Chapter 15 · Never Cage Me Again

I'm already halfway to the tree line when Cain catches my arm.

"Don't." His voice is rough, half breath, half warning. "That's what he wants."

Derek's voice is still crawling under my skin. The radio went dead two minutes ago but I can still hear him. *I know exactly where you are, baby. I'm coming home.*

Cain's grip tightens. Not hard enough to hurt. Just enough to remind me he's still standing even though Vera's people beat the shit out of him an hour ago.

"Let go." My wolf is so close to the surface I can taste blood in my mouth. Not his blood. Mine. From biting down too hard.

"Layla—"

"I said let go."

He does. His hand drops and he takes a step back, palms up. Surrender position. It makes me angrier. I don't want him to surrender. I want him to fight me or trust me or do literally anything except look at me like I'm about to explode.

"You run now, they'll track you in under an hour," he says. "Vera's got thermal drones. Derek's probably riding with them."

"So what, I just wait here? Let him walk up and drag me back?"

"No.