Defying the Rogue Alpha

"This is exactly what they were afraid of," Dennis muttered, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. He looked directly at Lucas, eyebrows raised. "That the power would get to your head and you wouldn’t want to answer to anyone."

"Can we take a break first?" Zoe interjected. She leaned into Dennis, her body still recovering. "I don’t know about you guys, but I haven’t had a proper meal or sleep in weeks." She sighed and added, "I can’t even remember what a bed feels like."

Lucas raised a hand. "I second that."

Ava, however, wasn’t laughing. Her eyes had gone serious, distant even. She turned toward Zoe. "Where is Herod?" she asked.

"In the dungeons," Lucas replied slowly, watching her with mild suspicion. "Why?"

But Ava didn’t answer him. Her focus had zeroed in on Zoe now, her expression softening as she crossed the short distance between them. "Zoe," she began, "there’s something I need to tell you. And then I swear, you can go take the longest, most luxurious nap in the entire history of naps. I’ll personally fluff your pillow."

Zoe’s brows furrowed. She sat up straighter, instantly catching the worried lines around Ava’s eyes. "What’s going on?"

Ava took a breath. This wasn’t something she wanted to blurt out but there was no perfect moment to detonate a truth bomb, so she dropped it. "Zoe... you are the Princess of the North."

The room fell into stunned silence.

"What are you saying?" Zoe asked cautiously.

"I’m saying," Ava replied, each word a slow unfolding, "Herod is your father. Not Alaric."