Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 82: Dennis

Chapter 82: Dennis

The forest stood still.

The kind of unnatural silence that made even the wind hesitate.

Lucas emerged from the shadows.

The Gammas were already gathered at the edge of the forest.

Dorian was the first to step forward.

"We didn’t find any more tracks, Alpha," he reported.

Lucas’s gaze slid to him.

A muscle in his jaw twitched.

He studied Dorian for a moment longer before speaking.

"I found them."

Dorian’s shoulders stiffened.

The Gammas held their breath.

Dorian cleared his throat. "Where are they?"

Lucas exhaled slowly, rolling the tension from his shoulders.

"She escaped." His tone was casual. "Jumped into the river. Dennis’s territory."

Ava was gone.

For now. But that was the thing about mates, wasn’t it?

They could run to the ends of the earth and they would still feel you.

Still know you. Still be yours.

No matter how much they hated it.

"And Kade?"

Lucas locked eyes with him.

And smiled. "Dead."

The word hung between them.

For a moment, there was no reaction.

No movement. "...Alpha... No..."

His voice cracked.

"You couldn’t have."

Lucas’s smile didn’t falter.

Didn’t waver. Didn’t crack under the weight of what he had done.

Because he had already accepted it.

Already made peace with the monster inside him.

The same monster that felt nothing. No guilt. No regret. No remorse.

"I killed my wife’s father," Lucas said. "A woman I love with every nerve in me. My mate."

Lucas tilted his head, watching Dorian.

"And I feel absolutely no guilt about it," he continued.

Dorian’s breathing grew ragged.

Lucas stepped closer, his presence suffocating.

"You think I would hesitate before I snapped your son’s neck and threw him in the river like a piece of trash?"

Dorian made a sound.

A horrible, strangled sound.

His knees buckled.

And he fell.

Right there. In front of everyone.

On his knees.

His hands trembled as they clutched at the dirt, his entire body wracked with heaving sobs.

"Kade..."

His voice barely carried past his lips.

It was the sound of a father who had lost his child.

The sound of grief so deep it no longer had the strength to be loud.

Lucas stood over him, watching.

Expressionless. Emotionless.

Lucas swept past Dorian without another word.

He didn’t stop.

Didn’t slow down.

Didn’t look back.

He needed a drink.

And not just any drink.

Something strong.

Something that burned on the way down.

Something that could make him forget...

Even if only for a few hours.

Because that was the thing about being a monster.

You didn’t get to grieve.

You didn’t get to feel.

You just kept moving.

Kept fighting. Kept killing.

Because if you stopped...

Even for a second...

You might remember what it meant to be human.

*****

Pain was the first thing Ava felt.

A dull, throbbing ache at the base of her skull, pulsing through her bones. Her limbs felt heavy and sluggish.

Had she hit her head on something?

She blinked. Once. Twice.

Her vision swam, blurry shapes swirling together.

Then she saw a face. A familiar face.

Blue eyes. Sharp jawline.

Her heart squeezed.

"Lucas?" Her voice was hoarse.

The man’s smirk widened.

"Oh no, my lady. I’m the much more handsome brother," he announced, flashing a grin that could probably charm the venom out of a snake. "Dennis."

Ava stared. What. The. Actual. Fuck.

Her brain, still foggy from pain and exhaustion, did not appreciate this little surprise.

Lucas’s brother?

Was this some cruel trick the Moon Goddess was playing on her?

Dennis clapped his hands together, breaking her out of her spiraling thoughts. "Alright, we need to get you treated. You have quite the collection of injuries and I’d prefer if you didn’t bleed out on my favourite spot."

Before she could respond, he reached out and helped her sit up, his touch surprisingly gentle for someone who looked like he could snap a tree in half with his bare hands.

Ava, however, was too busy staring.

Her eyes roamed over his face, searching for the differences, the tiny details that separated him from Lucas.

Lucas’s face was always hardened, carved from stone and wrapped in shadows. Every expression, every movement was controlled, precise, dangerous.

Dennis was the sun.

His blue eyes twinkled with mischief, his lips curved into an easy smile, his entire presence radiated warmth instead of cold fury.

Still, it was too much.

Too close. Too similar.

Her fingers twitched before she could stop them, reaching up, brushing against his cheek, as if confirming he was real and not some hallucination brought on by blood loss.

Dennis blinked.

"Uh..." His smirk faltered slightly. "What exactly are you doing?"

Ava didn’t answer.

Didn’t look away.

Because for a fraction of a second, her mind was back there. Back in the Silver Pack. Back in Lucas’s bedroom where his eyes twinkled not burned.

Dennis sighed. "Okay, listen, I know I have an extremely touchable face, but this is getting weird. I get the ’look-alike’ reaction all the time, but no one has ever tried to physically confirm it. And especially not on my face."

Ava finally blinked, retracting her hand.

"Sorry," she mumbled, cheeks flushing.

Dennis chuckled, clearly amused. "Don’t worry. I won’t hold it against you. Lucas on the other hand? Yeah, I doubt you’d still have your fingers attached if you tried that with him." He studied her for a moment before tilting his head. "What’s your name?"

"Ava," she said automatically, still processing the sheer absurdity of the situation.

"Ava," he repeated, rolling the name over his tongue. Then he nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Alright, Ava, I’m going to sort of touch you now, okay?"

Ava’s stomach clenched, her eyes in panic.

Dennis held up his hands in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, easy there. I mean carry you. Because, no offense, but your legs look about as useful as a pair of wet noodles right now."

Ava hesitated. Then nodded.

She barely had the strength to breathe, let alone argue.

Without another word, Dennis bent down, effortlessly scooping her up into his arms.

Dennis arched a brow. "Okay, I’m all for being admired, but you’re really creeping me out right now."

Ava blinked, forcing herself to look away. "Sorry," she muttered for the second time.

"Yeah, yeah," Dennis said, rolling his eyes. "I get it. I have an unreasonably attractive face. It’s a curse, truly."

Ava almost snorted.

Dennis adjusted his grip on her as he started walking. "So," he said, tone shifting to something more casual, "what pack are you running from?"

She hesitated.

Then, quietly, "Silver Pack."

Dennis let out a low whistle. "Oof. Yeah, we get a lot of those down here. Lucas’s... leadership style doesn’t exactly scream warm and fuzzy."

Ava swallowed, looking down.

"Don’t worry," Dennis continued, his voice lighter, as if trying to fill the silence. "You’ll fit right in. We’re kind of a safe haven for runaways, traitors, rogues... basically, anything and anyone that doesn’t belong."

His smile was easy. The kind of smile that made you want to trust him.

"I see from your mark, you are happily mated. Where is he?"

"Silver pack."

"I doubt Lucas will let him live for very long." Dennis said sadly.

(@Lindsey_Tennyson: Thank you. Plus my son loves your name. He loves the Ben 10 cartoon and at 14, he still hasn’t outgrown it)