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CHAPTER SEVEN

RIVER

R iver scanned the list for the fifth time to make sure she didn't recognize any more than one of the names. Bennett. They'd killed Bennett. And as much as her heart ached from the knowledge, a part of her was relieved her family's names weren't on there. As well as Ares and Apollo.

"Satisfied?" Titan asked from where he lounged casually against the door.

His blond hair hung down, covering one bright blue eye, and his T-shirt pulled tight over muscles she would usually admire on any other man.

Hell, before Ares and Apollo, she might have even had a one-night stand with him, but good looks were deceiving. Especially his.

"Why would I be satisfied knowing so many people were murdered for no reason?"

His jaw tightened. "There was a damn good reason."

She snorted. "Right, so you could take me."

"To send a message."

"What message, you're all murderers?"

Her wolf bristled. Don't Like.

Titan growled. "To tell the Alphas and my little half-brothers that we mean business. We won't be ignored anymore, and we won't be mistreated."

"And you had to murder to do that?"

"Yes."

River's wolf growled. River glared at Titan, trying to figure out whether or not to ask her next question.

"I don't know where your mother is, or your sister and stepdad. They, as well as Ares and Apollo, haven't been seen since the attack," he said as if reading her thoughts.

They needed medical attention for sure. River could only assume they were in hiding somewhere, recuperating. She wished more than anything to hear their voices and know for herself that they were okay.

A knock sounded on the door, and Titan opened it. A man stood on the other side holding two plastic bags. A sense of familiarity raced over her. She knew him. Knew his face, but his eyes were… different. Hard. Angry. A memory flashed into her mind of kinder eyes. Smiling and joking.

His gaze met hers and widened.

Austin. His name was Austin. She opened her mouth to say something when Titan took the bags from him and shut the door in his face.

"That was rude. I know him," she said.

Titan walked to the bed and handed her the bags. "Do you?"

"Yes. He was in our pack. He left about six or seven years ago. What's he doing here?"

"Same as the rest of us. We were kicked out. He had nowhere to go. So, he found their way to me."

"What do you mean kicked out?" River hadn't really known Austin, but he was a decent guy. Solid, kind, funny.

"Are you that na?ve? How could you not know what has been happening?"

"Because I was never really part of the pack. My mom kept me separate, and I never fit in. I had nothing to do with pack politics or anything else except to keep my head down and help when asked."

Titan chewed his lip. "I'll wait for you outside. You can put on clean clothes, and then I'll take you around. You won't be keeping your head down while in my pack. You are strong, and we need your strength to help pave the way for a new future for Lycans and shifters."

"And what if I don't want anything to do with paving the way to a new future with you?"

"Then you are welcome to warm my bed while I do it."

A bark of laughter escaped River. "I'd rather bite through my tongue and eat it ."

An eerie smile spread across his face. "We shall see, my Luna." He walked out.

Her wolf snarled. Not him.

What was with Titan? One minute he was a total asshole, and the next he was asking her to give him a shot. She couldn't pinpoint what his game was, but she had to find out if she wanted to escape.

River emerged from her room several minutes later, dressed in a velour pink lounge outfit.

She couldn't remember a time when she'd worn pink before, but it was the largest of all the clothing.

Luckily, they'd brought her sports bras and white cotton underwear, so though she had no desire to wear anything Titan had gotten her, at least it was comfortable.

Titan looked her up and down and then held out his hand for her. She shoved her hands in her pockets, and he started up the dark staircase.

River glanced around. A hall ran down to her right, and stairs lay straight ahead with a locked door at the top. That was it. The walls were bare white, and the floors cement, as if it were a fake set on a TV show. It surprised her how much effort he'd put into making her room look so normal.

"Coming?" he asked from the top of the stairs.

River sighed and started up the stairs. "Do I have a choice?"

Her stomach cramped and growled, and she coughed to try to cover the sound.

Come on. Not now. Keep it together for just an hour, will ya?

She'd chugged a cola, but it wasn't enough to satisfy her hunger.

Nothing was though, so she wasn't about to risk eating something and puking in front of everyone.

That would raise more questions than simply refusing to eat.

Not eating, she could explain away. Vomiting not so much.

She popped a small butter mint into her mouth and sucked on it, letting it dissolve.

She stopped a step below Titan, and he pulled out a key ring and unlocked the door. Natural light flooded the stairwell, and River shielded her eyes. How many days had it been since she'd seen real sunlight? Sure, there was a fake window with simulated light, but it was nothing like real sunlight.

Her wolf whined and lifted her head, but couldn't do more than that.

Don't worry, girl, I'll let you out when the time is right. For now, let's enjoy the sunshine and air.

Her wolf grumbled.

Titan stepped to the side, allowing River to exit. A dozen locks adorned the outside of the heavy metal door.

She glanced around the hallway, surprised by its grandeur. She wasn't sure what kind of house she'd expected Titan to live in, but this was not it.

Rooms shot off in both directions. The house was decorated in whites and creams. White wainscoting, cream wallpaper, contemporary furniture, light colored flower arrangements. It looked so… normal. Elegant. It reminded her of her mating ceremony, and her heart squeezed.

Wait… She looked around again, taking better stock of the setup. It… it was the same configuration as Ares and Apollo's house. A chill ran through her.

"Come on," said Titan. "I want you to meet some people."

She didn't say anything, but when he placed his palm on her back to lead her, she shrugged out of his reach as her wolf gnashed her teeth.

"This way." He motioned for her to walk in front of him.

She didn't know if it was because he was afraid she might make a run for it, or if he feared she might stab him in the back. Either scenario was possible.

They walked down the hallway toward the grand entrance, and again, it had the same glass windows on either side of the front door as the estate did.

The idea that the house had been an exact duplicate of Ares and Apollo's home gave her a strange feeling, as well as a glimpse into Titan's mother's mental state and why Titan had never been able to let go of the past. How could you when you lived in a house whose construction reminded you every single day of where you weren't?

Several men stood around talking and smoking. A large gravel driveway stretched as far as she could see down to a thick tree line, which cut the house off from any street.

When they rounded a monumental staircase, Titan turned left, and they walked to double French doors that led into a grand library or something.

All around, men and a few women read or talked on their phones, but every single one stopped when she entered with Titan.

They all bowed their heads as her gaze traced over them to see if she recognized anyone.

She didn't. Their scents washed over her, reminding her of her old pack.

For a moment, a sense of longing rushed through her at the nostalgia the scents brought.

But then she remembered what had forced her to leave that pack, and her gut clenched.

"This is my Luna, River Whitetail," Titan announced.

They bowed their heads until River grew uncomfortable.

"Tell them to stop," she said.

Titan looked at her. "You tell them. They're your pack, too."

River's gut clenched, but he was right. As High Luna and mate to Ares and Apollo, they were her people.

"That's enough," she commanded.

They lifted their heads to look at her, and she felt like she should say something profound, but the only thing she could think to say was, "Thank you for your welcome."

The wolves didn't move.

"Please go back to what you were doing."

Slowly, they returned to what they'd been doing before she entered, even though they still stole glances at her.

"This is the den," said Titan. "As you can see, we have a great many books as well as computers and anything else wolves might need."

River nodded, and Titan ushered her forward. Computers. Many computers. And every wolf had a cellphone. She cataloged the information for future use.

As she wove between couches, chairs, and tables, she didn't miss the fact that the wolves would lift their heads to sniff her as she passed.

She wondered what they smelled. Or if they smelled nothing like others on suppressors.

Suppressors... most of the rogues in the house were on suppressors, she realized.

Did that mean only the ones who left used suppressors?

Because the ones who had attacked in New York, the woods, and at the ceremony had all been on suppressors.