Page 144 of Alpha Queen
"You okay?" Apollo asked as they stepped out of the SUV.
Ares rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension. "I will be. Soon."
They made their way through the silent church, footsteps echoing off ancient stone walls. The building felt colder than Ares remembered, as if the very structure sensed what was about to occur on its grounds.
Santiago met them at the rear exit, his expression grim. "Everything's ready," he reported. "The Council is waiting."
The group walked into the pre-dawn chill. Behind the church, a small gathering had assembled on a patch of grass that sloped gently toward a line of towering maple trees. The Council members stood in a solemn semicircle, their faces impassive in the dim light.
In the center of the gathering, Titan knelt on the grass, his once-imposing frame broken and battered. Silver chains bound him, the metal hissing against what little blackened skin remained. Zeke, Regan, and Thomas stood guard around him, their faces masks of detachment.
Ares wolf surged forward with such force that he nearly shifted. Only years of iron will kept the beast contained, though his fangs and claws elongated.
Osmodius' jacket billowed in the morning breeze. "Titan Longtooth. You have been found guilty of treason against the Crown, the kidnapping and forced marking of the High Luna, and the deaths of thirty-eight wolves. For these crimes, you have been sentenced to death."
Titan lifted his head, his face a patchwork of bruises and lacerations from the previous day's vengeance. One eye remained swollen shut, but the other burned with defiance.
"Before your sentence is carried out," Osmodius continued, "do you have any final words?"
Titan's gaze swept across the gathering before landing on the twins. "Where is she?" he rasped, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. "Where's River?"
Apollo stepped forward, his eyes cold. "She's already forgotten you. She didn't see the point in coming to witness a dead wolf die."
Fury flashed across Titan's battered face. "She will never forget me," he snarled. "Never. You can kill me, but as long as you all live, you will know that she was mine first. She will always be mine."
Cherry made a sound of disgust from where she stood beside Strider. "You can't be that delusional." She shook her head. "My daughter was never yours."
Titan spat on the ground, blood mixed with saliva darkening the grass. He glared at them but said nothing more.
Osmodius turned to the twins, his eyes solemn. "Kings Ares and Apollo Wolvenguard, it is your right to carry out this sentence as you see fit."
Ares stepped forward, his wolf howling for blood. Every instinct in his body demanded Titan's death, every fiber craved the satisfaction of tearing out the throat of the wolf who had dared touch his mate. His River. His Beloved.
Without a word, Ares removed his clothing. First his jacket, then his tie, each item handed to Apollo with deliberate calm that belied the storm raging within him. As the cool morning air touched his bare skin, Ares closed his eyes, surrendering to the shift.
Bones cracked and reformed, and fur erupted across his skin. Where he stood as a man moments before, his massive black wolf now towered, blazing with primal fury.
Ares padded forward, circling Titan with predatory grace. His lips pulled back in a silent snarl, exposing gleaming fangs as he assessed his prey.
Tear. Bite. Kill.
Titan watched him, a twisted smile forming on his bloodied lips. "Do it," he taunted. "Show everyone what a monster you are. The savage twin. The one they've always feared."
Ares continued his slow circle, ignoring the provocation. His wolf wanted to savor this moment, to make Titan feel the same fear River felt when she was at his mercy.
"What are you waiting for?" Titan goaded, his voice rising. "Too weak to finish what you started? Just like your pathetic father."
Kill.
Not yet.
Ares didn't allow his wolf to strike. His eyes remained fixed on Titan, watching, waiting.
"You know," Titan continued, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper, "I can still taste her. When River kissed me at your ceremony instead of you. And when she kissed me at our home." He purred and closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. "When I bit her that first day... the sweetness of her blood on my tongue. The way she trembled when I touched her-"
The taunt died on his lips as Ares couldn't hold back his wolf a moment longer. He lunged forward with blinding speed. Massive jaws clamped around Titan's throat, fangs sinking deep into flesh and sinew. Titan's scream transformed into a wet gurgle as Ares tore through his windpipe with a savage wrench of his powerful head.
No touch River.
