Page 246 of Caged

Dax continues, circling the table to face me. His expression is full of mockery. I can already feel pressure building behind my eyes, and I clench my jaw to keep my tears back.

“Then again, if I remember correctly, you never finished school past 6th grade, isn’t that right?”

I recoil. The satisfied gleam in his eyes when he hears my breath catch is hurts worse than his taunt.

He relishes the pain he causes with his cruel words. Somehow, he knows all my most shameful secrets and uses them to pick at every wound I have.

How does he even know Father took me out of school right before Junior High?

I curl my hands into fists, my nails digging into the flesh of my palms until the pain grounds me enough to speak without crying.

You are not ignorant. I remind myself. This Alpha doesn’t know everything about you.

“I was homeschooled.” I choke out, eyes trained on the table. “Registered under a false name. I took college classes online. Plenty of Omegas do that.”

That was the excuse my father gave me. My designation came in, and all of a sudden, I wasn’t fit for society anymore. He couldn’t have an ‘untrained idiot Omega’ living under his roof, so I did my schooling online. He said it was normal. That it wasn’t fair to the Alphas and Betas trying to get an education if we were ‘whining and perfuming all over the place.’

Never mind that I’d been on suppressants since the day I turned thirteen.

“You took college classes,” Dax says flatly.

“Yes.” I dig my nails in harder, trying to force down the heat in my cheeks. I know I have nothing to be embarrassed about. I loved school. I would have continued my classes if I’d been allowed.

If it hadn’t turned into yet another thing for Father to hold over my head before ripping it away from me.

“What was your favorite subject?” Riven asks.

I glance up, studying him, trying to gauge his sincerity. When I find only curiosity, my shoulders relax. I’m not sure if he’s asking because he’s really interested, or if he’s just trying to rescue me from Daxen’s hurtful assumptions, but I’m thankful either way.

“Literature. I love stories.”

I’m not sure how much I should say. Is this the part where he makes fun of me? Will he piggyback off of Daxen’s cruelty to embarrass me further?

Riven smiles, and… it looks real. Real enough that, faced with the possibility of having an actual conversation for the first time in months, I take a leap of faith.

“I’ve always found it fascinating the way people unite around stories. History, fables, even secrets. They’re all just stories.” My words start soft, but I gain traction once I that Riven’s actually paying attention.

He’s listening to me. Really listening. In fact, he looks almost… excited.

I sit a little straighter, genuine happiness blooming for the first time in weeks.

“So much of our lives revolve around them. It’s not just the information they contain, but the way they make us feel. That’s what I love most. The way a good book can make you feel something entirely new. They’ve always felt a bit like, well…” I hesitate, blushing.

Riven smiles. “Go on.”

“They’ve always felt a bit like… magic.”

Instead of berating me and calling me a child, Riven’s eyes light up with excitement. His lips part and⁠—

“Truly riveting, Omega.”

My spine straightens, my shoulders hunching up to my ears. Daxen’s voice is flat, but I recognize the look in his eyes. I brace myself, fingers flying to the fabric of my shirt.

Whatever he says next will be designed to inflict maximum damage.

“You know, it actually makes sense,” he muses, leaning back and studying me with disgust. “Such a sad story you spun. A poor little Omega, all alone in her big, lonely mansion with her psychotic daddy, who took her soft, pretty things away. A sad little captive with big blue eyes, desperate for an Alpha’s help. A fragile bird in need of rescue.”

He leans forward, hands braced on the table between us. “And what do you know? You told the story so well, Caelan bought it.”