Caged

Chapter 23

So, I'm saying this now. This is NOT going to be RH 14. I'm already writing one, and doing one is enough for me. So I'm respectfully asking you not to ask. Thank you.

Enjoy and thank you for all your support!

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**| Sang's POV |**

The house was burning.

My past life was disappearing in front of me.

I didn't even know what to think, I just watched the blazing fire take away my only way to healing. My nose picked up scents, but I was too shocked to analyze them. I put them away as I a window exploded outward. It was the window in the kitchen.

The heat kissed my skin, warming my skin, despite my body feeling cold. I couldn't hear anything but a whooshing sound, as if the fire whirled around me and not in front of me.

Who did this?

Why?

How?

I should have done this, but by the time I got here, the house had already been lit up. They took away my revenge.

Something soft and warm was pulled over me, but I was too stunned to care. They pulled my arms through the sleeves and all I could do was comply as I stood there. Memories washed over me, of Dad ignoring me, of Marie sneering at me, of my stepmother hurting me. I was treated like a dog here. I was laughed at, made to kneel, made to beg, given scraps for food. That woman treated me like an animal and now the one place I knew her to be was up in flames. I lost my chance to face her.

My wolf didn't like it. She still wanted to hunt, to find her and punish her. I heard chains and squeezed my eyes shut. I knew chains weren't around, but the memories brought the sound back. The silver chains biting into my skin. Her yanking me around with them. Her using them to beat my body.

My fingers curled into the palm of my hands, my claws ready to come out. I wanted to tear into her, to give back what she had done to me.

I wanted to kill her.

But the house was on fire.

And there weren't any signs of her.

Did she flee?

Was she inside?

Goodness, I hoped she was inside. I really did.

"Baby," someone whispered and fingers wiped at my cheek. I blinked out of my daze to meet with nearly black ones as North stood in front of me, blocking the view. Tears had escaped and I didn't even realize it.

"Did she do this?" someone asked. I turned to see Victor.

Numbness nearly consumed me as I collected my thoughts.

Did I do this?

No. Someone else did. Someone lucked out and beat me here.

But why?

"Sang?" The hands moved to cup my cheek and forced me to look at North. "We need to go. Now."

After he said that, I finally heard it. The sirens as they came closer.

"Come on," Nathan said. "I know the trails behind the house."

He led the way as Silas and North flanked me, keeping my feet moving for me since I couldn't do it. I kept trying to glance behind me, but Luke was there to block my view.

We walked. I didn't run, I didn't bother trying, and so we walked.

"Watch out for the nettles," Kota said and Nathan steered us around a small field.

"Sang?" Sean called out.

I sighed and my shoulders hunched. "Yes, Sean?" I asked.

My eyes flickered to Alpha Blackbourne. He had been quiet, but I could feel his disapproval as it filled the space around us.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

I looked down at the ground, noting the way the large shirt went down to my thighs.

"I wish I did," I whispered.

Everyone stopped and turned to look at me, frowning.

"You didn't?" Gabriel asked.

I shook my head. "Someone beat me to it. Maybe by minutes by the look of it."

"Someone else did it?" Sean asked.

I nodded.

Someone else did. Not me. But every single cell of my being wished it was me who did it. I curled my fingers into my palm and continued to walk, forcing the others to move. Kota came up to my side and he was close enough for his arm to brush against mine. Each time it happened, energy crackled along my skin with the contact.

"Sang..." Kota trailed off and I paused to glance at him. His focus was straight ahead, the glasses making it hard to really see what he was thinking. He swallowed and our eyes met briefly before I forced myself to look away. I didn't want to start a challenge here.

I waited him out. He would say what he wanted in time. Maybe it was to admonish me for coming here, for even thinking about burning down a house with people potentially inside, or for putting the humans at risk with my very unstable presence.

"You lived here?" Kota asked, finally speaking up.

"For only a couple of months, and then I was sold."

He didn't say anything for the longest time. Nathan stayed in the lead, no one willing to talk out loud. We could still hear the sirens and even the rumble of voices yelling now despite our distance.

"Sang, that's..."

I sighed and stopped, turning to face him. "What, Kota?" I asked, my words heavy with the exhaustion now pulling at my limbs. "What are you trying to say?"

He stared at me. I stared at him. My wolf bristled, still worked up. My lip curled up, but then I bit down hard on my lip, drawing blood, the sweet metallic taste hot on my tongue.

Kota didn't look away as his nose flared, no doubt scenting my blood, and his energy thickened as his body stiffened. His hands curled at his side and we probably would have continued like that if Alpha Blackbourne didn't step between us.

"Not here," he growled out, his eyes flickering between the two of us. "Too many potential eyes in this area."

Kota nodded and stalked away, going up front to meet with Nathan. They shared an expression and I knew they were communicating.

They were always communicating through their pack link and I hated that I didn't know what they were saying. But I never had that and I wouldn't even know how to be able to do it. Sean mentioned I should have been able to communicate like that as a wolf, but I couldn't. I tried.

I was broken. Had been for a long time now. I glanced into the sky where the dark smoke created angry wisps of clouds in the sky.

My stepmother broke me long before I was sold.

"The Toma pack is going to come pick us up," Victor said. I glanced over at him, at the loose clothing on his frame, a small bag over his shoulder. His fingers flew over a phone.

"Good," Alpha Blackbourne said and he strolled forward to join Kota and Nathan.

I felt like, in their eyes, I did something wrong. But I felt like I did something right. I may have failed, but I took a step toward healing. I knew, if I ever wanted to heal, then I needed to face my stepmother.

She was the start of it all after all.

I paused again and looked behind me, past Silas. The smoke rose up into the sky and dissipated, only leaving behind a hazy cloud.

Who did it? I wanted to thank them.

And at the same time, did I want to meet them?

My eyes met with Silas and despite the inability to speak to each other through a bond, we still communicated clearly enough.

No. I didn't want to meet whoever set that house on fire.