Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 142: Guest

Chapter 142: Guest

"King Herod," the girl said brightly. "You are his guest."

Ava’s heart stopped. Or maybe it tripped over its own rhythm and belly-flopped into her stomach. "No," she whispered. "No. No. No."

"Where’s Zoe?" she asked, her throat suddenly dry as sandpaper.

The girl’s eyes darted downward. "She is... being punished. In the dungeon."

Ava didn’t wait. The words barely had time to register before her body was moving, her legs carrying her out of the room. The girl shouted after her but Ava didn’t hear. Her head was spinning. The hallway was endless, opulent, terrifying. Paintings of long-dead monarchs glared down at her.

She had to get out of there. Zoe was in the dungeon. Being punished. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t happen.

Her lungs screamed, her heart thundered, and her thoughts spun. And above it all, one name repeated over and over again:

Lucas. Where are you?

Where was her mate, her Alpha, her anchor in a world that had gone completely mad?

She didn’t know. But wherever he was, he had better be planning to bring hell with him. Because this castle had just made the mistake of messing with the wrong Luna.

Ava’s breath came in ragged gasps as she tore through the endless hallways of the castle. Everything felt like a dream. Every wall she passed blurred into another; she could’ve sworn she passed the same portrait of a grumpy, powdered nobleman at least five times. Her mind spun in circles. Where was Zoe? Where was Lucas?

Her thoughts were moving faster than her legs when she collided into someone.

Ava bounced back. For a second, she was too stunned to move. And then she looked up.

Standing above her was a woman who looked like she had walked off the cover of a fashion magazine. She was stunning, tall, and draped in an opulent green gown that shimmered with every move. Her dark curls were piled perfectly atop her head, crowned with emeralds. Her eyes were sharp, cold, and vaguely annoyed.

The woman stared at Ava.

"Who are you?" the woman asked.

Ava opened her mouth, but before she could respond, a voice panted behind her.

"Your Highness!" Lucia, the bubbly towel girl from earlier, finally caught up, breathless. She bowed low.

The Queen’s eyes barely shifted. "Lucia? Who is this?" she asked, glancing at Ava.

"I’m Ava," she blurted. "I’m Alpha Lucas’s Luna. I’ve been kidnapped and brought here. Please, you have to help me. My best friend is in the dungeon and I..."

"I don’t know who you are," the Queen cut in. "Nor do I know who your Alpha is. But if the Alpha King brought you here, then it means you’re useful to him. And that is all that matters. Now, behave yourself and return to your room."

Ava’s jaw dropped. "You don’t understand. I have to get out of here. You have to help me."

The Queen narrowed her eyes. "Lucia," she said flatly, "get the guards."

"No, no, wait, please!" Ava begged, taking a step forward. But the Queen’s face didn’t change. It was carved from ice, and Ava wasn’t about to win a staring contest with the Snow Queen.

Realizing there was no sympathy to be found here, Ava did the only thing she could: she turned on her heel and ran.

Behind her, Ava could already hear boots thundering against the floor as the guards began their pursuit.

She darted down the corridor. She needed an exit. Any exit. A window. Her lungs burned, her hair flew wildly behind her, and still she ran.

Then she found stairs. She didn’t think. She just launched herself down them.

She made it halfway before her foot slipped, and the world tilted sideways.

With a very undignified yelp, Ava tumbled. It was all elbows and knees and hair in her mouth as she hit step after step after step. Her ankle twisted. Her shoulder slammed against a banister. Her dress rode up somewhere indecent. And at the bottom, she landed with an unceremonious thud.

She blinked. Still alive.

Groaning, she tried to get up. Her limbs protested, but adrenaline did what it always did. She limped forward, determined to keep running even if she had to crawl.

But she didn’t get far.

Boots surrounded her. The guards had caught up.

Ava struggled with every ounce of strength left in her body. Her legs kicked, her nails clawed, but it was all in vain. She was dragged back to the very room she had escaped from.

They didn’t speak a word. They dumped her unceremoniously on the floor and slammed the heavy door shut. The finality of it echoed through her bones.

Ava scrambled up. She ran to the door and pulled. "Somebody! Please, help me! Please!" Her fists pounded against the polished wood until they went numb, her cries growing softer, more broken.

Finally, her knees gave out and she collapsed to the floor, her forehead resting against the unyielding surface. Tears poured freely now, soaking into her dress and the pristine carpet. She clutched her neck, right over the bond, the place where Lucas’s presence used to burn.

"Lucas," she whispered through cracked sobs, "please find me. Please."

But the silence answered her.

*****

Lucas and Dennis stood at the doors of the council, faces grim, eyes sharp.

They had already gathered their forces. Lucas’s soldiers had answered the call without hesitation. They didn’t need speeches or promises. Their Luna had been taken. Their General was dead. That was enough.

Dennis’s rogues had shown up, marching side by side with soldiers they once hated. It was awkward. Tense. But no one spoke of the past. They only looked forward. Toward blood. Toward justice. Toward war.

If Ava had seen it, she would’ve cried from pride.

And if whoever took her thought this would go unnoticed?

Oh, they were so beautifully, epically, royally screwed.

Lucas and Dennis didn’t even glance at the wide-eyed receptionist. They walked straight through the halls, their eyes locked on the double doors ahead.

They burst into the conference room.

Inside, Councilmen Eryx and Thorne were waiting.

"It’s time," Lucas said simply.

His shoulders were squared, his jaw clenched.

Thorne stood from his chair. "Yes, Alpha Lucas. We... we knew you would be coming. We heard what happened. Our...our apologies, truly."

"I don’t need your apologies. I need your army."

"Yes. Of course. They will be ready in a day. We’ve already sent word to the Alphas across the regions. Every territory will respond."

"Then tell them to meet us there," Lucas said, already turning to leave.

"Alpha Lucas, we ask that you exercise some patience," Eryx called after him.

Lucas stopped.

Slowly, he turned around.

"Patience? My... my Luna has been taken. My wife. My bonded. My reason for breathing."