Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 106: Unsteady

Chapter 106: Unsteady

Missy reached for her, trying to keep her still. "It’s okay. You fainted..."

But Ava wasn’t listening.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, swaying slightly, still unsteady. "Where is he? Did Lucas kill him?"

The panic in her voice made Missy’s chest tighten.

"Ava, calm down," she urged, placing a hand on Ava’s arm. "He’s fine. You need to rest."

But Ava was already on her feet, stumbling toward the door.

Missy cursed under her breath and followed.

Ava reached the doorway and threw it open.

Standing just outside, were the two brothers, side by side.

They looked physically alike in every way, the same piercing blue eyes, the same powerful build, the same sharp jawlines.

But one was pristine, barely touched by the fight.

And the other?

Bloodied. Beaten.

*****

Ava didn’t think.

She acted. Her palm met Dennis’s face with a crack, snapping his head to the side.

"Why the hell didn’t you shift?" she shouted, her chest heaving. "Why didn’t you?!"

Dennis blinked. Once. Twice.

His jaw flexed as he slowly turned back to her, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Wow! Uh... sorry?"

He looked completely lost.

Ava, however, wasn’t done yet.

Her furious gaze swung to Lucas.

The bastard was chuckling.

So she did what felt right.

She slapped him too.

The sound of it echoed through the pack grounds.

Lucas grinned. That smug, infuriating, breathtaking grin.

His eyes locked onto hers.

The old Lucas would have lost his mind, would have grabbed her throat, would have snapped.

But he just stood there grinning at her.

Ava’s breath came out ragged as she took a step back, but Lucas followed her.

"You could have killed him," she whispered. "Killed your own brother, you stupid piece of shit."

She threw her hands up. "Why can’t the both of you just see that you aren’t each other’s enemies? How long is this going to go on?"

Lucas’s smirk faded.

He snapped. He couldn’t do it anymore.

He couldn’t pretend.

Couldn’t be away from her.

He just... He needed her.

One second, Ava was glaring at him.

The next, Lucas had closed the distance, his hands gripping her waist, yanking her against his chest.

His mouth crashed onto hers.

Ava gasped against his lips, but her traitorous body melted into him, her fingers digging into his biceps.

The kiss was searing.

Lucas growled low in his throat, deepening it, one hand sliding up her spine to cradle the back of her head, holding her to him.

Ava let him.

For a moment.

Because fuck, she had missed this.

Missed the way his lips moved against hers, missed the way he kissed her.

But then, a sharp, aching pain shot through her chest as she remembered just how much he had hurt her.

And reality came crashing back.

She ripped herself away, gasping for breath.

And then she slapped him.

Again. Lucas grunted in exasperation, rubbing his jaw.

"Will you quit doing that?"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ava snapped, her hands trembling at her sides. "After all you’ve done, you come in here and act like you own me?"

Lucas’s lips curved into a smug smile.

"I do own you, Ava."

"Not anymore, you don’t. You sentenced me to death, Lucas," she said. "I was barely alive when I got here."

Lucas’s expression darkened.

His jaw ticked.

"I was..." he swallowed hard. "Everything was..."

But the words wouldn’t come.

Because really... he had no excuses.

Ava shook her head, her eyes stinging.

"I cannot forgive you, Lucas," she whispered. "I cannot."

Ava turned away, walking up to Dennis, who had been standing there watching the entire thing unfold.

His chest was rising and falling a little too fast.

His fists were shaking.

His eyes were agonized.

And Missy felt her heart breaking for him.

Dennis had done everything for them.

Had asked for nothing.

And now, he was watching the woman he cared about fall back into the arms of the man who had destroyed her.

It wasn’t fair.

Ava reached for Dennis’s shirt, lifting it carefully to check his wounds, her fingers tracing the claw marks along his ribs.

Dennis sucked in a sharp breath.

His hand snapped up, grabbing hers.

Stopping her. Because her touch was torture.

"I’m fine," he said.

Ava frowned. "Are you sure? You..."

"You, on the other hand, need to rest," he cut her off, his grip tightening just a fraction before he let go.

Ava searched his face.

"Why didn’t you just shift?" she asked again.

Dennis smiled. It was a little pained.

"I don’t need my wolf to take this asshole down," he said.

Lucas growled lowly from behind them.

Dennis smirked. Ava rolled her eyes and stormed off.

*****

The heavy oak doors of the Alpha King’s chambers swung open with a dramatic whoosh. A cloaked figure strode in, his presence bringing an unnatural chill into the lavishly decorated room. Alaric, the kingdom’s revered spiritualist, held his staff tightly as he walked toward the imposing figure at the far end of the room.

King Herod, the Alpha King, sat on a high-backed, fur-lined throne carved from blackwood, exuding an aura of barely restrained power. His eyes flickered with curiosity as Alaric approached.

Alaric came to a stop before him, his voice reverent but urgent.

"The Daughter of the Moon has risen."

A heavy silence filled the chamber.

Herod, who had been drinking from a glass of wine suddenly stopped. His eyes snapped to Alaric’s, shock and excitement warring on his face. Then, slowly, a smile crept across his lips.

For decades, legends had whispered of a Daughter of the Moon, a werewolf blessed by the Moon Goddess herself, possessing unmatched power. A woman with the ability to bring even the most powerful werewolves to their knees. But for centuries, no news of her had been heard.

Herod set his glass down with a deliberate clink on the table beside him.

"How do you know?"

@megan23c

@daoistkriqcc: Where are you? I love seeing your thoughts on every Chapter. I hope I haven’t lost you.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.