Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 55: Shaken

Chapter 55: Shaken

Zari always looked visibly shaken, constantly on edge whenever she was around him.

It didn’t make her look less guilty anyway.

"Alpha..." Zari’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Lucas didn’t move. Didn’t blink. He just let the silence stretch.

Let her squirm.

"You are Ava’s personal maid, right?"

Zari nodded hurriedly. "Yes, Alpha."

"You alone attend to her."

Another quick nod.

Lucas studied her.

"Now, tell me how Ava got poisoned," he said, voice as cold as ice. "Or you won’t be walking out of here."

Zari didn’t even hesitate. She dropped to her knees.

Zari was terrified. But whether that terror was from guilt or fear, he wasn’t sure.

She bowed her head, her voice cracking.

"I have no idea, Alpha," she cried, her whole body trembling. "She was with you throughout the day, and when she came to bed, she requested a cup of tea. That was all she had before I left her, and she was okay."

Lucas narrowed his eyes.

"Who made the tea?"

"I did, Alpha."

His jaw clenched. "Where?"

"The kitchen."

Lucas sat back, mulling over the details.

Zari and Ava were close, that much he had seen firsthand.

But closeness didn’t rule out betrayal.

Even brothers turned on each other.

Lucas had learned that lesson the hard way.

And right now? He didn’t know if he was staring at a devoted servant or a snake in disguise.

For Ava’s sake, he needed to keep his emotions in check.

No rash decisions. No snap judgments.

Not until he had the full picture.

He let out a slow breath.

"You can leave."

Zari scrambled to her feet, but instead of rushing out the door.

She hesitated.

Lucas raised a brow. "Something else?"

Her hands clenched at her sides. She was debating something.

"Alpha?" she said, voice unsteady. "Would you please let me take care of Ava?"

Lucas blinked.

She swallowed hard and continued, her words coming faster now.

"I... I cannot just sit back and watch. I can help clean her up, keep an eye on her when the nurses aren’t there, change the sheets. I’ll do anything, I just don’t... I want to help."

Lucas exhaled slowly.

He understood that feeling.

If he could reach into whatever space Ava’s soul was trapped in and pull her back, he would.

Damn the consequences.

He studied Zari for another long moment, then gave a curt nod.

"Fine. You can be there whenever I’m not."

Zari bowed deeply, her relief palpable.

She turned and left the office quickly.

*****

Ava opened her eyes, but something wasn’t right.

She felt weightless yet strangely grounded. It was the kind of feeling one might have after waking up from a deep sleep, where the lines between reality and illusion blurred.

The air around her was thick with mist, curling and shifting like ghostly tendrils, as though the world itself was undecided about its shape.

A forest surrounded her, tall, ancient trees that stood like silent watchers. The fog clung to them, swirling with each breath she took, but she couldn’t feel her own breathing.

Ava frowned.

Where was she?

She turned slowly, scanning her surroundings, searching for anything familiar, but the more she looked, the more she realized, she wasn’t supposed to be here.

This place, wherever it was, wasn’t real.

And yet, she could feel it. The damp earth beneath her feet. The cold mist curling around her arms.

Then she saw a movement.

Ava’s heart gave a little jump as a figure emerged from the fog, its outline shifting between shadow and form.

For a brief, blissful second, she thought it was Manic.

Her heart bloomed with love, warming her from the inside out.

But as she took a step forward, reaching for him, the fog thinned... and the fur was the wrong color.

Not black. It was silver.

Ava froze, her body stiffening as fear slithered through her veins.

She took a cautious step back, her breath catching in her throat.

The silver wolf stepped forward.

It was massive, its powerful muscles shifting beneath its glistening coat, its eyes glowing.

But there was no hostility. It seemed like the wolf knew her.

It stared at her, unblinking, its tail low but relaxed.

"Ava."

The voice wasn’t spoken. It was in her mind.

It was calm, mild.

Ava’s pulse thundered in her ears.

"Who are you?" she asked or thought she did.

Because her lips didn’t move.

But the wolf responded anyway.

"You haven’t given me a name."

Ava’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

The wolf’s eyes softened.

"I am you."

Ava blinked.

A chill ran down her spine as she processed those words.

"And we are dying."

*****

Lucas was not a man easily rattled.

But the sound of the machine beeping wildly sent a bolt of sheer terror through him.

His stomach clenched. His hands went cold.

For a second, he forgot how to move.

Then instinct kicked in.

"Mary! Get in here! Now!"

He was already at Ava’s side, his hands hovering over her, helplessly searching for something or anything he could do.

She was still.

Her skin was pale, her chest barely rising.

And then the doctor burst in, a nurse trailing behind her.

The moment Mary took one look at the screen, her face turned ashen.

"Shit! Her organs are shutting down!"

Lucas felt his world tilt.

She was right here.

How could she be slipping away when she was right here?

Mary was already barking orders. The nurse scrambled to prepare the ventilator. Within seconds, Ava was being intubated, tubes snaking down her throat, a machine hissing as it took over the function of breathing for her.

Lucas clenched his fists so hard his nails bit into his palms.

He had never felt so useless in his life.

His woman was dying, and he could do nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

The helplessness made him sick.

When he had been dying, Ava had found a way to save him.

She had held his hand.

She had reached for him, willed him to stay.

Maybe... Maybe if he did the same... Maybe something would happen.

What did he have to lose?

With a sharp breath, he grabbed her hand.