Caged

Chapter 14.

I heard a quiet knock on the door behind me and jumped to my feet, quickly wiping away the tears and trying to reign in my breathing as the door opened. The moonlight fell on Weston's face and his eyes widened as he saw me. He stepped into the room and quickly shut the door before walking to stand in front of me. "Are you ok Lili?" He said quietly.

I took in a shaky breath and felt fresh tears stream down my cheeks. "No." I said quietly before feeling my knees buckle beneath me.

Before I could sink to the floor, Weston's arms reached around me, pulling me into his warm embrace. Normally, I would have pulled away, but in this moment, I welcomed the comfort no matter who it was coming from. I let my arms slowly wrap around his lean waist and sobbed into his shoulder. His hand stroked my hair as he whispered against it reassuringly. "It's ok. No one will know. We won't let him near you again. Alpha would never allow him in with you here now."

I scoffed and pulled away, furiously wiping away the tears staining my cheeks. "Well he doesn't really make a difference anymore in who comes near me."

"What do you mean?" He asked cautiously.

I glared at him with a knowing look and he sighed. "So he is your given mate then? Alpha."

I nodded and crossed my arms across my chest in an attempt to self soothe, but failing as another tear fell down my cheek. Weston came closer once more, reaching up to brush the tear away with the pad of his thumb. "Why do you say it doesn't matter anymore?"

I let out a shaky breath and looked down, not able to meet his eyes. "Because he doesn't want me now. He doesn't want something tainted."

Weston tensed, his voice rumbling in his chest. "He said that?"

I shook my head and shrank back into Weston's arms. "No. He said he can't accept me because it would mean war for the pack. He wants me to reject the bond. But I know it's because he doesn't want someone like me. He won't say it but I can see it. He wouldn't even look at me before I left."

Weston's body was rigid and I could feel the anger building in him. His hand stroked up and down my back and I could feel myself finally calming down. He finally spoke quietly, so low that I had to strain to hear him. "Well, if he won't accept you, then I will."

I pulled away, staring up into his forest green eyes. "What? No, you couldn't. You have a mate out there somewhere Weston."

He shook his head and sighed, brushing my hair from my face. "I did, but she's gone. She died a year ago."

My heart ached for him, knowing that the loss of a mate was the worst thing a wolf could endure. Some didn't make it out of the grief that came with such a horrific loss. "Oh Weston, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

He gave me a small smile and nodded. "It's ok. But that just means I could be here for you. Alpha may not think he can accept you, but I will. If Shadow Pack challenges it, I'll challenge Beta Cage to the right for you. I'd win too." He said with a smirk.

"Seriously? Your arrogance would come out right now." I scoffed and pulled out of his embrace. I ran a hand through my hair and took a calming breath. "I appreciate the offer Weston, but I can take care of myself."

He stuck his hands in the air in surrender before speaking quietly. "Up to you, but I don't think you understand how bad the grief of a severed bond is. It's going to be a lot harder than you think. The only thing that helps is to find another mate and create a new bond."

"I'll be fine." I said quickly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Look, I know that you must have been through hell with that asshole. I know what type of wolf he is. But nothing compares to what you're going to feel. Just know that I'm here to help if you need it." He said soothingly. "Will you be ok? Want me to wait for you?"