Caged

Chapter 34

**| Sang’s POV |**

Alpha Blackbourne found my hiding spot a couple of days later. I was sitting up in the tree, staring at the blue sky as the clouds drifted by. I smelled him first, before I could hear him. His spring soap scent barely covered the scent of power. Then when he was at the bottom of the tree, I could finally hear him.

His stare dug into me, but I ignored him. After training with the others, I took to hiding and had found this little piece of paradise. The first day, after I nearly tore into North, the guys I had connected to kept reaching out to me. When they realized I wanted alone time, they stayed away, or as away as they could. I felt a constant buzz in my head, as if they were waiting, right around the corner. It had become an adjustment feeling them in my head. Most of the time, it felt like an intrusion. Sometimes, it felt right. Perfect. Safe.

“How are you feeling, Miss Sang?” Alpha Blackbourne said and I jumped at how close his voice was.

How? How did he sneak up on me? My lips curled into a snarl, hating that he was able to do that. Was it because I was too lost in my head to notice? Or because I was getting too comfortable? If I were getting comfortable, that would be dangerous.

The Alpha found a spot to settle on the branch, closer to the tree. His movements had the branch swaying, but it held its weight. I had chosen a good tree. Before I could inadvertently challenge him, I focused back on the sky.

“Miss Sang?”

“I’m fine,” I said.

“Would you tell me if you weren’t.”

Knowing lying wasn’t going to get me anywhere, I stayed quiet, which was an answer of itself. He went silent and I could almost, almost, pretend he wasn’t there. All I had to do was ignore the buzz of his power against my skin and the way it felt like his gaze bore into me. I tried to wrap my head around the fact that he was even there in the first place. We didn’t do well in close quarters, but maybe my wolf felt settled because of the open space around us.

I wasn’t trapped.

I knew how to fall and land. I could easily escape if I needed to.

“The Toma team are here. Everything is in place to make our move and Kota believes you’re ready to fight with teammates.”

Not meeting his gaze, I replied, “And you don’t agree with him.”

“If Kota says you’re ready. Then you are.” He paused for a beat. “Do you feel ready?”

I looked down at my hands as they gripped my pants. “I feel like if someone dies, I may tear everyone in this world apart.”

He didn’t balk like I expected. He was his cool, usual self, and that seemed to help calm me down. If that didn’t worry him, then maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

“Good,” he said. “That’s good.”

Whipping my head to look at him, I gaped. Finally finding words, I asked, “How is that good?”

He smiled. He finally smiled. It was the smallest one in existence, but it was definitely there. “That feeling that is worrying you is because you care about your pack.”

“My pack?”

He nodded. “Your wolf recognizes everyone as her pack.”

I blinked furiously as foreign emotions welled up inside of me.

“It’s a good thing, Sang.”

“Is it?” I asked. I rubbed at my chest, wishing to smooth out the ache that had formed.