Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 157: Eliza

Chapter 157: Eliza

"Nobody," Ava said. "But I’d think whatever she’s done, there are other ways to punish her—ways that don’t involve scarring her face!"

Queen Eliza’s nostrils flared, her jaw tightening. "You little piece of shit," she hissed, stepping closer. "When you first came here, you were begging me to let you go. Eyes puffy, voice trembling. Now look at you—growing wings, and yet you won’t fly. Pitiful."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," she said coolly, "but what I do know is—I hate bullies."

Queen Eliza’s eyes went wide, her lip curling into a feral sneer. "You little slut," she seethed. "Taking my husband wasn’t enough, was it? Now you dare to challenge me, in my palace?" "If by challenging your authority you mean not letting you slap innocent people around, then yes." Ava’s face was calm, but her heartbeat was tap dancing in her ears.

And then, Eliza’s arm shot up. A royal slap was incoming. Ava’s eyes widened—reflexes kicked in. She caught the queen’s wrist mid-air. Her grip was strong.

"I, on the other hand," Ava said through gritted teeth, "can defend myself." She threw the Queen’s hand back—not roughly, just enough to make a point.

But Eliza was long past the point of no return. Logic had packed its bags and left. She lunged again. She grabbed Ava by the hair and yanked hard, jerking Ava’s head forward.

"Seriously?!" Ava squealed, trying not to scream. She swatted at the Queen’s hands, trying to pry the talons off without hurting her. She didn’t know the laws here. Was it a beheading offense to elbow the queen in the stomach? Probably. So she wrestled gently.

Meanwhile, Lucia, face white as chalk, had gone from trembling in fear to full-blown panic. "I’ll get help!" she shouted, skirts flying behind her.

The fight was getting weirdly intense. Ava managed to pull Eliza’s hands from her hair but the queen wouldn’t let it end. With the stubborn rage of a raccoon, she lunged again, grabbing Ava by the arm this time. They stumbled.

The world tilted.

Ava gasped.

Eliza shrieked.

The two of them were now locked in a chaotic, twisting grip—both of them wobbling dangerously near the edge of the palace balcony. It was a long way down.

"Let go!" Ava cried, her feet skidding on the slick marble.

The wind howled, whipping through their hair.

Any wrong move... and they’d both take a dive.

Ava fought with every ounce of strength she had left in her body—not for herself, not even for pride or dignity—but for the fragile life blooming inside her womb. The child who hadn’t yet drawn a breath, whose heartbeat she carried. She gasped, her limbs flailing as Queen Eliza shrieked madly, spittle flying from her lips. "You took everything from me! My husband, my peace, my throne—you RUINED MY LIFE!"

Eliza’s fingers were still wrapped around Ava’s neck, pushing her further and further over the marble railing. One more inch and Ava would be tumbling through open air.

"Eliza!!!" Herod’s voice boomed. Eliza’s arms stiffened. Both women stopped mid-struggle. Ava’s legs trembled on the edge, heart in her throat, lungs screaming for air.

Eliza didn’t let go. She turned to Herod, her face contorted. "Look at what you’ve done, Herod!" she cried. "Look what you reduced me to! Me—me! Fighting over a man. Is this what you wanted? Is this what will finally satisfy you? To watch me lose my mind over you?"

Herod didn’t speak right away. He took a careful step forward, hands out in a calming gesture. "Eliza, please," he said softly, as the balcony swelled with people even Alaric, whose usually impassive face looked mildly horrified.

"Eliza, think about what you’re doing," Herod continued. "You want to throw everything away—your crown, your dignity—for what? To push a woman to her death? This isn’t you."

Eliza’s shoulders trembled. "I’m supposed to be your queen," she whispered, trembling with exhaustion, her hair wild around her face. "I’m supposed to be your second-in-command. Your equal. And yet you’ve reduced me to nothing."

"Eliza," Herod said, smiling faintly—carefully. "Look at me. You are not nothing."

She stared at him, dazed. Her fingers finally slipped away from Ava’s arm. Ava stumbled back, coughing and gulping in the sweet, generous air. She collapsed into Lucia’s arms, hand cradling her belly protectively.

Herod moved closer to Eliza, gently taking her cold, shaking hands in his. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening. "I hoped," she said, "that someday... someday, you would love me."

A sad smile played on her lips. "Then I thought maybe you were incapable of love. That you’d buried it with my sister. That you’d locked it away and thrown the key into the sea." She laughed, short and sharp. "But then she comes along. And you... you look at her like she’s the sunrise after a thousand years of darkness."

Herod didn’t speak.

Eliza blinked. "You never looked at me like that."

For a moment, no one breathed. The guards stood awkwardly. Ava, still gasping for air, locked eyes with Herod, her heart a mess of questions and unwanted truths.

"I could never love you, Eliza." Herod’s voice dropped to a whisper, low and measured. His grip on her arms tightened ever so slightly, as if anchoring her to the earth—just for a moment longer. He leaned in. "You know why?" he breathed, his lips brushing her ear.

"I love power more."

And with that, he shoved her.

It was swift. A quick push and the sharp gasp of a queen realizing, far too late, that she had underestimated the monster she married.

Ava screamed as Eliza’s body dropped. Her feet scrambled as she sprinted to the railing, her hands gripping it in disbelief. "NOOOOO!" she wailed.

Below, Eliza’s body lay twisted, a crimson halo blooming around her hair. The queen, the woman who once ruled beside Herod, was now a smear on stone tiles.

Herod turned slowly. He glanced at the stunned guards and servants, then at Alaric, who was smiling.

"Oops," Herod said dryly, stretching the word with mock concern. "She jumped."

@Md_Loves_Books: Take your flowers.