Defying the Rogue Alpha-Chapter 40: Spectacle

"Leon, do something!" Selene shrieked, her nails digging into his arm.

Leon let out a sharp breath, rubbing his temples as if this entire situation were giving him a migraine. "What exactly did you think would happen, Selene? She hurt a Luna. Does your family always think through their anus?"

Ava nearly choked. She hated Leon with passion and every word out of his mouth now sounded like poison but damn it, he had a point.

Lucas let out a bark of laughter, utterly delighted by the spectacle unfolding before him. Ava didn't look at him, but she could feel his amusement.

Sharon's body sagged against the pole she was tied to, her cries now hoarse.

And then, it was time.

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Ava turned her gaze onto Selene, her voice as smooth as silk. "Beg."

Selene's head snapped toward her, eyes wide with disbelief.

"What?" she hissed, as if she hadn't heard right.

Ava let a slow smile spread across her lips. "Get on your knees and beg for your cousin's life."

The silence that followed was delicious.

The humiliation rolled off Selene in waves, her face turning a deep shade of red.

"You cannot be serious."

"Okay." Ava shrugged, turning back to Sharon, pretending to inspect her nails. Unbothered.

The whip cracked again, and Selene flinched.

"Leon!" Selene shrieked, turning to her husband with sheer desperation.

Leon crossed his arms, exhaling tiredly. "Looks like it's up to you now, my dear."

Selene's hatred burned bright and wild, but there was nothing she could do.

Slowly, she sank to her knees, her dress pooling around her.

"Ava..." she ground out through clenched teeth. "Spare her... please."

She bowed her head.

And Ava smiled.

It was everything she had dreamed of.

The shock in the crowd. The power in her hands. The justice in watching Selene, the woman who had mocked her, dismissed her, treated her as dirt, kneel.

"Luna!" Sharon's father suddenly burst forward, but Leon blocked his path.

Ava held up a single hand, flicking her fingers.

Kade stopped immediately.

Ava turned, stepping toward Lucas, rubbing her hand down his chest seductively. She looked up into his eyes, searching.

He was watching her closely.

She swallowed.

"Sign the contract," she said, her voice quieter now. "I want to go home... please."

And she turned, leaving Selene on her knees, drenched in humiliation.

Lucas watched her go, a slow, amused smile stretching across his lips.

Fascinating.

His Luna wasn't just strong.

She was ruthless.

And God, he adored it.

The power. The cunning. The way she had orchestrated this to perfection.

Even Leon looked mildly impressed, though he was trying to hide it.

Lucas chuckled, turning to him. "My Luna wants to leave. Prepare the contract."

Leon sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead like he was reconsidering all his life choices.

Lucas then turned to Selene, still kneeling on the ground, her pride in tatters. He let out a full, rich laugh before sauntering away.

That was even better than killing Sharon.

*****

The deafening sound of shattering glass filled the Luna's chambers. A vase, once a delicate centerpiece of handcrafted artistry, now lay in jagged ruins across the floor. Silk curtains ripped from their golden rods, expensive perfume bottles hurled at the walls leaving the room scented with an overwhelming mix of lavender and jasmine.

Selene was livid. No. Livid wasn't strong enough. She was feral.

"That BITCH!!!" she screamed, her chest heaving with the force of her fury. "That lowly, pathetic, weak-blooded, wretched little whore!"

Leon sat in his chair, fingers steepled, watching his wife's meltdown with the disinterest of a man who had long since stopped giving a damn. He was vaguely impressed with her stamina. Selene had been throwing things for a solid twenty minutes now.

Would she eventually tire herself out? Perhaps collapse in exhaustion? He idly wondered if he should call for tea or just let her self-destruct.

Selene turned on him next, her eyes wild, hair falling from its elegant bun. She looked like a woman possessed, and frankly, Leon found it hilarious.

"You!" she seethed, pointing a trembling finger at him. "You sick son of a bitch! Did it make you feel good to see your so-called mate humiliate me in front of our entire pack? Did it?"

Leon exhaled, slow and steady, fighting back the smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Well," he drawled, "to be fair, I was entertained."

Selene's snarl could have rivaled a rabid wolf's. "You're disgusting!"

"No, what's disgusting is your blatant lack of accountability." He stood, finally, stretching out his arms. "Tell me, darling, who exactly sent Ava to Raventhorn? Who insisted she was unworthy, that she deserved to be thrown into the lion's den?"

Selene opened her mouth, then snapped it shut.

Leon took a step closer, towering over her now. "That's right. You." His voice was silk-covered steel. "And, surprise surprise, Ava didn't just survive, she thrived. And now she's sitting pretty at Lucas's side, wielding power, while you...you, my dear are here. Screaming. Throwing things. Making an absolute mockery of yourself."

Selene's hands curled into fists. "Lucas is nothing special," she spat. "What makes Raventhorn so different from you, huh? He's just a man! A man like you! Why is he so strong and you so weak?"

Leon's laughter was sharp, humorless. He leaned in, voice dangerously soft.

"You want to know what makes Raventhorn different from me?" He tilted his head, a slow, assessing look in his sharp blue eyes. "For starters, he doesn't have a crazy Luna."

Selene recoiled as if slapped.

"You sit here and bitch about everything," he continued, relentless. "But what do you actually do, Selene? Hmm?" He gestured around the destroyed room. "Besides throwing tantrums and blaming everyone but yourself for your own stupidity? Ava isn't even officially Luna yet, and she's ten times the leader you will ever be."

Selene's breath caught in her throat. "You..."

Leon smiled, a slow, wicked thing. "It must burn, knowing that you were never meant to be Luna. She was born to be."