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Chapter-61. Liberation
[Xanthea]
Ezra's overflowing bloodlust engulfed every inch of air within and around the Virgo palace.
The time seemed to have come to a standstill within the perimeters. Even the clouds in the sky seemed to have been stained by the sheer darkness of the moment.Content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.
Thunder rumbled amongst the looming dark clouds and the winds picked up the pace. I wouldn't be surprised if it rained blood today.
Tearing away Nikolai's head from the ground, Ezra kicked him out of my way.
Going in and out of focus, Nikolai's eyes met mine. Blood trailed down his face, clotting and smearing all over his body and clothes as his agonizing groans rang like alarms in my head.
A certain weight on my chest seemed to have been lifted.
However, at that moment, Nikolai didn't have even a percent of my attention. Ezra had it all.
Alpha King's eyes were fixed on Ezra as though he were looking at a bomb that was about to blast at any moment. He lifted his hand and signaled everyone to maintain a safe distance from Ezra. He seemed to be well acquainted with Ezra's temper. So well acquainted that forget about saving Nikolai, he didn't even try to intervene.
Everyone standing nearby stepped away from Ezra and Nikolai and a few who tried to come to Nikolai's rescue seemed to have done it just for show because not a single one of them had the guts to take even a step closer to the demon lord. Ripples of unease shuddered through the crowd, their nervous fearful glances betraying their act of supremacy.
I scoffed, skimming my eyes across the gathering, unable to process the origin of my smile.
So this is what true power does. It dominates if it wills, intimidates if it wills, and protects if it wills. It can run as wild as it wants and there is nothing anyone could do.
Ezra's eyes glowed even more dangerously, and I just knew if he shifted into his wolf form, it would be the end of the Virgo pack.
I stood where I did before in the puddle of Nikolai's blood.
The first time I encountered Ezra's wrath, I was terrified. I couldn't move, couldn't think properly as I saw the Virgo pack burning. But even then, something felt off.
I looked at Ezra and this time I could see what it was.
Pain.
Extreme, unbearable, unresolved pain.
Everything Ezra was doing for me was something he once wished someone had done for him.
His rage. His triggers. His traumas. I could now see it all as clear as ripples in Nikolai's blood.
A sharp, burning sting spread across my eyes as I stepped out of the pool of blood. Leaving behind bloody footprints, I walked closer to Ezra.
He was hurting more than he was hurting others.
That night, he had set himself alight to burn down the pack. It's just that he was way too good at concealing his scars and his wounds.
Maybe this pack deserved what they got, maybe everyone he ever hurt deserved what they got, but-
"You don't deserve this, Ezra..." I whispered.
He might not acknowledge it, but he was desperately looking for a permanent relief from all his pain. And somehow through me, he was trying to find a way to heal, to let out those pent-up feelings, to regulate his emotions. Perhaps he never had the opportunity to seek revenge on those who hurt him, so he was helping me with my vengeance.
If he could heal through me, then I would do anything to take this journey with him - to burn with him.
I didn't know if I could stop him or not, but I wanted him to know that I was here, standing right next to him.
Fisting Nikolai's collar, Ezra had lifted him off the ground. He was about to punch Nikolai across his broken face when I held his hand.
Jerking off my hand, "Stay away!" he growled.
Stumbling a few steps away from him, my eyes met his blazing, bloodshot eyes. If I didn't know the suffering behind those eyes, I would have cowered under his scrutiny.
But not today.
I clenched my fists.
Behind his every smile was an endless void. Behind every laugh, there was hopelessness. His entire personality was curated to hide his true self.
That's why I wanted to know what had happened to him. What exactly could have caused such damage?
I want to know your story, Ezra. So please don't push me away. I promise I won't get too close to you, but I don't think I can stay far away from you either. Not when I can see it crystal clear how badly you are hurting. I wanted to know him the way he knew my pain, owned it, felt it, and validated it. And for that, I had to get stronger.
Gaining back my composure, I held his hand again. Tighter.
"It's enough, Ezra," I said, maintaining a stoic eye contact with him.
Ezra squinted his eyes in annoyance and intimidation. But I had to say what I had to say, and he had to hear it even when he didn't want to.
"I say this with utmost sincerity, meeting you and knowing you have been one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened to me." I said.
Ezra's eyes widened slightly. Finding a serene comfort in the darkness behind his eyes, I stepped closer to him.
"Thank you... Ezra." Those words came directly from my heart as I wrapped my arms around him and embraced his heart against mine. "Thank you for everything, darling love." I said, burying my face in his chest. Nikolai's collar slipped from Ezra's fist, and he slumped on the floor.
I felt Ezra hesitate before he wrapped his arms around me, closing in all the gaps between our bodies.
I didn't let go of him until he had calmed down.
Parting from the hug, I looked into his eyes. The crimson that eclipsed his ocean blue eyes slowly faded away.
I tilted my head, leaning closer to his lips. Covering the rest of the distance, he gently pressed his lips against mine.
"Can't smudge your lipstick until nightfall, baby," he whispered against my lips.
I smiled before we parted. The gathering stood with their heads and gazes held low.
"This can't end so soon. Where's the fun in that?" Ezra smirked, caressing my cheek, while his other hand played with the strings of my dress on my back.
Still holding me close to himself, Ezra faced the gathering.
"Ok! Let's do this again. Because of my wife, the Virgo pack is getting one more chance. One last chance," Ezra looked at Nikolai. "Get up and receive your guests properly. Come on! Everyone back to their positions." Alpha King let out a shaky sigh of relief. His pale face was still drained of all colors.
"Alpha Nikolai needs to be taken to the hospital. He is in no condition to-" someone murmured, hiding behind the crowd.
Ezra broke into laughter.
"What? A hospital? For broken bones and a fractured skull? Are you kidding me? He's completely fine. He's not going anywhere. He'll stay in the palace, be a good Alpha and host, and do his job like he's expected to."
"At least, he needs first aid-" someone said again, but before they could complete the sentence, Alpha King strode to Nikolai, held him by his collar and pulled him to his feet.
Then he dragged him near the palace's entrance. Nikolai limped, gritting his teeth to suppress his groans.
I looked at Alpha King, who grabbed Nikolai from his nape and forced him into a bow, blood constantly dripping from his head.
"Please, l-let me welcome... ah! Let me welcome you once again, my lord," Nikolai grunted through his clenched teeth. "I hope... you e-enjoy your... stay here."
"Hmm. Good. I thought only my wife was expected to show all the courage, resilience and strength in this pack. My wife went through a marriage with the demon lords with a fucking broken arm. This is the least I expect from her brother." Ezra said.
I stared at Nikolai. His entire body was trembling, his breath uneven and shallow. Broken ribs.
As I took a deep breath, a sublime sense of liberation swept through my chest, as if I had just been released from a lifelong imprisonment. I was a mess of memories that stabbed and the rage that ravaged me.
It would be a lie if I said I never thought of revenge. But I never once thought of inflicting pain or sufferings on others.
So right now, I honestly didn't know what to feel except this burning numbness.
Nikolai swiftly lowered his gaze when his eyes met mine and bowed before me as I entered the palace.
Ushering me inside, Ezra remained a few steps behind me. Nikolai followed us with Alpha King supporting him to walk.
I was never allowed to walk so freely in the palace, and now that I could, the place felt just as foreign, cold, and unwelcoming as it always had.
The palace, the pack and its people. All remained the same.
There was a nagging apprehension, a foreboding force that tried to hold back my steps, and then there was a burning kick from within me that pushed me forward against that force.
When Ezra told me it was important that I visit this place, I couldn't see the significance. But now, with every independent step, I could actually feel something breaking psychologically. Was it the shackles Ezra talked about, or the fear or the mental conditioning or something deeper?
I couldn't tell, but something was changing deep inside me. As though I was dying and being reborn at the same time.
It felt as if the darkest chapter of my life was coming to an end.
As if... I had finally escaped.