Page 45 of Alpha Queen (Lycan King Wars #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

KANE

K ane stared out the front window of Titan's office, watching as yet another Alpha tested the compound's defenses.

The electric fence sparked violently as claws scraped against it, illuminating the face of a wolf Kane recognized from the Southeastern territory.

Behind him stood at least two dozen more, all waiting for the order.

"That's the third attempt in an hour," Vanessa observed, her voice unnaturally calm given their situation. "The security system won't hold much longer."

Kane nodded grimly. The compound had been designed to withstand attacks, but not from this many Alphas at once.

Not from what appeared to be every major pack leader in North America.

It had become apparent hours ago that the wolves could have overrun the compound any time they wanted, but they weren't. Which meant one thing- someone had told them they weren't allowed to attack yet.

"How many are ready to leave?" Kane asked, turning from the window.

"Twenty-three," Vanessa said. "Mostly the younger ones. Or the ones with someone they are looking after. The rest..." She gestured vaguely toward the main hall where nearly sixty rogues had gathered. "They want to fight."

"They'll die."

"They know that." Vanessa moved closer, her bright eyes studying his face. "But they believe in what Titan started. Or at least, what he promised."

Kane ran a hand over his face, the dried blood from his earlier confrontation cracked at his touch. "So did I. Once."

A commotion from the hallway drew their attention. Two guards appeared, half-dragging a third between them. Blood soaked through the wounded man's shirt, spreading across his abdomen in a crimson stain.

"What happened?" Kane demanded.

"Alpha from the Western Pack," one of the guards explained, helping lower the injured man to a chair. "He found a weak spot in the fence. Joryn intercepted him, but..."

"But he's an Alpha, and I'm not," Joryn finished through gritted teeth, his face pale with pain. "He would have killed me if Ramirez hadn't pulled me back."

Kane cursed under his breath. It was starting already. The perimeter was failing, and soon the compound would be overrun with vengeful Alphas hunting for Titan and anyone who stood with him, whether the ones in charge told them to or not.

"We need to evacuate now," Vanessa urged. "While we still can."

Kane shook his head. "They've surrounded us. I don't even know how we'd get everyone out now."

Dammit. He shouldn't have waited for Titan. He should have started getting people out as soon as they found out River was gone.

His wolf growled. No run. Fight.

We fight, we die, idiot.

"The tunnels," said Vanessa.

"Won't get us far enough," Kane interrupted. "And they'll hunt down every last one of us as soon as they figure out we're gone."

Vanessa's perfectly composed facade cracked slightly, revealing fear. "Then what do we do?"

Kane stared at the wounded rogue, and the blood pooling under his chair, at the faces of the guards who looked to him for leadership now that Titan was incapacitated.

These weren't hardened criminals or bloodthirsty killers.

They were outcasts. Wolves rejected by their packs.

If they ran, they died. If they stayed, they died. There was only one choice left...

"We negotiate," Kane said, the words sounding strange on his tongue. He'd always been a fighter, not a diplomat.

Vanessa stared at him. "With who? The Alphas out there want our heads."

"Not with them," Kane replied. "With the kings."

"The kings?" Vanessa laughed. "They're the last people who would listen to us. We kidnapped their mate."

Kane shook his head. "Titan kidnapped their mate. And now Titan is unconscious, and I'm in charge." He paced the length of the office, his mind racing. "River is likely with them now. They'll be focused on her safety, not revenge."

"You're delusional," Vanessa said, but there was a hint of consideration in her voice. "They'll never agree to talk."

"They might," Kane insisted. "If we offer them what they want."

"And what's that?"

"Titan." The word hung in the air between them. "In exchange, we ask for amnesty for the others. The ones who weren't directly involved in River's kidnapping."

Vanessa's eyes widened slightly. "You'd betray him?"

"He betrayed us first when he abandoned our cause for his obsession with River. When he chose greed over equality."

"Even if I agreed," Vanessa said, "how would we contact them? It's not like we can walk up to the fence and ask to speak with the kings."

"You have connections. People who owe you favors. Call one."

Vanessa's perfectly sculpted eyebrows rose in surprise. "What makes you think I know someone?"

"Because you know everyone," Kane replied flatly. "It's what you do. Information is your currency."

For a moment, Vanessa looked like she might deny it, but then her shoulders slumped. "I might know someone. But Kane," her voice softened, "even if I can reach them, there's no guarantee they'll listen."

"We have to try," Kane insisted. "For them." He gestured toward the door, beyond which dozens of rogues waited, some preparing for war, others holding on with desperate hope. "We owe them that much."

Vanessa studied him for a long moment. "I don't owe them anything but..." She nodded. "Fine." Without another word, she pulled out a slim phone from her pants. Not the one Kane had seen her with. A different one. She scrolled through contacts, her finger hovering over a name.

"Who are you calling?" Kane asked.

She pinched her brow and scrunched up her face as if contemplating. "Someone who owes me a favor."

She dialed a number and turned away, keeping her voice low as she spoke into the phone. The conversation was brief, mainly consisting of one-word responses from Vanessa and long pauses as she listened.

When she ended the call, she turned back to Kane, her expression unreadable. "They'll call back in five minutes. On this phone." She handed it to him. "It will be Ares."

Kane took the phone, feeling its weight in his palm like a ticking bomb. "And they agreed to this? Just like that?"

"I called in a significant favor." Vanessa avoided his gaze. "One I've been saving for an emergency. I'd say trying to remain alive qualifies."

The five minutes stretched interminably as Kane paced the office. The sounds of conflict grew louder on the other side of the fence. Shouting, and something crashed against the perimeter fence. The crackle of electricity zapped through the air as another Alpha tested the perimeter.

When the phone finally rang, Kane answered it with steady hands despite the chaos in his mind.

"This is Kane."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't tear your throat out personally," Ares Wolvenguard's voice growled through the speaker.

"Because I want to end this without more bloodshed, your Majesty."

"You helped kidnap my mate," Ares snarled. "You helped keep her prisoner."

"I know," Kane acknowledged, keeping his voice level. "And I will face whatever consequences come from that. But there are innocent wolves here who had nothing to do with River's abduction. They don't deserve to die for Titan's obsession. They've already been through enough."

"They sided against us. That's not innocent."

"They didn't side against you. They were looking for a pack. A home. We gave them that when no one else would."

Silence stretched for several seconds.

"Did you find her? The High Luna?" Kane asked, already knowing the answer but needing confirmation.

"Yes," Ares bit out, his voice still hard but fractionally less murderous.

"Is she okay?"

"She's safe. Not uninjured, but safe."

"Good," Kane said sincerely. "I'm glad. Please tell her that 'the asshole' says he's sorry I couldn't do more to help her."

Another pause, then Ares spoke again, his voice slightly less hostile. "What are you proposing?"

"We surrender Titan to you. He's unconscious and subdued. In exchange, I ask for amnesty for those not directly involved in the High Luna's kidnapping. An opportunity for them to plead their cases individually."

"And why would I agree to that?" Ares demanded. "I could wait until the compound's defenses fail and take everyone."

"Because it would mean less bloodshed on both sides. Your Alphas would win, eventually, but at what cost? And…"

"And?"

"Because I believe the High Luna wouldn't want that."

"What makes you think you know anything about my mate?"

Kane's wolf bristled and paced.

Kane had to tread lightly. "In the few small interactions I had with her, I could tell she is a good and generous Luna who cares for all the wolves.

She met several of them, even one from her former pack.

I believe she wants the rogues to have what we want for ourselves.

To be treated fairly. Not like second-class citizens.

We aren't asking to be treated better than everyone else, just the same as everyone else. "

Another long pause. Kane heard muffled voices on the other end of the line. Ares spoke to someone. A low voice sounded through the phone, and then River's unmistakable lighter timber.

Strangely, Kane's chest squeezed at knowing she was okay. Until that moment, he'd seen River's kidnapping as a horrible mistake, but maybe, just maybe, some good would come out of it for the rogues after all.

"How do I know this isn't a trap?" Ares asked.

"You don't," Kane said. "But I'm out of options, and your Alphas are breaching our perimeter as we speak. This is my last attempt to save lives on both sides. But you tell the High Luna the ‘asshole’ gives his word."

The phone crackled as Ares said something to the people in the room.

River chuckled, and her light voice rang through the line. "If Kane gives his word, he means it. Tell him, 'the Pampered Princess' gives her word as well."