Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 112: Debate

Chapter 112: Debate

One of the guards stiffened. "We don’t know. She hasn’t said anything yet."

Dennis’s eyes narrowed. "Then why is she still standing there? Let her through."

The guards exchanged a hesitant glance.

"We have our orders, sir," one of them said. "No one in or out."

Dennis stared at him. "You better be joking right now."

Dennis inhaled deeply, tilting his head back as if asking the Moon Goddess for patience.

Then he looked at the guards again.

"Bring. The. Woman."

The guards’ eyes darted toward each other. It was an unspoken debate.

Who do they fear more?

Alpha Lucas, who was not yet here but whose wrath was legendary...

Or Dennis, who was very much present, looking ready to rip them apart with his bare hands.

With hurried nods, they turned to retrieve the woman.

Dennis watched closely as she took a step forward.

She finally lifted her head, her eyes locking onto his, Dennis saw the look of surprise on her face and... happiness? He was sure he had never met her before.

As Zoe approached Dennis, her eyes locked onto his with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. Her gaze was so piercing, he half-expected her to see into his soul. Just as he was about to ask if she was alright, her knees buckled. Without thinking, Dennis lunged forward, catching her in his arms before she could hit the ground.

A soft moan escaped her lips as she clung to his shirt, her fingers curling into the fabric. Dennis couldn’t help but notice how her touch sent a tingling sensation through his veins.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Seriously, what was it with the women recently arriving in his territory. What did they see when they looked at him? Was he really that handsome that they had to gaze at him with such intensity?

Zoe nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his. He helped her to her feet, steadying her.

"What’s your name?" he inquired, trying to shake off the odd sensation creeping over him.

"Zoe," she replied.

"Where are you from?"

"The north," she answered succinctly.

Dennis raised an eyebrow. "Wow. That’s a long way away. You must have some story." He paused, then added with a small smile, "Come on, let’s get you a place to rest."

As he took her hand to lead her toward the pack house, the tingling in his veins intensified. It was as if his body was trying to tell him something his mind hadn’t yet grasped.

"Missy!" Dennis called out as they reached the entrance. Missy appeared almost instantly, with Ava trailing behind her.

"Oh my! You poor thing!" Missy exclaimed.

Zoe, however, tightened her grip on Dennis’s shirt, her eyes still locked onto his intensely.

"I’m here," Dennis said gently, placing a reassuring hand over hers. "Missy just needs to check you out, make sure you’re okay."

Reluctantly, Zoe allowed Missy to guide her inside, though her eyes lingered on Dennis until the last possible moment. As she passed by Ava, the amulet hidden in Zoe’s pocket pulsed dangerously, reacting to Ava’s presence.

Found her, Zoe thought, her mind racing. The Daughter of the Moon. But things just got complicated. Dennis is my mate, yet he doesn’t seem to sense it. The Moon Goddess must have a twisted sense of humor.

She had disguised herself as a damsel in distress to infiltrate the rogue pack and get close to the Daughter of the Moon. But fate had thrown her a curveball in the form of Dennis, the alpha of the rogues and, apparently, her mate who remained oblivious to their bond. Interesting.

As Missy led her away, Zoe couldn’t help but cast one last glance over her shoulder at Dennis, her mind a whirlwind of emotions and unanswered questions. The mission had just become a lot more personal.

*****

"Ava..." The voice slithered into her mind. It was familiar.

Ava’s eyes flew wide open, turning away from the door Missy and the strange woman had just stepped through.

"What the fuck?" she blurted, nearly toppling over as the whisper in her brain echoed again.

"Willow?" she whispered in her mind,her heart hammering with such force she could feel it in her ears.

"I see you found the amulet without my help."

The voice was crystal clear, as if Willow were perched inside her skull.

"What? What amulet? I’ve been trying to reach you, working my ass off and you just decide to pop in while I’m, what, loitering? Is that the trick? Do nothing and you show up? Willow? WILLOW?"

But there was that familiar silence once more.

"Son of a bitch," Ava hissed, looking around wildly, half expecting to wake up from a dream.

Missy was still busy with the strange woman. Dennis stood a few feet away seemingly worried about the said strange woman. And no one was available to talk to.

What the hell triggered that moment? What did Willow mean by amulet?

Ava’s breath quickened. She took a step toward the riverbank, stripping off her shirt with a determined tug. She wanted to see if her shift would work now that Willow had temporarily surfaced.

"Okay girl, let’s do this," she whispered to herself.

Nothing. She closed her eyes and pushed. Still nothing.

Sweat started beading on her forehead. She crouched, growled softly, begged her wolf to rise. Still nothing.

"Oh come on!" she groaned, falling to her knees. "Please, Willow!"

She tried again. And again.

Nothing. She finally collapsed onto the cool grass and sobbed. Her cries were sharp, sudden, ripping out of her.

"Ava?"

She flinched, blinking through her tears.

It was the absolute last person she had the emotional capacity to deal with right now. Her stomach twisted.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped, more fiercely than she intended. "The people don’t want you here. I don’t want you here."

Lucas didn’t look bothered. He had that frustrating calm thing down to an art. He just slowly sat down beside her, stretching his legs.

"Dennis let me in," he said. "He needed me to check something out, but..." he looked at her. "I wanted to see you first."

"Well, congrats. You’ve seen me. Go do what you came for." She tried to scoot away, but his arm shot out, catching her by the waist and holding her in place.

Her body stilled. Electricity danced across her skin where his fingers pressed into her side.

"Lucas..."

"Stop," he said softly, almost pleading. "Stop running. Stop talking. Just... listen."

Ava glared at him, but some primal part of her responded. Her lips clamped shut.

Lucas took a deep breath.

"I realised I never truly apologised to you," he began, eyes locking onto hers. "I have no excuse, Ava. None. I’ve been making decisions based on lies ever since I became alpha. I let fear and politics lead me when I should’ve let my heart lead."

Ava’s throat tightened.

"I’m glad you finally know the truth," she said quietly. "But Lucas... Dorian didn’t hurt me. Sarah didn’t hurt me. You did."

Her voice cracked with emotion. "I could’ve survived everything else, as long as I had you. As long as you stood beside me and said, ’I believe you. I trust you.’"

Lucas’s face crumbled a little. His hand came up, gently cradling her cheek.

"The night Kade took you... I was on my way to the dungeons to rescue you. I agreed to the sentence because I had a plan. I wasn’t going to let you die."

She blinked. Her heart stuttered.

"Kade beat me to it," he said bitterly. "It didn’t matter if you were guilty or innocent, I couldn’t lose another mate."

He brushed his thumb along her bottom lip, featherlight. Her lips trembled under his touch. She hated how her body betrayed her, leaning into it, craving it.

"I would die if anything happened to you, Ava," he said, voice raw.

"Lucas..."

He leaned in and kissed her. Not demanding, but reverent.

Her brain screamed at her to push him away. This was dangerous. This was stupid. This was Lucas.

But her heart... oh, her poor, betrayed, still-beating heart... it leaned forward.

When he pulled away, she was trembling.

"I want you," he said. "Every part of you. But I want you to decide. I won’t push. Not this time. Not ever again."

He gave her that crooked smile that used to make her knees weak.

"I love you, Ava. Let’s do this together."

She stared at him. Her mind a hurricane of emotions.

Ava’s stubbornness cracked under the weight of Lucas’s pleading gaze. She moved forward with a tentative grace, almost as though her body was reacting before her brain could catch up. Their lips met again, this time with no restraint. The kiss was fire and thunder, a culmination of days, weeks, months of pain and longing wrapped up in a single, perfect moment. He groaned softly into her mouth as she deepened the kiss, her fingers fisting into the fabric of his shirt.

Lucas took the opportunity, with all the gentlemanly convenience he could muster, to pull her onto his lap. Her knees hugged his hips, their breaths became ragged, and he found himself marveling at how Ava could still taste like home. His hands slid around her body, exploring familiar territory.

She was responding to him with equal hunger, her lips bruising his, her fingers tugging his hair. But beneath the surface of this heat, Lucas wondered. Was this her heart speaking, or just her body? Was he a moment of weakness for her, or was he becoming her strength again? He didn’t dare ask. He wouldn’t look this gift horse in the mouth. The horse might kick him.

His fingers found the clasp of her bra, fumbling only slightly, a minor miracle given the distraction of Ava grinding slightly against him. The garment came undone with a whisper, and she shrugged it off. Their kiss only pausing when she threw her head back, exposing his mark.

Lucas ran his tongue along it. He felt the pulse beneath her skin, rapid and alive. His eyes glowed gold, the shimmer of his wolf, Manic, shining through. Though he didn’t shift, Lucas felt the shared presence swell inside him, a harmony of man and beast united in desire and devotion.

"Mine," he growled.

Ava gasped, arching into him, her hands sliding under his shirt now. The heat between them was magnetic. His hand cupped one of her breasts, his thumb brushing over a taut nipple, and she moaned into the clearing.

"Lucas!"

The bark of Dennis’ voice shattered the spell.

"You said five minutes! You’re halfway through her clothes already!"

Lucas groaned, head falling forward to rest on Ava’s shoulder. "Fucking cock blocker," he muttered.

Ava, cheeks flushed, tried not to laugh and failed miserably. It came out in a breathy giggle that somehow made her more alluring. She reached for her shirt, now an unfortunate crumpled mess on the river bank.

"You couldn’t wait five more minutes?" Lucas scolded his brother as he helped Ava into her shirt, trying not to notice the way her hair clung to her damp neck or the way her lips were still kiss-swollen. His wolf growled in protest.

(My lovely readers: I am getting them together, gradually but that doesn’t mean the fight is over. So, you know what to do. plenty gifts needed. Thank you)