Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 206: Processing

Chapter 206: Processing

Lucas stared at her for a long beat, processing. His mind spiraled through the implications. "Someone from inside the pack..."

Kade grimaced.

Lucas ran a hand down his face, the weariness catching up with him. "I hate how much sense that makes."

Lucas locked eyes with her. "How did I get lucky enough to marry you?"

"Get your head in the game, Alpha." Ava deadpanned. "You’re not going down on my watch. So keep it in your pants."

"You weren’t saying that this morning." Lucas grumbled.

"Ah...shall we continue?" Kade cut in, not exactly interested in watching the mates moon over each other especially when he was trying to sort the madness out so he could get back to see his sister...and well...someone else.

There was a sharp knock on the office door. Kade stiffened instinctively, the fine hairs on the back of his neck rising with alertness. He moved toward the door. His hand hovered over the doorknob for a brief moment before he cracked the door open and peered out.

He listened to who was at the door and his features tensed.

He closed the door with exaggerated care. Then he turned to face Ava and Lucas, his usual stoicism now darkened with unease. "The councilmen," he said, "are here. At the fortress gate. And they’ve brought soldiers."

Ava was the first to react.

She shot to her feet. "It’s time," she said. She looked like a goddess, storm in her eyes and thunder in her stride.

Kade, however, didn’t budge. He stepped forward and addressed her with uncharacteristic formality. "Luna Ava," he said firmly, invoking her title like a shield. "You cannot come. We have to keep you and the heir safe. Please. You’re..."

"Try and stop me," Ava snapped, cutting him off. She swept past him, leaving a trail of stunned silence behind her.

Kade looked helplessly at Lucas, who offered only a shrug and a faint grin.

Lucas muttered under his breath, "She scares me more than death itself."

"Same," Kade replied.

*****

At the fortress gates, Councilmen Eryx and Lucien stood. Behind them stood a neat phalanx of soldiers, eyes scanning the Silver Pack’s defenses.

But they were not the only ones assembled. The Silver Pack’s Gammas had already gathered, standing in formation with their Alpha’s authority burning in their eyes. Muscles coiled. Jaws locked. Loyalty radiated from them.

And into this heavy, hostile standoff, walked Ava.

She walked ahead of Lucas and Kade, her chin lifted, shoulders squared.

"Good evening, Councilmen," she greeted smoothly.

Behind her, Lucas and Kade stood at her flanks, silent but radiating a quiet, unmovable defiance.

Councilman Eryx gave Ava a once-over that bordered on disrespect before speaking. "Luna Ava. You grace us with your presence...unexpectedly."

Councilman Lucien raised a brow. Was this how low Lucas had fallen? Hiding behind his wife, letting her lead the charge? His eyes flicked between them, lingering a moment too long on Ava.

He cleared his throat, tone clipped. "Good evening, Luna Ava. We are here to place Alpha Lucas under arrest."

"On what charges?" she asked, as though daring him to make a fool of himself.

"The murder of Councilman Thorne."

Ava’s brows rose. "Why is my husband the prime and might I add, only suspect?" she asked with polite sarcasm.

Lucien stepped forward. "Because it is his MO," he said dramatically. "Councilman Thorne died in the same way as King Herod... and your husband’s concubine, Sarah."

Ava made a sound that was half-laugh, half-scoff. "MO?" she echoed. "You make him sound like a serial killer."

Lucas groaned softly under his breath behind her. "Please don’t give them ideas."

She waved him off. "Do you have any witnesses? Anyone at all who saw him near Thorne when he died? Or are we now tossing around the term ’MO’ because it sounds official and you needed something dramatic to hang your empty accusations on?"

Lucien stiffened, lips pressing together into a thin line. "He doesn’t have to be physically present. You and I both know that. Since your mating ceremony in the North, he’s been able to access his powers of submission. He’s weaponizing it. People don’t even know they’re being compelled. The only thing he’s been doing with it," Lucien’s eyes narrowed, "is submitting people into killing themselves."

Lucas muttered, "Unbelievable."

"Did you witness him submitting Councilman Thorne?" Ava asked pointedly, eyes boring into Lucien. "You were all together during that visit."

"We aren’t here to argue semantics. There are three deaths now that connect directly to your Alpha. We don’t need a witness to place him under investigation. And you, Luna Ava, are dangerously close to obstruction."

Ava stepped closer, and though she stood smaller than him, she might as well have been towering over his very soul. "You’re standing in my home. Speaking to my husband. Accusing him of unspeakable acts without concrete proof. I’ll risk obstruction. I’ll risk everything."

Eryx opened his mouth, but Ava beat him to it. "And if you think dragging him through the mud is going to make this pack bow, think again. If you plan to arrest him, you’d better make sure those soldiers behind you have wills written. Because I am not going to let you walk out of here."

Lucas finally stepped beside her, resting a calm but strong hand on her arm. "Easy," he whispered. "Let’s not turn suspicion into a war."

Ava exhaled, nostrils flaring. She wasn’t done, but she let the fire simmer rather than boil over. She stepped back slightly but didn’t move away from him.

"If Alpha Lucas doesn’t come with us," Eryx said, "your territory will be sealed off and you will all be declared rogues."

Gasps echoed through the ranks of wolves assembled behind Lucas and Ava, and several Gammas bristled visibly, their hackles rising at the very notion of being declared outlaws in their own home.

Ava narrowed her eyes. "Don’t you need the consent of the other alphas to declare such a thing? Or are you rewriting the laws now to suit your fragile egos?"

"A meeting has been scheduled with the other alphas," he said, a bit too quickly, as if the ink hadn’t quite dried on that claim. "They will weigh in."

Lucien turned his attention back to Lucas. The alpha looked calm which made Lucien more uneasy than if Lucas had roared at him. His gaze drifted sideways to Ava, who stood beside her husband.

"Are you really going to subject your people to this?" Lucien asked, tilting his head slightly. "If you truly are innocent of Councilman Thorne’s death, shouldn’t you be trying to prove it instead of...being stubborn?"

Lucas blinked slowly, his attention still fixed on Ava, as if Lucien’s words were static buzzing in the background. He studied the fire in her eyes, the strength in her stance, the fury barely contained behind her tight-lipped composure. Goddess, he loved this woman. Loved how she stood toe-to-toe with the council without blinking, pregnant and still the most dangerous creature present.

He stepped beside her, brushing his fingers lightly against hers, anchoring her even as he prepared to cut the tether.

"I will go," he said at last. "But I ask for one thing." His eyes moved back to the councilmen. "Do you promise, in the presence of my people, to be fair in your investigations?"

Eryx nodded. "You have my word."

Ava turned on Lucas like a whirlwind. "What the fuck are you doing?" she hissed, eyes wide with disbelief. "Don’t make this worse. This isn’t how we fight."

Lucas didn’t look away. He reached out, cupped her face tenderly with both hands. "Sometimes we fight by showing strength. And sometimes...we fight by showing restraint. Trust me, Ava." His thumb brushed a tear that had started to fall from her left eye. "I need them to see I’m not afraid."

"I hate this."

"I know," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "So do I."

Then he turned to Kade, who had been watching the exchange. Lucas gave him a look that carried the weight of a thousand unspoken words. "My wife and my child’s life is in your hands now, Kade."

Kade didn’t speak.

With quiet defiance, Kade stepped forward and placed himself directly between the councilmen and the Alpha and Luna. "With all due respect, Alpha..." his eyes flicked to Ava with soft reverence, "you can go to hell. Both of you." That last part was directed at the councilmen.

A ripple moved through the Silver Pack. One by one, the Gammas followed Kade’s lead, stepping in to form a protective half-circle around Lucas and Ava. No one spoke, but their posture said everything.

Lucien’s lip curled. "You’re all committing treason."

Ava folded her arms over her chest. "No. They’re showing loyalty. You wouldn’t recognize that if it walked up and bit you on the ass."

Lucas exhaled, pride radiating from him. "Stand down," he finally said to Kade and the others, gently but firmly. "This is not your war to start."