Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 395: Goodbye Lila

Asher and the others had long gone off the road and were now trudging through a forest thicker than any of them expected.

It was late at night, and thank the moon they had their wolf sight else they’d have tripped over every gnarled root and gotten whipped by every low-hanging branch clawing at them from all directions.

The rogues had hidden themselves well which wasn’t surprising. Lone wolves were always on the move, always adapting, and no one survived as long as they had without learning how to vanish in plain sight.

The trail should have faded hours ago, but Asher had to admit he was impressed. The Fae was moving ahead with the kind of confidence that came from instinct, not guesswork, leading them unerringly through the maze of undergrowth.

But not even the tension of the unknown, or the unsaid dread in the air, was enough to kill Roman’s vibe. The South Alpha was belting out loud, cheery, dramatic rhymes like they were headed on a family vacation, and not a rescue mission in rogue territory.

"Four wolves with teeth so white,

Snuck through the woods in the dead of night.

On a quest so bold, with hearts all sour,

To fetch back our stolen purple flower."

Asher, Alaric, and Adele exchanged a look and moved on. No, they wouldn’t say a word. It was always safer to just let Roman be Roman.

"There was Thunder Boy who summons the clouds,

And Lover Boy who broods in crowds.

Then Smiley Wolf with jokes so cute—

(That’s me, hello, you’re welcome, chum!)"

"God, this is killing me." Alaric groaned internally.

"And last came the brainy with the balm

She heals your soul and throws a fade.

But just when things were going wrong...

Enter Tinkerbell with a blade and a spine!"

"Oh dear..." Adele sighed, already prepping her healing powers knowing someone was about to get it.

"She rides like death with glitter and sass,

Swearing she’ll shove her sword up my—"

(Ahem.)

"Anyway, she’s fierce, she’s cool, she’s Fae,

With the charm of a cactus and zero foreplay!

"So off we go through creepy woods and mud and mire

Four wolves, one threat, and a bite-sized demigod.

May the rogues beware and Lila not snap,

Because one wrong joke—boom—neck goes snap —!"

"I swear on the old gods and the new," Lila snapped, "if one more word blasts out of your goddamn mouth, I’ll snap your neck for real!"

Her glare could have melted iron, but of course, it rolled right off Roman like sunshine off a raincoat.

Roman grinned. "Aww, see? I told you, we’re already bonding."

Lila blinked, flabbergasted. How in the hell did Violet even get tangled with the likes of him.

"And," he added cheerily, "Violet loves my godforsaken mouth. To be precise, my tongue, it does wonderful things to—"

"Roman!" Asher and Alaric barked in unison, exasperated.

"Fine," Roman rolled his eyes. "I’ll keep the sugar to myself," he added with a dramatic shrug, as if Lila was truly missing out.

Lila stared at him for a long beat, shook her head, and then turned on her heel with a huff.

"Yeah, you’re bonding just fine," Asher said dryly before moving on.

Alaric and Adele gave Roman a similar look and followed after Asher.

Roman was just about to toss out another witty line when he noticed something odd with his keener animal senses.

"Wait. Stop!" he barked.

Everyone did except Lila.

She marched ahead, clearly done with Roman and his nonsense.

"Lila, wait!" Roman called after her.

But Lila spun around and snapped, "I’m not wasting another second while Violet is out there in danger because of your childish jokes. For once in your life, grow up, you fool!"

She hardly took a step when there was a cracking sound and the ground beneath her gave way. Lila let out a scream as she plunged down.

"LILA!" they all shouted, sprinting forward only to freeze as soon as they reached the edge.

Alaric gagged.

Asher muttered under his breath, "Shit."

Adele’s hand flew to her chest. "Dear Lord..."

"That is nasty," Roman said grimly.

Lila had fallen into a brutal trap, precisely, a punji pit. Iron stakes, sharpened to deadly points, lined the bottom like a bed of skewers. It was exactly the silent, lethal, and barbaric weapon the rogues would use to impale unsuspecting newcomers on their turf.

The scene was pure horror as one stake had pierced straight through Lila’s stomach, while another was lodged in her chest, and the third went through her shoulder. But the most gruesome of all was the one that had gone clean through her mouth, and emerging from the back of her head. There was blood everywhere.

Alaric was in shock knowing without a doubt this was the end of the road for Lila.

"Well? Adele, do something!" Roman shouted with panick.

"What do you expect me to do? My healing works through contact, and I can’t just jump in there!"

"Then let’s pull her out!"

"Pulling her out would kill her faster. We’d need to stabilize the wounds around the stakes and Adele’s power would not last the hours it would take to cut them."

"Those are iron stakes," Asher said darkly. "And Fae don’t react well to iron. What are the odds that Lila would land in a damn pit like this?" He let out a bitter laugh. "Fate is a cruel little bitch."

Down in the pit, Lila was still twitching. Blood gurgled from her throat, and she made horrible choking sounds, eyes wide as if trying to speak through the metal silencing her. She lifted a hand weakly toward them.

"Yes, Lila, I see you," Roman whispered, reaching out.

Then her hand fell.

"Nooooooo!" Roman dropped to his knees with a dramatic wail. "You can’t just go like that, Lila. What about the good times we could have had?!"

Asher, Adele, and Alaric stood behind him, dumbfounded.

Roman sniffled, then plucked a small wildflower from a nearby branch.

"Till we meet again, my Tinkerbell. May the goddess welcome you into her ample bosom." He kissed the flower and dropped it into the pit and it landed on her body.

The silence was interrupted by a "click". noveldrama

"What are you doing?" Alaric was confused.

Roman was casually snapping pictures with his phone.

"Evidence," he said without shame. "In case Violet thinks I killed her Fae friend. I did warn her, you all saw me."

When he was done, Roman stood, dusted himself off, and looked back at the group.

"What are we waiting for? She’s gone. Come on, we’ve got our purple flower to rescue."

He added over his shoulder, "And maybe this time, follow my lead, unless you want to end up like our Fae friend now called to glory."

With that, Roman marched off into the woods.

The others stood frozen, unnerved by how effortlessly Roman could flick through grief, humor, and indifference like flipping pages in a book

"...Is he okay?" Adele finally asked.

"Hell if I know," Alaric muttered.

"No choice now," Asher said grimly. "Let’s move."

They stepped around the pit carefully, leaving behind the shattered body of the fiercest Fae they’d ever known.

Goodbye, Lila.