29

I left the hall and finally had a chance to observe my surroundings. Surprisingly, Zen had forgotten about me in order to calm Claire down. However, I was certain that it was because the pack boundary was my limit. Zen already knew that I wouldn't be able to escape beyond that.

The construction had changed significantly in the past few years. However, the pack seemed much more crowded than before. But from their clothing, it was evident that most of these wolves did not belong to my pack.

Although no one restrained me like earlier, I could feel that I was constantly being watched. I sighed, realizing that Zen hadn't actually forgotten about me. It felt more like he was taunting me, making me realize how helpless I was in that pack.

Nevertheless, I made up my mind to focus on finding Alex. My intuition had never let me down before. I had a strong feeling that if anyone could help me escape this situation, it would be Alex.

The townspeople were bustling with activity. As I strolled through the town, I couldn't help but notice that everyone seemed to be busy preparing for some sort of celebration.

"Could it be a festival?" I wondered. I couldn't recall any festivals happening at this time of year in the past, though.

Alex seemed to have vanished without a trace. I hadn't seen him since our little argument that morning.

"He always shows up at the most annoying times," I muttered to myself.

Before I could delve deeper into my thoughts, a rough voice interrupted me, snapping me out of my train of thought.

"Hey, you there! Put that bottle away immediately!" An angry man with a protruding belly emerged from a liquor store.

"How dare you speak to a person of royalty like that? Do you want to die?" A tall, muscular, dark-skinned man grabbed the shop owner by the collar. His strong arms tensed as his fingers tightened around the shop owner's neck, nearly choking him.

The intense conversation grabbed the attention of everyone passing by. Suddenly, a beautiful voice interrupted the two men, causing me to quickly turn and search for the source. As I looked, I saw a brunette holding an expensive bottle of beer, her tanned skin perfectly complementing her curly brown hair.

"Please calm down, Ashton," the girl commanded the man who was still attempting to harm the shop owner.

I had known the shop since I was a child, but it held no pleasant memories for me. I remembered the painful moments when the man injured my small hands for accidentally bumping into one of his beer carts.

The shop owner used to deliver beer to my music teacher when I was only seven. One day, as I was leaving my music class, I accidentally fell into one of his beer carts, causing several bottles to break.

My teacher never came to my aid when the man violently shook me, injuring my arms in the process. Neither my teacher nor I dared to tell my father about the incident, no matter how many times he asked about the bruises.

I knew that if my father found out what the man had done to his daughter, he would beat him mercilessly. After that incident, I never returned to my music class, and I never encountered the shop owner again.

The loud sound of breaking glass brought me back to reality.

"So, you want your beer back? Fine, take it," the brunette declared.

I was taken aback as I watched blood flow from the fresh cut on his forehead. The girl had just struck him across the face with the bottle she was holding.

"The alpha princess should never be ignored. If this happens again, you'll be sold as ham in the local market next time," the man accompanying the girl warned the shop owner.

The girl walked past me, completely ignoring my presence, while the man obediently followed her like a pet. I assumed the girl was one of the participants mentioned by the oracle. Only the rarest of wolves could possess such arrogance.

I stood by the shop owner, who was busy tending to his slow-healing forehead wound. Despite being a beta, he lacked the strength to stand after the man nearly choked him to death.

Feeling a sudden pity for the man, I tried to help him up. I extended my hand towards him silently, questioning my own sanity. "What if he hurts my arm again?" I wondered, realizing my childhood trauma still lingered within me. However, the man didn't immediately reject my hand. Instead, he looked up and locked eyes with me.

"Are you Isabella?" the shop owner asked, surprising me.

I remained silent, waiting for him to take my hand. Suddenly, his expression darkened and he slapped my hand away.

In an instant, the man seemed to regain all his strength. He quickly stood up, pushing me aside.

"Go away! I don't need help from a mixed breed," he sneered.

`I observed the man swiftly passing by me, his legs trembling and causing his steps to be uncoordinated.

"He still lacks refinement," I muttered, furrowing my brow.