Caged

Chapter 12

For those who don't know, today is the one year mark into the world of Academy FF for me. I'll be posting random chapters of my different FF throughout the day so keep an eye out! Thank you for all your amazing support. Your votes and comments mean the world to me and motivate me to keep on writing for you! Enjoy.

***

**| Sang's POV |**

I wanted to run away. My wolf wanted to growl at them.

We both wanted them to back away and give us space.

Being surrounded by so many shifters and not having to worry about them wanting to kill me left me confused and my wolf on edge. I couldn't not stare at them.

I thought about what Silas told me of his brothers and easily matched his description of them with each person.

After their Alpha, Kota had to be the next strongest shifter here. I put him at Beta level. Everything he did, he did with confidence, including picking what food he chose to put on his plate. Luke seemed like he wanted a little of everything, not sure what he wanted exactly. Gabriel wavered between a couple of items. Sean stuck to what he knew best, Silas went for the most protein and Victor didn't seem to care what he ate.

Kota had green eyes just like mine, but not as beaten down. They were watchful and calm behind his glasses. He had fair skin, a medium build but still muscular and his rich deep brown hair was a couple inches long, just skimming his forehead.

He caught me looking at him and gave me a gentle smile. "My name is Dakota Lee but everyone calls me Kota," he said.

I returned the smile. "I like your name."

He blinked in surprise, his mouth opening slightly before he looked down at a plate and grabbed something else to add to his mountain of food.

I forgot how much healthy shifters could eat.

The man next to Kota cleared his throat and flashed me a smile. "I'm Victor Morgan," he said in a smooth baritone, his accent matching those I heard in Charleston. He had to be a true breed of Charleston heritage.

I nodded, distracted by his eyes. They were brown, but nothing boring. Not even close. Silas had described his eyes as just brown, but that wasn't an accurate description.

They blazed with his thoughts as he stared at me with curiosity and wariness. I couldn't fault him for the wariness and caution he felt around me. If I were him, I would be feeling the same. I was an unknown in his life.

Victor's hair matched his eyes, but were a soft brown, reaching down to the nape of his neck in gentle waves. His build wasn't as big as Kota's, he was a little leaner, with an angular face. I heard a soft tapping and watched as his long slender fingers tapped a beat on the table. Elegance was in every movement he made, in the way his fingers moved, the way he sat, the way he watched. Even his clothes were nicer than the others. Not over the top, but still expensive and well put together, with the white button up shirt, and dark slacks.

"Oh, fuck, I forgot to introduce myself," Gabriel said next to me. He turned to me and cleared his throat.

I smiled because none of them had to really introduce themselves. Silas did good in describing his brothers. I recognized them from the stories instantly. Until now, they'd only been stories to keep me distracted, stories to remind me there was something more to life than just cages and violence. None of them knew it, but they were my anchor for the last few months and to be meeting them now still felt surreal. If I weren't careful, I would be poking them to just make sure they were the real deal, that I wasn't dreaming them up.