8. Excellent Choice

Isabella POV

"She had an accomplice!"

At that horrific revelation, my shoulders completely drooped, and absolute worry was written all over my face. Within seconds, the nosy troupe of omegas scrambled out of the dorm to witness the drama firsthand. After a long, agonizing moment of hesitation, I decided to follow suit.

The moment I stepped out into the courtyard, the first thing I noticed was Blaine. His hand was draped smoothly around Lyra's waist, and she had a deeply contented, smug smirk plastered on her face. My father stood right beside the Alpha, his expression stern and completely unyielding.

In the center of the clearing stood the captured pair, heavily guarded.

"Oliver! How dare you attempt to defect from this pack?" Alpha Kaelen demanded, his arms folded tightly across his chest. He looked deeply betrayed, his voice booming through the cool night air.

"I have no valid defense, Alpha. You can inflict whatever punishment you see fit upon me—but please, I beg of you, spare my mate," Oliver pleaded, his voice breaking as his eyes gleamed with unshed tears.

He knew he was in monumental trouble, but in that moment, all he cared about was protecting Evangeline.

A sharp, agonizing pang of pain sliced through my chest. Here was a man willing to go to the absolute ends of the earth to shield his soulmate, while mine had berated my very existence and brutally rejected me just moments ago. My gaze flickered to Evangeline's devastated face, and the sight was too much to bear. I had to look away.

"I am not the one who will be deciding your fate tonight, Oliver," Alpha Kaelen announced, his voice loud and clear.

A murmur of surprise rippled through the gathered wolves, and I blinked in confusion. Why wasn't the Alpha making the executive decision?

"Since Blaine is ascending to become the future Alpha of the Eclipse Pack during the upcoming full moon, I am going to let him decide your sentence. His word on this matter is final," the Alpha proclaimed.

All around the courtyard, high-ranking wolves began nodding in submissive agreement. A heavy dread filled the absolute pit of my stomach. I knew Blaine; he would use this opportunity to prove how ruthless he could be.

"Alpha, don't you think that is a bit too hasty?" my father stepped forward, his brow furrowing. "The future Alpha hasn't even completed the final stages of his leadership training yet—"

"This is part of his training, Steve," Alpha Kaelen cut him off sharply.

My father immediately bowed his head in total submission. "Very well, Alpha." He didn't question the command any further.

Lyra leaned into Blaine's side, her voice pitching into a sweet, high-strained whine.

"Sweetheart, you should make absolutely sure you deliver the perfect justice. They need a punishment severe enough that the others will actually learn from it."

Blaine puffed out his chest, stepping forward to address the crowd.

"Since tonight is my beautiful mate's birthday, I am feeling incredibly generous. I am going to grant your wish, Oliver."

He paused intentionally, letting the heavy silence stretch out to create a dramatic effect.

"First, I am ordering the guards to completely strip you of your rank and powers. Then, you will be locked away in the subterranean silver cage, where you will be systematically tortured until the next full moon."

An immediate, breathless silence suffocated the entire courtyard.

Every single sane wolf in existence dreaded the silver cells. Silver was pure, agonizing poison to our kind, but the cage was a death sentence. Anyone locked inside would be continuously subjected to liquid silver and concentrated wolfsbane. I had heard stories of wolves being tortured in there until they completely lost their sanity, left entirely numb and broken. My brief, miserable experience in the dungeons was absolutely nothing compared to that nightmare.

"No! You can't do this to him, Blaine!" Evangeline wailed, her voice echoing frantically against the stone walls. "Oliver did nothing wrong! I am the one who orchestrated the entire escape plan! Punish me instead!"

She lunged forward, desperately trying to follow Oliver as the pack guards grabbed him, but a pair of strong, agile warriors immediately pinned her roughly to the grass.

"Excellent choice, son," Alpha Kaelen praised, clapping Blaine on the shoulder before turning to walk back inside the mansion.

Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, leaving Evangeline sobbing helplessly on the damp ground. I waited until the yard cleared out before I slowly walked over, dropping to my knees beside her to offer whatever comfort I could. I was powerless to alter her horrific fate, but I could at least let her know she wasn't alone in the dark.

"Why is this happening to us?" she wept openly, burying her face in her hands.

I pulled her into a tight, protective hug, holding her against my chest. "Oliver did nothing wrong... why does he have to suffer so much pain?"

Her quiet weeping quickly escalated into a desperate scream.

"Evangeline, please," I whispered urgently, tightening my grip. "You have to quiet down." The last thing we needed was for her to draw the wrong kind of attention back to us, which would only stir up more trouble.

"Why are you wailing on the ground like a pathetic, broken omega?" a painfully familiar voice sneered from above us.

I didn't even have to look up to know who it was. Lyra stood there, a cold, severe scowl marring her features as she glared down at Evangeline. Her face was still flushed with residual anger.

"Is there something you want, Lyra?" I asked.

I stood up slowly, staring directly into her eyes. The defiance in my gaze made her expression turn instantly furious. Under pack law, lower-ranking wolves never dared to look a member of the Alpha lineage dead in the eyes... it was considered an act of supreme disrespect and an open challenge to their authority.

"Of course there is," Lyra hissed, her gaze snapping back to Evangeline. "Why is she still making a scene out here after completely ruining my birthday gala with her stupid, pathetic little stunt? Honestly, I think Blaine was far too lenient with the punishment."

Evangeline quickly lowered her head, trembling as she hurriedly wiped the fresh tears from her cheeks.

"Put yourself in her shoes for just one second, Lyra," I said, trying to force a single shred of basic human reasoning into her skull.

"She and her fated mate were just violently torn apart."

Lyra just scowled at me, exactly as I knew she would. But right now, looking at her, the fear that used to paralyze me was completely gone. I knew exactly how low she and Blaine had stooped to fabricate their fake bond tonight. I held all the cards, and that knowledge gave me a quiet, unshakable confidence.

"I am the Beta’s daughter, and I possess a formidable, high ranking wolf," Lyra boasted, her voice oozing with arrogant certainty. "Unlike you, I am destined for greatness. So stop dreaming, Isabella. I will never have to walk a single mile in her pathetic shoes."

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Lyra," I replied smoothly.

"If I hear this bitch weep one more time, I will personally have the guards drag her down to the cells," Lyra threatened, her jaw clenching.

I took a step closer, lowering my voice so only she could hear, keeping my expression dead serious.

"If you dare make a single move against either of us, Lyra, I will walk right back into that ballroom and announce to the entire pack that Blaine and I are ex-fated mates."

Lyra went completely rigid, the blood draining from her face.

"Now," I whispered, tilting my head. "You get to choose. Do you want to keep your perfect little secret, or do you want to punish Evangeline?"