Page 59 of Alpha Queen
Kane stood his ground, his face grim. "I'm not questioning you, Titan. I'm trying to protect you from yourself. This obsession with River is clouding your judgment. Making you reckless."
Kill him. Force him to submit.
Shut it.
"Reckless?" Titan snarled, advancing on Kane. "I've never been more focused in my life. Everything we've done, every move we've made, has led to this moment. And now you want to back out?"
Kane shook his head slowly. "I'm not backing out. But forcing yourself on her... that's a line I can't let you cross. It goes against everything we stand for."
Titan's laugh came out harsh and bitter. "Everything we stand for? We're rogues, Kane. Outcasts. We make our own rules."
"There are some rules that shouldn't be broken," Kane said. "Some lines that, once crossed, you can never come back from. Just ask that tortured girl upstairs who we promised to protect. We promised not to let the same thing happen to another female under our watch. Was that a lie?"
For a moment, Titan became conflicted. He had promised her, but this was different. River was his mate. His.
Mine. Take. Mark.
Titan's wolf spurred him on. He grabbed Kane by his shirt, yanking on him. "You're either with me or against me. There is no middle ground."
Kane's face remained impassive. "I've always been with you, brother. But this... this isn't you. The Titan I know wouldn't even consider-"
"The Titan you knew is exactly who I am. I've been weak for far too long. Now I understand, though. I understand why my mother did what she did. She did it for me. For us. All of us. And it's time I repay her for it."
"Then you'll have to do it without me."
Titan's grip tightened, and his wolf roared to be let out. To rip out Kane's throat. "You'd betray me? After everything?"
"It's not betrayal to try and save someone you care about from themselves. If you go through with this, if you force yourself on River... then you're no better than the monsters we've been against all these years."
Titan's fangs burst into his mouth, and his claws lengthened, tearing through Kane's shirt.
Do it. Kill. Make him submit. We are Alpha. We are King.
Titan shoved Kane away. "Get out," he growled. "Get out before I do something we'll both regret."
Kane straightened his shirt, his eyes locked on Titan's face. "Think about what you're doing, brother. There's still time to stop."
Titan turned away and gripped his desk. "Go."
As Kane's footsteps faded down the hallway, Titan stood alone in the room, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Part of him knew Kane was right. Forcing himself on River would destroy any chance of ever restoring what little connection endured between them. And yet, the thought of giving her up, of allowing Ares and Apollo to win, sent fury surging through him.
His wolf roared. Take. Claim. Make ours.
Titan raked a hand through his hair and stormed toward the window, staring out at the dark expanse of his lands. The Northern Lights still flickered in the sky, their colors eerie and unnatural against the pitch-black night.
Go. Hunt. Run.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"What?" he barked.
The door creaked open, revealing Vanessa. She slipped inside, her usual confidence tempered by something else, hesitation.
"I heard your… conversation with Kane."
Titan scoffed, turning away from her. "Is that what you've stooped to? Listening at doors now?"
"When you're losing allies left and right, you can't afford to ignore those who are still loyal."
