Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 171: Northerners

Chapter 171: Northerners

Ava took a step forward. "Every Northerner will return to their homes. Hug your children. Tell them the terror is over. That a new dawn has come. Until further notice, Alpha Lucas Raventhorn is now your Alpha King of the North."

The effect was instantaneous. Tension bled out of the air. Wolves began to shift back into human form with slow reverence.

But even amid the confusion, it was clear: they were glad. Truly glad. Not just that the Alpha King was gone, but that someone had finally stood up to him. Even if they weren’t yet sure what kind of king Alpha Lucas would be.

Ava watched them leave the castle gates. It was going to take a lot of work to fix what Herod and his ancestors had broken but if anyone could do it, it was Lucas. She had never known him to shy away from any challenge. Not since the moment she first laid eyes on him. The Silver Pack Butcher. Her husband, her mate.

She looked up and saw Kade emerging through the open castle gates. He wasn’t alone. In his arms was the unmistakable form of Dorian, bloodied and limp, noble even in death.

Kade’s face was ashen. His arms trembled under the weight of the man who had once towered over all of them.

No matter what Dorian had done, no matter how many times he’d hurt Ava, undermined Lucas, he had been Kade’s father. And that meant something.

Ava didn’t move, didn’t speak at first. Her heart tugged her forward, but her memory dragged her back.

From the first moment she and Dorian had met, they’d practically hissed at each other. It had been mutual loathing at first snarl.

But none of that mattered now. They dissolved in the wake of Kade’s pain. She stepped toward him slowly, careful not to startle.

"Kade..." Ava whispered as he approached, the silhouette of Dorian’s body still cradled carefully in his arms. He looked like a boy and a warrior at once. "Is there anything I can do?"

Kade’s eyes, glassy with unshed tears, didn’t meet hers right away. He seemed to be holding himself together by the thinnest thread, and it was taking all his focus not to unravel in front of everyone. "No," he said flatly. "He’s gone."

Just like that. Three simple words that carried the weight of a lifetime.

Ava reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I’m so sorry, Kade."

Kade finally looked at her. "Alaric’s still out there. And we’ve got no idea where he went."

Ava muttered. "He won’t stay hidden for long."

Just then, a new voice cut through the moment. "Ava?"

She turned at the sound of her name. "Dennis." She smiled and walked into his open arms. She squeezed him tight.

"You did good," she murmured against his shoulder. "Really good."

Dennis pulled back slightly, just enough to look her in the eye, urgency flaring behind his tired expression. "It’s Zoe. She needs you."

"Right." Her feet pounded toward the mating tent, where the storm had started and where a different kind of battle was still being fought.

The tent flap fell behind her. There on the bed was Zoe. Her skin was pale, her lips cracked. But beside her, like a fiercely loyal wolf was Lucas. He knelt by her side, brow furrowed.

Without a word, Ava dropped to her knees. Her hand found Zoe’s, and she gripped it tightly, whispering, "I’m here. I’ve got you."

Ava’s skin began to shimmer once more, silver and soft at first, then brighter. Willow surged with her, no longer a separate entity but a part of her whole being.

The marks on Zoe’s body began to fade. Slowly, the wounds closed, the pain eased. Her chest began to rise and fall with steadier breath. Her lips regained color, her cheeks flushed pink. Strength returned to her limbs.

Lucas stared at Ava. "You’re amazing," he muttered under his breath, eyes wide.

Ava didn’t answer but she heard him. She always heard him.

When Zoe’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze searched wildly until it landed on Dennis, who had crept in quietly, his hands twisted nervously.

"Dennis," Zoe croaked.

He was at her side before her breath had even finished leaving her lips, falling to his knees. With a tenderness that seemed foreign in the chaos of war, he pulled her into his arms. And the wall he had so carefully built around his pain crumbled.

All those days he’d held it together were nothing more than threads that finally gave way. He wept soft, gutting tears. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her fingers, as if trying to map out every inch of her to reassure himself she was really there. Really alive.

Zoe smiled weakly, her eyes fluttering open to take in his disheveled hair, the bloody tear in his shirt, the look on his face. "I think... I think we’re going to be okay," she whispered.

Dennis laughed, half-choked and watery. "You think?" he teased.

"I know." Zoe said with a crooked smile.

"Good," he replied, kissing her again.

A few feet away, Ava turned to Lucas.

"You are the Alpha King of the North now," Ava said softly, with a half-smile that bordered between pride and disbelief. "What do you want to do now?"

Lucas tilted his head and gave a sheepish grin. "Honestly?" He glanced around. "I want to go home."

"A nap sounds nice first," Zoe murmured from Dennis’s arms, her smile sleepy and sweet.

"Yeah," Lucas nodded sagely. "A nap."

"Very kingly," Ava said, mock-serious, folding her arms.

Dennis cleared his throat, reluctantly pulling his attention from Zoe. "Guys... I hate to bring down the mood. Really, I do but we still have a problem."

Lucas groaned dramatically. "Oh, what now?"

"The High Council," Dennis said flatly. "They were quite against your mating? And I’m guessing they won’t be thrilled about you having some of Ava’s powers."

"They can go to hell. Honestly, after everything they’ve done? Locking us up when we begged for help? Standing around while we fought for our lives? No. I answer to no High Council."