Page 280 of Caged

“But,” he echoes, lips twitching in dry acknowledgement of my correct assumption that he wasn’t done with his thought. The smirk that usually follows doesn’t come. Instead, his lips tighten until his mouth firms into a grim line of determination.

“But…you make me feel like a fucking traitor for not wanting to live in that dark headspace with you. Maybe you don’t mean to make me feel that way, but you do. The way you act does. It’s not like you. It’s extreme and cruel and single-minded.”

His fingers fidget restlessly, tapping out a rhythm against the pillow pressed tight to his chest. My palms start to sweat and I try to come up with something to say but I can’t.

“I don’t like the male you are when she’s around you,” he adds, oblivious to the way each accusation slams into me like a brick to the gut. “There’s a reason Gav banned you from being alone with her that first day. You don’t act like yourself. This isn’t who you are. Or maybe it is, but it’s such a small part of you we never see it and now it’s in the spotlight.”

Fuck. I knew he’s been having an internal crisis over the female, but I didn’t realize it was affecting him this much. Doesn’t he see how manipulative she is?

I’m not treating her any different than I’d treat anyone else in her position, so where is this ‘it’s not you,’ bullshit coming from?

I mean, yeah, maybe what I’m a little more pissed than normal. Part of that is because it’s so hard to reconcile the fact that something so small and defenseless and soft was able to cause as much damage as she did.

I don’t understand how she betrayed someone like Caelan so easily. Caelan, who never lets anyone in, ever. How was she able to fool him? How did she convince him to choose her? It’s almost like it was easy for him to ignore my warnings.

It’s like she put him under a fucking spell or something. He fell right into her trap with a smile and I can’t wrap my head around any of it.

“I just can’t understand how an Omega—a weak, defenseless human Omega—could do what she did to Caelan,” I admit on a sigh, putting voice to my thoughts.

Vae frowns so I try to explain.

“It’s like… I see her, right? I look at her, and when I think about how she lied and tricked him, this red haze takes over. I’m just constantly full of rage around her. I almost feel…” I hesitate, not sure I want to admit this next part out loud. It’s a feeling I’ve barely even acknowledged to myself.

“Feel what?” Vae presses.

I bite my lip, conflicted. He leans in, looking at me with pleading eyes. He looks lost, and that alone breaks through my defenses. I can’t hold back now, not when I’ve already admitted that we need to talk honestly about our feelings.

”Betrayed.”

Vae’s brows fly into his hairline but I keep going.

“It feels like a betrayal, Vae. And not because she betrayed Caelan. It feels like she betrayed me, specifically. My instincts are registering the betrayal almost like it’s a rejection, which is outrageous but true. My Alpha refuses to accept that she nearly cost us Caelan. Refuses to accept such a blatant rejection of our pack. But my head… my head knows the truth.”

I tunnel my hands through my hair in frustration and not a little embarrassment.

“It’s ludicrous. I don’t even know her. Never met her before dragging her out of that house. And yet, every time she’s near I’m fucking furious because I feels like she—she—I don’t know!” I throw my arms up in exasperation, pissed that I can’t find the words to explain.

Apparently I don’t have to because Vae nods, smiling sadly.

“It feels like she broke a promise, right? One you didn’t even know she made.”

I deflate, grateful to know he truly understands how I’m feeling.

”Yes. That’s exactly how it feels.”

“What if we’re missing something?” He whispers, and if I didn’t know better I’d think he sounds scared.

“Missing what?” I frown.

Vae isn’t prone to deep analysis. Not because he’s ignorant, but he tends to follow his instincts more than his head—unless it involves his Curse—which is in complete opposition to the way I make decisions. That being said, it gives his words more weight when he speaks after taking time to really consider something.

So maybe I need to shut up and hear him out.

He turns to face me, tucking a leg underneath him. “Have you ever noticed anything odd happening around her?”

“Like what?”

“Like… I don’t know. Just weird shit. I know I mentioned the possibility of her father injecting her. You’d think if he had, we’d have noticed something by now.”