Caged

Chapter 8

It's short but I think it's powerful. This is Nathan's POV because I don't want you guys hating him.

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**| Nathan's POV |**

I fucked up. And if I didn't know I fucked up, then Kota had not problem making sure I knew. He didn't say a single word as we ran back to our pack house.

Kota, I tried again. He ignored me, not even looking back. I could feel his anger through our pack bond. His anger at me.

I didn't even know what the fuck happened.

I had smelled Silas and then this delicious sweet scent. Next thing I knew, I stood in the shadows with Sang growling in warning. She knew I was there before I even realized what I was doing.

And when I stepped out, intending to apologize for frightening her, she challenged me. She stared, expecting me to submit to her and my wolf did not like that one bit. We hated submitting. Our rank was in the middle of the pack and I was always going at it with Victor to keep that position while challenging North in hopes of going up higher.

My wolf was an ambitious bastard and he didn't mind making that known to the others. My pack mates knew how it was and they just dealt with it, putting me in my place and I usually shrugged it off, accepting the fact that I lost to them, that I was in the correct ranking and wouldn't be moving any time soon.

But Sang. Her wolf. She wasn't pack. And she was dominant. My wolf didn't like that and we reacted the only way we knew how, by challenging her back. We wouldn't submit to her, a complete stranger.

And I fucked up, fighting back. In the back of my head, I knew this wasn't right. I knew she wasn't in the right frame of mind to do a proper dominance fight. I knew she wasn't even in top shape, still healing.

But I didn't care. She challenged me and that was enough for my wolf.

When we got back to the pack house, Kota shifted back into his human shape, sending me a glare before going to the right of the house and towards our training room. I followed behind and we went into the large room. The floors were completely matted with the weights all around the outside with the walls decorated with different weapons.

"No shifting," Kota said, turning to me.

I nodded.

I may have been the lead enforcer in the pack and taught the others to fight, but Kota was Beta. He didn't know as many moves as I did in a fight but he was strategic, always thinking a couple moves ahead of me. And his smaller frame made him slightly faster.

So yeah, he could easily kick my ass. And after that fight with Sang, I was still hurting. She was good. Strong. Fast.

"Go," Kota demanded and I charged, ready to fight my hardest but knowing it wouldn't be good enough. Not against Kota.

When I was within reach of Kota, I threw a punch but his hands clamped down hard on my arm and then the world was spinning as I fell hard onto the mat. I grunted and rolled out of reach as he tried to kick me.

I shot my leg out and swiped to take him down but he moved just out of reach. I rolled to my feet and we just stared at each other, assessing. This wasn't a simple sparring match, this was an all out brawl.

He was going to make me hurt for what I did and I would deserve every single hit.

I went in again when he didn't make a move and threw a punch. It grazed his cheek but gave him the opportunity to send his elbow into my side before he moved at a speed I couldn't follow and then I was flying in the air.

I twisted my body so I landed on my feet, just barely. I went in, managing to tackle him to the ground. He bucked me off, rolling so he was on top, with me pinned and then he delivered a punch that had me seeing stars. His green eyes were dark with anger but his wolf wasn't in control. This was Kota, raw, unfiltered Kota. And he wasn't in a nice mood.

Half an hour later, I was on the mats, unable to breath, my body feeling like it was hit by North's Jeep.

"Kota," I wheezed and he stopped, letting his hands fall to his side.

Then he went into the tongue-lashing he'd been wanting to give me.

"Sang had been captive for two years, Nathan. Two. Not four months, not a week, not even a year. Two. She has gone through horrors we wouldn't even be able to dream about. And you thought it was a good idea to go against Alpha Blackbourne's orders by approaching her and then challenging her? She views everyone in the world as an enemy. We were lucky she even trusted Silas. And yes, I said trusted. Past tense. Because I have no doubt that when she wakes up and realizes what happened, she won't be feeling so friendly anymore. You took the one person we had who could approach her and forced him to act in a way that may push Sang over the edge. I get it. You struggle with your wolf's urges, but there is a time and a place, and you need to learn that because you may have just cost Sang her life. She may go wild over this."

Kota leaned over, his anger pushing against me.

"You better hope not. You better hope that she's fine when she wakes up, that she's willing to listen, because if we lose Sang, I'm releasing Silas and North on you, and trust me, you'll be hurting." He stood up and ran a hand through his hair. "You fucked up, Nathan. You fucked up big time. You're going to have to make this right with not just Sang but with Silas too."

He gave me a disappointed look that hurt worse than anything and then stalked out of the room leaving me to lick my own wounds. I crawled to my feet and shuffled back into the house and to my room, falling onto my bed and letting out a string of curses.

Kota was right. I fucked up. I let my wolf take control when I should have backed down. I hated myself and I wasn't so sure I could hate myself any more than right now.

I'll be by to look at you when I finish here, Sean said and I winced at the coldness in his voice. Shit. They all hated me now.

I draped my arm over my eyes and closed them, just allowing myself to breath as I tried to find a way to fix this. I never approached her with the intention of a dominance challenge. I just wanted to meet her. We'd been walking on pins and needles around her cabin, unable to talk to her and I took the opportunity to finally meet the female who had Silas all protective and stubborn.

Then I fucked it all to hell and back.

Is Sang awake? I asked Sean, scared of the answer.

No.

"Shit," I groaned and rolled over, wincing at the pain in my ribs as I curled into myself. "Shit. Shit. Fucking shit."