Lucas dropped into a chair, his eyes never leaving Zoe. "Why are you telling us this now?" he asked.
Zoe didn’t answer him imdiately. Instead, she turned to Dennis. "Because of you," she said quietly. "Believe , I’ve thought this over a million tis since the mont I set eyes on you and felt the bond." Her fingers twisted together in her lap. "If I don’t complete the mission, soone else will co in my place. And that person won’t hesitate. And ?" She gave a bitter smile. "I’ll be locked in a dungeon and probably tortured until I forget my own na."
Ava’s eyes darted between them. The vulnerability in Zoe’s tone surprised her. For a woman who’d just threatened to knock Lucas out, she looked suddenly small and terribly human.
Zoe continued, "But if I stay here—if I try to be with you—I put all of you in danger. Not just Ava. You. Your brother. This entire rogue camp." She swallowed hard. "That’s why I told you."
Dennis sat down slowly, his shoulders slumping. It wasn’t anger on his face. It was the quiet devastation of soone who’d just had hope peeled from his chest. His hand rubbed his temple.
Lucas stood up again with that ever-annoying air of control. "You’re coming back to the fortress with ," he said, pointing at Ava.
Ava blinked. She didn’t want to argue—not right now—but her mind was racing. "Okay," she said finally, nodding. But she had questions. A lot of them.
Zoe leaned toward Dennis. "Say sothing," she begged. "Please. Anything."
Dennis exhaled long and slow. "Ava’s life is in danger," he said quietly. "I want to hear what she thinks."
All eyes turned to Ava, who straightened in her seat. "What do you know about my powers?" she asked Zoe.
"I guess you already know you’re the daughter of the moon. You have abilities—so already awakened, others... still dormant. But the one part of your powers that the Alpha King really wants?" She paused for effect. "It’s your ability to disarm any werewolf."
Dennis sat up straighter. That was new. He’d heard of Ava’s connection to the moon, sure, but disarming werewolves? That was a ga-changer.
Zoe continued. "He wants that ability. He wants to use you to take down the ones who won’t kneel. And not just in the North."
"I have an amulet," she said. "It will strengthen you—enough to stabilize your wolf and amplify your natural abilities. But even then, you’ll be limited. The only way to unlock the full extent of your power..." She hesitated. "You have to be properly mated."
"So let get this straight," Lucas began, slowly standing. His arms crossed tightly over his chest. "The Alpha King wants my Luna. He plans to mate with her and use her to strip away the powers of anyone who dares to stand against him."
Zoe nodded. "More or less."
Dennis leaned forward, concern etched deep into his face. "And what happens to you?" he asked.
Zoe offered him a lopsided smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "If I don’t return, I’ll be hunted down. If I do return..." She shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. "I’ll never see the light of day again. Whatever ends the King thinks I deserve."
Ava could feel the pressure in her chest that made her want to scream but she bit her tongue.
Then Lucas cleared his throat, a new glint in his eye. "Look, I don’t like you." Zoe raised a brow, but he pressed on. "I think you’re arrogant, pompous, full of yourself, and slightly crazy."
"Only slightly?" Zoe muttered.
Lucas ignored her. "But," he continued, leveling her with a look, "you’re my brother’s mate. That ans I owe it to him to shut down hell to keep you safe."
Zoe blinked. Her heart stumbled in her chest. She didn’t expect kindness from any alpha, least of all this one. But now, here he was, pledging protection even while openly insulting her.
"You do realize," she said dryly, "you just described yourself, right?"
Lucas snorted. "I’m not crazy."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night, darling."
But despite her sarcasm, she was grateful. She didn’t say it but the way her shoulders relaxed, the way her gaze lingered on Dennis, said it loud enough. Still, she couldn’t read him. Was he angry? Was he disappointed? Was he done with her?
Dennis hadn’t said much since her confession. That scared her more than any assassin the Alpha King might send.
"So..." Dennis said finally, shifting his weight. "What’s our move?"
Lucas didn’t miss a beat. "We take what we know to the High Council. Let them know the East is under threat."
Zoe arched a brow. "You think they’ll listen?"
"They’ll have to." Lucas said.
Off to the side, Ava was very much not interested in the strategy talk. She was still digesting the bombshell. And now this King wanted to mate with her?
"I want the amulet," Ava said suddenly, cutting through the tactical talk. "All this planning is great, but if I’m supposed to be this powerful, then maybe I should stop waiting to be rescued and start figuring out how to burn this guy to ashes myself."
"I would advise against it," Zoe said softly. "The mont you put it on...They’ll know. Imdiately."
Ava frowned.
"They didn’t know about you until recently—when the moon did sothing it wasn’t supposed to. That was you. I assu you drew power directly from it at so point. Maybe unintentionally. Doesn’t matter. They saw it. That was their clue."
"So what? I just sit here? Do nothing? Watch everyone around risk their lives to keep safe? Risk their happiness... for ?"
"Ava..." Lucas whispered.
But she held up a hand, her emotions swelling. "No. Let say this. When I found out I was the daughter of the moon, I was excited. Even though I knew nothing about what that ant, I thought... finally. I could do sothing. And now I find out I’m just a target. A burden. I don’t want to be that person. I don’t want to live like that."
"Would you want to live like ?" Zoe asked.
@Lindsey_Tennyson; Thank you for your continuous support.
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