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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

ARES

T he house loomed before them, its stone walls and wrought iron gates both welcoming and imposing in the fading twilight. The familiar aroma of wet earth filled Ares' nostrils as they drove past the magnificent silver maple trees that had stood as sentinels for generations.

Theo drove with Santiago sitting beside him, his face a mask of concentration as he checked out his windows. Duncan shifted beside Ares, his eyes darting from window to window, taking in the expansive grounds.

They pulled up to the entrance, where the ornate double doors stood. A warm light spilled out the windows onto the stone steps. It should have welcomed them. Instead, all Ares could think about was the emptiness which would greet him inside. The absence of River's laughter, her eyes, her presence.

The car stopped, and Apollo strode out of the house, his lean frame silhouetted against the light from inside. Despite his evident exhaustion, he moved with purpose, his eyes locking with Ares' as he exited the vehicle.

The twins stood face-to-face for a moment, then embraced each other.

The sensation raced through Ares, consoling him in a way he'd never experienced before with his brother.

"Good to see you aren't still lying in bed while I do all the work."

Apollo chuckled and pushed away. "Thanks for letting me join in this time."

Apollo's gaze moved over Ares' shoulder as Duncan exited the vehicle.

"That him?"

Ares nodded and turned to Duncan.

"Duncan, my brother, Prince Apollo. Alpha of Alphas. Apollo, Duncan."

Apollo raised an eyebrow at Ares.

Ares chuckled.

Duncan bowed his head to Apollo. "Highness."

"Thank you for your help."

Duncan nodded.

Ares was about to ask where everyone was when Cherry burst through the door.

"Where's my daughter?" She strode down the steps with Strider in tow.

Ares groaned. He hadn't had enough sleep to deal with Cherry. "Good to see you feeling better as well, Cherry."

"Where is she? Do you have any leads at all, or do I start knocking on doors?"

"Let's go inside," said Apollo.

"No. We've been sitting on our asses too long. Who knows what that bastard could have done by now."

"River's strong," said Strider. "She'll hold her own until we can get her out."

Cherry turned on him. "How do you know that?"

"Because she's our daughter. And for as much as she's tried not to be like you, she has a stubborn streak in her that rivals even your own."

Ares' other guards exited and moved to Ares' side.

"Boss," said Zeke. "Tell us what to do and we're ready."

Ares nodded. "Let's all meet in the conference room in an hour."

"An hour?" Cherry demanded.

Ares sighed and swallowed his emotions. "Yes, an hour."

Without another word, he headed inside. He needed a moment to himself. He'd not had a second alone in over a week, and if they wanted him to keep the shred of sanity he still possessed, he needed a shower, a breather, and a drink.

Ares stood at the window of the conference room, staring out at the sprawling grounds. The sky had darkened to indigo, stars beginning to pierce the velvet canvas above. The Northern lights flickered behind the stars.

Apollo took his place at the head of the long mahogany table, Cherry and Strider settling into chairs, their bodies tense with anxiety.

Zeke, Regan, Silas, Theo, Santiago, Lachlan, Drew, and Thomas all took their seats as well.

Ares looked at the vacant seat where Bennett should have been and couldn't help the sense of guilt that wracked him at the relief it hadn't been one of his guys who'd been killed.

Duncan entered last, hanging near the doorway as if uncertain of his welcome.

"Duncan, sit," said Ares.

Apollo watched Duncan fill the last seat, and his gaze lingered on it before connecting with Ares.

Ares gave his brother a nod of understanding and then took his seat at the far end of the table.

The conference room, once a place of strategy and Lycan business, now felt like a war room. Maps spread across the table, surveillance photos pinned to a corkboard, and a whiteboard covered in Apollo's precise handwriting detailing everything they'd learned about Titan's operation.

Ares wolf paced, demanding action, demanding they find their mate. But rushing forward without a plan would only lead to disaster.

"Alright." His voice cut through the tension.

"For those of you who haven't been introduced to Duncan, he provided us with important intel about Titan's operation.

" Ares centered himself as all eyes turned to him.

"We have confirmation Titan's main operations are based in Canada, specifically here.

But the exact location is still unknown. "

Apollo nodded. "While you were in New York, we discovered something interesting.

" He gestured to a series of photographs pinned to the board behind him.

"The security camera footage revealed Vanessa tampering with our systems weeks before the attack.

She disabled a section of our perimeter defenses. "

"That bitch," Cherry muttered, her fingers curling into fists.

"We also found evidence that when Titan took River, he may have stayed in the area for a bit," Apollo continued. "The tracks we found led north, deeper into our gated neighborhood rather than out of it."

Strider leaned forward, his face creased with concentration. "You think they had a house nearby? Somewhere to lay low before moving her?"

"It's possible," Apollo confirmed. "We've compiled a list of properties in the area that changed hands in the last few years. Fifteen estates total."

"There's also a mailbox business we found where the shipments of suppressors go to," said Ares. "We will check the estates first. If that doesn't pan out, we will go to the P.O. box store. It's Saturday. No one will be able to get mail until Monday anyway. So we can wait on that."

Ares studied the map where Apollo had marked each location with a red pin.

His wolf growled at the thought of River being held so near, right under their noses.

So near, and they'd missed it. Maybe if they hadn't gone to the safe house…

No. He had no way of knowing they would stay nearby, and even so, with their defenses shattered, they never could have stayed.

They had no choice but to retreat and regroup.

No retreat. No surrender.

"We need to search them all," Apollo declared, breaking through Ares' thoughts.

"That could take days," said Ares. "Titan is bound to find out by tomorrow at the latest what's going on."

Apollo gave his brother a tight smile. "That's why I've brought in extra help."