Page 31 of Alpha Claimed

"So, she's your sister?"

"Pretty much. Mom and Strider have never mated, but they've been together for fifteen years."

"Interesting."

"Haven't there ever been Lycans that have been together but not mated?"

He shook his head. "We're too possessive."

"Lycans really are different from shifters."

His brow creased. "Are we? I can't imagine any male not feeling the same."

She couldn't argue with that. Maybe her mom had resisted mating Strider all these years. River wouldn't put it past her.

"So, did your dad mate Titan's mom?" She picked another piece of cinnamon roll.

Apollo stared at his coffee cup.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

"No, it is your business. You, of anyone, should know the truth. He never mated or married Titan's mom. I think that angered Titan most. The way dad just threw her aside so easily. Not that it would have mattered even if he'd mated her. In the past few days, I've learned I would give up anything or anyone just to be with you."

"What about his brother Osmodius? Osmodius could have carried on the bloodline."

"Osmodius is my mother's brother, not my father's."

"Oh." River wondered what Titan and his mother had endured after his dad found his fated mate. She couldn't even imagine. For a split second, she felt terrible for him and what he must have gone through.

She swallowed hard. That still didn't give him the right to do what he'd done to her… but somehow, she understood how someone could become that desperate. No wonder he started organizing the rogues.

"So, did your dad teach you to love art?"

She nodded. "He was a mechanic. Metal was his art. Then it became mine." She popped another piece of the cinnamon roll into her mouth. "What about you? What do you like to do?"

He shrugged. "I don't have much time for myself. Leading the Lycans and shifters takes a lot. Managing our investments takes a lot, too. But I like to ride and do outdoor things when I can."

"So you come up here often?"

He picked at a muffin. "Usually, I try to get out one weekend a month."

"For a little self-care. Nice."

"I don't know if it's self-care as much as it is to get away. To get back to nature. Back to my roots. Sometimes my uncle comes. He was there for me when my parents died."

"He seems… stern."

"He's a traditionalist. He believes in the laws of the pack and of the Lycan hierarchy. Everything he does is for the betterment of us as a race. Sometimes, he can come off as hardnosed and unforgiving, but that's just his way."

River ate the rest of her cinnamon roll and downed her soda before yawning.

"I can let you rest if you are still tired," he said.

"You know what I'd like is to watch a movie, but I noticed there are no electronics up here."

"I like the solitude. I like having one place I can go to that the rest of the world can't get to." He looked at her for a moment. "But-"

"But?"