Page 126 of Caged

And yeah, some of it’s biology fucking with me. Omega’s are small. Delicate. They’re meant to be protected, coddled, and loved.

As a designation, Omegas are soft. Quiet. Submissive as hell.

Where idiots go wrong is assuming their temperament makes them weak. Only absolute twits believe that. Some of the strongest females I’ve met were Omegas. Their strength is a different kind of strength than that of an Alpha or Beta—but no less formidable.

It’s just… an Omega going out of her way to plan, manipulate, and execute something as heinous as what happened tonight? It doesn’t compute. Like a fucking glitch in the matrix. I mean, for fucks sake— to do something like that an Omega would have to fight with her instincts every step of the way. It wouldn’t just be uncomfortable, it’d be fucking painful.

Biologically, Omegas crave love, safety, and validation from Alphas. They don’t manipulate and lie and hurt them because it goes against every single biological need they have. And trust me, after five centuries, I can tell you with certainty that biology will win every single time.

I guess that’s why the idea of this female as some kind of master manipulator who’s even now gleefully torturing Caelan just doesn’t sit right.

And yet… I can’t deny the truth of what’s happening. Caelan’s dying. Against all odds, he’s been shot with silver after being ambushed in the home of an Omega who—according to her own father—was instrumental in setting it all up.

Why didn’t she say anything when her father praised her? If she’s innocent, why keep silent? Once I could undersand. Maybe even twice. But all three times he casually praised her part in setting him up? Innocent people don’t stand by silently when they’re accused of the kind of horror Caelan’s been subjected to.

Innocent people scream their innocence.

Don’t they?

Fates…what exactly are we walking into if this female managed to manipulate one of the Bloodbound’s best warriors? How was she able to screw with Caelan’s instincts so thoroughly that he willingly ignored the concerns of his pack, his commander, and his brothers, just to be near her?

None of this makes sense. None of it. I have too many questions, and nowhere near enough answers.

Right now, all I know for sure is that my brother’s in pain. His side of the Bond is dimming more and more with each passing second.

My adrenaline spikes, sending blood thrumming through my veins. Answers don’t matter right now. All that matters is Caelan was attacked, and someone’s going to pay for it.

And if that someone’s the Omega?

Then so be it.

“We’re two minutes out,” Gav’s voice rumbles through my headset.

“Copy.”

Two minutes. Caelan was shot twenty-six minutes ago.

How much time does he have left? How much silver is in his system?

If the bullet went straight through, he’ll be fine in a few hours. But if it lodged in muscle or bone, then the silver’s already spreading through his bloodstream…

Fuck. If that happened, we might not have much time left. Fates, he might not have much time left.

A growl vibrates beneath my sternum.

I turn to Dax, rage overtaking completely. “We need to decide what to do with her.”

“We’re going to fucking bury her,” Dax answers swiftly. Every one of his muscles is coiled tight, his body primed and ready for an attack. He’s about two seconds from ripping the SUV’s door off its hinges and turning this into a one-male rescue mission.

I can’t let my own anger get the best of me. Not now. Dax’s barely hanging on as it is. I need to rein him in. Fates know how he’ll react around the Omega.

As much as I understand his anger, there’s a line we’ve never crossed before and won’t cross today. A line we swore we’d stay on the right side of even before we went on our first missing. It’s our one, set in a stone rule.

We don’t hurt females.

Which means we need to come up with another plan for her.

If Varenthrall’s using her, then we need to assess and act accordingly. We can’t let her stay and continue to work with him. If the female’s still there, we should take her with us. Take her off the playing board completely.