Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 173: Judgement

Chapter 173: Judgement

Lucas looked down at him, no judgment in his gaze, only a quiet, heavy compassion that Kade wasn’t used to seeing from a man usually more known for war cries than soft silences. "We all wanted to," Lucas said simply.

He gestured behind him, his eyes softening.

Kade turned.

There, spread out across the clearing, stood every Gamma from the Eastern Ridge. All in wolf form. Tall, strong, proud. Their heads were bowed in a silent, ancient salute to their fallen Beta.

A lump formed in Kade’s throat that he couldn’t swallow. He placed a hand over his heart and gave the wolves a respectful bow of his own. "He would’ve liked this," he said quietly. "He would’ve stood taller, pretended it didn’t matter... but he would’ve liked it."

Lucas gave a small smile. "Despite everything, Kade... your father was a good soldier. A damn fine one. A lot of things have happened but when it came to the battlefield...he never wavered."

They all stood in silence after that, letting the moment settle. The moon hung high, casting its ghostly glow until it too began to slip behind the clouds. Nature had said its piece.

"Well," Dennis broke the silence. "We do have a problem though."

Kade glanced at him sideways. "What problem?"

Dennis crossed his arms and grinned. "Both I and Lucas want you as our Beta. I’d suggest we duel for you but Lucas has an unfair advantage. He has Ava’s powers."

Lucas smirked, folding his arms with exaggerated confidence. "I’d beat you with my eyes closed, brother. I don’t even need Manic."

"Yeah, keep bragging, pretty boy," Dennis muttered. "Let’s see how cocky you are after two days without Ava."

Kade burst into laughter. It felt good. Really good.

"I’m honoured," he said once he caught his breath, "Really, I am. But my choice will always be Alpha Lucas."

Lucas turned, slightly startled. "Kade..."

Kade held up a hand. "No, let me say it. You were my Alpha before this madness, and you’ll be my Alpha after. You’ve led with strength, with heart... and with a lot of yelling, but you always gave me something to believe in. I’ll follow you. Not because I have to, but because I want to."

Lucas smiled.

Dennis sighed, mock defeated.

"Damn," Dennis muttered. As much as Dennis would’ve loved to have the warrior by his side, he couldn’t fault the loyalty. Kade was many things but above all else, he was loyal. Ferociously so.

Lucas was already half-jogging toward the palace, thoughts filled with Ava. His mate. His queen. His very pregnant queen.

*****

Deep beneath the stone towers of the North Palace, Herod sat in silence, his elbows braced on his knees, his face buried in his hands. His fingers trembled, from the disorienting free fall of his own downfall. Once a king who made others kneel, he now counted rats as neighbors.

The walls of the dungeon mocked him, damp and heavy with a kind of humid humiliation. His father had built this dungeon.

He had underestimated Lucas Raventhorn. Dismissed him as loud and reckless. And now? Now Lucas ruled his kingdom and Herod was just another sorry soul behind bars.

Where had he gone wrong? Was it Alaric?

"Where did I slip?" he whispered aloud to the shadows. "How did it all turn to dust?"

He didn’t hear the footsteps at first. Not until a sharp voice sliced through the gloom.

"How the mighty have fallen."

He looked up.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Did you come to gloat?"

Zoe ignored the bait. "Did you know?"

He frowned. "You’ll have to be clearer, girl."

She took a slow step forward, her eyes never leaving his. "Did you know that I’m your daughter?"

Herod’s eyes widened. He rose to his feet slowly. "What... what are you talking about?"

"That’s all I needed to hear," she said coolly. "You didn’t know."

"No, wait...Zoe..." He grabbed the bars as if they could keep her there, hold the moment together. "Come back here, goddamnit! Explain! What the hell are you saying?!"

But Zoe was already turning away, her boots echoing through the corridor.

"Zoe! Zoe, answer me, girl!"

She reached the stairs without looking back. "Go to hell," she snapped, and with that, she vanished up the steps, leaving Herod alone in his own personal purgatory.

He stood there, frozen, heart pounding, hands still gripping the cold iron. His knees buckled, and he slumped to the floor again.

*****

Ava stood before the full-length mirror, slowly peeling away the last of her clothes. She tilted her head, letting her eyes drift down to her belly. It was still flat, still unchanged to the outside world, but she knew the truth. Life was growing in her. A small, perfect mix of her and Lucas.

She smiled to herself, not just at the thought of the baby, but at the way that baby had come to be. Every wild kiss. Every whispered "I love you." It hadn’t just been about lust. It had always been more.

Her fingertips gently grazed her skin. She wasn’t just looking at herself. She was remembering. Remembering what they’d survived. The betrayals. The battles.

The door creaked open, and Lucas walked in. "Wow," he said, pausing in the doorway. "I want to come home to this sight every single day for the rest of my life."

Ava smirked at his reflection in the mirror. "Flattery will get you everywhere," she said as he approached.

He slipped in behind her, warm and solid and radiating alpha energy. He wrapped his arms around her and dropped a soft kiss on her bare shoulder. "Where have you been?" she murmured, leaning her head back against his chest, her eyes drifting closed for just a second.

"Kade needed me," he replied, brushing her hair aside so he could kiss the side of her neck.

She nodded.

Lucas pulled her closer, one hand sliding up her spine. "You know what the best part of you being pregnant is?"

(Life happened and I wasnt able to update yesterday. I am back and will surely catch up with all books in the meantime. Thanks for sticking with this)

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