Ch. 261..265: The Rogue is a Female Alpha chapter 261-265

Back Where 261

I had felt her gaze before she rode out of the pack. It was almost as though her brother had calculated everything precisely, arranging it so I wouldn’t be able to speak with her. It worked.

Because only minutes after I arrived, she left in her carriage, riding away, and now I sat alone in the long meeting hall, wondering why Varyn Ashmere had summoned me, and why, though I had been here for over half an hour, he had yet to appear.

I sat for a long time, the silence pressing, then slowly looked around at the guards who stood like statues in every corner, armed and ready.

Ashmere guards. They were different from all others, both warriors and guards in one.

I swallowed hard as the truth hit me. At a single order, they might strike. Even as an Alpha, it would take a fight to escape alive.

I waited another hour, impatience gnawing at me, when the sound of footsteps came at last, true, steady, heavy. The doors swung wide, and he appeared, standing at the entrance. Bold. Dominant.

Varyn Ashmere, with a presence that made one go still with caution.

He stood there for a while, staring at me before lowering his gaze and walking further inside.

As he drew nearer, moving toward the chair across from me, I let my eyes linger on him. Staring at the man I had only ever heard about, only seen clearly for the first time days ago at the wolf fortress.

Back when I was still obeying my father’s words, news had spread that Varyn Ashmere was the war strategist, praised for his wit, his ability to smooth even the most wrinkled situations with cunning and tactics.

He was broad, handsome. He looked like a male version of Zephyrine, and I understood why. They were siblings.

His hair was damp, like he had just bathed, and a scar was visible behind his ear. He wore leather from neck to boots, every part of his body covered except for the fingertips his muffled gloves could not conceal.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting,” his voice came as he reached his chair and sat down with an exhausted sigh. “I have had so many urges… after being enslaved for five years.”

Hearing this, I looked at him, but he looked right back, gesturing with his eyes.

“You know her, don’t you?” he asked, making me pause. “Dessyn.”

“I do,” I answered quietly.

He nodded, shrugging lightly.

“She’d make a good wife, wouldn’t she?”

The question confused me, but I nodded anyway.

“I think so.”

“Hmm.” He murmured absently. “She’s just like my little sister. Fell in love too deeply with a man who gave her attention. Women…”

He shook his head with a sigh, leaning back in his chair.

“They tend to love being pampered, being noticed. Once you do… they fall, and lose all reasoning. Just like Zephyr…”

I swallowed hard at that name.

Zeph. He lowered his gaze to his fingers tapping against the table, and though he looked detached, I could feel it, he was watching me closely. Every detail.

That was why he was the war strategist. His skill with the sword would only add weight when he was crowned Warlord soon.

The silence thickened. The tension rising. Then, with his voice barely above a whisper, he asked.

“I heard you were my sister’s first love.

His gaze lifted, sharp and steady, waiting. Waiting for

my answer.

I weighed the situation carefully, then, seeing no point in lies, since everything was already in the open, I said.

“I loved her. I only realized too late how much I wanted her. Before I knew it, Apex had swept her off her feet, deflowered her, and proposed marriage. Recently I tried to make her love me with a spell, but the love she had for Apex was too strong it broke it. I wronged her in the past, and I wanted to make up for it, but… she won’t give me a chance.”

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He stared at me, his gaze unmoving, before asking quietly.

“Have you ever

seen Apex fight?”

The memory of nearly being choked came back sharply, and I swallowed.

“Yes.”

“Extraordinary, isn’t he?”

“Beastly, if I am precise. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He nodded, thoughtful, then murmured almost to himself. Latest content published on fιɴdnοvel.net

“He can’t be defeated so easily… unless we have his weaknesses.”

Then he looked straight at me, sighing carefully.

“You know any of his weaknesses?”

I froze, staring at him. He wasn’t mad at me? It wasn’t me he wanted, it was Apex. Only Apex.

“I…” I began slowly. “I don’t really…”

rovide Apex’s weaknesses,” Varyn cut in, his voice calm but sharp, “and I will let you marry

sister.”

rooted me to the spot. I stared at him, almost sure he had lost his mind. But no. Those yes. They didn’t lie. They never did. They made me gulp hard.

“His weaknesses,” he repeated, “and I will send an invitation within the hour. I swear it.”

That broke the last straw. At once, my mind flew to Gaxib. The one who had claimed he knew Apex’s weaknesses. And I swallowed hard, nodding to Varyn Ashmere as though to say… we had a deal.

Back Where 262

It was already morning when I arrived back at my pack, exhausted and heartbroken. I blinked to keep myself steady, numb with pain and agony.

Slowly, the horse came to a halt in the Ash Pack, and my brother, who seemed to have been waiting for me, walked forward, reaching for my hand to help me down perfectly.

“You reek of the curse, King,” he murmured, but without waiting for an answer, he pulled me toward the direction of the meeting hall. “The elders have some reports to approve.” This content belongs to FιndＮovel.net

I walked beside him, his palm at the small of my back. The door opened gently, and at once the elders stood, bowing as my brother pulled out my chair and lowered me down carefully. He walked to take the report, placing it before me.

“Approve it,” he said gently, though the command in his tone was unmistakable. Whether I liked it or not, I had to approve the reports.

I swallowed hard. Glancing at the documents, my senses disoriented, I approved them as the Alpha. The reports were taken away immediately.

Not long after, the elders began to leave, one by one, without a word. I swallowed hard as the last one exited, closing the door and leaving me at the mercy of my brother, who I felt was studying me intently.

kept my eyes on the table, memories of Lycannar fresh in my mind. He hadn’t denied killing

y father.

nstead, he’d been full of apologies, and had even made a date to meet me. I blinked to push away the lingering tenderness of his touch just as my brother sat across from me, his intense gaze compelling me to meet it.

He was… so handsome, so dominant. Behind his ear, I noticed a scar that hadn’t been there before. Then it occurred to me. Nyroth had come here last night. Why?

“I heard

you

used the compensation money for our parents for something,” he finally said, making me pause.

For a while, I couldn’t speak, then in guilt, I lowered my gaze and nodded.

“Five years ago, I was foolish. I gave Nyroth of Hue Pack permission to use it to elevate his pack. He was my ex–mate… and I’m sorry, Varyn.”

No words came from him for a long moment. When I lifted my gaze, I saw him staring gently, neither accusing nor angry.

“You were only tricked. It wasn’t your fault,” he said softly, shrugging. That shrug told me something significant was coming. “You know I invited Nyroth of Hue Pack here last night.”

I paused. Yes, he had.

“We had a conversation. He confessed how foolish he had been, and now he realizes his mistakes. He wants you back.”

I waited, unsure where my brother was going with this.

“He said he will make everything right, Zephyr. Reading him… I can’t tell if he’s truthful. But there won’t be any harm in… trying.”

My heart leapt to my throat. I stared at my

brother.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Marriage,” he said simply.

I went cold. Literally still. Did I hear that right?

“I can’t marry Nyroth. I hate him.”

“You will love him later. The date has been set, and earlier this dawn, I gave the order for the wedding invitations to be sent out.”

I froze. Exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, yet now this?

“Varyn, I can’t marry Nyroth,” I said, my voice trembling. “He cheated on me repeatedly. I was called a rogue in his pack. He spat on our parents‘ Moonstone vessel. He never once paid his respects, and…”

vision “At least he didn’t kill them, did he?” His question froze me. Our gazes locked, my blurry as tears threatened. “Nyroth wasn’t cursed. He didn’t kill our father. At least not that, did he?”

I bit my lower lip stubbornly.

“I won’t marry Nyroth, Varyn. You would have to kill me first.”

“And why would I do that?” he asked, his gaze hot. “Get ready. The wedding is a few days away, on the full moon night, at Hue Pack. You will be a bride and take your vow.”

My heart dropped.

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“The wedding was only a bait, wasn’t it?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. I shot to my feet, looking at him dangerously. “It’s a facade to lure the Lycan King because you know he won’t let me marry another man. Isn’t that it, Varyn?”

He paused, expression unreadable, then smirked gently.

“Under the full moon… I will expose him, Zephyr. You’ll see for yourself that the man you are foolishly in love with is nothing but a monster. A creature that needs to be shackled and tortured until he dies.”

Cold chills ran down my spine at the hatred in his voice. I could barely fathom it.

“What if he doesn’t come?” I asked, voice trembling. “What if Lycannar doesn’t…?”

“Then we proceed to Plan B. That’s what a war strategist does,” he said before walking out, leaving me shaken and stunned.

1

Back Where 263

I watched in silence as Isolde set the table for dinner. She poured the water, then turned and beckoned me to sit.

I obeyed without a word. If I resisted, Varyn would come, and with that calm manipulation of his, he would force every bite down my throat until I swallowed.

It’s a bait. The marriage Varyn announced earlier today. I should have known better that Varyn is too clever to marry me off to a man who humiliated me.

He would never give me to Nyroth so easily. No, he had staged it as a real wedding, which could only mean one thing.

Lycannar will be forced to come to Hue Pack. And if he comes… will he be captured? The thought made me go cold.

I swallowed hard and lifted my cutlery, eating without tasting anything. My heart felt restless, my mind unsteady. I didn’t know what kind of trap Varyn had prepared for Lycannar, only that he must not come. Not if he wanted to survive.

We are done, I told myself. That’s the end of us.

But are we?

The question tore at me until I nearly choked. I pushed my plate aside and emptied my glass of

water, then rose from the table and moved to sit before the mirror, sighing heavily.

I missed her. Blue. Since she left yesterday, I had not been able to bear the emptiness. The gods bless Isolde, but she was no Blue. My heart was more bound to Blue than to any other.

“Good night, Isolde,” I whispered. She bowed, cleared the table, and left quietly, closing the door behind her.

Alone in the chamber, my gaze wandered over the stillness of the room.

Tomorrow night, Lycannar had said he would meet me at the tavern, the very place where Alpha Black once spilled a drink over me. The memory stung, and I lowered my gaze.

I turned toward the bed, but a book resting in the drawer caught my eye. My steps faltered. Blue’s book which she brought with her when she came with the ring.

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I pulled the drawer open and lifted it out to see it’s a diary. I stared at it for a long moment, intending to keep it safe for her until I could return it. But a slip of paper pasted at the back caught my attention. ‘Open the first page, my lady‘

My heart tightened. A letter. Blue wanted me to read it.

I studied the book again. It was old, worn, far older than Blue herself. Wait… was it even hers?

I opened the first page. The title struck me cold. Juliana’s Diary.

I froze. This wasn’t Blue’s. This was Juliana’s, Julie’s, the woman I had heard of, the one Lycannar had stabbed, again and again, to free his sisters. Blue’s mother.

Shaking, I locked the door, hurried to my bed, and curled beneath the blankets, clutching the diary to me before I dared open it again.

The pages were brittle, the ink blurred by dried tears. Every line was heavy with grief, pain, pity, and devotion.

I turned carefully, page after page. Awe and fear bled through her words, uncertainty laced with unflinching truth.

A prince cursed from birth. Five curses. One that stole his mind each month, turning him into a beast. Born in grief, condemned even by the goddess.

My throat tightened as I reached the final pages. One entry glowed with affection.

“The prince came to my door today and asked for lunch. How peaceful he seemed

, how kind. If only the King would release him from hatred, he could be the most cheerful of lad.‘

But the next was smeared, hurried, written in shaky strokes and stained with what looked like blood.

‘He will come tonight, the eve of full moon. He warned me to run. I will not. If tonight

I must die, then let me die by his knife. I will go in peace, if it means freedom for the princesses and peace for my prince.‘

The words ended there. The scene replayed in

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mind.

Lycannar, consumed by madness, entering her house, striking her down. He had chosen the eve of full moon because that was the only time he could do it, when his curse stripped him of restraint and left only blood.

I closed the diary and lay back on my pillow, staring through the window at the pale dawn creeping in.

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The truth struck me, brutal and undeniable. Lycannar was the one who murdered Juliana. Blue’s mother.

And yet… the diary had explained it all. On the night of the full moon, he lost himself. That was why he wasn’t there when I rejected Nyroth.

Why, months ago, when I was framed for Alpha Black’s death, he didn’t appear until days after. The pattern was clear.

But clarity didn’t ease the pain. My chest burned as I realized the depth of Blue’s love for him. She had read these same pages. That was why she could forgive him.

Forgiveness. If only it were so simple. For me, it was not. For me, it never would be.

I pulled the blanket over my head and tried to sleep, knowing Isolde would come soon to wake me. Silence filled the room, until suddenly, pain lanced through me.

At first it was only warmth, faint and crawling beneath my skin. Then it burned hotter, spreading with a searing glow.

skin. I ripped the blanket away and stared at my arm. Runes, glowing red, blazed across my

The heat grew savage, unbearable, crawling down my arm and across my back. My head dropped, teeth clenched against the agony.

“Lycan…” The word slipped from me in a gasp, part prayer, part pleading.

The runes spread like fire. The pain broke me open. My scream filled the chamber.

Back Where 264

I jerked awake all of a sudden from a slumber I had only just dipped into, a strange thrill coursing through my spine.

I sat up quickly, staring at my fingers as though they held the answer. Something had surged through me. Foreign yet whole, unfamiliar yet beautiful. Power.

Confusion was still clouding me when I heard footsteps downstairs. Then it hit me. The stench. Heavy, sharp, unmistakable. Demons.

A frown creased my face as I rose and stepped out into the hall, just as my brother Hades emerged from his chamber across from Chantel’s.

“You feel it too?” he asked.

I nodded, and together we descended the stairs, only to stop short at the dining hall.

Demon guards. They stood there as if they owned the place. My chest tightened as I turned to Hades. He stepped up beside me, his confusion mirroring mine.

“I thought you said Father gave us until next full moon,” he muttered.

“Yes,” I answered quietly.

“Then why are they here?”

Before I could respond, the guards bowed, water dripping from their armor and pooling on the floor. One spoke in a cold, formal tone.

“His Majesty sends a reminder that on the next full moon, three days hence, he will come himself if neither of you appear.”

We said nothing. We only watched them retreat toward the backyard sea, toward the hidden passage that led into the Demon Realm.

When the silence returned, my shoulders sagged.

“I’m still tangled in this Ashmere mess,” I muttered. “How am I supposed to survive both?”

I dropped into a chair, heavy with thought. My mind drifted to last night, to her. Zephyrine. She was not herself anymore. Blue was right. Zephyrine… she is unraveling, and it hurts me. It

hurts more than I can bear.

She hasn’t spoken of her father’s death. She hasn’t asked me if I killed him. She only wanted to know why I kept it from her. It’s as if the very words, my confession, would break her beyond repair. A sin she couldn’t forgive.

I buried my face in my palms, torn apart by the thought of losing her. I didn’t want war. I didn’t want blood. I wanted her. And I was ready to kneel, to beg, to do anything to bring her back into my arms.

“One of us will have to marry a woman we don’t want and take the Demon Throne at the next full moon.” Hades‘ voice cut through my thoughts, cold and steady. The reminder made my blood run colder still.

Father wasn’t sparing us. If he had sent this message, it meant he was serious. Deadly serious.

My thoughts barely settled before hurried footsteps reached us.

“Baby brother!” Serena’s voice rang out as she rushed into the hall.

I frowned at her panic.

“What is it?”

“One of the traders I met at the market brought news from outside the Lycan walls,” she said breathlessly.

Hades stepped closer, listening intently.

“What did

you

hear?”

Instead of answering, she handed me a folded slip. An invitation card. My fingers stiffened as I opened it and read aloud.

‘The official union of Zephyrine Ashmere and Nyroth Hue

. A marriage blessed by both families. To be held in Hue Pack on the night of the full moon. All are invited.

Food and drink in abundance.‘

The words bled into my chest like knives. I looked at Serena, then up as Mearez rushed in, her face tight with alarm. She too had heard.

Leaning back, I exhaled sharply. Zephyrine hadn’t known. I had seen her last night, her body, her eyes, none of it spoke of a woman who knew she was to be wed in days. Varyn must have forced this. But forcing her into Nyroth’s arms, that was too far.

Yes, I am guilty of killing the Ashmere warlord when I lost myself. But I will not sit aside while

that mistake estroys my heart in return.

“I will accept any punishment for that mistake,” I said, my voice raw. “But not this. This is unfair. And I will not let it stand.”

The room fell into silence until Mearez finally spoke.

“Lycannar, it’s full moon.”

“Yes, baby brother,” Serena added softly. “On that night, you’ll be in the steel chamber.”

Their words struck me hard. They were right. The full moon would strip me bare. The beasts, the madness, the horns, the truth.

“It’s a trap,” Hades muttered, stepping behind me. His eyes scanned the card again before he sighed. “He’s luring you out. On the full moon, when you’re weakest and Mad. When you’d be exposed.”

“Exposed?” Mearez’s voice tightened. “As in, your horns, your wings, your fangs?”

Hades nodded grimly.

I swallowed, throat dry. My true identity. The hybrid blood I carried. That was what Varyn wanted the world to see.

My chest heaved, but I forced the words out.

“I don’t care. I’m not letting Zephyrine marry another man. She’s mine. Whatever it costs, she’s mine.”

“Then you’ll have to stop it yourself,” Hades said flatly. “Mearez will brew you a potion to dull the beast. It won’t hold long, but for an hour at least you’ll stay in form. Enough to disrupt the wedding, then return before the shift takes you.”

A dangerous plan, yet it was the only plan. Still, I saw the fear in my sisters‘ eyes.

“Brother Hades, I don’t think it’s wise,” Mearez whispered. “If you leave the kingdom that night and something goes wrong…”

I cut her off, quiet but certain.

“I will be fine. But before then… I’ll meet Zephyrine at the tavern tonight.”

日

Back Where 265

The dusk had settled before my eyes, and the night darkened with lightning. Thanks to the storm, most of the pack had gone to bed early, leaving everything unnervingly quiet.

I stood at the window with my arms folded beneath my chest, his words echoing in my head, about us meeting tonight, this very night, at the tavern.

My gaze lingered on the gate, though I already knew the truth. I couldn’t go. I must not go. If Varyn discovered it, he wouldn’t just be angry, he would be furious.

Turning away from the window, I climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over my body.

I shut my eyes, praying for sleep, but it refused to come. All I felt was the raw burn of the runes that had appeared agonizingly on my skin this morning.

I had been lucky my brother wasn’t in the pack at that time. He would have demanded answers. I swallowed hard, trying again to force sleep, only for the warmth to spread once

more.

It climbed to my chest, the runes glowing faintly as they branched further across my body.

What had first appeared only on my arm had now reached my back, curling down to my waist, forming sacred symbols I couldn’t understand.

Their presence on me left me feeling exposed. Vulnerable. Too seen.

I opened my eyes and gave up. Rising from bed, I reached for a cloak and grabbed Blue’s diary from the rack before slipping to the window.

Peering out to ensure no one was watching, I leapt down, landing softly on my feet. I didn’t hesitate.

In a blur, I sped toward the walls, vaulted over with ease, and shot into the darkness like lightning, leaving only the whisper of air behind me.

The tavern came into view at the darkest hour. From a distance, I stopped, my breath shaky, my heart unsteady. I pulled my hood tighter around my face and began forward slowly.

This is the last time, I told myself. The last time I would meet Lycannar. I had to tell him to stop binding me with his runes. I had to return Blue’s diary. And most of all, I had to warn him not to come to the ceremony, because it was a trap meant to lure him out.

17:47 Mon, Sep 29

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That was what I repeated to myself over and over, until I reached the tavern and froze. His powerful black horse stood in the stable, set apart from the rest.

Its presence alone sent a chill through me. I missed him. I still felt something for him, even after everything. That truth, I couldn’t deny.

Lowering my gaze, I slipped inside. I bypassed the noisy drinkers and laughter and made my way toward the chamber where we had once shared our first kiss.

I reached the door and shivered, fear slicing through me. Fear of seeing him again. Fear of standing before him once more.

I hadn’t yet gathered the strength to enter when the door opened softly. There he stood in the doorway. Lycannar.

Dressed in all black, a fur cloak draped over his shoulders, he looked impossibly dominant. His silky hair fell loose, and the rings at his brow caught the lamplight, casting him in a glow that made him almost too beautiful to look at. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ

We stared at one another for what felt like eternity. Then he opened the door wider and stepped aside, silently inviting me in.

Clenching my jaw, I broke our gaze and crossed the threshold, bypassing him to step into the chamber. To my surprise, the table was set with food and drink.

What was this? Did he think this was a reunion?

“You haven’t been eating well,” his voice came from behind as the door shut and locked. “Your body shows it. I’m worried.”

His words sent something sharp through me, and I turned, my gaze fixed on him.

“And whose fault is that?” I asked quietly. “Hmm? Whose fault is it that I can’t eat?”

He didn’t answer. His face betrayed no emotion, only that unyielding look in his eyes, the one that always broke me.

Then, before I could react, he sank to his knees before me.

A king, on his knees.

“I won’t ask forgiveness,” he said softly. “I don’t deserve it. I won’t ask for your understanding, because even I cannot understand losing myself. But I beg you, Zephyrine, I beg you with everything you hold dear, accept my apology. I am sorry for losing control. I am sorry for