Page 9

At the far end of the library, Titan opened double doors into what she could only call a gamer's room.

Giant screens, luxury gaming chairs, headsets, speakers, you name it, all lined the room.

Several males sat on a comfortable-looking leather couch playing a racing game on the biggest TV screen she'd ever seen.

She couldn't imagine the price tag on all the equipment.

But more than that… it all seemed so normal.

Like a group of roommates living together and sharing the expenses of a large house.

As if they hadn't gone out and slaughtered people a week ago.

As if they weren't plotting to overthrow kings.

Just… stupid twenty-somethings having a beer and gaming all day.

Titan watched her as she inspected the room. One of the males spotted them and hit the one next to him. Suddenly, the group all dropped their controllers, took off their headphones, and bowed to her.

"Luna," they all said.

River looked at them for a moment and recognized two of them. They'd been in the tunnel with Titan. They'd attacked the Alphas.

Her wolf snarled.

She took half a step forward, her teeth bared, but Titan moved in her way.

"Move." She shoved at him, but damn if he wasn't as hard and big as her mates.

"River-"

She shoved his torso again. "They attacked my ceremony."

He nodded. "They did."

"They deserve to pay for it."

He cocked an eyebrow and made a gesture with his hand, and the TV turned off.

"Jameson, come here."

One of the men she recognized stopped a step behind Titan.

"Where are you from, Jameson?"

"Washington, Highness."

"How long has it been since you were kicked out of your pack?" Titan's gaze never left hers.

"Five years, six months, and two days, Highness."

"And why were you kicked out?"

Jameson's eyes widened, and then he swallowed hard as he clenched his fists. "The Alpha's son raped my sister. So I beat him."

"Did his son survive?"

"Yes."

"And your sister?"

A low whine escaped Jameson. "She was forced to mate him."

River gasped without meaning to. How the hell could that happen? What kind of monsters would do that?

"Was the Alpha's son at the mating ceremony?"

"Yes," Jameson growled.

"Was his mate?"

"Yes."

"Where is that Alpha's son now?"

"In the ground."

"And where is your sister?"

"Upstairs in my room. She hasn't left it since I brought her here. She's too afraid that he isn't dead and he will find her."

Titan's eyes hardened.

Her throat dried, and she searched for words.

"Thank you, Jameson," said Titan. "I appreciate you sharing your story with my Luna." Then Titan tore his gaze from hers and turned to Jameson. "Please let me know when your sister is ready to see Dr. Higginson, and we will send for her."

Jameson bowed. "Thank you, Highness."

Titan nodded to the gamers, and they each returned to the couch, turning the TV back on.

Titan ushered her toward another door.

"Who's Dr. Higginson?"

"A psychiatrist who has been helping the rogues deal with their trauma."

He opened a swinging door which led into a spacious kitchen.

She wanted to ask if he'd ever talked to Dr. Higginson about his trauma, but she already knew the answer. No one who had dealt with their trauma would do what Titan had done.

At the counter, half a dozen more rogues ate and chatted. They bowed the same as everyone else. All except one. In the corner, at a table with a laptop open and dozens and dozens of guns, sat Kane. He glanced up from his laptop and sneered before going back to it.

"This is River Whitetail, my Luna. You will give her the same respect you give me. All of you."

Kane looked up again, and his gaze locked with Titan, and for a moment, nothing happened, but then Kane inclined his head.

"Please continue eating," said River. "I don't need you to bow to me every time I enter a room."

"You may not need it," said Titan. "But they will do it out of respect anyway,"

The rogues nodded, and she and Titan headed through the kitchen toward Kane.

He stiffened as they drew closer.

"How goes it?" Titan asked.

Kane's gaze flicked to hers and then back. "We're short."

"How many?"

"Twenty."

Titan nodded. "Reach out to Rodolpho. See what he's got in stock."

Kane nodded and went back to his computer.

Guns? They had guns? And what did he mean by, short? They had dozens on the table, which meant they had more elsewhere. Her heartbeat kicked up at the thought of those guns being used on her loved ones. But… they hadn't carried any guns when they'd attacked before. So what were they for then?

River turned to the back windows that overlooked the expansive yard, and her wolf whined.

"I need fresh air," she blurted.

Titan nodded. "Of course."

They walked toward a back door, and when River looked over her shoulder, everyone in the room was staring at her.

Her skin prickled. She didn't like being watched, especially by Kane. The other rogues she could handle with a simple command, but Kane… she didn't know about.

All thoughts fled from her mind like a deer from a hunter, the moment she exited the house, and her entire body relaxed.

She stopped, frozen on the expansive wrap-around balcony, just taking in the scents of the outdoors.

Trees, dirt, flowers, fertilizer, water.

Her body flooded with so many emotions, she couldn't catch them all.

Happiness, joy, excitement, longing, sadness, anger.

All of them mixed like a volatile cocktail, and she had to stop herself from either screaming or crying.

Memories surfaced of being in the woods with Apollo. For a moment, she let her memories flood her. Running. Chasing. Sleeping out under the sky together. His passionate kisses. The hard lines of his body pressed into hers. Emotions bubbled up, threatening to drown her.

No. She would not cry. Would not show weakness. She had to keep it together. Showing weakness would be worse than anything in Titan's pack. They'd eat her alive if they spotted weakness, especially with her being pregnant.

She gazed at the enormous yard. Several medium-sized guest houses, a bright blue pool, and a few smaller units lined the property.

Titan moved to her side. "Would you like to go down and walk around?"

She swallowed hard. If she agreed too fast, he would think something was up, but she wanted nothing more than to sink her toes into the grass.

"If you want to go down, that would be fine," she said as neutrally as possible.

The corner of his mouth quirked up.

"What?"

"You can say you want to go down. Agreeing with me on something won't mean I think you suddenly like me or anything."

She scowled at him, and he chuckled and shook his head.

He pointed to the left. "The stairs are over there. Feel free to head down. I'll join you in a moment."

She narrowed her eyes. "You aren't going to guard me? You trust me not to run?"

He shrugged. "You could try, but you can't leave our property unless you go out the front gate, and you can't get out without permission and a code.

Or if you scale a ten-foot-high wall topped with razor wire.

Not that there's anywhere for you to go.

Feel free to test the theory if you're so inclined. "

"If I can't get out, why keep me locked in the basement?"

"For safety."

"Afraid I'm going to try and fight my way out?"

"Well, I've seen you with a knife. You are pretty impressive, but no. It's not because I'm afraid you might fight, it's because I'm afraid of how many males I will have to kill to keep you from them."

"You afraid someone will bite me without permission?" she challenged.

His eyes turned black, but then they went back to normal. He gritted his teeth. "Something like that. You don't even have a potato peeler this time."

"You could give me one."

He nodded. "I think not, Princess."

She shrugged and turned from him, heading for the stairs. "Then whatever happens to me will be your fault."

He didn't say anything as she headed to the balcony's edge and marched down the stairs. She half expected him to follow her, but he didn't, surprisingly. Guess he really didn't think she'd be able to escape.

She hit the grass below and sighed in relief. The past week, cooped up, floated away as her bare feet sank into the grass, and she sucked in a breath. Her wolf lifted her head and sniffed the air. Being outside stirred her wolf, who stood for the first time since arriving.

Run.

River scanned the area. I don't think I can right now.

Run. Escape. Apollo. Ares.

Yes. Apollo and Ares. I want to be with them, too, but we have to be smart. We'll look around. See if there are any ways out, but not now. Not our first time out. We have to let him think we aren't going to bolt. Otherwise, he will put us back in that room, and we'll never be free.

River's wolf grumbled.

River didn't like it either, but it was the truth. River needed Titan to at least think she wouldn't try anything. River sat on the ground and let the cool grass and soil soak into her limbs through her clothes.

She doubted Titan would believe she'd stay with him after everything he'd done, but if he hadn't believed it, he never would have brought her there, would he?

So some part of him had to think, or at least hope, she would stay.

And that belief, that hope, she could work with.

She could use that. Not that she'd ever been good at trying to be coy or lying to people.

It was the curse of being Cherry's daughter.

Her mom had always told her to speak her mind, and damn the consequences of what other people thought.

But Cherry's advice wouldn't help her in this situation.

In this situation, she needed to channel her father and Strider.

She needed to be observant and collected.

Then, and only then, would she be able to find her way out of the mess she'd gotten into.

"Enjoying yourself?"

River's head whipped up, and her wolf roared.