Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 207: Order

Chapter 207: Order

Kade ignored him.

"Stand down! That is an order!" Lucas roared.

But not a single wolf moved.

Not one blinked, not even Kade, who usually obeyed orders with military precision. He stood firm at the center of the protective ring, his arms folded, gaze cold and unmoving as he stared down the councilmen.

"You want him?" Kade’s voice was eerily calm, a storm hidden beneath still waters. "Then you’ll have to go through every single member of the Silver Pack. One. By. One."

The pack behind him didn’t growl or bare their teeth. They didn’t need to. Their silence was louder than any war cry.

Eryx’s lips twitched at the edges, almost into a smirk—one that betrayed more admiration than irritation. Lucas had changed. Once upon a time, his pack had feared him, tiptoed around him. But now? Now they stood with him, bound by loyalty.

He looked past Kade, gaze locking onto Ava, who stood poised and radiant.

Eryx’s shoulders dropped slightly, and he raised both hands in a sign of temporary peace. "If your people are so sure of your innocence..." he said slowly, carefully, "then how about we strike a deal here? Find out what’s really going on. Bring us the truth, or the arrest proceeds."

A murmur rippled through the pack, half relief, half confusion.

Lucas’s head tilted as he studied Eryx. "Do me a favor then, Councilman," he said, stepping forward to close the space between them. "Remember, you owe me. For sparing your life after you locked me up in silver chains."

The reminder landed hard. Eryx offered a grudging nod. "I remember...Speaking of, how did you break out of silver chains, anyway?"

Lucas turned to him with a slow, wolfish grin. "I was highly motivated."

Then, without looking, he reached back and took Ava’s hand in his, threading his fingers through hers. His thumb ran along her knuckles. That single touch made everything else fade.

"What’s the favor?" Eryx asked warily, folding his arms across his chest.

Lucas’s smirk was cool and calculated. "I’ll tell you... in private. I’ll send you a letter, hand-delivered by my stubborn Beta here."

Eryx nodded, still clearly suspicious. "Fine."

Lucas’s grin widened. "Just one more thing. Before I send that letter...I’d like a few of my own personal Gammas to be part of your security detail in the meantime. We don’t want another one of you hanging by a rope, now do we?"

The councilmen exchanged a look before Eryx finally replied. "Fine. How long do you need to sort this mess out?"

"Just one week after the alphas’ meeting. That’s all I ask."

Eryx and Lucien nodded, and with a tension-thick silence, they turned and departed.

*****

Ava stormed back into the Luna’s quarters like a small, beautiful hurricane. She didn’t just open the door, she assaulted it, slamming it open so hard it bounced off the wall. Her nostrils flared. Her eyes were stormy.

"You were going to leave me?!" she snapped, the moment her eyes landed on Lucas.

Lucas, who had just taken off his boots and was halfway to pouring himself a stiff drink, froze. "I..."

"After everything we’ve been through, Lucas!" Ava shouted, advancing on him with such fury that flickers of her light started to shine through. "You were going to leave me. Leave me. Do I mean nothing to you?"

"Ava," he began carefully, holding his hands up as if negotiating with a wild animal, "in whatever decisions we’re making right now... we need to consider our unborn child."

Ava’s eyes narrowed to slits. "An unborn child you’re trying to abandon!"

Lucas’s eyes flared with equal heat. "An unborn child I’m trying to protect!" he snapped back.

Ava’s lip trembled from barely restrained emotion. "Do you think that protecting them means removing yourself from their life before they’re even born?"

"I think it means ensuring they have a life at all."

Her arms folded stubbornly. "You don’t get to decide that on your own. This isn’t just your legacy, it’s ours. We’re supposed to be in this together."

Lucas touched her face, his hand trembling. "You think I wanted to leave you? Ava, I’d rather face a silver bullet than spend a day without you. But if something happens to me... you have to survive. You have to be the one to rise."

"Babe, please, let’s not fight. Not now!" Lucas pleaded, stepping closer with his hands raised. He was a man desperately trying not to lose the only person who could shatter him.

Ava turned slowly, her eyes glistening. "I want to be alone."

"Ava..."

"Please, Lucas. Just leave me." She dropped onto the couch..

Lucas stood frozen for a beat, jaw clenched so tight it might crack.

Then he exhaled sharply, defeated. "Fine. I’ll check on you later." He turned, his footsteps heavy with the weight of everything he wasn’t saying.

"How about you don’t?" she shot back coldly.

He stopped mid-step like he’d hit an invisible wall. Slowly, he turned back to her, his eyes stormy. "This is ridiculous! What would you have me do, Ava? Sit by and watch them seal us in? Let innocent people, our people, be sentenced to life as rogues? I am an Alpha first!"

And there it was.

Ava laughed bitterly, the sound brittle and sharp. "There it is. An Alpha first. A father second. And let me guess..." She stood slowly, wobbling just a bit on her feet before catching herself. "A husband last. That’s the hierarchy, isn’t it? Duty. Legacy. And somewhere at the very bottom, me."

"Fine... I’ll leave you alone. You know where to find me when you need me." The door clicked shut behind him with finality.

But it felt like a wall had slammed down between them.

*****

A few hours later...Kade knocked on the Luna’s door gently. "Luna Ava?" he called softly. When no answer came, he pushed the door open and peeked in.

The room was dim. He spotted her instantly, curled up on the couch. She hadn’t moved. Her hair was a bit of a mess, and her bare feet were hanging off the edge.

Kade sighed.

He stepped in slowly, careful not to startle her. Her eyes were open but distant, staring at nothing, her thoughts obviously somewhere else entirely. "Luna, you haven’t moved in hours." He knelt down in front of her, scanning her face. "Your feet are swollen, you haven’t eaten."

"Did he send you to check on me?" Ava asked from her position on the couch,

Kade hesitated. His hand went to the back of his neck, rubbing it sheepishly. "Not really... okay... maybe." He took a cautious step further in. "Zari said you wouldn’t eat dinner."

"I don’t feel like it."

Kade nodded solemnly, striding to the center of the room and planting himself. "I have a duty to the heir...Ava, or heiress, whichever gender pops out." He paused, then added more gently, "I am sworn to protect the heir with my life. So, I am here to get you to see reason."

Ava tilted her head, one brow arching. "Are you saying I’m being unreasonable?"

"Yes. Actually."

Kade powered on. "The Alpha was an Alpha today, Ava. And you have to understand that sometimes...especially now...he has to answer the call of duty above all else."

"Including abandoning his wife and child."

"Yes... including that." He exhaled and sat beside her, carefully. "You know..." he began, glancing at her sideways, "I found my mate."

Ava’s eyes widened so fast Kade swore they might roll out and bounce across the carpet. "Oh my Goddess! Kade. Where? Who is she? Do I know her?"

He burst into laughter, the first real smile on his face all day. "She’s human."

Ava sat up so fast her bump bounced. "Oh my God!" She gasped dramatically, both hands flying to her mouth.

Kade chuckled. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction too."

"A human?" Ava blinked in disbelief. "How? When? Who? Where? WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?"

"Because I didn’t want the entire pack finding out five minutes later," Kade deadpanned. "And because it’s complicated. She doesn’t know yet."

Ava’s mouth fell open in disbelief. "You mean you found your mate and you’re just... what? Waiting around?"

"It’s not that simple!" Kade protested. "I answer to my duty first. Even though every fibre of my being wants to be with her. I choose to be here."

"You are an idiot! You men, you make things so fucking complicated, it’s a wonder why you aren’t extinct already. So she is human? How does that get in the way of doing your duties?"

"How am I supposed to explain how all of these works to her? She is blissfully ignorant of our kind. Everythig is either black or white to her but my point is, every soldier will always be a soldier. Every alpha will always be an alpha."

Every soldier will always be a soldier... the words awakened something inside of her. An idea. "Kade?"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.