Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 159: Trial

Chapter 159: Trial

Lucas shrugged. "No. But my guess? He’s slithering somewhere in the palace. And just so you know," Lucas added casually, "and I don’t really care if you’re okay with it—I’m going to kill your father with my own two hands."

Kade knew.

He knew that if Lucas got his hands on Dorian, there would be no trial, no justice, no redemption. Only blood. Only an ending.

His father had created a web of lies, betrayals, and violence so foul there was no coming back from it. No apology could cleanse what he had done.

And Kade, despite everything, still bore the ugly scars of being his son.

*****

He hit the polished marble floor hard enough to make his bones rattle, but before the guards could even smirk at their handiwork, he was already on his feet. His shoulders squared, his chin lifted in stubborn defiance, and he locked eyes with the king, daring Herod to try him.

The room was deathly silent. Even the guards shifted nervously at the raw fury radiating from him.

Herod let a slow smirk curl across his lips. He clapped his hands once, mockingly.

"When I was told," Herod drawled, "that the great and mighty Alpha Lucas Raventhorn of the East had arrived at my palace gates. I thought, finally, something interesting." He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes gleaming. "I expected more, though. A little more finesse. I expected a grand plan."

"Sorry to disappoint," he said.

Herod chuckled. "Tell me, pup. What exactly did you hope to achieve with this little stunt? Besides entertaining me."

He took a bold step forward, ignoring the guards who instantly tensed, hands on their weapons.

"To get my mate back."

He smiled and added, "And a few other things. See, my people? They’re just outside the Northern boundary. Lying low. If they don’t hear from me in twelve hours, you’ll have a full-blown war on your hands."

He tilted his head mockingly, as if considering something.

"Oh... and if you were counting on the powers of Ava to save your pretty little kingdom? You’re out of luck. The full moon isn’t for another day after that. So, you see..." he shrugged dramatically, "bad timing, Your Majesty."

Herod merely smiled wider.

"Smart," the king said, rising from his throne with a slow, deliberate grace that made the guards’ armor clink nervously. "Very smart. Very stupid."

"But here’s the thing. I don’t care about your people. If they come, they die."

Herod’s eyes gleamed as he stepped close.

"Oh, killing you would spark a delicious little war, sure. But there’s something even better than your death."

He leaned in.

"I’m going to keep you. Lock you away. And then I’ll make Ava kill you herself. But first, I’ll make you watch Zoe die."

Herod leaned back, savoring the horror he expected to see but he just smiled coldly.

If Herod thought locking him up would break him, he didn’t know a damn thing about him.

"You once said," Herod continued, "that both women were under your protection. Let’s see how well you protect them... from me." and with a wave of his hand, barked to the guards:

"Take him away."

They moved quickly, grabbing him by both arms, but even as they dragged him off, he never stopped smiling.

As they hauled him toward the cold, black dungeons beneath the palace, he whispered under his breath:

Hold on, Zoe.

As soon as the heavy doors slammed shut behind him, Herod’s mask of easy confidence shattered. He turned sharply to the nearest guard.

"Scour the city," Herod barked. "That was too easy. Far too easy." He began pacing in front of his throne.

The guard nodded eagerly.

Herod’s hand tightened into a fist as he paced. Alpha Lucas Raventhorn. He heard people whispered his name with reverence. A warrior with the ruthlessness of a demon.

And yet... the man he’d just met had been calm. Measured. Far too calm for the monster Herod had been warned about.

"They’re already here," Herod muttered to himself, his sharp eyes narrowing. "He didn’t march an army to the gates. He smuggled them inside."

He turned on his heel. "One more thing!" he snapped at the guard’s retreating back.

"Assign multiple guards to Ava’s room. Double the watch."

The uneasy itch at the back of his neck refused to leave.

Herod realized something with a cold certainty, he was not the predator, even though Lucas had just made it seem that way. He was the prey.

*****

Deep within the damp and foul-smelling dungeons, Dennis hit the stone floor with a thud. He was getting really done with being flung around since he got to the palace. He grunted, rolled over, and then immediately sprang up, his eyes adjusting to the dimness. The iron doors clanged shut behind him with a dreadful finality.

"Zoe?" he whispered into the darkness. His fingers brushed the rough stones of the cell walls. "Zoe, are you here?"

From another cell down the row, a raspy voice answered, "She’s half-dead, man. What do you want with her?"

Dennis stumbled closer to the bars, straining to see through the gloom.

"Nothing!" he called back, a little too loudly. He lowered his voice quickly. "I heard she could get me out of here."

The unseen prisoner laughed. "Get you out?" the voice croaked. "Brother, the only thing Zoe’s gettin’ out of these days is consciousness." Another grim chuckle. "The guards come twice a day just to flog her for sport. She hasn’t eaten since they dragged her in. Only mercy they show is a cup of water, so she stays alive long enough for a good public execution."

Dennis’s stomach turned.

Zoe. My bright, stubborn Zoe... reduced to this?

Dennis gripped the silver bars. Somewhere in there, was a woman he had promised himself he would protect.

Dennis swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, the taste of guilt bitter on his tongue. I failed her, he thought, the words hammering inside his head with every frantic heartbeat. He should have found a way sooner. He should have torn the kingdom apart with his bare hands if that’s what it took. Hell, he thought savagely, I should have been there before they even touched her.

But he wasn’t.

He was here now, though. And all Zoe needed to do was to hold on just a little longer. Just enough for him to fix everything he had let crumble.

"Please, baby, please..." he whispered hoarsely into the darkness. "Hold on for me."

The plan had been half-insane to begin with. It involved danger, deception, and Dennis impersonating his brother again to get himself conveniently thrown into the dungeons.

*****

Ava noticed the change immediately. Guards lingered at every corner now, their armor glinting. It didn’t feel like protection.

It felt like a prison.

Still, she chose to say nothing.

What other choice did she have? Cry? Scream? Run?

Herod had been noticeably tense during dinner, his movements stiff, his conversation clipped.

Was he finally feeling guilt? Was some sliver of humanity clawing its way through that thick armor of cruelty?

Ava dared to hope, even if it was a small, pathetic kind of hope. Maybe he wasn’t entirely monstrous. Maybe he still had a heart, albeit buried under ten layers of paranoia and bloodlust.

Dear Moon, Ava thought grimly, please tell me I didn’t just get myself knocked up by a homicidal maniac.

The mating ceremony was tomorrow night. The very thought of it made her stomach knot up. She wasn’t looking forward to it. No part of her wanted to stand beneath the full moon, bound to a man she was rapidly losing faith in.

She entered her bedroom. One of the guards trailed two steps behind her.

Rolling her eyes, Ava spun around at the door and gave him her most dazzling, tired smile.

"I’m going to bed," she said sweetly. "Do you plan on sleeping in here with me?"