Chapter 12

CAGED WINGS

LEXI’S POV

I watched Sophia caress Wayne’s head with a sinking feeling in my chest.

I hated it.

Every second of it. 

Watching the satisfied smirk on her face at seeing my crest fallen expression.

I just wanted to wipe that smirk off, but I couldn’t, because for the first time I realized how deep her claws were in Wayne.

She had probably been manipulating him to hate me since I left. 

No wonder he hated me so much.

What was I going to say to him that could change his mind now? 

Glaring at her, I turned and walked back into the room, banging the door shut.

Dexter was sitting up, with a small smile on his face. “I am so happy I have a twin brother mom,” he said.  “Wayne is so cool, I can’t wait for Jax and Nia to meet him.”

The mention of Wayne made me frown. I should have never come back here. I should have figured out a way to destroy the hex without having Dexter and Wayne meet.

Wayne would never want to leave this pack now, not with his bond with his father and how much Sophia controlled him. 

He was probably a better fit here anyway. He definitely inherited his father’s coldness and Sophia's intimidating energy. 

He could be raised by the new Luna and Manny, besides, he had survived without me for so long, he probably didn’t need me anymore.

And even if I wanted to, I wasn’t going to be able to make him come with me willingly, I thought to myself, remembering the silent hatred I had seen in his eyes today.

But was I supposed to take only Dexter back now and ruin his budding relationship with his brother.

“Mom, why do you look so sad?” Dexter asked suddenly, snapping me back from my thoughts. 

I forced a smile, walking closer to him. “Mommy isn’t sad,” I lied. “She just has a lot on her mind.”

“Mom I don’t want you to worry about me anymore,” Dexter said, his eyes glowing in sincerity. “I am going to be fine as long as Wayne is around.”

I hugged him tightly, trying to stop myself from tearing up as I wondered just how I was going to tell him that Wayne may not want to return with us back to Rogue Haven.

Later that night, I watched Dexter sigh softly in his sleep with only a thought in my head. 

I had to figure out how I was going to escape this pack if and when I needed to. Especially now that there was going to be a new Luna, Manny could decide to get rid of me at any time.

Dexter was already getting better and in a few days his health would be back to normal, so there was no time for me to waste. 

I unlocked the door to the room, poking my head out to check for any guards but the corridor was empty.

I moved out like a shadow, barefoot and silent as I snuck past the guards into the servants’ staircase and out into the night. The estate was wide, fenced with high walls and guards at the gate.

But I had escaped this place before and I could very well do it again.

If I followed the outer gardens, past the training field, I could probably fly over the lower fence and sneak out into the pack.

“I should have known you would try to run.” Manny’s voice suddenly called out from behind me. 

I turned back, stunned to find him standing there with his hands folded.

Had he seen me sneak out? 

Did he predict that I was going to run and follow me?

I froze in silence as he stepped closer to me, his eyes darkening in rage. “I gave you a chance even after what you did. I allowed you to stay with your son and this is how you repay me?”

“No…” I lied, blinking rapidly. “It’s not what you think—”

“So what is it then?” his voice thundered. “Am I supposed to believe that you just snuck out of your room for air?” 

“Were you planning to scope out the best escape route? To abandon one son and then take the other one with you?”

His words felt like a slap because he was right.

That was exactly what I had planned.

“I need to go back,” I said, taking accountability. “And I can't leave Dexter here, not with your mother.”

Manny scoffed at my statement, stepping even closer to me.

“Do you want to know the truth?” Manny asked, glaring down at me. “I don’t even care if you want to stay or run away, but I am not going to allow you take my son this time.”

My chest tightened at the implication of his words. “You wouldn't dare—”

“Try me,” Manny replied firmly.

The cold look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.

Manny wasn't planning on letting me leave here with Dexter, not to mention Wayne.

I sighed as I walked back into the house.

“If you choose to stay here and be a mother, then you will have to follow my rules from now on,” Manny said, following me.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

His face twisted in a cruel smirk. “You will see.”

I scoffed in response, turning away.

What in the hell did he mean by his rules?

What was he going to do? 

Keep Dexter away from me? I asked myself as I headed upstairs.

As I got back to the corridor that led to my room, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight in front of me.

Four guards stood outside my door, fully armed with their swords.

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked angrily, rushing up to them.

“Following the Alpha's orders, from now on, you are not allowed to take Dexter out of the room without permission from him,” the first guards said, not even looking at me.

I stepped back in shock, feeling anger course through my blood.

This is one of Manny's rules, I realized, squeezing my fists.

He knew that there was no way I could leave here without Dexter.

This was his way of caging me.

For the first time since I arrived back in this pack, I felt like a real prisoner.