Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 131: Pain

Chapter 131: Pain

Alaric blinked, dizzy from the pain and trying to piece together just how badly he had miscalculated. "Alpha, I—I sent her because she would draw the least suspicion. I thought—" He coughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I thought she would be invisible."

"Invisible?!" Herod bellowed.

With a dramatic flourish, Herod tossed a letter at him. It flopped onto the floor in front of Alaric’s face. The seal had been broken.

Alaric picked it up, squinting through the blood in his eye as he read.

’I have been informed that you want my mate for yourself. I’ve never eaten a king’s heart before. I’ll start with yours. Zoe is under my protection now. Thank you though. She will make a great general.

— Alpha Lucas Raventhorn’

Zoe’s seal was used to sign off.

Alaric’s soul left his body for a moment.

He re-read the letter three times, hoping the words would magically change. But no—there it was. Lucas Raventhorn had effectively declared war.

"It... it can’t be," Alaric whispered. His fingers trembled as he looked at the seal—Zoe’s personal mark, etched into the wax. She had done this. She had chosen them. Chosen him. Lucas. Of all people.

"The insolence of the fool!" Herod thundered, veins popping on his forehead. "You have ridiculed me! YOU! With your herbs and riddles! You have made me a laughingstock to the East!"

"I misjudged my daughter."

Herod’s glare could’ve melted titanium. Alaric braced for another slap, or maybe a lightning bolt. At this point, he almost welcomed it.

"I should burn you in the courtyard," Herod growled, pacing. "You and your traitor bloodline."

"I can fix this, my king," Alaric said, tasting the iron tang of blood in his mouth. He was still on his knees.

King Herod didn’t even glance at him. He was lounging on his throne now, fingers tapping against the armrest, the very picture of bored malice.

"You had better," he said slowly. "I want Zoe here." His lip curled, revealing the kind of smile that should only exist in nightmares. "I’d like to kill her myself. Slowly. One heartbeat at a time."

"And his mate?" Herod added. "I’m going to fuck her while he watches."

"You have two weeks," Herod snapped. "Fix it, or you’ll spend the rest of your cursed life screaming in my dungeons."

"There’s... a man," Alaric said, standing slowly. His bones protested. "He arrived yesterday. He claims to be Alpha Lucas’s beta."

Herod arched an eyebrow. "And?"

"He says he knows how to get to her. To the Daughter of the Moon."

Herod looked interested. He sat back, the cruel smile returning. "Interesting. And what does he want in return?"

"He hasn’t said," Alaric murmured. "But judging by the hate in his eyes, I’d say revenge."

Herod chuckled darkly. "Ah... a man scorned. If this doesn’t work..." He leaned forward, his eyes glinting with the promise of destruction. "You’re finished."

*****

Zoe woke up with a gasp so sharp it felt like her lungs had been stabbed. She clutched at her neck, a searing pain flaring like a thousand needles being driven under her skin. Her body jolted, drenched in cold sweat, and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood just to keep from screaming.

Dennis, who’d been sleeping beside her in a surprisingly peaceful sprawl, shot upright. His eyes were wide, hair sticking in wild tufts.

"Zoe? What the hell’s going on?!" he barked, panic surging in his voice.

She couldn’t answer at first. Her mouth opened, then closed again as the pain flared brighter. Finally, with a grunt and grit teeth, she choked out, "My father... he summons me."

Dennis blinked. "What do you mean summons you? Like a freaking ghost?!"

"No," she panted, the glow beneath her skin intensifying. "There’s a magical thread...sewn into my neck. Blood binding. He uses it to control me... to force me home."

Dennis scrambled to his knees, already reaching for her "What kind of bullshit is that?! You have a... magic leash?!"

She gave a shaky laugh, somewhere between pain and irony. "Something like that."

He leaned in, brushing her hair aside with trembling hands. The back of her neck pulsed with a fiery golden light beneath the skin. It was alive, angry, and pulling.

"What happens if the pain doesn’t stop?" he asked.

She looked at him then, her expression oddly calm, despite the agony wracking her body. "I die," she said with a half-smile.

"What the fuck?!" Dennis shouted as he stumbled backward from the sight of the glowing mark on Zoe’s neck.

"I guess... they received the letter," Zoe muttered through clenched teeth, barely able to keep the sarcastic edge in her voice. The pain was tearing through her but she could still joke. Because what else could she do? Panic? She was already doing that... inside.

Dennis stared at her, his fists clenched. "Permission to kill your father if I ever meet him," he snapped.

"Granted," Zoe grunted. "Just aim for the head. He’s the kind that likes dramatic resurrections."

Dennis was already shuffling off the bed, his feet moving faster than his thoughts. "Where are you going?" Zoe called out, trying not to scream as another hot bolt of magic sliced down her spine.

"To get Missy," he said, already halfway through the door.

"Dennis, there’s nothing she can do about it," she groaned, trying to sound calm but failing miserably. "Just stay with me."

But he didn’t stop. He turned back only long enough to growl, "You want me to just watch you die? Sit here like some helpless lover folding my arms while you roast from the inside? Not happening."

"Dennis!"

"No!" he snapped and left the room.

Zoe collapsed back into the pillows, breath shaky, heart pounding. Her body trembled violently. It felt like every cell in her being was trying to rip itself apart from the inside. Her father wasn’t just summoning her, he was punishing her.

A few minutes later, Dennis returned with Missy in tow. Missy was still putting on one boot, muttering under her breath about "midnight emergencies and dramatic-ass lovers."

Missy stepped onto the bed, brushing Zoe’s hair aside with unexpected tenderness and squinting at the magic pulsing under her skin. "Oh my God..." she whispered, her usual sarcasm replaced with awe. "This... this is magic like I’ve never seen. Ancient. Dark. Blood-woven."

Zoe tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a painful hiss. "It’s what you get when your dad is the great Alaric."

Turning to Dennis, Missy said, "There’s only one person who can help her, but... it could kill her too."

"No!" Zoe barked, suddenly surging forward despite the fire in her bones. "Ava is your only shot at winning the war that’s coming. You need her at full strength. She doesn’t even know what she is yet!"

Dennis ignored her. Entirely. He looked Missy square in the eyes. "What does she need to do?"

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