Page 71 of Alpha Queen
"River!" Titan's voice boomed, muffled but unmistakable in its fury. "Open this door!"
Her heart leaped into her eyeballs.
River scrambled backward, away from the promising escape route. If he discovered the passage, he'd seal it or move her, or worse.
River scrambled back through the passage, her heart hammering against her ribs. Another crash echoed from her room, the sound reverberating through the walls.
"River!" Titan bellowed again, his voice nearer now. "Open. Now."
She moved faster, scraping her elbows in her desperate rush to return. The darkness seemed thicker now, more oppressive, as if conspiring to slow her down. Her wolf whined and paced before dropping again.
She reached the hole behind her broken LED screen.
"What do you want?" she called out, trying to keep her voice steady as she hoisted herself up onto the wooden beam.
"Open this door!" Titan demanded, the handle rattling violently.
River gripped the LED screen, her fingers trembling and blood slicking her hand as she maneuvered it back into position.
"I don't want to see you," she shouted, buying seconds as she reconnected the power cord.
"Either you open this door right now, or I'll break it down!" His voice was a growl, primal and threatening. "And trust me, you won't like it if I have to do that."
"Just leave me alone!" River positioned the screen in its frame, her heart nearly stopping when it wobbled precariously. The wood of the door shook.
Just as she secured the last corner, Titan's boot slammed against the door. The piece of footboard wedged under the handle shuddered but held. River scrambled across the room, throwing herself onto the mattress and pulling the shredded blanket over her body. She forced her breathing to slow as the door exploded inward with a deafening crack. The footboard crashed to the floor, making her jump.
River didn't move, feigning sleep as Titan's footsteps approached the mattress. He loomed over her, his breathing harsh and angry. The thin blanket whipped away, exposing her to the cold air.
"Get up," he growled.
River's eyes snapped open, genuine anger flaring. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Titan's eyes narrowed as they swept over her, then around the destroyed room. "Why didn't you answer me?"
River stood, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Just because I'm your prisoner doesn't mean you have the right to burst in here whenever you feel like it. I have a right to privacy! And I did answer you, you just didn't like the answer."
Titan's nostrils flared as he sniffed the air. "Privacy? In my house?"
"Yes, privacy," River shot back, refusing to be intimidated. "You've taken everything else from me– my freedom, my choices, my mates. The least you could do is knock before entering."
He scanned the room, lingering on the broken LED screen. "I did knock."
"Doesn't mean I have to let you in."
"Yes," he said. "It does."
River crossed her arms over her breasts. "What the hell do you want anyway? Just wanted to come and see what? If I am miserable? If I learned my lesson? I was ready to beg you to take me as your mate because you left me alone? Am I ready to be a good girl?"
Titan growled.
River snorted and snatched up the blanket from where he'd thrown it on the floor, covered herself up, and lay back down, turning her back to him.
She tried to keep her breathing even, though her nerves held on by a thread of dental floss. She just needed him to leave so she could explore the passage again.
Titan didn't move, and finally, he yanked off her blanket for the second time and looked over her.
"Now what?" she demanded.
