Chapter 11: The Arrival Of The Rogue Alpha…
1026 Words
Chapter 11: The Arrival Of The Rogue Alpha…
Ava Pov…
"Enough!"
The voice cracked like thunder.
Clara's hand froze mid-air, her eyes wide, the whip trembling in her grip. I didn’t move. My heart stilled, breath caught in my chest. I turned slowly toward the voice, every instinct in me already knowing who it was before I saw him.
Alpha Kael.
He stood tall and fierce at the park's gate, flanked by three of his rogue warriors. His eyes locked on Clara like he was deciding whether she was even worth the words that followed.
"Don't you dare," he said coldly.
Clara blinked, stunned for a heartbeat before quickly regaining her usual smugness. She turned and started toward him, her heels tapping the ground too loud in the silence. "And who are you exactly? You think you can just walk into a pack uninvited and throw orders around?"
Kael chuckled, low and deep, like he found her amusing. "If you don't know who I am, then you really are no one."
I bit back a smile.
Clara's jaw tensed. She stepped closer, but Kael ignored her, moving past her like she wasn’t even worth stepping around. His gaze softened slightly when he got to me.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
I nodded slowly, still trying to process how fast everything had shifted. "I’m fine."
"You didn’t return," he said, voice low. "I waited."
"I needed to finish what I came here for," I answered, trying not to look over at Clara, who was visibly seething.
Of course, she couldn't stay quiet for long.
She stepped in, scoffing loudly. "So, this is your boyfriend?"
I smiled but said nothing.
Kael raised a brow, his arms folding across his chest. "Not her boyfriend. I'm the Alpha of the Rogue Pack."
The moment the words left his mouth, the air shifted. Several people gasped. Others took small steps back. Clara’s entire expression changed like someone had slapped her across the face.
"You're a rogue?" she hissed, then turned on me. "So this was your plan all along? You came here pretending to heal our Alpha, just so you could bring one of these wild animals into our pack?"
I looked at her with quiet disdain. "If I wanted to destroy this pack, Clara, I would have done it the moment I stepped inside."
"Don’t lie to me!" she snapped. "You both planned this, didn’t you? What are you even doing here? You think you can walk into our territory like it's yours?"
Kael didn’t flinch. He kept his voice calm. "I came for her. And because I don't like hearing about one of my own being whipped like an animal."
Clara raised her hand, ready to strike me again.
She never got the chance.
Kael caught her wrist in a single move. His grip was tight, unmoving, his expression hard as steel. "Try that again and see how far you get."
She yanked her hand back, humiliated. "Get out! You and your rogue filth don’t belong here."
I let out a small, dry laugh. "You act like this pack is a prize. You wear the Luna title like a crown you stole from a child in the dark and still expect everyone to bow."
Clara pointed a finger at me, her face flushed with anger. "You need to remember your place, healer. You're a rogue. A nameless mutt without a home."
Kael stepped between us, but I shook my head and stepped around him. I walked up to Clara until we were face to face.
"You're right," I said, voice steady. "I'm not here to take back anything. I only came to heal your Alpha. And if you don’t want that, if you really think your pride matters more than his life, then go ahead. Let him die."
Clara hesitated.
I saw the flicker of anger behind her eyes, but she covered it with another laugh. "We have plenty of healers who'd gladly help him. We don’t need you."
Kael stepped closer. "Then why hasn’t anyone helped him yet?"
She glared at him but said nothing.
I turned, brushing past them both, and walked over to where Catherine still lay on the ground, her body trembling, blood soaking the back of her worn-out dress.
"She needs rest and a warm place," I said softly, lifting her gently into my arms. Her head lolled against my shoulder.
Clara sneered. "That girl is a maid. She gets no rest. She works. That’s her job."
"She's sick," I snapped. "And you’ve beaten her half to death."
"She's a slave. That's all she's ever been."
"Then that says more about you than her."
I turned and started to walk. The crowd parted for me like I was some untouchable force. I felt their stares, some filled with guilt, others just... silent.
Kael walked behind me, his presence a protective shadow.
"You're coming with me?" I asked quietly.
He nodded once. "Always."
As I passed Clara, she hissed, "This isn't over, healer. You don't get to walk into this pack and act like you're a part of it."
I didn’t even turn around. "If I wanted to be part of a pack who treats their people this way, Then it would be the worst decision of my life."
Her footsteps followed behind, but Kael was quicker. He stepped between her and me before she could reach us. "You should be careful who you try to intimidate, Luna. You might not be Luna much longer."
She flinched like my words burned her.
I looked down at Catherine's pale face and whispered, "You're going to be alright. You're safe now."
Kael met my eyes.
"Where to?" he asked.
"Somewhere she can heal.
He smiled faintly. "After what you did here, you don’t owe anyone a thing."
"I didn't come back for anyone. I came so they will never forget The girl they all turned their back to."
He nodded slowly. "They will."
And as we walked away from the square, I felt Clara’s fury behind us. But for the first time in years, I didn’t feel like prey.
I felt like power finally remembering its name.
- Writer
