Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 104: Freedom

Chapter 104: Freedom

Nolan hesitated.

Lucas groaned. "bad it is, then. Just say it."

Nolan sighed. "Dennis is on his way to the High Council."

"Oh, that’s adorable,"

Nolan cleared his throat. "He’s requesting freedom from your hold."

Lucas’s fingers tightened on the armrests of his chair.

The time had finally come.

He had known that one day he’d have to face Dennis, that his brother’s defiance would push him to take action. He was itching to kill Dennis anyway. Kiss his mate?

That was low.

Even for a backstabbing little shit like Dennis.

"How did he get past the patrol?"

The corner of Nolan’s mouth twitched.

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"He, uh... He dressed up to look exactly like you."

"Come again?"

Nolan let out a dry chuckle. "Dennis disguised himself to look like you. Patrol just... let him walk right past."

Lucas’s eye twitched.

"You’re telling me," he said slowly, "that my men just let him stroll into my territory because he looked like me?"

Nolan shrugged. "To be fair, the resemblance is uncanny."

Lucas massaged his temples.

Of course Dennis had pulled this.

"Disperse the patrol assigned to the boundary," he ordered. "Tell them to take a break."

Nolan coughed. "One more thing."

Lucas sighed. "What now?"

"...Should I inform Dorian?"

"No."

Nolan raised a brow. "You sure? Because..."

"Dorian must know nothing about this."

"Understood."

*****

The road back home felt different.

Dennis had walked the exact same path that morning, though he used the bush so no one saw him coming from the direction of the encampment. But tonight?

Something was off.

His steps slowed instinctively. His muscles tensed.

The usual patrols were gone.

The streets lay before him, eerily empty, swallowed in darkness. The streetlights were completely out.

Dennis didn’t need to be a genius to know it was a trap.

Hell, Lucas wasn’t even trying to be subtle.

The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he inhaled deeply, scanning for any signs of movement, of lurking enemies.

If they were waiting for him, fine.

He wouldn’t slink through the bushes this time.

Dennis straightened his shoulders, quickened his pace, and walked the open road boldly, eyes locked on the gate in the distance.

If someone was waiting for him in the dark, he wanted to see it. Face them head-on.

No more hiding.

He was done playing Lucas’s game.

But just as he reached the gate, a figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the dim glow of the full moon.

Dennis slowed, coming to a sharp halt.

The bastard was waiting for him.

"Nice touch, Dennis," Lucas drawled. "You still want to be me, huh?"

"Oh, for fuck’s sake, Lucas. Who would want to be you?"

"I mean... let’s see. You dress like me, you act like me. Hell, you kissed my mate. Sounds like someone with deep-seated issues, don’t you think?"

Dennis rolled his eyes. "Its kind of pretty obvious what hurt you the most, isn’t it?"

Lucas’ stance shifted slightly, his weight settling onto the balls of his feet. A predatory stance.

Dennis recognized the movement instantly.

Lucas was coiling up, preparing to strike.

"I told you, Dennis," Lucas continued, "if you ever stepped into my territory without permission, I’d kill you."

Dennis forced himself to remain still.

"I have as much right to these lands as you do, Lucas."

Lucas’s smirk widened. "Sure. But only one of us is Alpha."

His voice was razor-sharp, laced with undeniable authority.

Dennis took a slow, deliberate step forward.

"We’ll see how that goes soon," he said, voice steady. "Soon, we all will be free from you. Free to trade. Free to move. Free to actually live."

Lucas’s smirk remained in place.

"Free to fuck my mate?"

Dennis’s lips curled into a smirk of his own.

"I’m already free to do that."

And that was all it took.

Lucas snapped.

A blur of movement, too fast for any normal eyes to track. Lucas shifted as he moved.

Dennis had just enough time to register the shift, the rapid acceleration...

And then Lucas was on him.

A clawed hand lashed out, deadly sharp, aimed straight for his throat.

Dennis barely got his arm to block in time.

Pain seared through his forearm.

Blood welled, warm and thick, trickling down to the dirt.

Dennis gritted his teeth. Shit.

Manic’s golden eyes gleamed with raw, unfiltered rage.

But Dennis could still see the hint of hesitation.

Lucas could’ve aimed for his neck.

Could’ve torn him apart in an instant.

But he hadn’t.

Lucas snarled. "Still too much of a coward to let your wolf out?"

Then he struck again.

A second, brutal hit, this time with his other hand.

Dennis barely had a second to react before claws sliced through his stomach.

Air rushed from his lungs.

Pain exploded across his side.

His body hit the ground hard, dust billowing around him.

Dennis lay there for half a second, gasping for air, his mind spinning.

Alright. That had hurt.

Dennis wiped the blood from his arm. "You hit like a fucking grandmother."

Lucas’s eye twitched.

Oh, he really didn’t like that.

Dennis smirked.

Good. Lucas lunged again, but this time...

*****

Ava heard the commotion at the gate. She could feel the ground shaking beneath her feet.

She took off at a sprint, her heart hammering against her ribs. Something was wrong.

Kade and Missy ran alongside her, all three of them moving in unison.

The entire rogue pack had assembled. A sea of anxious, eager faces.

Ava’s breath caught in her throat.

Lucas was half-shifted, his claws extended, was hoisted in the air by a completely human Dennis and then slammed onto the ground with a bone-rattling force.

Dust erupted around them as Lucas rolled and sprang back onto his feet with terrifying speed.

Dennis stood his ground.

Ava’s stomach twisted. The fight wasn’t fair. Dennis was strong but he couldn’t withstand Lucas who had an edge with his wolf.

Her fingers clutched at Missy’s arm as panic set in. "Dennis isn’t shifting? Why isn’t he shifting?" she demanded.

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