Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 120: Danger

Chapter 120: Danger

"Because he is!!!"

Zoe didn’t look at Ava as she stepped forward, standing firmly before the confused guard. "Tell him," she said. "His Luna is in danger. And it’s not Dorian. It’s someone much bigger. Bigger than Alpha Lucas Raventhorn himself."

That got their attention.

Ava blinked rapidly. "Wait...what are you talking about? What do you mean bigger than Lucas?"

Zoe didn’t smile. She didn’t even blink. Her entire face had gone cold, detached. She couldn’t afford to be weak right now, not when the truth threatened to crush everyone she had begun to care about.

"I’m sorry, Ava," she whispered, not looking her in the eyes. "Truly. I wish things were different. But I need to tell you everything. All of you. At the same time."

Ava stared at her, heart pounding. Something was wrong. Really wrong.

Without another word, Zoe reached out and gently took Ava’s hand. Her grip was tight, like she was grounding herself through the contact. Ava didn’t pull away. Together, they walked back toward the rogues’ camp.

*****

Inside the camp, Ava sat like a statue beneath the tree, her eyes darting between Zoe and Dennis.

Zoe hadn’t spoken since they got back. She looked like she was trying not to fall apart. Ava didn’t like any of it.

Then she felt Lucas. The hairs on Ava’s arms stood up, and a cold shiver ran down her back. His fury was like a heat wave.

"Oh no," she muttered, standing quickly. "Dennis!"

"What?"

"Lucas is here and he’s furious! Stop him!"

Dennis looked toward the trees. "Why is he angry? What happened?"

Lucas appeared, eyes blazing gold.

Ava rushed forward and stood directly in his path, her arms out like a human shield.

"What are you doing?" Zoe asked calmly, raising a brow.

"Trust me," Ava muttered through clenched teeth, not moving. Her heart was beating loud enough to count as a drum solo. Lucas was coming fast and angry.

"Lucas, it’s alright!" she yelled, waving her hands in surrender like a hostage negotiator. "She was just kidding!"

"Kidding?" Lucas barked. "She threatened you!"

Dennis groaned loudly from the side, throwing his arms in the air. "Will one of you women please tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"She was just..." Ava stammered, side-eyeing Zoe, who stood behind her with a smug expression. "...just kidding," Ava repeated, now less confident.

Lucas was now right in front of her, face stone-hard, eyes golden and glowing.

"I have every intention to kill her," he said.

From behind Ava, Zoe raised an eyebrow and leaned slightly to peek around her shoulder. "Wait," she said, pointing at herself. "Were you trying to protect me from him?"

"Uh... yes?" Ava blinked.

Zoe burst into laughter. "Oh, dear," she said between breaths. "I don’t need protection. I’ve faced worse alphas than this one. Lucas here doesn’t even come an inch close."

Ava turned around slowly, her eyes wide. "Zoe," she said through gritted teeth, "do me a favour and shut up."

Zoe just grinned wider, completely unbothered.

Dennis couldn’t help it. A low, amused chuckle escaped him. He shook his head. "I’m sorry," he said, catching Ava’s fierce glare. "But... my two favourite people are more alike than I care to admit."

Lucas’s face twisted in offense. "I’m nothing like her."

Zoe crossed her arms. "Wow. That hurt."

"All she does is talk," Lucas growled, eyes narrowing. "No bite whatsoever."

"Oh really?" Zoe replied, eyes sparkling with challenge. "I took the almighty Alpha Lucas down with one kick, and it wasn’t even my best."

Ava threw her hands up in the air in mock surrender, her eyes wide as she plopped down beside Dennis, who was still chuckling under his breath. "I can’t deal with this. I really can’t." She slumped.

Lucas and Zoe were now standing toe to toe, glaring at each other. The air between them crackled, an unspoken challenge hanging in the balance. Lucas’s eyes narrowed.

"I’ll snap your little neck and not even break a sweat," Lucas growled.

Dennis, still shaking with laughter, met Ava’s eyes. He found it amusing. Ava, on the other hand, was exasperated, her brow furrowing with every word that came out of Lucas’s mouth. She didn’t know whether to intervene or let them work out their issues, but she was certain her blood pressure was rising.

Zoe smirked, completely unfazed. "Your mate was right. You don’t think. I just told you she’s in danger, and your plan is to snap my little neck? Pathetic."

Ava barely contained a groan, hands running through her hair. She had learned to handle Lucas’s rage, but Zoe was a force of nature in her own right.

"Okay! Enough!" Dennis suddenly shouted. "I think we have more pressing issues here—like what the hell did you just say? Who’s in danger?"

Zoe took a deep breath, her eyes flicking between the group. It was clear she wasn’t in the mood for games anymore. "I was sent here by the Alpha King of the North to bring in Ava."

Everywhere went dead silent. Even Lucas’s anger faltered for a moment.

"Who are you?" Lucas finally demanded.

Zoe looked him straight in the eye, no hint of fear. "I’m his fixer. If he has issues with alphas around, I fix it." Her words were simple, but the meaning was chilling. She was a tool of a far bigger machine than any of them could fathom.

Lucas glanced at Dennis, "Did you know this?"

"Not all of it," he admitted, looking back at Zoe. The truth was, he didn’t know everything. He’d been blindsided by Zoe’s sudden arrival into their lives, and now he was reeling. He turned back to her. "What does he want with Ava?"

"To mate with her," she said. "She’s the daughter of the moon. He plans to use her to take over the rest of the werewolf world. He sent me here to bring her in. That was my mission."

She turned to Dennis now, her gaze softening, but there was a sadness in her eyes. "I’m sorry," she whispered. "I wanted to tell you. But I was afraid. Afraid of what you’d think. Afraid of what you’d do."

Dennis was silent for a long moment, processing her words. His mind was spinning. This was all far bigger than he’d ever imagined.

@Alicia_zeigler: Thank you so much!

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