another set of guards.

"Go search her quarters and inventory her belongings immediately."

A few agonizing minutes later, the guards returned and bowed respectfully to him.

"There is absolutely nothing left behind in her locker, Beta Steve. Her clothes and essentials are gone."

"Then it is exactly as I suspected. She is attempting to defect from the pack," my father stated, his jaw clenching. "I have already notified the Alpha and ordered the perimeter patrol guards to go on high alert. She's on foot..she couldn't have made it very far."

My heart skipped a violent beat at his words, and a frantic prayer rushed through my mind to the Moon Goddess. But then I stopped myself, a bitter taste rising in my throat. Who was I kidding? Did I really think the celestial goddess would ever answer the prayers of a broken, wolfless omega like me?

Before long, we were dismissed and sent back to our dorms. The moment the door clicked shut, the atmosphere in the room turned toxic. I did my absolute best to ignore the heated, murderous glares shooting at me from every corner.

"You absolute bitch! You are the reason they dragged Lily away!" Chloe hissed, stepping out from the crowd. She marched directly toward my cot, her face completely twisted with malice.

Of course, I had fully anticipated a backlash like this. When you get the ringleader of a pack of bullies thrown into custody, they tend to push back.

"I didn't give the interrogation orders, Chloe," I mocked, tilting my chin up. I intentionally let a sharp, condescending smirk spread across my lips, knowing with absolute certainty that it would drive her insane.

"If you have a problem with the chain of command, maybe you should go take it up with the Beta himself."

"Don't you dare speak to me, you disgusting freak! You aren't worth the dirt on my shoes!" she snarled. Without warning, her hand flew out and violently tangled into my hair, yanking my head back. Within seconds, a few other omegas moved in, completely circling my bed and trapping me.

"I knew she was hiding something malicious," one of them muttered, her eyes dripping with pure disdain.

"If a single bad thing happens to Lily while she's locked up, I swear to the Moon Goddess I will bury you alive myself!" Chloe growled directly into my ear. The terrifying coldness in her tone let me know she was dead serious; no shifter swore lightly on the name of the celestial goddess.

"Don't you think it's time we gave this freak a proper beating? Just to make sure her mouth stays shut from now on," Chloe suggested, cocking her head to the side.

A murmur of dark approval rippled through the surrounding girls.

Suddenly, Chloe's eyes began to emit a faint, predatory golden glow. I knew instantly that she was channeling her inner beast. Her fingernails elongated, sharpening into lethal, elongated claws. She raised her hand high into the air, aiming straight for my face to slash my skin open.

"I think I hear heavy footsteps coming down the hall right now," I whispered violently, staring her dead in the eye.

"You all better scram before my mouth starts running to the guards again. Who knows? Maybe one of you will be lucky enough to get a matching cell right next to Lily."

One by one, the girls hesitated. My threat hit its mark, and they slowly began to step back, their heads snapping toward the closed door as fear of the guards overrode their anger.

Suddenly, the door didn't just open—it slammed against the wall.

Another omega from the neighboring dorm barged into the room, gasping for air, her face flushed with the absolute thrill of having fresh gossip to spill.

"The runaway omega! They caught her at the southern border!" she announced loudly.

The words felt like a physical blow to my chest.

"What?!" I gasped out, my voice cracking before I could stop myself.

"Good for her. That's exactly what the traitor deserves," Chloe smirked, casually letting go of my hair and smoothing out her own clothes.

"Is it true?" the other girls began to murmur, giggling and whispering maliciously amongst themselves as the tension broke.

"Oh, but do you want to know what the most insane part is?" the messenger continued, a gleeful smile breaking across her face, clearly thrilled to have such a massive, captivated audience.

"What?" almost everyone chorused at once.

The girl grinned, dropping the ultimate bombshell. "She didn't run alone. She had an accomplice from the guard unit."

The moment the words left her mouth, all the strength drained from my body, and my shoulders completely drooped in utter defeat.