Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 168: Arrogance

Chapter 168: Arrogance

"He isn’t back yet!"

Herod swore under his breath. "Gather all the soldiers. Hold them off until I am done here," he said with the calm of a man who had clearly lost grip on reality. "After that, it should be easy."

"Yes, Your Highness." The guard bowed then bolted.

Herod turned back to Dennis, his annoyance now bubbling into full-blown arrogance. "You didn’t think it through, did you?" he sneered. "You brought your people all this way to die."

Dennis didn’t respond. He just smiled wider, and for some reason, that smile got under Herod’s skin. His jaw twitched. His eye twitched. His entire soul twitched.

Infuriated, Herod turned back to Ava, now desperate to reclaim his illusion of control. He reached for the zipper of her gown. The dress slipped to the floor, pooling around her feet. Ava stood tall, shoulders back, spine straight. She didn’t look at Herod.

She looked at Dennis.

And Dennis, silver chains and all, gave her a wink. We’re going to be okay, his eyes promised.

Then Herod pulled the amulet from his pocket. The Moon Goddess’s relic. Ancient. Dangerous. With a twisted smile, he snapped it shut around Ava’s wrist. It clicked into place with a finality that sent a chill down her spine.

"There," he said, breathy with triumph.

Ava kept looking at Dennis. And Dennis kept smiling.

And just outside the tent, the real Alpha Lucas was preparing to crash the worst mating ritual in werewolf history.

"LUCAS!" Dennis’s voice tore through the tent. It wasn’t just a shout—it was a howl. Herod froze. Ava blinked.

*****

Lucas and Kade stood outside the tent. The scent of blood hit them before they saw her. Zoe. Dragged through, her once-spirited eyes now dull and distant. Her body hung between two guards, blood trailing down her arms, the marks of Herod’s cruelty still fresh and cruel. Her shirt clung to her wounds. Lucas’s breath hitched. Kade muttered a curse under his breath.

Now, Dennis was going to completely unravel the second he saw her.

As the guards hoisted Zoe’s arms onto the execution platform, Dennis’s shout ripped through the air. That was the cue. That was the damn war horn.

Lucas didn’t hesitate. He just gave in to the growling storm inside him.

Manic, his wolf, surged forward with a victorious howl. Finally, the wolf howled in his mind, my turn. Lucas half-shifted in one fluid motion, eyes glowing, claws extending but keeping enough control to savor what was coming. His fingers twitched in anticipation. His grin sharpened to a blade.

Kade didn’t need instructions. He took off. His targets: the two guards stationed around Zoe.

Inside the tent, Herod was mid-sentence. "What the fu..."

He didn’t get to finish.

Lucas exploded into the tent. He didn’t bother with the tent flaps, he just tore straight through the side, fabric and rose petals flying.

Herod turned, confused, then terrified. He tried to summon his wolf, reaching deep inside for the strength to defend his throne, his pride, his fragile little ego. But it was too late.

With a snarl that would have sent demons back to hell, Lucas slammed into him. He lifted the stunned king into the air with brutal grace. Herod’s spine bent backward over Lucas’s knee with a sound that made even Ava wince. He hit the ground hard, choking on blood and disbelief.

Herod clawed at the earth, gasping, "W-Who are you?"

Lucas leaned down, claws dripping red, eyes shining with power and lunatic glee.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

He smiled. Herod whimpered.

"I am Alpha Lucas Raventhorn," he growled, proud and merciless. "The Silver Pack Butcher."

Behind him, Ava slowly reached down and picked up her gown. Dennis who was still chained beamed.

"And you are his brother," Herod croaked through blood-stained lips as his gaze flickered from Lucas to Dennis, his eyes wide with confusion. There was almost a childlike pout in his expression.

Dennis merely shrugged with dramatic nonchalance. "What gave it away? The identical faces or the shared loathing for pompous tyrants?" He tugged lightly on the silver chains still wrapped tightly around his wrists, hissing slightly as they burned his skin. "When you’re done flexing, brother, would you kindly remove these? I have a severely injured mate who’s probably wondering where the hell I am."

Lucas snorted, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement. "Such manners, even in chains," he muttered, then turned toward Ava, who was now wrapping her gown back around her body.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

Ava looked at him, at this half-wolf, half-man standing tall with claws still wet, breathing hard, eyes glowing. And she felt... nothing but peace. No fear. No hesitation. Only warmth.

"I’m okay," she said with a nod.

Lucas turned his attention back to Dennis and grasped the silver chains. They sizzled and hissed as they touched his skin, but he didn’t flinch. With a simple flex, the metal groaned, snapped, and clattered to the ground in surrender. Dennis stepped free, rubbing his wrists as the last of the silver burns faded.

Dennis stared at the broken links in his hand with a soft chuckle. "You know, watching you break silver? Epic!"

Without missing a beat, he crouched beside Herod, who was now trying to roll away. Dennis casually looped the silver chains around him, not bothering to be gentle. "Don’t squirm, Your Royal Deadweight. It’s bad for your spine. Oh wait, we already took care of that."

Satisfied, he stood and looked to Lucas. "You got this?"

Lucas’s golden eyes didn’t waver. "I got this."

Dennis gave a nod and without another word bolted from the tent.

Lucas turned to Ava. "This has to be your choice, my Little Virgin," he said, that familiar teasing tone laced with sincerity now. "Even without your powers, I think we can win this war. But with you, we’ll save more lives."

Ava met his gaze.

She smiled and let the dress fall to the ground again, no hesitation this time. Her skin glowed under the moonlight, pride wrapping around her.

"He gets to watch," she said coolly, jerking her thumb toward Herod, whose face was frozen in horror and helplessness. "Seems fitting. Witnessing real power. Mine."

@Tallahassee_slim, @Addicted2fantasy: I’ll move into your house soon so I can get more inspiration.

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