Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 166: Estranged

Chapter 166: Estranged

Dorian grimaced as he pressed a palm against his still-tender side where Herod’s blade had kissed him just the day before. "They were estranged."

"And now, he suddenly calls on his long-lost sibling?" Herod snapped. "Family’s just a convenient weapon these days, isn’t it?"

Dorian hesitated, measuring his next words. "I didn’t think he’d go to him for help."

Herod paused, his eyes narrowing. "Well then..." he said slowly, a dark smile creeping onto his lips. "I suppose I’ll just have to put an end to the Raventhorn bloodline... technically." He muttered the last part more to himself. Of course, Ava was still pregnant though Herod refused to see that child as anything more than a temporary inconvenience. A Raventhorn, yes, but under his control.

"I do think you should be wary," Dorian offered. "If Lucas is handing the charge to Dennis, it means he has something else...or someone else...up his sleeve. My best guess? Missy and Lanaya. They’re the most powerful spiritualists in the east."

"He mentioned his people are scattered around the border." He turned sharply toward Dorian. "You know the brother. I want you and Alaric on this. Sniff him out. And if those spiritualists are here, bring them to me. Alive. If possible."

Dorian bowed, hiding a sigh behind his clenched jaw. "As you command."

*****

Lucia was back in Ava’s chamber.

"The royal designer will be in later today with your dress for the ceremony," Lucia said lightly.

Ava, seated before the mirror, didn’t bother looking up. Her fingers hovered uselessly over a comb, unable to summon the will to brush through her own hair. "I didn’t even get a say in my own dress," she muttered, more to her reflection than to Lucia. Her heart thudded against her ribs. Was Lucas okay? Was he cold? Hurt?

Lucia shrugged. "It’s lace," she said helpfully. "With crystals."

Ava stood abruptly. She crossed the room in a few strides and stopped just in front of Lucia.

"Lucia?"

"Yes?"

Ava searched her face, desperate for an ally. "You’ve been here a long time. You know things."

"Yes?" Lucia turned to her. Her eyes were cautious.

"I need your help," Ava said urgently.

Lucia flinched. "Please, ma’am, don’t ask me to help you escape," she said, a slight panic rising in her voice. She looked around the room, as if Herod himself might slither out of the wardrobe for eavesdropping. "I still have all my original limbs and I would very much like to keep them."

Ava smiled faintly. "No... not escape." Though the idea wasn’t unappealing. "I need the truth. That’s all. I will believe whatever you tell me, Lucia. But please... tell me the truth." Her eyes, pleading and brimming with quiet desperation, latched onto Lucia’s. The palace had fed her lies wrapped in golden words for weeks now. She was starving for something honest.

Lucia sighed. She looked like a girl on the verge of regretting everything.

"You’re a good woman," she began. "And you seem to care about Miss Zoe."

"Zoe?" Ava blinked. The name hit her chest with a thump, warm and aching. "Yes. She’s... she’s my friend."

"Miss Zoe was instructed by the king to visit the outskirts," Lucia said, her eyes drifting to the far wall. "A rebellion was stirring out there. A quiet one. My father led that rebellion. And by ’visit,’ the king meant for Zoe to kill everyone."

Ava’s breath hitched.

"She did kill my father," Lucia continued. "But she spared me."

Ava staggered back a step, as if the words had physically struck her.

"She told me she had no choice," Lucia said, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "She smuggled me into the castle and handed me to the royal cook. She said the safest place for me was the castle because no one would ever think to look for me under Herod’s nose."

Ava’s heart cracked at the thought. A woman who had to kill, but still saved a child. "My memories of her are skittish," Ava admitted. "But I know I love her. And her mate."

Lucia’s eyebrows shot up. "Miss Zoe found her mate?"

"Yes. He’s my friend, too." Ava felt the burn in her throat again. "They’re both... brave. And kind."

"Well, you were kidnapped from the East and brought here."

"I thought as much."

Lucia nodded. "From the whispers I’ve heard, the king wants to use your powers to take over our world." She leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper. "But the true villain? The real snake is Alaric."

"Alaric?"

Lucia’s expression darkened. "He’s manipulating the king. Pulling strings from the shadows. Herod is dangerous, yes but Alaric... Alaric is calculating."

"Alaric? I... I know him in passing," Ava said. She leaned against the vanity, feeling suddenly cold. "I’ve seen him once or twice"

"Herod thinks he’s in charge, but it’s Alaric pulling every lever. And Miss Zoe... she’s the king’s daughter."

Ava’s breath caught in her throat. "What?"

"She’s his daughter, and he doesn’t even know it." Lucia’s voice lowered, eyes darting toward the door. "And tonight, after the mating ceremony, she will be executed."

"Executed?" Ava’s knees went weak, and she sat abruptly on the velvet stool as if the word had struck her physically. Her mind reeled with the implications. "How... how do you know this?"

"I overheard Alaric and the queen." She sighed.

Ava felt a swell of protectiveness pulse inside her, wrapping tightly around her heart. She pressed her hand to her abdomen. The child growing within her was part of Lucas.

Lucia’s eyes softened. "I’m begging you to survive. Please. If not for yourself, then for your child. Just go along with what the king wants. It’s... it’s not so bad to be queen."

Ava snorted. "Yeah, right. Look what happened to the last queen, pushed to her death by her loving husband. Real fairytale ending."

*****

Meanwhile, Dorian could barely keep a straight face as he watched Alaric pace beside the vehicle. The man had been whining since they left the castle gates, and his face was scrunched in perpetual misery.

"I should be there for the mating ceremony," Alaric muttered for the fiftieth time. "It’s outrageous. I deserve a front-row seat."

"Let’s just find the brother and be done with it."

Alaric sighed, adjusting his collar like it had personally offended him. "What brought this on anyway? Why now?"

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