Page 63 of Alpha Queen
A chill ran through River. "What do you think?"
Kane's expression darkened. "Our system is defective. The Council and the royal family have all failed us. Do you have any idea what it's like for rogues? For those who don't fit into your perfect little hierarchy?"
River's eyes flashed. "And your solution is what? More violence? More control? How does that make you any different from the system you're trying to overthrow?"
Kane fell silent, his gaze drifting to the fake window where the faint glow of lights still flickered in the distance. "We were going to build something better. His mom had a vision, a world where wolves lived without shame, without hiding. Where strength and love were valued over heritage. I believed in that vision. I still do."
"What changed?"
Kane's eyes hardened. "The Council rejected Titan's petition for recognition as a legitimate son of the king. And then... His father died."
"You mean he killed his father."
Kane looked at her and shook his head. "No. He didn't."
Ares and Apollo had said he'd killed their parents. They wouldn't lie about that.
"Who did then?"
She didn't think he would answer.
"His mother," he finally said.
River shook her head. "You're lying."
"I was there. I saw what happened. Titan had nothing to do with it."
"Then why did he take the blame?"
"Because he loved his mother. He felt she'd suffered enough, and he didn't want her name tarnished as well."
River's mind reeled. Titan hadn't killed his father or the twins' mother.
"We had to go underground after that. We'd gone to the States for a while and tried to make a new life, but then Titan's mom killed herself, and it sent Titan into a tailspin. He'd been out of control for a year and then-"
"And then he found me," she finished for him.
"It became... personal after that. His goal shifted from changing the system to conquering it. To prove he deserved you, deserved everything they said he couldn't have."
River sank onto the bed, absorbing this information. "And now?"
"Now he's lost in his obsession," Kane said. "With you, with power, with revenge. I don't recognize him anymore."
"Help me, Kane," River said. "Not just for my sake, but for his too. This path he's on will destroy him."
Kane's eyes met hers. "What would you have me do? I can't just let you go."
"Then help me reach him," River said, a plan forming in her mind. "The real him, not this twisted version consumed by vengeance and obsession. You said it yourself, he wasn't always like this."
Kane ran a hand over his face, looking suddenly exhausted. "Even if I wanted to help you, it might be too late. He's not listening to reason anymore."
"There has to be something. Some way to get through to him."
A thick silence fell between them, marred only by the distant howl of a wolf somewhere in the forest surrounding the compound. The sound sent a shiver down River's spine, a reminder of her mates, still searching for her.
Kane paced the room. "Even if I wanted to help you, what could I do? There are cameras everywhere. Patrols. Dozens of rogues. Not to mention the fences. Titan would know immediately you were missing."
"There must be something. A way out, a way to contact Ares and Apollo..."
