Page 62 of Alpha Queen
"You created the monster but can no longer control him, huh?"
"Believe me when I say I didn’t create him. But that isn't the point. Look, I don't like you."
"Obviously."
"And you don't like me."
"Truth."
"But even I don't want to see you forced into something that will destroy you both."
She snorted. "You mean mating?"
"That's exactly what I mean."
River stared at him as his meaning sank in, making her gut twist.
"He wouldn't," she whispered. But even as she said it, she knew Kane wouldn't be there unless Titan would.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Kane muttered a curse under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I wanted to fix the system. I thought Titan would do that."
"As long as he listened to you."
"We had a goal. A plan. But you screwed the whole damn thing up."
"You do know I don't want this, right? I don't want any part of it. If you let me go-"
"Then he will kill me and get himself killed trying to get you back."
"Then help me," River said softly.
Kane looked away.
But she saw it, the flicker of doubt tightening his shoulders, the war waging inside him.
And for the first time since being taken, she saw a crack in Kane's armor. He cared for Titan and believed in what they were doing.
Kane stared at the wall, visibly wrestling with himself. When he looked back at River, his eyes held a storm of conflicting emotions.
"I can't betray him," he said. "He's like a brother to me. We've been through hell together."
River took a cautious step toward him. "Then don't betray him. Save him. You know what he's planning will destroy him in the end."
"You don't understand what's at stake," Kane growled. "This is bigger than just you and Titan. It's about changing our entire society."
"By drugging innocent wolves? By tearing apart families?" River challenged. "Is that the change you want to see? Help me understand. What is all this for? The drugs, the rogues, kidnapping me... what's the endgame?"
Kane exhaled slowly. "Freedom," he said simply. "Freedom for our kind to live as we're meant to, not hiding in the shadows, not bowing to ancient traditions that keep us weak."
"And you think forcing me to be Titan's mate will accomplish that?"
Kane shook his head. "It was never supposed to go this far. You were meant to be a symbol- the Luna who would stand beside the true Alpha King. Together, you would usher in a new era for wolves everywhere."
"But I'm not his true mate," River said. "My wolf rejected him from the beginning."
"He doesn't believe that. He thinks the bond needs time, that your connection to the twins is what's blocking it."
