Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 99: Father

Chapter 99: Father

Jake’s teeth was grinding audibly.

"You wanna know why?"

Jake didn’t answer.

Lucas, unbothered by the lack of response, continued, "I killed him because of Mara."

"She committed suicide because of your father. See, no one knows this because I never told anyone. I was there, I watched her do it." Lucas said. "You know, I begged this woman to be with me, to love me. Hell, she was my fated mate. Can you believe it?"

He let out a humorless laugh. "She was faithful. Loyal to Wishbone. But him? Your father?"

Lucas’s gaze darkened.

"Your father had been stepping out on her with your mother."

Jake’s hands curled into fists.

Lucas leaned in slightly. "He had his fated mate and a whole son hidden away in the Bloodhound Pack."

Lucas didn’t stop. He had no reason to.

"Instead of owning up to what he had done," Lucas continued, "he convinced Leon’s father to force Mara to be with me so he could go live his perfect little fated-mate fantasy. He wanted his cake, and he wanted to eat it too."

Lucas’s voice dipped lower.

"You know what the funny part is, Jake?"

Jake exhaled shakily, but Lucas didn’t wait for an answer.

"The funny part is, Mara would rather die than be with me," Lucas said softly. "So, she did. She died thinking forcing her to be my mate was my idea. They never told her why. She hated me with her dying breath."

Lucas let it settle before speaking again.

"So tell me, Jake..." He cocked his head slightly. "You’re an Alpha now, too."

Jake swallowed hard.

Lucas’s eyes didn’t waver.

"Did Wishbone deserve death?"

Jake’s shoulders sagged slightly.

"See, this thing is supposed to be like a Q&A," he said casually, rolling his shoulders. "But you’re making it boring."

Jake’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. Boring was the last word he’d use to describe his current predicament. He was kneeling in the dirt, wrists bound with silver cuffs that burned his skin, his Beta’s corpse cooling beside him. His lungs felt tight, his pulse a frantic drumbeat against his ribs.

This wasn’t boring.

This was doom.

"So, let’s skip to the fun part," Lucas continued, leaning in slightly. "What did you do?"

Jake’s mouth went dry. He knew there was no way out of this. He had known it from the moment Kade dragged him into this clearing. His only option was to tell the truth and pray that Lucas found some amusement in it.

"I..." His voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I got a message after the battle with the Bloodhounds."

"It told me you’d killed my father and that I should confirm it in the pack archives."

Lucas exhaled through his nose, still watching him.

Jake rushed on, desperate to fill the silence before it suffocated him. "So I did. I went to the archives and checked. And then... I was asked to make a copy and send the documents to an email address."

He licked his lips nervously. "That’s all."

Lucas blinked. "That’s all?"

Jake nodded quickly. "I didn’t do anything else. I swear."

"I really thought this would be more interesting."

Jake’s stomach twisted.

Lucas waved a hand vaguely. "I mean, I gave you all these juicy details about my past, about Mara, about your father being a two-timing coward... and this is what you give me in return?" He exhaled sharply, shaking his head in disappointment. "Come on, Jake. Nothing else?"

Jake shook his head frantically. "I really didn’t do anything."

Lucas stared at him for a moment, then let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"Ugh," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "Your sister was right about you."

Jake tensed.

"You’re no good."

Lucas straightened, dusting off his pants. Then, with the ease of someone giving instructions for his morning coffee, he turned to Kade.

"Kill him."

Jake’s entire body jerked. "Wait..."

But Lucas was already walking away, eyes fixed on some distant point in the trees. He didn’t need to watch.

The snap of Jake’s neck echoed through the clearing.

Lucas exhaled heavily. It wasn’t satisfaction, nor was it regret. It was simply... exhaustion.

Nolan and Kade approached him.

"We got nothing," Lucas muttered, more to himself than to them. He had hoped for more. Needed more. But Jake had given him nothing.

"I’m sorry, Alpha," Kade said.

Lucas pressed his fingers to his temples, willing away the frustration clawing at his ribs.

Then, before he could stop himself, the words came out.

"I need my Ava back."

Lucas had faced death a thousand times. He had spilled blood without hesitation. He had commanded armies, conquered packs, left ruins in his wake.

But this vulnerability, this admission felt wrong.

Yet it was the truth.

"I’m dying without her."

A heavy stillness settled over the clearing.

Kade and Nolan exchanged looks, stunned into silence. They had never seen Lucas like this.

He was always sure, always unshakable. Their Alpha did not doubt. He did not need.

But now? Now, he looked lost.

"I don’t know what to do,"

The seconds stretched.

Then, finally, Lucas inhaled sharply, straightening. He pushed his emotions back down, locking them away behind the iron walls of his mind.

He had to focus. He had to act.

"Kade."

"Yes, Alpha?"

Lucas turned to face him fully. "I need you in Dennis’s encampment. I know it’s terrible, but I need another eye on Ava. I don’t trust Dennis."

Kade’s expression hardened. "Understood."

Lucas nodded once.

His mind was already spinning, already shifting gears.

Jake had been a dead end. But that didn’t mean the trail was cold.

*****

Dorian was already twelve shots deep into a bottle of his strongest whiskey when Sarah stormed into his house unannounced again. He groaned, rubbing his temple. He wasn’t nearly drunk enough to deal with her, but at this rate, he would be soon.

"When are you going to get some sense, huh?" he slurred, slamming his glass onto the wooden table with a sharp clink. "Don’t you understand that we cannot be seen together, you stupid, reckless...bitch?"