Defying the Rogue Alpha-Chapter 38: Reverence

Instead, she smirked.

"My Alpha," she murmured, tilting her head.

Lucas blinked, his grip loosening.

"The man not for the faint-hearted," she continued, her voice softer now, reverent.

Ava saw it then, the flicker of pride in his eyes.

She continued,

"The one that no one stands against and walks away. Manic, the storm that doesn't touch without leaving a mark."

Lucas finally understood what she was doing.

She was submitting.

Not because she had to.

Because she wanted to.

And fuck, if that didn't make his chest swell with pride.

He leaned back, smirking. "You're stroking my ego, Ava. What do you want?"

Ava didn't break eye contact.

"The one who wields fire and chooses who to burn. Your eyes, ferocious as a wolf that bows to no one."

"My king and the lifter of my head," she whispered. "Break for me."

Silence.

He pulled her onto the bed, his body caging hers easily.

"You know you can ask me for anything, right?" he murmured, his face mere inches from hers.

Ava swallowed. His warmth surrounded her, his scent invading her senses.

"I ask for mercy, my Alpha," she whispered.

Lucas frowned. "Mercy?"

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She nodded.

"You want me to spare Sharon," he realized.

Ava exhaled. "I need you to show mercy now, so that when the time comes, the people of Crimson Pack will bow to you willingly."

Lucas studied her, his thumb running along her jaw.

"You ask for a lot, my little virgin."

"You've already given me more than I could have asked for," she admitted.

Lucas's lips twitched.

She wasn't even trying to get to him, and yet, here he was completely at her mercy.

He kissed her.

Slowly.

Reverently.

As if she were something sacred.

It was intoxicating. He was intoxicating.

His hands slipped under her robe, so achingly slow, so torturously gentle. His fingertips barely whispered over her skin, as if afraid to touch her fully.

Ava moaned, pressing her body against his, needing more.

Lucas groaned, rolling her onto her back, covering her body with his.

"You drive me fucking insane," he murmured against her lips.

His hands moved to her breasts, thumbs rolling over her nipples, sending a shockwave of pleasure through her core.

Ava arched, a moan slipping past her lips, her fingers threading into his dark hair, gripping him tightly, desperately.

Lucas flipped her onto her stomach, his hands gripping her waist.

"Mine," he growled, his lips brushing over the shell of her ear.

Ava shivered. "Yours," she whispered.

And then he took her.

Slowly at first.

Then with reckless abandon.

She felt him everywhere. Consuming her. Owning her.

And she wanted it.

Needed it.

Her body bowed, her fingers gripping the sheets as waves of pleasure crashed over her.

Lucas wasn't far behind.

His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her head back, his lips claiming hers in a deep, possessive kiss as they both shattered.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Lucas hovered over her, his breath still heavy.

He whispered it.

The words that changed everything.

"I love you."

Ava's body went still beneath him, her breath catching in her throat.

Lucas realized too late what he had said.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

He hadn't meant to say it out loud.

But he didn't regret it.

Because it was the truth.

And he could see it now; the panic in her eyes, the hesitation, the realization that she couldn't say it back.

Lucas exhaled, rolling onto his back. He stared at the ceiling for a long moment.

Finally he chuckled.

Not because it was funny.

But because fuck!

He had slaughtered armies, crushed enemies beneath his boot, ruled with an iron fist.

And yet, this tiny, stubborn, impossible woman had managed to hurt him without even trying.

He ran a hand down his face.

'Add one more rejection to the pile, Lucas.'

He turned his head to look at her, his expression unreadable.

Ava swallowed.

She wanted to say something, anything to erase the disappointment in his eyes.

But she had nothing.

Because she didn't know what to feel.

And that?

That was worse than rejection.

Lucas sighed, reaching for his pants.

"Get some sleep, Ava," he said quietly.

And with that he turned his back.

Leaving Ava wide eyed in the dark, wondering what the hell had just happened.

*****

Lucas was in a foul mood. Not just the regular brooding, menacing mood that sent warriors scattering from his path, but the kind of storm that made the air thick with danger.

Ava was the problem.

That damn woman had gotten under his skin. Again. Was he so difficult to love? Would the Moon Goddess just give him a fucking break?!

Lucas stormed down the hallway toward Leon's office, his boots heavy against the polished stone floors of the Crimson Pack castle. His mind was a battlefield of emotions; some he wanted to acknowledge, others he wanted to strangle.

Ava had disarmed him last night, body and soul, and then silence. No reaction to his confession. No acknowledgment. No reciprocation.

Nothing.

Now, his temper was a hurricane, and Leon was about to feel the full force of it.

Lucas shoved the office doors open without knocking. The guards outside didn't dare stop him. One glance at his storm-cloud expression and they suddenly became very interested in studying the walls.

Leon looked up from behind his desk, sighing as if he already knew this conversation would be a battle.

"Alpha Lucas," Leon greeted, lacing his fingers together. "I assume this isn't a friendly visit."

Lucas strode forward, hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I want an update on Sharon's sentence. I assume she's already dead."

Leon exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Alpha Lucas, I need you to meet me halfway here. I cannot sentence her to death. It's not the way we do things here."

Lucas let out a low chuckle, one that didn't hold an ounce of amusement. "Meet you halfway?" He tilted his head, mock confusion painting his face. "And where exactly was 'halfway' when your wife and her pets used Ava like a damn punching bag?"