Page 66 of Alpha Queen
"Can you blame me?" River asked, a flash of defiance breaking through her caution. "You bit me without consent and then kidnapped me."
Titan's eyes darkened. "I claimed what should have been mine from the beginning. If my father hadn't thrown me away, you would have been mine."
River stood her ground, refusing to be intimidated. "That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works."
Titan stalked toward her, looming over her like a towering skyscraper. "The old laws and traditions you cling to are just tools of control. Ways for the powerful to maintain their grip on us."
"And what you're doing is different?" River challenged. "Forcing a bond I don't want? How does that make you any better?"
Titan's nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, his golden eyes studying her face with unsettling intensity. "You're different today." His voice dropped to a dangerous murmur. "Something's changed."
River's heart skipped, and her hand moved to protect her stomach before she stopped herself. Titan followed the movement, his eyes narrowing.
"What are you hiding?" he demanded.
"Nothing," River replied too quickly.
Titan moved closer, invading her personal space. "Lie to me again," he growled, "and see what happens."
River's wolf growled, and for the first time in a week, jumped to her feet.
River approached him, her chest almost touching his.
"Threaten me again, and see what happens."
He growled, and his eyes went black.
In a flash, he pinned her to the wall, teeth bared.
River's wolf struggled to stay upright.
Before River could think, Titan's hot lips slammed down on hers.
Her wolf roared, and River thrashed against Titan's giant form as he crushed her against the wall, his lips trying to part hers, his tongue fighting to invade her.
River twisted her head away, breaking the brutal kiss. "Stop!" she gasped, pushing against him.
Titan growled, his hands tightening around her wrists. "You're mine." His hot breath hit her neck. "Mine to claim, mine to take."
His lips slammed down on hers again, making her teeth ache.
River's wolf surged, lending her strength. She bit down hard on Titan's invading tongue, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth as he jerked back with a roar.
"I will never be yours," River spat. Her wolf lunged forward. With a sudden movement, she brought her knee up hard between his legs.
Titan grunted in pain, his grip loosening enough for River to wrench herself free. She stumbled away from him, putting the bed between them as she struggled to catch her breath.
"You little-" Titan's face contorted and shifted, his snout elongating and then shortening again.
"I told you not to touch me," River cut him off. "I warned you."
Titan straightened, probing her with his unnerving black eyes. "And I told you, the game had begun."
"This isn't a game," River shot back. "This is my life. My body. My choice."
Something shifted in Titan's eyes, a flicker of... what? Uncertainty? It vanished as soon as it appeared, replaced by cold calculation.
"You think you're so different from me," he said. "So righteous. But we're the same, River. Both of us trapped by circumstances beyond our control, both fighting for something we believe in."
