Page 6

CHAPTER FIVE

RIVER

R iver's stomach roiled as footsteps stomped down the stairs toward her door again. She'd had it with Titan coming and going from her room at will.

She squeezed her eyes shut and blew out a breath, trying to calm her wolf.

The longer she was awake and away from Ares and Apollo, the more feral her wolf became- even if she couldn't do anything about it because of the drugs.

It was only a matter of time before her wolf tried to get out and attack Titan, even if she couldn't fully transform.

But that wasn't her primary concern. Her biggest concern was keeping Titan from finding out about her baby. And the constant nausea didn't help.

Her wolf whimpered.

A lock clicked on the door, and metal scraped against metal before another lock undid itself.

She clenched her jaw and gripped the blanket covering her. She hated that she'd given in to lying in the bed Titan had provided her, but her hips could not take the cement any longer.

The door creaked open and then closed again. She breathed as evenly as possible, but when bile rose in her throat and she had to swallow it down, there was no hiding the fact that she wasn't sleeping.

"You haven't eaten," Titan said.

She tried, oh, she had tried.

"You need to eat, my Luna, otherwise you'll end up sick."

She didn't reply, but her wolf snarled at being called 'his Luna'.

Not his. Never his.

Titan sighed, and the chair at the table scraped against the floor.

"At least you bathed. That must make you feel somewhat better."

Again, she stayed silent.

"River, you can't stay in here and sleep your life away."

"Says who?"

"Me."

She opened her eyes and glared at him as her wolf growled. "You have no say over what I do."

"I do. I am your mate. Your Alpha and I say you need to eat and get used to your new home."

Her gaze flickered Omega golden, but she couldn't hold it. "First, I don't have to do shit. Second, you are not my mate or my Alpha, so I refer back to my first statement. Third, even if you were either of those things to me, I still don't have to do shit, I'm an Omega."

His eyes went Alpha gold, but she refused to look away. She didn't know how long they both fought for control before his eyes went black and then golden again.

Finally, he looked away.

Her wolf chuffed. Weak male .

"I'm thirsty," she said.

He got to his feet like an obedient pup. "What would you like?"

The eager expression on his face told her she'd made a mistake. To wolves, providing for someone was a sign of affection and respect. She didn't want him to take it that way, but if she didn't at least put something in her body, she was pretty sure she'd pass out.

"Cola. A twenty-four pack."

He chuckled but stopped. "You're serious."

"You should know about my love of soda, you've watched me long enough."

His smile fell.

"Also, if you are going to keep me in here, I want a refrigerator. Warm soda is gross."

"I had hoped that you'd join me in my rooms."

She blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Of course."

She barked out a laugh. "Let me understand this.

You attack me, bite me without consent, and I reject you.

Then, four years later, you attack me again, as well as one of my fated mates.

Two weeks later, your men attack me, shoot, and almost kill me.

And then at my mating ceremony with Apollo and Ares, you try to murder not only my fated mates but also my mother and father, my Alpha, and all the other people there.

You kidnap me, and you seriously think I am going to wake up from being kidnapped and fall into your arms? Are you insane or stupid?"

He growled. "Those Alphas got what they deserved."

"They deserved to die? And what about their mates? They deserved to die as well?"

"Yes," he snapped. "My pack, my brothers and sisters upstairs, are rogues because of those Alphas.

Unjustly kicked out under the pretext of being too old and still unmated.

Do you think that's insane or stupid? A lot of them weren't even kicked out because of age; they were kicked out because they threatened the secure little lives those Alphas had made for themselves.

Because they were deemed not worthy to be in their packs, or because they ended up being the fated mate of someone that the Alpha disapproved of.

So you tell me, did they deserve it? Did those Alphas deserve to see what they had done to good Lycans and shifters who were tossed out of their packs and families?

Of everything they'd ever known? Thrown away like trash, never to be acknowledged again? "

Titan's eyes had gone completely black, and his nails and fangs had lengthened. Rage shook his frame.

River didn't know how to answer. She'd always thought that how Alphas exiled wolves for age or no good reason was wrong. But did they and their Lunas deserve to die for it? Lunas didn't even have a say about who was exiled.

The more she peered at him, the more she wondered if he was using the rogues as an excuse to enact his revenge on the ones he deemed responsible for his own exile.

Apollo and Ares. But they hadn't been the ones to send him away; their father had.

In a blink, Titan's nails and fangs retracted.

He took a breath and said, "A refrigerator stocked with soda. Is there anything else?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I suppose not." Without another word, he opened the door.

A memory sprang to the forefront. "Actually, I do have other things I need."

His grip tightened on the doorknob.

"Candy."

He looked over his shoulder at her. "Candy."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he nodded.

"Any special requests?"

"Peppermint patties. Lots of them. And those mint pillow things. Butter mints."

"Anything not mint?"

If she didn't say something else, he might become suspicious. "Gourmet chocolates. Expensive ones. Toffee and caramels. And bags of red licorice."

"Maybe I should kidnap Willy Wonka."

"I wouldn't put it past you."

He growled and told someone on the other side to make a list before the door slammed behind him.

She'd almost blown it by asking for all the mint candies.

But she needed them in hopes that the mint might help settle her nausea.

Back in her pack, the Luna had used a lot of herbs she grew or found to help people out.

And she remembered the Luna bringing her some mint tea when she had the flu once.

Besides, if the food was where he was putting the blockers, she had to eat, even a mouthful was better than just soda.

River looked at the door and wondered who was out there and if it was Vanessa.

Her wolf roared.

If River got her talons on Vanessa, that bitch was dead.

It had taken her several days to remember everything that had happened when she'd been taken, and when she had remembered, it had been Vanessa who had stuck her with the syringe.

She'd decided that if she ever saw the bitch again, Vanessa was as good as dead.

An hour later, River's door opened again, and a man walked in backward carrying a significant black something. He turned sideways, and Titan entered carrying the other end. A refrigerator.

They walked toward the kitchenette, and the man she didn't recognize dropped his end.

"I'll put this in place and hook it in," he said.

Titan nodded and headed out of the room. The man shimmied the fridge toward the wall and plugged it in. Then he stripped off the plastic and label from it. He opened it and stuck his hand inside before closing it again and tossing the wrap in the trash can.

He turned and looked at her. Large and fair-skinned with light brown eyes and a nose that looked like it had been broken at least once. His right cheek sported a long scar that ran from his forehead down through his eye and cheek to his chin and throat.

Damn! Who had he pissed off?

"Who are you?" she asked.

"No one."

Her wolf growled.

"Okay, No One. You can leave now."

His lip curled, and his eyes narrowed. "I'm not one of your servants, Princess."

"No, I just don't like you in my space."

He snorted. "So this is your space now?"

"Until I leave."

He shook his head.

"What?"

"I never thought my little brother would fall for a girl like you."

Little brother? A girl like her?

"What the hell does that mean?" she growled.

"Haughty. High maintenance. A pampered princess. Basically, you."

Was he joking? She dug her nails into the blanket as they lengthened, and her wolf tried to rise to her feet unsuccessfully.

He snorted. "Just like you're looking at me right now. You see me as scum."

Anger swirled inside her, and she narrowed her eyes. "All I see is an asshole."

"See, scum."

"Scum is someone you think you're better than. Being an asshole is a personality defect. I don't think I'm better than you, but I do think you are an asshole. That's on you, not me."

He snarled. "You don't belong here."

She gave him a mocking smile. "Agreed. How about you walk me out?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but the door opened again, and Titan sauntered in holding twenty-four packs of soda and several plastic bags. He looked at the man and then at River, and growled.

"Leave."

The man inclined his head and shot River a sideways glare before stalking out.

Titan took the soda to the fridge and stuck it inside. He paused for a moment and then turned to her.

"What did he say to you?"

"Who is he?"

Titan blew out a breath. "Kane."

"He said he is your brother."

"He's as much my brother as Bianca is your sister."

River snapped at the mention of her sister. "You stay the hell away from her."

"I will as long as she doesn't get in my way."

River leapt off the bed in an instant. She glowered at him, her Omega gaze going golden. She fought with everything she had to keep her stare golden and on her feet at the same time, but it wouldn't last long.

"You touch one hair on my sister, and you won't have to worry about Apollo and Ares, I'll rip your guts out myself."

She leveled her gaze on him until he turned from her and dropped the bags on the counter.

"I won't touch your sister."

"Swear that no one will touch my sister."

He let out a small laugh. "Don't trust me?"

"Not a single ounce. Swear it."

He turned, and his lips drew into a thin line, and then he licked them and crossed his arms. "Fine. I swear no harm will come to your little sister."

"From you or anyone else."

"I can't promise that."

She bared her teeth even though she couldn't produce her fangs. Hell, she'd rip him apart with her human teeth if she had to. Every muscle tensed, ready to attack.

"I promise I, nor any of my pack, will harm her."

Her wolf tried to stand, but couldn't because of whatever cocktail of drugs Titan was giving her.

"Now I want you to do something for me," he said.

"No."

He ground his teeth together. "I want to show you why I'm doing what I'm doing."

"You already told me why."

"Yes, but I want you to see why."

River had no interest in anything Titan wanted, but showing her meant that she would at least leave the room.

Maybe see the house and the grounds. Perhaps she'd discover something that would tell her where she was.

Or a flaw in their security, she could exploit.

She couldn't keep sitting around doing nothing to help herself and her baby.

"On one condition."

He chuckled. "That's not how this works, sweetheart. I already gave you something."

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

He sighed. "What do you want now?"

"I want to know who is alive and who's dead."

His eyebrows drew together. "What?"

"From the attack. I want to know who is alive and who is dead."

"How would I know that?"

She shrugged and walked to the bed. "You get me that information, the real information, and not made-up crap, and I'll go with you.

That is, if my mom, stepdad, and sister are okay.

" She wanted to include Ares and Apollo, but didn't want to push him too far.

Besides, she'd said she wanted to know everyone who had died, so she assumed he would tell her about them anyway.

His jaw worked hard, and then he nodded. "All right."

He headed toward the door.

"And," she said.

"Yes?" Irritation laced his voice, though he kept his face impassive.

"I want a television."

"Fair enough."

He headed toward the door.

"One more thing."

He didn't turn.

"I need clothes. Sweats, lounge suits, underwear, socks, pajamas, comfortable stuff."

"What size?"

"Medium, large. I'm not picky. But nothing cheap or scratchy."

She hoped he got more mediums than larges. She didn't know if a large would even stay on her body, but the bigger the clothes, the better. The more she could hide her changing figure, the safer.

"Wow. I had no idea the twins could spoil you so badly in such a short amount of time."

"You can always send me back."

He looked as if he might say something, but instead turned and left.

The door locked, and she waited before going to the fridge, ripping open the cardboard packaging, and grabbing a cola.

She sank to the floor and chugged it. The soda burned as it slid down to her stomach.

She burped and then curled in a ball, allowing the semi-cool air from the fridge to wash over her as she battled to keep the liquid down.

It tried to make a reappearance several times, but she managed to prevent it from resurfacing.

Finally, her stomach settled, and her wolf sighed and laid down to rest. River stayed there for several more minutes before getting to her knees, grabbing another can of soda, kicking the door shut, and crawling to the bed.

She hauled herself up on it and melted into the foam. The interaction with Titan swam in her mind.

One thing was certain. If he came back with that list and her mom's name, or Strider's or Bianca's, Apollo's, or Ares' names were on it, she would disembowel Titan. She didn't know how, but she would- even if it killed her in the process.