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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

RIVER

R iver waited in the darkness, counting the minutes. Titan's footsteps had stomped up the stairs hours ago, following the delivery of her evening meal. Once the house fell silent, she lay her ear against the wall, listening for any sign of activity.

Nothing.

Her heart hammered against her ribs as she crept toward the damaged LED screen. The jagged hole Titan had punched through it gaped like a dark mouth, beckoning her. With trembling fingers, she removed the TV screen and slid through the hole once more.

Her heart hammered, and she took a slow breath.

Her wolf's desire to escape spurred River on.

River inched along, every sound- her ragged breathing, the soft scrape of her clothing against the wall, the pounding of her pulse in her ears- seemed impossibly loud.

She moved quick as she dared, terrified that at any moment, Titan would discover her absence.

Following the path she'd explored earlier, River navigated the passages. Left at the junction, straight, and then right at the wider section. Her muscles burned, but desperation drove her forward. This might be her only shot.

After minutes which stretched out like hours, she reached the second passageway, the one she hadn't fully explored before.

Slightly wider than the first, it allowed her to move with marginally more speed.

Dust tickled her nose, and she held back a sneeze, freezing in place until the urge passed.

The whirring sound grew louder as she moved toward it.

The passage curved, and River realized she must be following the outer wall of the house. Her wolf stirred, offering what little strength she could. The pregnancy had drained them both, but the instinct to protect all of them burned fierce and bright.

The passage opened into a small maintenance alcove. Moonlight spilled through a narrow window, casting silver patterns across the dust-covered floor. River gasped. An actual window, not a screen, not a simulation, but real glass separating her from the outside world.

She rushed to it, drinking in the sight of the night sky.

The moon hung full and luminous, bathing the lawn beyond in ethereal light.

For the first time in weeks, a flicker of genuine hope burned inside her.

She reached high above her head and pressed her fingertips against the cool glass, a sob of relief threatening to escape her.

The small window, hardly eighteen inches square, was real.

River scanned the space, but there was nothing to stand on for her to reach the window.

She took several steps back and examined it, almost bursting into tears.

It was a fixed piece of glass that didn't open.

So even if she did find something to help her get up there, she'd have to break the glass to get out.

River slid to the floor and hung her head.

No. Give up.

I know. I'm not. I just… need a sec.

River stared at the cement floor, her back against some kind of heating unit.

Please, goddess, get me out of this.

A soft creak echoed in the small space, and River froze, her heart nearly stopping. After several agonizing seconds of silence, she breathed again. She couldn't stay there. She had to do something.

Air whooshed against her feet, and she looked to her right. Light parallel shadows cast across the floor.

She stared at them for a moment before realizing what they might be.

She crawled over and placed her hand on the wall, casting the shadows. A metal ping sounded as she ran her fingers down the area.

"Yes."

She pushed on the metal, and it fell forward. She caught it before it hit the floor. She sat, not moving, not believing what she saw. She let out a breath and placed the metal grate on the floor. Her heart leapt as she crawled through the hole and into the paint studio.

River scooted out from under the table and looked around the space.

Everything sat as she'd left it days before.

She ran her fingers over the table, feeling for the tools.

She found two palette knives and hurried to the doors in the corner that led to the backyard.

She tried to keep her hand from shaking as she located the lock and wedged the first palette knife in the joint between the door and the doorjamb.

She tried wiggling it, but nothing happened.

Then she tried sliding it up and down. Still nothing.

She groaned and tried twisting it harder, and the knife snapped in half.

"Shit." She looked at the knife handle in her hand and then dropped it.

A palette knife wouldn't cut it. She needed something more substantial. But there wasn't anything stronger. She'd looked before.

She touched the glass on the door. Maybe she could break one of the smaller panes, and it wouldn't make too much noise. Then she could open the lock from the outside. She glanced around and grabbed a rag, wrapping it around her hand. Man, she hoped she didn't screw it up.

Her wolf made a worrying sound, but wanted freedom as much as River did.

River punched the glass, and it cracked. She prodded it, and the glass crunched but didn't break.

She took a breath and punched it again, not as hard. The glass cracked again, and one of the pieces fell to the grass below.

Yes!

She wiggled the glass shard by shard and placed them on the table until she'd cleared as much as possible. She reached through the hole and felt for the handle on the other side, only to discover it took a key on both sides.

She swallowed a scream. Tears washed her eyes. The broken door would be discovered. And when it was... who knew what Titan would do. She had to make it happen now. There was no other option.

She looked around and her gaze lit on a stack of quart-sized cans of paint. That. She could use that.

Quickly, River walked to the stack and counted the cans. Twelve cans. She didn't know if it would be enough, but what choice did she have? She had to try.

In groups of three, she moved the cans from the middle of the room to the vent in the corner.

She crawled through the vent hole and then carried the cans to the wall below the small window.

She stacked them in two columns, and they rose over two and a half feet off the floor. It might just be enough.

She stepped up with one foot on each stack of cans.

They wobbled but didn't fall. When she straightened, she stood torso-high to the window.

Rewrapping her hand, she punched glass once again.

Struggling to hold back her impatience, as well as her wolf's pestering, the window shattered, and the cool night air rushed in, carrying the fragrance of trees, flowers, and earth.

Smells so vibrant they nearly overwhelmed her after weeks of recycled air.

River paused, listening for any reaction to the noise, but everything stayed silent.

Her wolf urged her to move. River dropped the rag and, with trembling arms, hoisted herself up to the narrow opening.

Her muscles screamed in protest. The window frame scraped against her sides as she squeezed through, her breath coming in short, painful gasps.

Small shards of glass scraped her skin, and she swallowed a yelp of pain as the odor of blood hit her nose.

Dammit! Someone was going to smell that. She has to move.

River shimmied faster, trying to pull herself through the window.

For one terrifying moment, she thought she might be stuck, as her hips wedged in the frame.

Panic flared, but she forced it down, twisting to find a better angle.

With a final shove, she tumbled out onto the damp earth below, landing awkwardly in a tangle of limbs.

Pain shot through her shoulder, but River bit back the pain. She lay still for several seconds, the cool grass caressing her cheek, feeling impossibly luxurious. The night air filled her lungs, sweet and clean. Above her, stars glittered, and the full moon bathed everything in silver light.

Freedom. So close. She was so close.

River crawled toward a dense cluster of bushes, her movements slow and deliberate. Her wolf, though weak, was fully alert now, sensing both danger and opportunity. Once concealed among the foliage, River took stock of her surroundings.

The house, or rather, compound, rose three stories. Its cream stone facade gleamed pale in the moonlight. High walls surrounded the property, topped with what appeared to be security cameras and motion sensors.

Dark figures patrolled the grounds. River's heart sank as she counted one, two, five, guards moving with military precision along predetermined routes. Each carried weapons, not standard firearms, but what looked like automatic rifles.

River shrank deeper into the bushes as two guards passed nearby, their voices carrying in the still night air.

"...doubling the patrols on the east side," one said, his voice low but distinct.

"Waste of manpower," the other replied with a snort. "If those royal pricks find this place, a few extra guards won't make a difference."

River's pulse quickened. Ares and Apollo.

The first guard glanced around. "Don't let Titan hear you talking like that. Besides, they're getting closer. That house in the city was compromised."

"How close?"

"Close enough that Kane's pulled in everyone from the satellite locations.

"Titan's got us all on high alert.” The first guard moved closer to River's hiding spot.

The second guard spat on the ground. "Just because of her? All this for one female? That's why he's keeping her locked up tight? Breeding stock?"

"Watch your mouth," the first guard growled. "That's our future, Luna, you're talking about."

"Luna? Ha! You've seen how she looks at him. That woman would sooner cut his dick off than bear his pups."

The first guard glanced around. "She's an Omega, and she's mated to the twins. That makes her the High Luna. Whether or not she accepts Titan, she is still a crap ton higher up than you or me. So be respectful."