Caged

Chapter 11

**| Silas's POV |**

Against all my instincts, I left Sang to go downstairs to the living room where Kota, Luke, Gabriel, and Victor were. Sean slipped by me the moment I left the room to look Sang over and check on her healing. Alpha Blackbourne, North, and Nathan were out on patrol.

Kota sat in a chair, reading a book. Luke and Gabriel argued over a game, sitting on the floor. Victor was on the couch with his laptop on his lap, trying to make headway on The Gallows and those involved. I wish I could help him, but after we left the base, those still there had packed up and left. We needed to find some kind of way to trace them, but so far, we'd come up empty handed. I settled down on the couch next to him, trying to get comfortable.

Kota looked up from his book and blinked at me, pushing up his glasses. I wasn't even sure why he wore them. He didn't need them, but for some reason he liked wearing them. Shifters didn't have bad eyesight. Our healing would just correct any issues. I think he wore it to tone down his intimidation. As beta of a pack, Kota could be scary when he wanted to be.

"How is Sang?" he asked, genuinely worried about her.

"She's up and about, so alive."

"Bout fucking time," Gabriel muttered and Luke frowned at him. "What?" he asked Luke.

I just shook my head. I knew Gabriel didn't mean for it to sound as rude as it came out. I released a sigh. "She wants to meet you guys," I whispered, dropping that little bomb.

The room grew quiet and even the TV went mute.

No one said anything for the longest time and I finally looked over at Kota to see him staring at me, calculating something behind those green eyes.

"Is she ready?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't know and I'm not so sure she knows. She just doesn't want what happened with Nathan happening again. She figures if she meets everyone then if there is another run in, she won't be so quick to attack like she did."

"And we won't be so quick to break our orders and approach her," Victor said thoughtfully.

I nodded in agreement.

Gabriel broke out into a huge grin as he climbed to his feet. "This is great, when does she come down?" he asked, rubbing his hands together.

Luke got to his feet too. "I'm going to go find her food. She needs to eat," he mumbled before disappearing out the door without even looking at us, too focused on the task he just gave himself.

"Relax," Kota said. "I'm sure she'll be down once Sean gives her the okay. We have to make sure she's all healed."

"Think she'll let me talk her into letting me wash her hair?" Gabriel asked.

"Sit down," Victor said and glanced at his screen before pressing some buttons and closing his laptop. He put it on the side table next to him. "We need to keep calm when she comes down. All this excitement will get her worked up."

I nodded in agreement.

Alpha Blackbourne, Kota sent out through the pack's mind link so everyone could hear.

Report. What's wrong? was the response.

Nothing. Sang woke up and is going to come down to meet some of us. I suggest you guys stay out on patrol for a little extra longer. I'll make adjustments to the schedule. I don't think having everyone together is a good idea. All the dominance might drive her over the edge.

North's anxiousness flooded us before he managed to get it under control. I knew he would have wanted to be here to check on Sang.

Nathan barely managed to keep most of his irritation and guilt to himself. Some of it slipped through to let us know he wasn't happy about how we were doing this.