Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 69: Logic

Chapter 69: Logic

Kade stood frozen at the threshold of Ava’s room, his body betraying every ounce of logic he had left.

That scent. It was intoxicating, mind-numbing and overwhelming.

It seeped into his bones, curled around his senses.

Ava, the woman he once had. The woman who once wanted him.

The memories slammed into him, unbidden and merciless. The taste of her lips, the way her fingers had curled around him, teasing, exploring, claiming. The way her perfect breasts had felt under his touch, warm and supple.

She had been his.

Or at least, she could have been.

But now...

His fists clenched.

Her scent was stronger than it should have been.

There was only one explanation for that.

Lucas had marked her.

And with that realization, every remaining shred of hope he’d clung to was shattered.

Kade sucked in a sharp breath, eyes fluttering shut as he struggled against the primal hunger clawing its way up his throat. His body burned with need, a deep, desperate ache that no amount of self-control could fully suppress.

He should leave.

He needed to leave.

Instead, he found himself pressing his forehead against the doorframe, hand drifting down to palm himself through his pants, imagining just for a moment that it was her fingers on him, not his own.

A guttural groan escaped him, a broken sound filled with frustration and longing.

But then a growl sounded from a couple of feet beside him. Deep, dark and deadly.

The kind that sent ice-cold fear plunging down his spine.

Kade barely had time to lift his head before Lucas’ massive body slammed into him.

The force sent him flying through the air, a blur of pain and motion before his back connected with a pillar, hard enough to send deep cracks spiderwebbing through the stone.

He barely had time to suck in a breath before the next impact came.

Lucas was stalking towards him, half-shifted, eyes glowing, muscles taut with unrestrained fury.

Kade saw death in his face.

Pure, undiluted rage.

"How dare you?!"

Lucas pounced before he could even attempt to move. His claws sank into Kade’s shoulders, lifting him off the ground as if he weighed nothing at all. His feet dangled uselessly, the sharp bite of claws cutting into his flesh making his head swim with pain.

The door to Ava’s room creaked open, and Nelly’s head popped out, her eyes darting between Lucas and Kade with alarm.

"Shut the damned door!!!" Lucas roared, his voice a thunderous boom that rattled the very air.

Nelly jumped back inside, slamming the door so fast it nearly took off her fingers.

Inside, Ava sat up, rubbing the exhaustion from her eyes. "What’s going on?"

Nelly turned to her, face pale. "We have a problem."

Ava frowned. "What?"

Nelly exhaled, shaking her head. "I’m afraid Kade is a dead man."

Ava shot up from the bed, heart racing. "What do you mean?"

"Well... I guess... he couldn’t resist your scent," Nelly admitted with an awkward grimace.

Ava’s blood drained from her face.

"Oh God," she whispered before darting toward the door.

Nelly grabbed her arm, yanking her back. "I’m afraid that’s a terrible idea. Just let me try..." She sighed, then mumbled under her breath, "And hope to God I don’t die too."

With a deep breath and a mental fuck my life, Nelly stepped back out.

The sight that greeted her wasn’t pretty.

Kade was barely conscious, his body bloodied and torn. His shirt had been ripped to shreds, the fabric hanging in useless tatters, exposing deep gashes along his chest.

Lucas stood over him, breathing hard, fists trembling at his sides.

Nelly swallowed, forcing herself to take a cautious step forward.

"Alpha..." she started, her voice steady despite the very real fear vibrating through her bones. "It’s not his fault. You know that."

Lucas turned on her so fast she barely had time to react.

He roared in her face, she could feel his cold breath on her face. The sound was so raw, so animalistic, that for a split second, she thought her soul might leave her body.

Her entire being screamed at her to run.

But she held her ground.

Because someone had to.

"Alpha," she said again, softer this time. "Only you can stop this. She needs you. Find a way."

Lucas’s nostrils flared, his massive frame still tense with unspent fury.

The mated Gammas Kade had been waiting for marched in.

"Get him to the dungeons," Lucas ordered, his voice clipped, controlled. "Or I kill him."

Nelly let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Not because she cared about Kade’s survival, but because she was still standing.

Lucas stormed toward Ava’s door, his shoulders stiff with resolve.

Something had to give. He was going to put an end to this madness.

Nelly turned just in time to see Kade being dragged away, blood smearing the ground beneath him.

"What in the fucking hell were you thinking?" she hissed.

Kade groaned, too weak to respond.

She turned to the guards.

"Find his father," she snapped.

Because someone needed to explain how the hell the idiot managed to get himself nearly murdered over a damn scent.

*****

Zari practically flew out of the room the second Lucas entered.

Lucas was still a walking nightmare, his face a mask of pure rage, his claws still extended as if he hadn’t quite decided whether murder was off the table yet.

Ava, now dressed in a delicate nightgown, stood at the far side of the room.

Lucas’s eyes burned with an almost inhuman intensity as he stalked toward her, his movements slow and predatory.

Ava knew this wasn’t really Lucas.

"Stop running." His voice resonated through every nerve in her body.

Ava’s feet, which had instinctively been retreating, locked in place.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze, meeting his burning golden eyes.

"Don’t do this, Manic," she murmured, forcing steel into her voice despite the heat curling in her belly.

Manic sneered. "You’re driving people insane, Ava."

His body was so close.

"How long do you plan on fighting this?" he asked.

Ava inhaled sharply. "You agree with this? You agree with what he’s done?"

Manic’s lips curled, sharp teeth flashing in something between amusement and frustration. "My human can be an idiot," he admitted. "But he wasn’t wrong. You were always meant to be mine."

Ava narrowed her eyes, arms crossing over her chest. "I think I like you better."

Manic let out a dark, humorless chuckle. "You think?" he echoed, his voice dripping with amusement.

"I... uhhh..." Ava started, but the words dissolved the moment another wave of heat tore through her body.

The bond was pulling at her making her want him even when she wanted to hate him.

"Don’t fight this," Manic murmured, stepping even closer, his voice a velvet caress against her senses. "You can kill him later, but right now... you need him."

Ava swallowed.

Her head said no.

Her body said yes.

Her soul said mine.

She gave a slow, reluctant nod, and as if satisfied, Manic eased back, allowing Lucas to take control again.

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