Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 51: Buzzing

Chapter 51: Buzzing

Lily woke up earlier than usual the next morning, the uneasy weight in her chest making sleep feel like an impossible task. It had been a restless night, her mind a battlefield of contradicting emotions. The fortress was still buzzing with last night’s miraculous news. Somehow, despite taking a silver bullet, Lucas Raventhorn was still breathing.

Lily wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

On one hand, it was incredible. People called it a miracle, proof of the Moon Goddess’s divine intervention. But on the other hand... a part of her had been hoping he wouldn’t make it.

Was that cruel? Maybe. But the truth was, she had been trapped here. Her life wasn’t her own anymore. Ever since Sarah arrived.

The moment the new concubine stepped into the fortress, everything changed. The Alpha’s attention had turned cold. Lily had gone from being someone desired to being invisible. And now with Ava in the picture? She may as well have been a ghost.

She wasn’t angry at Ava. Not at all.

If anything, she admired her. Ava was strong, beautiful, and seemingly untouched by the bitterness that should have come with being a concubine. If anyone could rise above the games, the jealousy, the silent wars in the concubine’s quarters, it was her.

But where did that leave Lily?

She refused to be some forgotten shadow, collecting dust while the Alpha moved on to his next fascination. She didn’t want to wither away as some background extra in her own life. She needed to know what was happening if Lucas was truly alive.

So, without bothering to change out of her nightgown, she wrapped a robe around herself and headed straight for Ava’s room.

When Lily reached Ava’s room, Ava was lying on the bed.

Lily’s brows knitted together. She took a hesitant step inside, about to call Ava’s name, when something on the sheets made her stomach drop.

Blood.

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Ava?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, as she inched forward.

Her fingers trembled as she reached out, lightly pressing them against Ava’s arm.

No response.

She wasn’t moving.

"Ava?" she tried again, louder this time. Her heart pounded against her ribcage desperate for escape. Please wake up. Please just be sleeping.

Then, panic took over.

Lily stumbled back, her body moving before her mind could catch up. She bolted out into the hallway and screamed.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

The hallway exploded into chaos. Guards on duty came rushing toward her, their expressions shifting from confusion to alarm the moment they saw her before she spun on her heel and ran back inside.

She threw herself down beside Ava’s still body, grabbing her shoulders, shaking her.

"Ava! Come on, wake up! Wake up, please!"

Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. She clutched Ava tighter, rocking her, begging the Moon Goddess to undo whatever had happened.

The room was a flurry of movement as the guards and Nelly rushed in.

The moment she saw Ava, her face drained of color.

"Oh my God," she gasped. "Someone get Doctor Mary!"

The urgency in her voice set off a fresh wave of panic. Feet shuffled, people scattered, orders were shouted.

But Lily couldn’t let go.

This was Ava. Ava, who had been alive and smiling yesterday. Ava, who had been so excited about being a member of the Silver Pack.

She shook her head, her chest tightening painfully.

"Come on," she whispered, her voice cracking.

Zari stood near the doorway, frozen.

She knew exactly what had caused this mess.

Her stomach twisted into a painful knot, her fingernails digging into her palms as she watched the scene unfold.

She had gotten rid of the evidence earlier.

When she had crept in before dawn, her heart hammering so hard she thought it might wake the entire fortress, she had removed the trace of her betrayal. But she hadn’t seen any blood.

And now?

Now, she stood here, watching Lily sob over Ava’s lifeless form, watching chaos explode around her.

She had done this.

And yet, she had no choice but to pretend.

She forced herself to move, to act. She shoved her guilt so far down it almost felt distant. She rushed forward, her hands trembling as she reached for Ava.

Finally, Doctor Mary arrived.

The moment the doctor stepped in, a hush fell over the room. Even Lily, who had been sobbing uncontrollably, finally let go and moved back to allow her space.

Doctor Mary wasted no time, kneeling beside Ava and pressing two fingers to her neck.

Seconds passed.

Her expression didn’t change.

Then, she reached for Ava’s wrist, checked again. Still, nothing.

Her lips pressed into a grim line.

"She’s alive," she finally said.

The entire room exhaled at once.

"But barely."

Lily sagged in relief, only for terror to take its place.

"What happened to her?" she asked desperately. "Can you help her?"

Doctor Mary’s gaze was unreadable. "She needs to be moved to the fortress hospital. Now."

No one hesitated.

Guards lifted Ava’s limp body with the utmost care. The room parted to make way for them, everyone stepping back as they carried her out.

Lily watched them go, her heart hammering.

Nelly’s heart pounded in her chest as she turned to Doctor Mary, her fingers twitching at her sides. Would they ever catch a break? First, the Alpha had been shot with a silver bullet, and now Ava was fighting for her life.

"What’s going on, Mary?" Nelly’s voice was tight with worry.

Doctor Mary exhaled sharply, glancing at Ava’s pale, unconscious form as the guards carried her away.

"I can’t say for sure until I run some tests," she said grimly. "But it seems like she was poisoned."

A collective gasp echoed through the room. The air thickened with shock and tension.

Nelly was furious.

There was only one person in this entire fortress bold enough, petty enough, and devious enough to pull this off.

Nelly’s teeth clenched so hard she thought they might crack.

Her piercing glare landed on Zari, who, coincidentally, looked like she’d rather be anywhere but here.

"Get me Sarah. Now."

Zari flinched.

For a brief moment, she looked like a trapped rabbit. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, her fingers twitching.

"I...I’ll find her," she stammered.

"Run, Zari." Nelly’s voice was dangerously low. "Run fast."

Doctor Mary sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I’ll be in the medical wing," she said, following behind the guard who carried Ava.

Nelly barely acknowledged her.

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