Page 99 of Caged

The implication settles like a stone.

We need to get the other half of that list.

“I’ll go back,” Caelan jumps to volunteer. His reaction is too quick, too eager. Without waiting for Gav’s response, I grip my packmate by the arm and haul him behind me and into the hall.

Caelan doesn’t fight me, but the moment the door snicks shut behind us, he wrenches his arm out of my hold and glares at me.

“Don’t fucking start, Daxen.”

“Are you insane?” I hiss, glancing around to make sure no one’s listening. “After what happened last time? I already covered for you once. You can’t go back in there, and we both know it.”

“You’re overreacting.” He tries to shoulder past me and open the door, but I throw out a hand to stop him.

“You disobeyed orders.” I glare at him, daring him to deny it. “I didn’t tell Gav because you’re my fucking brother, and I thought I could keep you in check without involving Gav. You muted me on comms. You spent over twenty minutes with no contact.”

He folds his arms over his chest.

“Don’t make me lie to him again, Caelan. I won’t do it.”

I take a step back to give us both some space. I am so fucking tired of having this same argument over and over. For reasons he’s refusing to talk about, he can’t—or won’t—admit that there’s more going on.

It doesn’t matter, though. I know what it is.

He’s obviously been lured in by an Omega. And he’s fallen for her act. Hook, line, and sinker.

Caelan doesn’t chase Omegas. None of us do, but Caelan especially has never shown an interest, content to wait for Fate to intervene eventually.

Because of that, he’s never even been alone with an Omega.

He’s never even dealt with one one-on-one. Never felt that overwhelming sense of power that comes from being the Alpha who steps in to provide for an Omega in need outside of missions, but that doesn’t count. Those are a group effort. He’s not the one person she’s turning to for safety in that situation.

It’s biology. She needs saving—supposedly—and he thinks he should be the one to save her.

And I know exactly how that fucking story ends.

“I think you should let Vae go this time,” I suggest, trying to keep my voice calm and my thoughts logical. “Please. Stay here. Get some rest and let Vae handle it.” His eyes flash with fury. “No.”

“Caelan—”

‘I said no, Daxen. After this, we won’t be going back. I’ve been there twice already. I know the layout. I know what I’m looking for. You told me yourself that the wards are gone, so that makes this even less dangerous than before. I’m going.”

I snarl, irritated with his excuses.

“It’s not the fucking wards I’m concerned about, and you know it.”

Yes, the wards are gone. I sent another drone out early this morning in an attempt to keep eyes on the estate, and every scan, every reading, came back normal. It’s as if the wards just… disappeared.

That doesn’t mean shit, though. It’s just another anomaly. Another unanswered question.

“What the fuck do you think an Omega is going to do to me?” Caelan pushes, his lips a thin line of irritation. “Do you think I’m that shit at my job? That I’ll let a tiny, touch-starved Omega get the drop on me?”

“How the hell would you know she’s touch-starved?” I throw my hands up in exasperation.

Fates, how can’t he see what’s right in front of him?

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. There’s no reason you should know that!”

“I told you she was locked inside her room, Daxen.” He shakes his head, anger glinting in his eyes. “You didn’t see her. She had no nesting materials. No soft blankets or pillows. Nothing. I told you that.”