Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 162: Whip

Chapter 162: Whip

Dennis held his breath, heart hammering against his ribs.

"Do you plan on explaining to the king why his orders weren’t carried out?" the second guard snapped back. "You want to volunteer to tell him you decided to be merciful? Good luck with that."

There was a tense silence, broken only by the faint, sickening uncoiling of the whip.

Dennis squeezed his eyes shut, a prayer dying in his throat.

Then he heard it — a soft, muffled grunt from Zoe.

Then the crack of the whip.

Dennis bit down on the inside of his cheek so hard he tasted blood. Every lash that landed on Zoe’s delicate, broken body felt like it was being lashed across his own soul. His body trembled, his heart shattered anew with every cruel snap of leather against flesh.

He slid down the wall, fists clenching uselessly against the cold stone. Tears he couldn’t stop spilled down his cheeks. For every stroke they delivered to her, a part of Dennis died screaming.

That was his mate. His Luna.

And here she was, being whipped like a disobedient dog.

He strained harder to listen, desperate for some sound — a scream, a cry, anything. But there were only soft, barely-there whimpers.

It was worse than any scream.

Zoe wasn’t fighting.

They had broken her spirit, crushed her until only a shell remained. That realization was even more brutal than hearing her scream in agony.

Dennis pressed his forehead against the filthy floor, whispering broken promises into the cracks between the stones.

I swear on my blood, on my soul... Every single one of you will pay. I will tear this kingdom apart stone by stone, throat by throat.

*****

Ava’s head snapped toward the door the moment she heard the soft click. She scrambled up from her bed, her heart punching against her ribs. When Lucas waltzed into her room, Ava couldn’t help but gape at him.

"You really do have a death wish," she said, crossing her arms and trying very hard not to notice how handsome he looked, all shadowed jaw and reckless energy.

Lucas grinned, dragging a stool over and plopping down beside her bed. "I was never known to shy away from danger," he said, winking in that smug way that made her want to slap him... and maybe kiss him after.

She rolled her eyes. "Is that why you’re here? Because you’re some kind of danger junkie?"

He shrugged, a boyish gleam in his eyes. "I’m here because I would rather die than see you used by monsters," he said, the playfulness slipping away, leaving raw, steady truth in its place. "Your powers... as much as they make you unique — and honestly, ridiculously sexier, like, unfair levels of sexy — that’s not what I’m about."

Ava’s mouth opened, but no words came out. She wasn’t used to being looked at like that — like she was something precious.

Lucas leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "I need you to remember, Ava. Not because of your powers, but because your people always loved you more than they ever loved me. They would stand in front of a silver bullet for you without blinking. And it’s my duty, as their alpha, to keep them safe."

He paused, his gaze never wavering from hers. "Which means when you remember, I know you’ll move the earth to protect them. Because that’s who you are."

Ava bit her lip so hard she tasted copper. Tears stung the corners of her eyes, making everything blurry. She hated crying. Hated feeling so helpless when she was supposed to be strong. She squeezed her fists in her lap, trying to hold herself together.

"But how do I do that?" she whispered, the words breaking free. Her chest tightened with frustration. "I swear, Lucas, I believe you. I believe you more than I’ve believed anything since this nightmare started. You make more sense than the chopped-up snippets Herod feeds me."

Ava wiped at her eyes furiously. "What makes the dumbest sense is that when you kissed me..." She broke off, cheeks flaming. "It felt like home. Like every nerve in my body just knows you."

She swallowed hard, heart hammering.

"But him..." She shuddered, unable to even finish the thought. Her skin crawled at the memory of Herod’s hands, his hollow touch.

"He kissed you?" Lucas’s eyebrows shot so far up his forehead they practically tried to join his hairline. His whole body stiffened, muscles coiling tight. "He... fucking son of a bitch!"

Ava winced, trying not to crumble under the storm brewing in his eyes. "That’s... not all," she said.

His nostrils flared. He looked one deep breath away from either passing out or tearing the castle apart brick by brick.

"I think," Ava said carefully, as if defusing a bomb, "in my missing time, we may have... done more."

"Oh for fuck’s sakes!" he bellowed, jumping up from the stool so fast it toppled backward. He started pacing, running both hands through his hair.

Ava squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart beat painfully in her chest. It wasn’t even about shame anymore. It was about fear. Fear that when she spoke her next words, she would lose him forever.

"I am pregnant with his child," she whispered. Then louder, forcing herself to meet his gaze: "Do you still want me now?"

Lucas froze mid-step, staring at her. The anger drained from his face, replaced by disbelief.

"You... it’s true? You’re really pregnant? I thought it was just some kind of stunt."

Ava’s shoulders sagged under the weight of it all. "Well, I am."

Ava’s throat closed up. She tried to prepare herself for the rejection. The disgust. The goodbye.

Instead, Lucas chuckled.

"If you truly are, babe," he said, "then it’s not Herod’s." His grin spread slowly, a lazy, roguish thing that made her chest ache. "It’s mine."

Ava’s mouth dropped open. "What?" she gasped, blinking at him.

Lucas plopped himself back onto the bed. He flung his legs up, kicked off his boots with zero decorum, and yanked her closer until she practically toppled into his lap. Ava squeaked but didn’t resist as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. She could taste his excitement.

"You were taken less than three weeks ago," he said, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Try to remember. It was on the day of Zoe and Dennis’s engagement party."

"I remember that... but I don’t remember how long ago," she murmured, feeling small and lost.

Lucas tucked her even closer, resting his chin on the top of her head. His warmth seeped into her, his steady heartbeat anchoring her frayed soul.

"You were pregnant once before," he said. "We lost the baby before it was born. I had lost people before, Ava. But that..." His arms tightened around her. "That broke me. In ways I never let you see."

Ava’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces. She blinked back tears she didn’t even realize were there, feeling every word of his pain.

"I never told you how much it hurt," he whispered against her hair. "Because I wanted to be strong for you. You were grieving enough. I thought... maybe if I was strong, you’d heal faster."

He gave a broken laugh. "I never even met the little pup. Never heard its heartbeat. But I loved that baby with everything I had."

Ava sobbed quietly, clutching his shirt in her fists. She had lost something too — something precious she didn’t even know she’d had until now.

Lucas shifted, cupping her face gently in his hands, forcing her to look at him. His thumb brushed away her tears with a tenderness that broke her all over again.

"You’re my mate, Ava," he said fiercely. "Whatever’s happened, whatever scars they tried to leave on you... you’re mine. Always have been. Always will be. And any pup you carry... it’s ours."

Ava reached up tentatively, her fingertips trembling as they brushed against Lucas’s chest. She splayed her hand wide, pressing her palm directly over his heart. It beat strong and steady beneath her touch, a drum calling her home. She closed her eyes, blocking out the confusing swirl of memories, the twisting doubts in her mind. If everything else in her world didn’t make sense, maybe this would. Maybe this quiet, steadfast rhythm could anchor her to the truth of who she was... and who she belonged to.

Lucas’s hand slid beneath her chin, lifting her face up to meet his. His gaze roamed over her features with a hunger barely restrained. Her body moved before her mind could catch up, pushing herself closer to him, her eyes dropping instinctively to his lips, tracing their familiar curve with longing. God, she thought, I’m starving for him.

Lucas must have seen it too, because he didn’t make her wait. He bent his head and kissed her — gently at first, just a brush, a teasing taste of everything she craved. It wasn’t a kiss meant to conquer or claim. It was a kiss that asked: Are you still mine? Will you come back to me? Ava melted against him, letting herself drown in it, breathing him in.