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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

RIVER

T he intercom by the door buzzed, startling River. She hesitated, then walked over and depressed the button.

"Yes?"

"Luna," a voice responded. "The Alpha requests your presence for dinner in an hour. May I come in and take you back to your room?"

River's wolf grumbled at the thought of sitting across from Titan. River grumbled at the idea of making polite conversation while pretending she wasn't his prisoner. But she couldn't refuse either. Not if she wanted to maintain the illusion of cooperation.

"Fine."

The door opened, and Austin, the guy from her old pack, gave her a small wave.

Her eyes widened. What was he doing there? Had Titan sent him for some specific reason? He had to have. Titan wouldn't let just anyone come near her. He had to have chosen Austin for a reason.

"Hi," she said.

"Luna." He inclined his head.

"Stop that," she said. "I hate that crap."

He looked at her and smiled.

"What?"

"Same girl I knew all those years ago."

Her eyes narrowed. "You remember me?"

He snorted. "How could I not? There aren't many females who look like you, but at the same time, have not a single male interested in her. And has no scent at all."

She swallowed hard. "It was the blockers."

"Your mom is a smart lady. Tough too. She was the one who made sure I packed up and left."

A pit opened up in River's stomach. Had her mom done that? There was so much she didn't know.

"I don't blame her," Austin said. She did what she was ordered to do. And now that I realize how much she was trying to protect, I understand even better."

"Why were you told to leave?"

"I thought everyone knew why."

She shook her head. "Cherry kept me out of the pack politics."

Austin shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "Makes sense. Well, officially, I was accused of hugging the Beta's mate and trying to kiss her."

"Officially?"

"That's what the Beta and Alpha told everyone."

"That's not the truth?"

"The truth was, my great-grandfather was the original Alpha of the pack.

My grandfather left when the current Alpha's grandfather beat him for control.

My mother returned after my father died, and the Alpha was afraid I would try to take the pack back.

I assured him the last thing I wanted was to lead.

He didn't believe me, I guess. So he made up a reason to get rid of me. "

River had no words. She walked back to her painting, starting to clean the brushes in a can of water. "Your mom is still with the pack, though."

"I told her to stay. She'd already been through enough when she lost my dad. I didn't want her to lose her pack again to leave with me. I still see her once a month. We meet for lunch. It's been tough on her."

"So we are near enough to the pack that you and your mom get together?"

Austin opened his mouth, stopped, and smiled. "Smart. Try to get me to tell you where we are. Sorry, Luna. If Titan wants you to know, he will tell you himself."

Her wolf sighed.

It had been worth a try. "Do you want revenge on our Alpha?"

"He's not my Alpha anymore, and yes, I do want revenge for what he did to me. I don't want him dead, but I don't want him to do to anyone else what he's done to me."

"And how do you think that's gonna go? You think Titan is just going to sit down and have a friendly chat with the Alpha about not kicking others out?"

"Come on, Luna, you and I both know he won't. Do I want to hurt people? No. But do things need to evolve? Yeah, they do. If violence is the only way to get it, then that's the only choice they've given us."

River stared at him, then wiped the brushes down with a cloth and set them on the table. "That's why Titan had you come fetch me, isn't it? He was hoping you would connect with me and convince me to come over to the dark side."

He shrugged.

"Sorry, it won't work."

He shrugged again. "It's worth a shot. We'd be much more powerful with you by Titan's side. And look what you had to go through just to keep you safe. You think that if everyone had known you were an Omega, you wouldn't have been sold off to the most powerful bidder?"

"You think my mom would have let that happen?"

He shrugged. "Your mom is tough, but even she can't say no to an Alpha."

"I can."

He looked at her, and his eyebrows drew together. "Really?"

"I told Titan no. Rejected him on the spot four years ago when he found me.

You do know Titan bit me without permission, right?

That members of his pack, your pack, attacked and shot me to kidnap me.

That Titan shot my mates and tried to murder them, and then kidnapped me and is now holding me hostage here? "

Austin's eyes widened, and he licked his lips. "I didn't know he bit you without permission. He told us you are his mate and that Apollo and Ares had tricked you, and he brought you here to learn the truth."

She snorted. "That's about as truthful as what the Alpha said you did.

So, what were you saying about me being sold off to the highest bidder under Ares and Apollo's rule?

I would rather have taken my chances with any Alpha of the shifters than what Titan did to me.

In the end, it wouldn't have mattered anyway, though, would it?

I was not the fated mate of a shifter Alpha.

I'm the fated mate of Ares and Apollo. My wolf rejected Titan the first time she saw him. "

For a moment, Austin looked conflicted.

"You could help me. Do the right thing. Help me escape. I promise you, Austin, when I return home, I will ensure they are aware of what is happening to shifters and put a stop to it. That no one else is kicked out. That the Alphas are held accountable for what they've done."

The sound of loud footsteps descended the stairs. River rushed to Austin, clutching his arm.

"Please, Austin," she begged.

Kane walked into view, and River dropped her hand as Austin turned.

"You should be dressed by now," said Kane. "Titan is waiting."

"I was just taking her back to her room," said Austin.

"I'll do it."

Austin inclined his head and left before River could say another word.

Dammit. River backed away from Kane as he moved further into the room.

She bumped the table, and several of the brushes rolled to the floor.

"Come on. You need to get dressed."

River squatted down and picked up the brushes. She looked at them momentarily and then set them down slowly on the table, being sure to cover them with her frame. She snatched up the acrylic brush and shoved it up her sleeve before folding her arms and turning back to Kane.

She kept her breathing and heartbeat even as she followed Kane silently back to her cell. Had she gotten through to Austin at all? Or had she made things worse by revealing that Titan had lied to his followers?

Kane opened the door to her room and gestured for her to enter. "You have five minutes to get ready, then I'll escort you to dinner."

River nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

As soon as the door slammed behind her, she let out a shaky breath and ran to the bed.

She watched the door for a moment and then slid the paintbrush from her sweatshirt sleeve.

She glanced around for a place to hide it and walked to the fridge.

She opened it, but there was no place to conceal it.

She opened the freezer and then the ice maker.

She shoved the brush inside the compartment and shut it again.

She couldn't think of another place Titan may not search at some point. Cliché but effective.

She pulled her hair from the scrunchie.

Her conversation with Austin gave her a lot to think about. She'd known many of the rogues following Titan had legitimate grievances against the current Lycan power structure. However, hearing Austin's story firsthand drove home the complexity of the situation.

Still, that didn't justify Titan's actions. Or make her captivity any more acceptable.

River shuffled to the closet, surveying the clothes Titan had provided. Most were casual, wearing jeans, T-shirts, and sweaters. But there were a few dresses as well.

As she undressed, River caught sight of herself in the mirror. The slight swell of her belly seemed more noticeable than ever. She ran a hand over the bump. Soon, she wouldn't be able to hide it. She had to escape before she reached that point.

She pulled on a simple navy-blue sweater and a pair of wide-leg cotton pants, grateful for their flowing designs.

As she knotted her hair into a simple braid, the bag of makeup sitting on her bathroom counter caught her eye.

No way in hell was she going to make herself look any better than she had to.

Hell, if he'd gifted her makeup to make her look worse, she would have put it all over her face.

Though she doubted it would have helped.

Titan had the crazy idea in his mind that she was his mate, and she doubted even goth clown makeup would deter him.

She threw the makeup bag in the trash can. She needed to find something to turn him off. Maybe she could eat like a pig. Slop food all over herself.

She glanced at the fake window in the corner, suddenly missing the real windows in the art room that let her feel real sunlight.

A fake garden played on the video screen with the grass swaying in an unnatural breeze.

If she hadn't known it was fake, she would have believed it was a real window.

Titan had spared not even a penny when putting together her prison.

She closed her eyes and imagined the real grounds of the Wolvenguard house stretched out before her, lush and green.

The feel of grass between her toes. The smell of the trees, soil, and water from the pool.

The smell of wood shards and motor oil in the barn.

Her wolf whined, and River swallowed down her own whine.

A knock at the door signaled Kane's impatience, bringing her back to reality. River steeled herself.

Whatever game Titan was playing, she had to stay sharp. She had to look for any opportunity or weakness she could exploit. For her sake, for her baby's sake, and for the sake of everyone counting on her.