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"Is... she okay? Let me talk to her."

Apollo stroked River's hair. The blanket fell away from her leg, and the huge bandage peeked out from underneath.

His wolf whined and paced.

"She's badly injured. I have Dr. Keller on her way already."

There was a discussion on the other end of the line, and then Cherry's voice rang through.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Apollo suddenly remembered Cherry's words: "I couldn't save them. I have to save them."

She'd known. She'd known River was pregnant.

"She's going to be okay, Cherry. They both are."

"Both?" Ares asked.

"Yes. Our mate is pregnant."

A roar erupted from the phone, so loud that Apollo winced and River stirred.

"I'll kill him," Ares snarled, his voice dropping to that deadly register that meant Ares' wolf was just below the surface. "I'll tear out his throat with my teeth. I'll-"

"Ares," Apollo cut in sharply. "River needs you. Our child needs you."

"That bastard kept her prisoner while she was pregnant with our child?" The sound of something cracking came through the phone. "I'm going to eat his heart."

Apollo glanced down at River's pale face, her silver hair tangled with blood and dirt. She stirred, her brow furrowing as if sensing her mate's pain even from a distance.

"Brother, listen to me," Apollo said, his voice firm but gentle. "Come to the house. Be with your mate. Let the Alphas handle the investigation of the house for now."

"The Alphas?" Ares spat. "This isn't their fight."

"It is now," Apollo insisted. "River escaped, which means Titan knows she's gone. He'll be looking for her. We need to protect her, and we need allies. The Alphas can secure the location and gather evidence."

"While Titan escapes?" Ares growled.

"While we ensure River and our child survive," Apollo countered. "Brother, she's weak. She's lost a lot of blood. She's thin, too thin. She needs us both."

The line went silent save for Ares' harsh breathing. Apollo could almost see his twin torn between bloodlust and the primal need to protect his mate.

"Ares…" River whispered. "Please…"

Ares whined. "Beloved."

"We're coming," said Cherry.

"How far away are you?" Ares asked, his voice marginally calmer.

"Fifteen minutes."

"I'll be there in twenty." The line went dead.

Apollo returned his attention to River. Her breathing steadied somewhat, but her skin stayed alarmingly pale.

The bandage on her thigh had soaked through with blood, and numerous more minor cuts and scratches marked her exposed skin.

Her side also held several jagged cuts. What she must have been through he could not begin to imagine.

But one thing he swore right there, for every scratch, scrape, and cut she suffered, Titan would suffer tenfold.

"How is she?" Silas asked from the front seat, his eyes meeting Apollo's in the rearview mirror.

"Holding on." Apollo brushed a strand of hair from River's face. "She's stronger than any of us knew."

The SUV sped through the darkened streets, Silas taking corners with practiced precision. Regan and Thomas stayed vigilant, constantly scanning for any sign of pursuit, their guns at the ready.

She was going to be fine. She had to be, just had to be, because if she wasn't... Apollo would slaughter every rogue in North America.

* * *

RIVER

River's eyes fluttered open as the SUV pulled up to a modest two-story structure nestled among towering, overgrown trees, its exterior deliberately unremarkable to avoid attention. Dr. Keller waited on the porch, her face tight with concern.

"Quickly," she called as Apollo emerged with River. "Bring her inside."

Apollo moved with swift precision, carrying River through the front door and following Dr. Keller down a hallway to a prepared bedroom. Though he tried to be gentle, River couldn't help but moan in pain at being jostled.

"I'm so sorry, my love. I'll get you settled in just a moment."

Medical equipment had been set up. Monitors, IV stands, and various supplies were arranged on a rolling cart between sluggish blinks.

"Put her on the bed," Dr. Keller instructed, already pulling on latex gloves.

River hissed as Apollo's arms grazed her cuts.

Apollo laid River down with exquisite care, his hands lingering as if unable to break contact. River's eyes found his, pain and exhaustion evident in their depths.

"Don't leave." She grasped at his sleeve.

"Never," Apollo promised, stepping back just enough to give Dr. Keller access while still holding River's hand.

Dr. Keller worked methodically, cutting away the makeshift bandage on River's thigh to reveal a wound seeping blood. "What happened?"

"Razor wire," River managed, crying out as the doctor began cleaning the wound. "Had to... escape."

"She needs blood," Dr. Keller declared, glancing up at Apollo. "And fluids. She's severely dehydrated."

The doctor hooked up an IV bag to a rolling device that resembled a small hat rack and then examined River's other injuries. Her eyes grew concerned as she prodded the cuts on River's side from the window and a large bruise on her shoulder from where she'd fallen onto the grass.

"When was the last time you ate?" she asked River.

"Don't... remember." River shook her head, but a pain shot through her neck, and she stopped. "I've been only drinking soda and eating candy to avoid the blockers in the food."

Apollo's jaw clenched, his hands balling into fists. His eyes went black, and she squeezed his hand. He knelt by her and kissed her knuckles.

"You're going to be okay now," he promised.

"And you believe you're pregnant?" Dr. Keller's hands gently prodded her.

River nodded weakly. "Morning sickness... bad. Everything smells too strong. My wolf is protective but weak." She swallowed hard. "I've been so tired, and my breasts are tender. And I haven't had a period in at least two months."

Dr. Keller nodded. "We'll confirm it right away."

Apollo's hand tightened around River's as Dr. Keller prepared the IV needle and slid it into River's arm with practiced precision.

River winced at the expected pinch, but it happened so fast she didn't even notice.

"This will help with the dehydration and blood loss," she explained.

The sound of a vehicle screeching to a halt outside broke the relative quiet. Everyone froze, and River gripped Apollo's hand.

"Apollo-"

"No one will get you here. I promise."

Seconds later, thunderous footsteps pounded down the hallway.

The bedroom door burst open with such force it slammed against the wall. Ares stood in the doorway, his massive frame filling the space, golden eyes wild, full of fear and desperate relief as they locked on River.

"For heaven's sake, calm down!" Dr. Keller snapped. "This is a medical situation, not a battlefield! Besides, the Princess doesn't need any more stress."

Ares ignored her, crossing the room in two long strides to reach River's bed. He dropped to his knees beside her, hands trembling as he cupped her face. His lips caressed her forehead, her cheeks, her lips, her chin, everywhere he could reach, as if he couldn't believe she was real.

"River," he breathed between kisses, his voice breaking. "My River."

"Back up," Dr. Keller ordered, attempting to shoulder between them. "I need to finish my examination. You do want her to live, right?"

River's weak laugh turned into a cough as tears streamed down her face.

Ares growled but pulled back. He moved around to the other side of the bed and took her free hand, standing opposite Apollo, both her mates flanking her like protective sentinels.

Dr. Keller looked between them with exasperation, shaking her head as she turned back to her medical supplies. "Alpha males," she muttered under her breath. "Biggest babies in the animal kingdom."

"I heard that," Ares growled, though his eyes never left River's face.

"Good," Dr. Keller retorted. "Now stay out of my way while I check on your mate."

She pulled out a small device shaped kind of like a microphone and attached the cord to a laptop sitting on the nightstand.

She squeezed gel onto River's stomach, the coolness making River flinch slightly.

As Dr. Keller depressed the wand against her abdomen, the room fell silent except for the steady beep of the heart monitor.

River held her breath. Please, goddess, let my baby be okay.

A moment passed, and then another, as Dr. Keller moved the wand in one direction, the other, and then back again, her face never straying from the laptop screen.

"Figures.” Dr. Keller shook her head and snorted.

"What?" Ares and Apollo asked together.

"Twins," said Dr. Keller.

"Twins?" River asked. "As in, two babies?"

Dr. Keller nodded. "That's what 'twins' means."

Cherry growled and looked at the doctor. "No one in this room is allowed to be a bigger bitch than me. Especially to my daughter."

Dr. Keller raised an eyebrow at Cherry but didn't flinch as she turned back to the monitor.

River hadn't even noticed her mom enter. She looked over at her mom and smiled. Her mom smiled back.

River looked at Apollo and then Ares. "One for each of you."

"No," said Apollo.

"Two for both of us," Ares finished.

Both of her mates covered her in kisses again, whispering to her about their love and never letting her be endangered again. River's heart squeezed. She wanted nothing more than to climb into an enormous bed with both of them and be smothered by their strong arms.

"Well," the doctor finally said, "Everything looks normal. Babies are fine. We just need to get River back on the mend. The babies will take from her what they need, so we need to get ahead of them and nourish her back to health swiftly. She needs blood-"

"Take mine." Cherry stripped down to her tank top and moved toward the bed without being asked. "We have the same type."

Dr. Keller directed Cherry to sit in a chair beside River's bed. "This won't take long, but you might feel lightheaded afterward."