26

I halted and saw the oracle standing next to Zen. I hadn't noticed the oracle's presence until then. I looked around the hall, but Edward was nowhere to be found.

"Welcome back to the pack, Ella," Zen said calmly, getting my attention.

It was the first time I had seen him up close since our last encounter at my home. I wanted to ask him about Edward's whereabouts, but Zen seemed to read my mind.

"Don't start with what we did with your lover. He is still alive for now. But how long he lives depends on you," Zen said, tilting his head. "If you keep whining, he will be in serious trouble," Zen warned, his face emotionless.

"Lover?" I asked calmly. "He is my husband. Why don't you set him free, and we won't have to bring him up."

"It sickens me to see how selfish you are," Zen said, his face darkening. "I can't understand why the moon spirits chose you as the luna of this pack," he said through gritted teeth.

The tension in the air was palpable as the oracle observed the exchange, her inscrutable eyes fixed on me. Swallowing my fear, I squared my shoulders and met Zen's gaze with determination.

"Edward's safety is non-negotiable, Zen. If you want cooperation, release him immediately," I declared, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions within.

A sinister smile curled on Zen's lips as he rose from his throne, his eyes fixed on me like a predator closing in on its prey.

I was quite surprised. I looked at everyone's expressions. Even the oracle was quiet. I thought she knew the impact Zen had on me years ago.

But judging by everyone's expressions, it was evident that I was being held accountable this time. Everyone had the same disgusted look on their faces.

"Selfish?" I was speechless. "You rejected me, Zen. You said a weakling like me couldn't be your mate. I accepted your selfish rejection and left the pack-" I was interrupted before I could finish speaking.

"Yes! You left the pack! It was you who put your ego before the pack. And because you ran away like a coward, this pack lost their alpha, and the general as well," Zen erupted with anger but soon calmed himself down and lowered his voice.

"What are you talking about?" I asked Zen, confusion evident in my voice. Nothing he said was making sense to me. "Lost the alpha? Does that imply that the alpha lord, or rather, your father is no more?" I queried, caught off guard by the sudden twist of events. "But how did that happen?"

"See? You don't even have any conscience. You don't realize the havoc you brought upon this pack by running away," Zen said, casting me a profoundly disappointed look.

I stood there, still perplexed, awaiting an explanation.

"Let me clarify, Isabella," the oracle interjected. She placed her hand on Zen's shoulder, signaling him to calm down.

"The choice you made has had significant consequences for this pack. Look around at the faces of those surrounding you—they are your former pack members. You will discern the grief in their eyes."

"But how does the departure of a mere omega affect the pack?" I questioned. "I simply wanted to leave and live my own life. How could that possibly harm anyone? I was the one rejected by my mate. I endured all the pain. You witnessed it all, didn't you?"

I stared at the oracle with desperation, unable to understand why she held a grudge against me despite knowing the situation with my mate. To my surprise, the oracle did not show any sympathy. Insted, she continued to criticize me.

"This is where you went wrong, Isabella. You only thought about your own happiness, not the well-being of the pack," the oracle responded calmly.

"Well, it's not like the pack cared much about me either," I retorted, growing more impatient.

I couldn't understand what the pack wanted from me. They certainly didn't bring me back just to lecture me about going rogue.

"Let me finish first, Isabella," the oracle said in an icy timbre. "The night you ran away, both Zen and Alex, the two war commanders of this pack, left it unattended to pursue you. I can't entirely blame them for that. After all, the woman they both marked had fled. The former alpha, Zen's father, followed his son to ensure his safety. The Sapphires lurking in the woods wouldn't miss the opportunity to eliminate the future alpha of our pack, especially when Alpha Zen was not even in his senses."

"But you know what?" Zen seized the oracle's words and continued, his tone filled with bitterness. "It was all a trap. My father believed the Sapphires would come after me. But how wrong he was! Keeping us busy in the woods was a part of their plan," Zen paused, and I noticed beads of sweat appearing on his forehead as he delved into the painful details.

"They were waiting for this to happen, and when we left the pack, they ambushed our pack. That day, so many innocents lost their lives. There was no one to protect this pack. We lost our bravest beta warriors. The entire pack was massacred overnight," Zen said, clenching his hand into a fist. A shadow of regret covered his face.

"The next day, blood stained the ground everywhere. The Sapphires knew they could never defeat Zen or Alex, so they distracted them in the woods by attacking them, preventing them from returning to the pack to save our people. Zen's father also lost his life while protecting this pack," the oracle concluded, her voice carrying the weight of the tragic events that had unfolded.

Zen wavered, his face flushed as memories reopened old wounds. "All of this would have never happened if you hadn't run away that night. My father would still be alive, and the Sapphires would have never succeeded," Zen said, his muscles tensing with the weight of the past.

"Oh, Lord!" I closed my eyes, devastated by the revelation. I had never imagined that my decision to run away could have such far-reaching consequences.

Soon, mutters filled the room, accusing me of selfishness and labeling me a curse for the pack. They held me responsible for all the catastrophes, demanding punishment.

"You brought this upon us, Ella. And now you are going to pay for it," Zen declared as our eyes met, a violent intensity filling his gaze. Suddenly, I realized what Zen wanted.

"I never asked you to follow me," I declared, collecting my composure. I couldn't allow myself to bear the weight of the entire pack's guilt. "You can't put all the burden on my shoulders."

Tears welled up in my eyes, streaming down like a river. I was unaware of my own tears.

"I was only nineteen, lonely and rejected, having just lost my parents. All I wanted was to escape from this pack and live my life without being a burden to anyone. It wasn't supposed to hurt anyone. I didn't have that much power to harm anybody. No! I wasn't capable of that much!" I exclaimed, shaking my head vehemently.

The murmurs in the room quieted as the wolves exchanged skeptical glances. The oracle remained silent, unable to dismiss my accusations.

"No one wanted me in this pack. I did what this pack expected from my mother since I was born. Weren't you the one who followed me, neglecting your responsibilities? Even though you never wanted me as your mate, you marked me in jest," I locked eyes with Zen, posing my inquiry with anger.

"I won't object if this pack still wants to hold me accountable, but Edward is innocent. Why did you capture him? Let him go," I said calmly.

I noticed Zen's facial muscles tense as he clenched his jaw. "You're wondering why I'm holding that human captive? It's because he dared to take something that didn't belong to him. He had something that belonged to the pack. I'll deal with your crimes soon, Ella. However, that man won't be pardoned," Zen said calmly.

I couldn't control my temper any longer. In an instant, I closed the distance between us and grabbed Zen's collar.

"You, you jerk!" I yelled.

Suddenly, a knife hit my arm, causing me to scream as I let go of Zen's collar. I collapsed on the ground, clutching the place where the knife was still embedded.