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"Do you think I want a drink?" Ares snarled.

"No," Theo said calmly. "But all things considered, it might help. Believe me, I know how you feel right now-"

"When you found Micah, did she flee from you?"

Theo didn't answer.

Ares couldn't stop himself from being an Alpha-hole. Every inch of his body burned for her. To hold her. Kiss her skin. To take her back to his estate and lock her away from the terrible world.

"I'm sorry," Ares drove his hands into his hair.

Theo was Ares' oldest friend and closer than any twin brother.

Theo signaled the others to prepare to leave before approaching Ares and laying his hands on Ares' shoulders. "Trust me. We will find your mate, River Whitetail."

Ares looked from Theo to his other men. "Is this how all of you feel when you are away from your mates?"

The men nodded.

Only two of his men were born Lycans like Ares himself. Brothers Theo and Santiago. The other hybrids he'd turned a few years back. Even so, the one thing the hybrids had told him was the bonds to their mates were as strong and fierce as any Lycan's to a mate– except for an Alpha to an Omega. That bond… no one understood. Just like no one understood how the moon circled the earth day in and day out without stopping or getting tired.

Alphas and Omegas were fated. Destined for each other in a way no other mated pair was. They were the embodiment of the Moon Goddess and her love, the Wolf God made flesh.

"I'm an asshole. I had no idea. Forgive me," Ares said.

The men told him he needn't apologize, but Ares shook his head.

"No. I won't have this for you. You've all been loyal and true. Tomorrow morning, you will each prepare your mates to come live on the estate so you can be closer and so they can have each other for support when you are working. Besides, there's nowhere safer. Especially now. I'm sorry it took so long to realize how much you need them. I'm sorry I've put myself above your bond and your needs. It won't happen anymore."

His men bowed. "Thank you, Highness."

Lachlan entered. "Got the car, Boss."

Ares nodded and stalked to the exit. "Let's go."

CHAPTERFOUR

River raced back to her studio. She'd stripped off her dress from the club, yanked on jeans and a T-shirt, and slung on her backpack before jumping on her motorcycle and tearing off into the night.

My Omega.

The words echoed in her head. No. No way. She wasn't someone else's; she was her own. She fought to keep the memories of being attacked out of her head. At least this time, the male hadn't bitten her without permission. If he had, she would have stabbed his ass like the last one.

As she sped down the streets, weaving in and out of lanes of traffic, she couldn't get him out of her head. His scent. His eyes. His touch. Even as her mind screamed for her to get away, her wolf cried for her to go back. And the way her body had responded… had been embarrassing.

But she couldn't- he was a Lycan. A terrorizing, narcissistic, shifter-shredding, overbearing, animalistic killing machine. She wasn't stupid. She may not have paid tons of attention to all the folklore of pack meetings, but she had listened to the stories of one thing: the Lycans.

The original race of werewolves was stronger, faster, and less human than any other shifter species. They ruled the shifters from their home in Montreal and rarely came to the States except for business. They were the boogeymen mothers warned their pups about.

"You better behave, or the Lycans will come for you."

Like some kind of nightmarish Santas who saw you when you slept and knew when you were naughty.

River hit the 78 and continued east. She may not know what she was doing, but she knew where she planned on going. She wouldn't be safe for long, but she didn't need long, just enough time to clear her head and figure a way out of the mess the Wolf Goddess had dunked her in. Again.

River stoppedher bike outside the small, faded cornflower blue house with dirty white shutters. The lights remained off inside—not that she'd expected them to be on; no one had been there in at least a decade.

She walked her bike up the drive and parked it in the detached garage next to her mom's old bike, then she walked to the back door and opened it. The familiar fragrance of lemon and pine cleaner mixed in the stale air filled her with a dozen emotions: sadness, longing, loneliness, and comfort. She stood in the kitchen and shut her eyes, remembering her dad's voice, the aroma of his chocolate chip pancakes, and the glow of their old television as they'd watched cartoons together.

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