Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 161: Argue

Chapter 161: Argue

Lucas gave a half-hearted smirk. "Not the time to argue, babe. Focus." He stopped pacing and finally looked at her, his gaze softening. "You have to go through with the mating ceremony tomorrow. As much as it’s killing me...like, truly, I feel like my organs are rearranging themselves in protest...you have to."

The ceremony. Herod. Tomorrow. And he was telling her to go through with it?Of course, she was going to go through with it.

Lucas stepped closer, reaching out but pulling back at the last second. "I promise you, Ava. I will do everything ...everything... in my power to help you remember who you are. Who we are. But if you don’t act tomorrow..." He swallowed hard, the knot in his throat visible. "Every single one of our people who came out here to save you will be screwed."

Three taps came at the door, sharp and urgent.

Lucas stiffened immediately. "That’s Kade. I have to go."

"Wait!" Ava rushed forward, grabbing his sleeve. "What do I have to do? What if I mess it up?"

Lucas turned, cupping her face in his rough, calloused hands. His thumb brushed against her cheekbone so gently she thought she might cry. "You’ll know when the time comes," he said. Then, with a final glance — one that said more than any words could — he slipped the mask back on and was gone, vanishing into the shadows outside her door.

*****

Outside the room, Lucas pressed his back against the wall, letting out a slow, controlled exhale. His hands trembled slightly, though he curled them into fists before Kade could notice.

"I think Alaric tampered with her mind," Lucas whispered after explaining everything he’d uncovered inside.

Kade rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "Well, that changes everything."

Lucas’s head snapped up. "No! The plan stays the same," he said firmly, though a tremor of doubt rippled beneath his words.

Kade gave him a long, measuring look. "Alpha, I would lay down my life for our Luna. You know that. Hell, I’d charge through a flaming army if she was in danger. But it’s not just her that’s on the line now. Our people are scattered in the city. Dennis and Zoe are trapped in the dungeons. You have to be sure."

Lucas closed his eyes, fighting the war raging inside him. Manic was howling to grab Ava, spirit her away, consequences be damned. But his Alpha instincts — the part of him burdened with the safety of all his people — knew better.

"I have to make her remember," he said finally. "But I don’t know what kind of magic we’re up against. Alaric’s magic... it’s not just strong. It’s ancient."

"When the castle goes to sleep, you can try again," Kade advised in a low voice, eyes sweeping the dim hallway. His hand hovered near the dagger hidden in his belt, ready for anything.

*****

Dorian was fighting the urge to roll his eyes all the way back into his skull as he stalked through the grand marble halls. He hated being summoned by King Herod. The very sight of the man made his blood pressure spike dangerously. He had no loyalty to him. His only motivation was simple: get Ava, exact his revenge, and then get the hell out before everyone’s stupidity got him killed.

But nooo, when the king summoned, you answered , because if you didn’t, there were a million creative ways they’d figured out to kill people around here.

As Dorian entered the grand throne room, he forced himself into a stiff, formal bow, more out of habit than respect.

"Your Highness," he drawled, trying not to gag on the words.

Herod, lounging on his throne didn’t even look up immediately. Instead, he toyed lazily with a dagger, spinning it between his fingers.

"Your Alpha is here," Herod said at last, a sly glint in his eye that immediately set Dorian on edge.

Dorian’s brow arched in genuine surprise. "Here? Where?"

"In the dungeons." Herod’s tone was unbearably smug.

Dorian couldn’t help it—he barked out a short, incredulous laugh. "You managed to capture Alpha Lucas, without a fight? No offense, Your Highness, but...you’re not capable."

Herod’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. Dangerous territory. Dorian knew it, but he kept going anyway because some people just didn’t know when to shut up.

"Well, truth be told," Dorian continued, warming up to his rant, "Lucas hasn’t been thinking like the Alpha I once knew. Not since he let that little slut of a woman wrap him around her dainty little..."

He didn’t even get to finish the sentence.

King Herod stood in one fluid, predatory movement, scooping up the knife from the nearby stool. Before Dorian could react, he crossed the distance between them and plunged the blade into Dorian’s side.

Pain exploded through him, white-hot and immediate. Dorian let out a grunt, more irritated than scared.

"You see," Herod hissed as he leaned in, breath hot and foul against Dorian’s cheek, "I like you, Dorian. I really do. You’re entertaining. You say the things others are too scared to. But then"—he twisted the knife cruelly, making Dorian grunt again, his knees buckling slightly—"you go and say dumb shit like that."

Dorian clenched his jaw, sweat beading on his forehead as he struggled to stay upright. Play dead, play dumb, stay alive. It was practically a motto now.

"She’s not just some woman," Herod continued. "She’s going to warm my bed in less than twenty-four hours. She’s going to be my queen, my prize, my perfect little possession. Mine."

And with one final vicious twist of the blade, Herod let him go, pushing him roughly back.

Dorian stumbled, clutching his side, dark blood staining his fingers. Through the haze of pain, a thought burned bright and furious in his mind:

I really, really hate this castle.

"We had a deal!" Dorian snapped, clutching his bleeding side, squirming against the stabbing agony in his ribs. His pride hurt almost more than his flesh. "You were going to hand her over to me."

King Herod turned, knife glinting ominously, his lips curled into a smirk that made Dorian want to slap him with the nearest throne cushion. Or the throne itself.

"I don’t make deals," Herod said casually, admiring the bloodstained blade. "I am king for a reason."

Herod stepped closer, knife dangling from his fingers. "Give yourself a few hours to heal, Dorian. Then find out what your Alpha is up to." He said it like Lucas was a cockroach under his boot, not a man who could probably rip him in half if properly motivated.

*****

Deep beneath the gilded castle, in the foul, damp darkness of the dungeons, Dennis lay on the freezing stone floor, muscles tense, ears straining toward the approaching footsteps.

The gates groaned open with a rusty screech that could’ve woken the dead.

He pressed his ear closer to the grimy wall, the stones rough against his skin, catching snippets of the guards’ conversation.

"What’s the point of continuing the torture?" one of them grumbled. "She’s scheduled to be executed tomorrow anyway."

@kie, @princessH, @Sidra_Waleed: Love you guys.