CAGED (Mackenzie Grey #2) (21 page)

“You will respect
me
,” I growled and smashed my boot over his lifeless face.
Number ten.

I thought I would feel different—better, like a weight would be lifted from my shoulders; that I wouldn’t scrub at my skin to the point of blistering redness anymore, that I wouldn’t flinch or cringe anytime someone breathed near me. This behavior made me angry—furious. It wasn’t me. When my insides knotted as I walked into the warehouse with the rest of the Lunas, the sensation pushed me to the verge of throwing up. I felt no better than when I was being held captive by Logan.

“You all know what to do,” I whispered as we entered the building. The seed was planted as the Lunas fanned out and I walked in and made a bee line for Amy. She was at a table on her laptop while Emma was drawing.

“Ace!” Emma exclaimed and waved a sheet of paper, showing me what she was doing.

“What’s up, Kid?” I took her drawing with shaky fingers and quirked a brow as I looked it over. “Uh…what is this?”

“That’s you, and me, and Roman…you see his fangs and the blood? Oh, and there’s Amy!”

I chuckled nervously. “Oh. That’s nice.”

“You don’t like it…” her face fell and I tried to recover.

“What? Of course I do! You’re like the next Picasso.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid and you’re a horrible liar.”

I sighed as I sat down next to Amy and watched as Emma scraped the drawing and started over again. Gripping the pencil tight as she pressed the tip on the paper harshly, trying to make a straight line. The tip of her tongue peeked out while she concentrated.

“She’s got you there,” Amy laughed as she was typing. “Lying is not your forte.”

“Whatever. I’m an excellent liar—I could be a politician,” I smirked.

They both laughed and I deflated a little. Watching my reflection on Amy’s laptop screen, I tamed my disheveled hair, and straightened my shirt. I looked a mess.

I cleared my throat. “Where’s the boy toy?” I asked searching for Jackson’s hipster ass.

Amy typed away mindlessly on her computer. “He should be back any minute now. He went for a run before the full moon tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“He’s going to be staying with me while you’re all at the Estate.”

“Well…” I hummed. “I’m not going either.” I held my breath and waited for her wrath. I wasn’t sure how she’d react to this but I had to stop taking advantage of the Pack. I couldn’t be half in and half out. That meant shifting on my own.

Amy shrugged.

“That’s it? You’re not pissed?”

She sighed and turned to me. “I agree with you on this. If you choose to be a lone-wolf, then by golly, be one. Its time you start figuring out how to live without the Brooklyn Pack—without Bash and Jonah.”

I nibbled on my bottom lip. The truth sucked, but I needed to hear it. I had to practice what I preached. Especially with what I just did, I had to put some distance between me and the Pack before everyone found out. Secrets don’t stay secrets for long.

“You’re right, Aims,” I muttered. “And I’m sorry about before. I know you’ve sacrificed a lot for me and I haven’t been appreciative enough.”

“You’re a sucky friend,” Emma blurted.

“Mind your business, short stuff,” I glared at her. Amy high-fived Emma. “Really?”

“You don’t suck Kenz…that much,” Amy giggled as she took in my appearance. “Dude,” she pointed to my jeans. “Is that blood?”

I zoned in on the splotches of dried blood and chuckled. “I went out for a hot dog and made a mess.” I licked the pad of my thumb and swallowed an inward cringe as I tried to scrub the stain of Logan away. It wasn’t the right time or place to fill Amy in on what happened. She would freak out and cause a scene I wasn’t ready to explain.

“About earlier, you said you stopped Ollie from flying to LA. How did he find me?”

Amy eyed me in disbelief. “Kenz, if there was anyone that would be able to find you, it was Oliver Grey. With all his government connections, I’m surprised it took him a few months.”

“How is he?” I muttered. I wanted to call my brother, see him, but I didn’t think right now was a good time.

“Ollie misses you, Kenz,” Amy reached for my hand. “I told him you needed space from some stuff and didn’t want to be bothered. He was hurt that you didn’t reach out to him, but he tried to understand and left you alone. He’s been keeping tabs on you but has kept his distance.”

“I miss him too, Amy,” I said as I wiped away a stray tear. “Do you think he knows? About my adoption?”

“I don’t know, babe, but either way, Ollie won’t love you any less.”

I nodded. If there was anything I was certain of, it was that my brother wouldn’t abandon me.

“Where have you been, anyway?” Amy asked. I was about to answer when a commotion from the second floor interrupted me. All we could see was blonde hair whipping back and forth as some wolves tried to keep blondie from leaving one of the rooms. “Chick fight?” my best friend muttered.

“I hope,” I said absent-mindedly as we watched, engrossed in the scene.

“Aren’t you anti-feminism,” she chuckled.

“I believe in equality, any other label than that is irrelevant to me. And whether it’s a chick fight or a dick fight, I don’t care. I just wanna see a fight,” I smirked. Anything was a better distraction than replaying the last two hours in my head.

“I’m going to kill her!” someone screeched and I winced from the high pitch.

“Why does that voice sound familiar?” I groaned as I figured out who was losing their shit upstairs.

“She either realized she’s never going to mate with Bash,” Amy said still staring as she played with her lip ring. “Or you sneaked into her room and put Nair in her face wash,” she paused to look at me, “which is totally plausible.”

“I would never!” I admonished. “I would have put it in her shampoo. Duh!”

Amy shook her head, resigned. “You have criminal tendencies, my friend. Why you wanted to be a cop, I’ll never understand.”

“Oh, stop it!” I waved her off with a grin. “You’re too kind.”

“MACKENZIE GREY!” Vivian shrieked as she bolted down the steps.

“Plot twist,” Amy mumbled. “Although I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“You!” V pointed at me as she moved in my direction. “You think you have it all figured out don’t you,” she said in disgust. My eyebrows wanted to shoot up to the sky in shock, but I schooled my features.

“I’d like to think I do, but who knows,” I shrugged.

“I know!” V screamed. “I fuckin’ know!”

“Whoa,” I put my hands up in defense and stood from the table. “Language, we have children in the vicinity,” I nodded toward Emma who looked confused and had long forgotten her drawing.

Jackson bounded from the basement, his eyes going straight to Amy as if he had a GPS tracking her. “What’s going on?” he demanded, standing in front of his girlfriend.

“This…this mutt, she broke the law!” V screeched. Her mascara streamed down her cheeks, and I noticed her blotched, red-rimmed eyes.

“A mutt?” I smirked. “Let’s try to get a little more creative, V.”

“What did Mackenzie do?” Jackson sighed and I was taken aback. Why was it that I was always to blame?

“Me? She’s the one who just went psycho. I’m innocent in this.”

V scoffed. “The Lunas are rebelling…because of her!” I felt like I was in kindergarten getting tattled on. I wanted to point a finger right back and yell ‘nuh uh!’ But I’m an adult—at least I try to be.

Jackson growled. “Those are serious accusations, Vivian. Do you have anything to back up your claim?”

“Yes!” she yelled. “Ask them! Ask them to do anything for you and see what they do!”

Jacksons brown eyes met mine and he appeared conflicted. I didn’t understand this reaction. It was as if he didn’t want to test this theory—did he know?

“Viv—”

“DO IT!” she screamed at him.

His eyes flashed gold and she took a step back and bowed her head in submission.

“Your place,” he growled. “If anyone is rebelling it looks as if it’s you.”

She buried her face in her hands and bawled—I didn’t understand her reaction. Why would rebellious Lunas make her bust out in an ugly cry? If she was pissed, I expected it. She wanted to be the Alpha Luna and if there were none to control, then her title would be pointless. But she was sad—devastated—as if someone had died…

I gasped, drawing attention. “You,” I whispered. “You were his informant weren’t you?”

Her gaze rounded and that was all the proof I needed. Logan had someone feeding him information about me. I figured it was Drusilla because let’s face it, the shit he had on me was sort of public knowledge. But not someone from the Pack. I never even thought it would be possible.

A range of emotions crossed V’s face from shock, denial, anger, and then resignation—the bitchy kind.

“So what if I did? You deserve everything you got and more!” she wailed.

My wolf awoke and a roar ripped from deep in my gut. I arched my back and lunged forth in a half shift: claws extended, canines out, my face scrunched up with wolf-like features. My eyes flashed silver. I couldn’t form a single thought or insult to say. I was livid. I had been lucky when it came to the Chicago Pack—if the others hadn’t come to rescue me when they did, who knows what tune I would be singing at the moment. For her to wish that on me or worse, and take pleasure from it? It made me sick. I wouldn’t have wished that experience on my worst enemy.

“Easy,” Jackson said as he came between us. “Mackenzie,” he warned.

Nothing he said would matter. What she did, or could have done, that was unforgivable.

“You and your mentality are part of the reason why Lunas live the way they do,” I spit out, “why they are treated as nothing more than second-class citizens. Because you don’t know what it means to stick together and defend one another, to stand up for each other instead of the dirty backstabbing, and hatefulness. Your kind of poison is why you won’t leave here alive,” I huffed. My chest heaved in rapid motions; all control lost.

“Mackenzie!” Sebastian’s voice boomed. The growing crowd parted for him and he strode over with calculated precision. His glare sapphire orbs as they glowed between us. “You will not lay a finger on her,” Bash warned me.

“What I did, I did for the good of the Pack!” Vivian pleaded with Bash. “I know what she came here for, why she returned to New York. Don’t let her fool you, Sebastian. She came to destroy us all!” Her whole frame shook with restrained anger. She was at the brink of exploding and I wanted to poke the bear to see what nasty truths would arise. I was too curious.

“How do you know Logan?” I growled. Lunas came through the crowd to watch the exchange. A hurtful expression on their faces told me V’s association with Logan didn’t go well with them.

“You killed him!” V came toward me but Jackson was there to hold her back.

A grin stretched from ear to ear as I said, “You’re damn right I did.”

Sebastian’s glare snapped to me but I didn’t care. The cat was out of the bag, and whatever happened next would just have to be. I’d take the consequences like a champ because Logan got what he deserved.

“What’s it to you?” I asked. “Logan your side piece?”

She blanched. “You disgusting mutt! He was my brother!”

This time I couldn’t hold back my shocked expression. I hadn’t seen that coming or their resemblance. How the hell were they related? Well…okay maybe I saw it in their mutual cruelness but Logan was worse. He was demented; Vivian was just a mean girl.

“If only he’d had the chance to do what he had planned. You wouldn’t be walking around here like the bastard princess you are! King Alexander is going to take one look at you and throw you out like the trash you are!” The mention of my supposed father stirred buried emotions within me and I could no longer control my fury.

With unnatural speed, I climbed on the table I had been seated, and sprinted down to the end. I hopped over to the next table that was behind V and jumped, landing a blow to the back of her head before anyone could stop me. The Pack rustled toward me as I attacked one of their own but the Lunas stood in their way. They growled at anyone who tried to come near me. Their canines snapped as they crouched in defensive positions, stunning everyone to silence. My chest swelled with pride. This is what women were—warriors. It was time they started acting like them, they just needed a little nudge. They’re stronger than they know.

“Stand down!” Sebastian ordered the Lunas but none of them wavered. Their growls only grew louder, more aggressive.

I bypassed Jackson who was the only one close enough to reach me. I ducked under his arms and kicked him in the back. I didn’t want to hurt him, but if he stood in my way…

My clawed hand went straight to V’s neck and I lifted her a few inches above ground.

“Why!” I demanded. “Why would you do that to me? What have I ever done to deserve your hate?” I implored.

Her red manicured nails scratched at my hand and wrist for release. She gasped for air but I wasn’t letting her go. This was one tally mark I didn’t mind adding to the list. I wouldn’t lose sleep over her death.

Jackson wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me away but I dragged her with me. My claws punctured skin and holding on to Vivian was like trying to take a bone away from a dog.