Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 174: Pervert

Chapter 174: Pervert

Ava opened one eye. "The part where I cry for no reason?"

"Nope."

She turned her head. "Okay, what?"

He grinned. "Your boobs are bigger. More for me."

Ava burst out laughing. "Lucas!" she swatted at him, cheeks red.

"I’m just saying," he said, shrugging as if he were giving a weather report. "It’s a scientific observation."

"Pervert."

He leaned down and kissed her ear. "I’m your pervert, my little virgin."

She groaned and laughed again, pressing her forehead to the mirror. "You will never stop calling me that, will you?"

"Not a chance."

Still facing the mirror, Lucas held her gently, hands caressing her breasts. He watched as she closed her eyes, and felt the way her body hummed against his. He took both nipples between his fingers, circling them around.

"You carry my child." He whispered in her ears, still barely believing it.

"Yes..." she responded, eyes still closed.

"Thank you... You have given me the world, Ava." He kissed the mark on her neck and let his fingers travel down to the middle of her thighs.

"No, thank you Lucas." She turned to face him. "You have saved me in more ways than one. I love you so...much."

She kissed him then and he lifted her bridal style to the bed to show her just how much he loved and worshipped her.

*****

Dennis gently held Zoe’s trembling hand, rubbing small, soothing circles into her skin as she blinked back tears. Her eyes, red-rimmed but still burning with that stubborn glint he loved so much, searched his face. "When I was thirteen," she began, "I got beat up during training. The King locked me in a cell for three days without food or water. Said I needed to learn to fight like my life depended on it. Said it would build character." Her lips twisted into a snarl. "Alaric told him it would make me stronger. Motivated."

Zoe let out a bitter chuckle. "Now, I find out the man who let that happen isn’t even my real father. It was Herod all along. And I don’t even know who’s worse."

Dennis squeezed her hand a little tighter. "You need to talk to him, Zoe. Herod. You need to look him in the eye and get your closure, whatever that looks like for you. You don’t have to forgive him, but you can’t carry this forever. It’ll eat you alive."

She wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and nodded slowly. "I know... I do. And I will." Her fingers curled around his instinctively. "But every time I walk into that dungeon, I freeze. He’s not even a man to me in there. Just... a monster sitting in a cage."

"I understand, love. I really do," Dennis said. "But you’re braver than you give yourself credit for."

Her lips curled into a real smile then, even if it was a little wobbly. "I’m sorry all of this is dampening our reunion. You know, I remember we were supposed to be planning an engagement party before everything turned into shit."

"Ah, yes," Dennis nodded dramatically.

She leaned against him. "We’ll still have it. Someday."

Dennis’s smile faltered, just slightly. "Yeah. Once we’re back home."

Zoe’s brow furrowed. "What’s wrong, Dennis?"

He hesitated. "It’s Lucas and Ava. I can’t shake the feeling something’s coming. They’ve both been through hell. Over and over again. We defeated Herod, it’s supposed to be over. They’re supposed to finally get their peace. Their happy ending. But I don’t think the council will welcome Lucas back. Not after the... power he now holds."

Zoe sighed. "You think he might use it? Abuse it?"

Dennis shrugged, troubled. "I love him. But I know Lucas also. Power reveals our true selves. He has something sacred now, something even he doesn’t understand. And while Ava keeps him grounded, I still worry."

"Then you need to speak with him," Zoe said, her fingers tightening slightly around Dennis’s. "You know Lucas. He’s like a... a milder version of Herod. But still, that same evil burns in him. The difference is Ava. She balances him out. She’s his anchor."

Dennis snorted. "You mean she’s the only one allowed to tell him he’s being an ass without getting mauled."

"Exactly," Zoe said with a small smile, though her eyes remained serious. "He is a great leader, Dennis. He really does care. But power..." She took a breath. "Power blinds even the best of us. You need to make him promise that these powers of his won’t become tools of domination. They have to remain tools of service. For his people. Not for pride."

Dennis rubbed his temple. "That’s the problem though, Zoe. Even if he wants to be noble, what happens when the council pushes back? They’re already terrified of him. If he so much as sniffs a threat... And Lucas, he barely has a handle on his wolf as it is. Add these weird new powers? The man is a ticking time bomb."

"Then let’s hope," Zoe said softly, "you never have to find out what happens when he explodes."

Dennis chuckled dryly, but his heart wasn’t in it. "The council locked us up, Zoe. They tried to stop us from going after Herod."

Zoe’s expression soured. "That’s not good."

"No," Dennis said. "And I don’t think Lucas will ever forget that. He’ll hold that betrayal until his dying breath and maybe beyond. Spirits help us if he decides they’re the next threat."

She squeezed his hand again. "Then talk to him. Reason with him. He listens to you."

"I will," Dennis said, though a grim shadow had settled over his features. "While you deal with Herod. You sure you want to do this alone?"

Zoe nodded slowly and reached up to plant a light kiss on his lips. "I have to. This isn’t your battle. It’s mine."

*****

In the cold belly of the dungeon, Herod paced. The chains around his wrists clinked with every agitated step. His mind swirled with confusion, frustration, and the bitter taste of defeat.

But mostly, he was obsessed with one thing.

Zoe.

Her voice had haunted him since she left, those sharp, accusing words. "Did you know I was your daughter?" They rang in his ears on and on.

Daughter. His daughter.

It made no sense.

Alaric had claimed Zoe was the byproduct of some meaningless fling. Told Herod she was a nuisance and that her mother was no one of significance. And Herod had waved the whole matter off with a shrug.

But now? The way Zoe had looked at him, the look of a daughter betrayed by her own blood.

Herod groaned and flopped onto the stone bench.

The dungeon door creaked, and Herod sat bolt upright. She’s here. His heart thudded.

He stood, not quite knowing what to say, trying to assemble a fatherly expression that didn’t look like he was constipated.

When the door opened, and Zoe stepped in, Herod felt his mouth go dry.

Zoe raised one brow. "You look like hell, suits you."

He finally croaked, "I cannot believe I didn’t see it before. You look... like her."

"Who is my mother?"

Herod looked at her. His hands gripped the bars tighter, not in aggression, but desperation. For once, he wasn’t trying to rule the room. He just wanted answers.

"I can’t tell you that... not until I understand what exactly is going on."

Zoe folded her arms, biting back the surge of rage that always rose when she looked at him. "A maid, Lucia, overheard Alaric and Eliza talking," she said stiffly. "She said Alaric took me, the king’s daughter and turned her into an assassin."

Herod’s shoulders sagged. "Your mother..." he began, eyes misting. "She was Eliza’s sister. Her younger sister. And I loved her, Zoe. With everything I had. With everything I was."

Zoe scoffed. "Do you even know what love is?"

"I know how it sounds," Herod said softly. "And I don’t blame you for hating me. But there was a time...I swear to the spirits...I planned to give up everything. The throne, the crown, I wanted to be with her. I planned it. But she never showed up. No message. No goodbye. She just vanished. And I thought Eliza..." he swallowed hard. "I thought Eliza had done something to her. She never told me about being pregnant. Not a word. If I’d known...I would’ve moved mountains."

Zoe hesitated, then asked, "What was her name?"

"Edith," he whispered. "She was everything Eliza wasn’t. Light where Eliza was shadows. Laughter where Eliza was scorn. She used to call me a ’royal headache.’" He let out a small, self-deprecating laugh.

Zoe was stunned at the humanity peeking through the cracks of the man who once sentenced her to death.

"So you don’t know if she’s dead or alive?" she pressed, trying to keep her tone hard.

"No," Herod admitted. "I always assumed... she was dead. Alaric would know everything. Where is he?"

Zoe’s face hardened again. "Gone. Your loyal monster abandoned you to rot in the same dungeon you threw others in. No one’s seen him."

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