Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

RIVER

T he next morning, River awoke to hushed voices speaking angrily in the front room. She got up feeling much better than in the past twenty-four hours.

She peeked under her bandage to find her wound mostly healed and now only bright red, so she removed the tape and dressings and threw them in the trash.

She grabbed a blanket and walked to the door. She pulled it open and heard Apollo arguing. She stepped into the hallway to find him talking to a man in a well-dressed suit, several inches shorter. The man's hands stayed clasped in front of him, and his face remained impassive. His gaze drifted to her as he noticed her and inclined his head.

Apollo turned to her.

"What's going on?"

He sighed and turned to the other man. "We'll be out in thirty minutes."

The man nodded and left.

"Who is that?"

Apollo ran his hands through his hair. "He's an emissary of the Council. They've ordered us to return to the estate."

"Why?"

"Because they want to hear what happened the other night from your lips. And because apparently…"

"Apparently, what?" Her heartbeat quickened.

"Your mom arrived."

Her stomach plummeted. "Cherry's here?" She thought for a moment and then blew out a breath. "Bianca."

"Your sister, not sister?"

She nodded. "I'm sure Zeke found out from Ares and told her, and she called her dad. Prompting my mom to go haywire and travel to the estate." She groaned. "We should go. The longer she's there, the worse it will be for everyone."

"Of course."

River looked at Apollo. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "It is what it is. I just hope the time we shared was enough to give me a smidgeon of a chance."

Thirty minutes later, River and Apollo exited the cabin. Everyone was already waiting for them. Silas took her thrift store bags and put them in the trunk of Ares's car. Apollo walked to the car and opened the door for her.

"You don't want me to ride with you?" she asked.

"You're not fully healed. You'll be much more comfortable in the car."

He was so different than Ares. Where Ares was all demand and hot burning coals. Apollo was… sweet. Sensitive even. The kind of man that would be great with kids and not try to dominate her.

She looked up at Apollo and squeezed his hand. She wasn't sure what to say, so she just said, Thank you, and got in the car.

Apollo closed the door, and Ares sat beside her but didn't move to touch her. Her wolf whined and prodded River to connect with him. To say something. Do something. But River wasn't sure what to say. She was pretty sure Ares felt like she'd rejected him when she'd refused to leave with him the day before. It hadn't been her intention, but she hadn't said yes and went with him immediately like any other mate would have because she wasn't ready to go back. Wasn't prepared to face what was coming. The Council. Having to decide…

After a minute, she scooted closer and laid her head on his shoulder. The car pulled off down the road, his body shifted, and he relaxed. He placed his hand on her lap. She clasped it in both hands, and he squeezed her fingers tight.

Her wolf sighed, contented, and laid down again. River closed her eyes and sucked in Ares's familiar scent.

He kissed her head and began to purr. She moved her head to his lap and curled into a ball on the seat. He pulled the bun from the top of her head and massaged her scalp, making it tingle.

"I was so worried," he said.

She squeezed his leg and then kissed it. "I'm fine. And I'm right here. With you."

She couldn't help that nothing else seemed to matter when she was with him. And no one else, either.

He sighed. "As you will always be."

Ares helped River out of the car when the front door of the estate burst open.

River groaned.

Cherry raced outside, followed closely by Strider.

"You!" Cherry pointed at Ares. "I warned you what would happen if my daughter got hurt."

"Mom, it wasn't Ares's fault." But River's words had no effect. Her mom leapt at Ares from over ten feet away. She produced a knife midair, but before her mom could pounce on him, River stepped in the way and deflected her mom with a blow to the chest.

Cherry flew backward and landed on the dirt. A moment later, the guards and Apollo pulled up on their bikes.

Cherry whipped to her feet.

Cherry took a step forward, and River stepped forward as well. "I told you this isn't his fault. I wasn't even with him when it happened."

Apollo walked around the back of the car to stand on the other side of River. Cherry looked between them, and then Apollo stepped forward.

"Hi. I'm Apollo. You must be River's mother." He held out his hand, and Cherry slapped it away.

Apollo growled, but Cherry gave no notice. "So you're the asshole who let my daughter get shot."

"Yes," Apollo said. "I take the blame."

Cherry lashed out, but Apollo stepped out of the way. She lunged at him again, and again, he moved. Frustration grew in Cherry's eyes as she tried again to attack. This time, Silas stepped in front of her and grabbed her hand. Strider growled and shoved Silas.

"Stop," she yelled. "Everyone, just knock it the hell off already."

River took several large steps forward before her leg cramped, and she stumbled. Ares caught her around the waist and lifted her into his arms.

"Can't you see she isn't fully healed yet?" Ares demanded. "You're hurting her with your fighting. Cherry, I know you are pissed. I'm pissed as well, but that isn't going to help River."

River looked at her mom and then to the others. "Please. Let's just go inside, and we can talk about this like civilized wolves."

Apollo looked back at River in Ares' arms. "Put her down."

"You'd rather see her walk than have me carry her?" Ares retorted. When Apollo didn't answer, Ares swore. "You're such a dick."

"I'll take her," offered Strider.

Both Apollo and Ares growled.

"Seriously?" said Cherry. "He's her freaking father, for hell's sake."

River had never heard her mom call Strider that before. But then, she'd never heard her mom call him anything besides Strider. A pang of sadness shot through her, realizing that she'd never called him anything but Strider before either, and he'd been her father figure for way longer than her dad.

Strider walked to where Ares held River and reached out.

Ares looked to River, and she nodded. "It's okay."

He handed her over to Strider, who pulled her against him. Together, Strider and Cherry walked with River into the estate.

A scent made River wrinkle her nose. Vanessa. She'd been at the estate. The thought made her growl.

"Are you okay, Sweetheart?" he asked.

River rested her head on Strider's chest. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just tired. And tired of being hurt by Titan and his rogues."

He nuzzled her hair, and they followed Cherry up the steps past Zeke and Bianca.

"Don't worry," said Cherry. "I'm gonna deal with that asshole next."

River was tempted to look over her shoulder to make sure the twins weren't fighting again, but she didn't have the energy to deal with them and her mom.

They were big boys. They needed to wear their big wolf pants and stop acting like a couple of adolescent pups. Because if they didn't, she didn't want to be mated to either of them.