Chapter Fourteen: A Shimmer What?

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Chapter Fourteen: A Shimmer What?




"Cuffs, hold on!" Leo urged and as soon as we were far enough from the others, he pulled his arm out from my grip.

"What?" I snapped at him, stopping my movements to give him a glare.

Leo began to frown at me in a disapproving way, making me feel bad. "Sorry," I whispered, dropping my head to the ground in shame.

"Don't apologize, but please give me an explanation." He begged, his face showing exactly how confused this matter is making him.

I let out a long sigh, knowing I would have to tell him sooner or later. I guess telling Leo won't be so bad though. He already heard what is probably considered to be my darkest secret; this should be nothing compared to that.

"Xavier-" I started, but lost the guts and the voice to go on.

"What? What did the Alpha do, I'll kill him," Leo growled protectively; still probably wound up from before.

I put my hand on his shoulder in attempt to calm him down. "No, it's nothing like that," I informed him.

"Then what is it- and why are you on a first name basis with him?" He raised an eyebrow and that just made me sigh more.

"Leo, I'm so sorry I got you sucked into this mess. Maybe I should just go and save you the trouble," I suggested, saddened by the fact he may be leaving me after this.

I don't want to lose a friend, Leo has come to mean so much to me. I don't think I could go through all this without him. I hate to admit it, but I'm scared. Xavier doesn't love me and I'm terrified that I'll never get the love I dreamed of. Being with Leo gives me hope to move on and I really need that right now.

"Roxie," Leo sighed, bringing his hand up to cup my cheek lovingly. "I'll always be here for you, I don't care what happened. As long as you're with me, nothing can harm you. I won't let it," He reassured me and again, I felt safe by his touch.

"Xavier's my mate," I blurted out, dropping my head to the ground and refusing to pick it back up this time.

Leo didn't say anything after that. I couldn't bring myself to look into his eyes after telling him something that could potentially be heartbreaking. I felt guilty, ashamed and horrible for the way I told him. Leo has been nothing but nice to me, so why can't I ever return the favor? I know I don't get to choose who I'm mates with, but I still don't have to blurt the match out to the one guy who likes and treats me right.

"Leo, say something." I pleaded, my eyes still fixed on the grass below us.

"Do you love him?" He asked with a voice full of pain.

"No," I answered too quickly for my liking, but I didn't need to think it over. "Xavier and I will never be together, he's made that more than clear."

Leo surprised me when his hand lightly pinched my chin and slowly brought my face up to meet his. His beautiful green eyes sparkled with hope and that was all I needed to know that he doesn't hate me. I still felt bad, but the way Leo looks at me brings me peace of mind. I wish he was my mate; things would be so much easier if I could just have him all to myself.

"Roxie, I'm sorry," Leo whispered as pain flashed through his eyes. "I know how it feels to have an unfaithful mate."

"You found your mate?!" I half shouted, surprised and not expecting that to be his reply.

Leo nodded his head, his eyes showing more pain than ever. "I met her a year ago, she was everything to me. The girl had a fire in her and she was perfect in every way- or so I thought. She loved attention, at first it started with her flirting with guys here and there, but soon it grew worse. Once I found her in bed with two random guys, I rejected her. She broke my heart, Roxie, I never thought I would get over it..." He stopped to take me in, the pain slowly fading from his eyes and a light smile appearing on his face. "Then I met you, Roxie. The moment I saw you in that hall, I knew there was something special about you. You get me, you know how it feels to be hurt. I couldn't understand why I always feel so calmed by your presence, but now it all makes sense. You've gone through something similar to what happened to me; we're meant to fix the others heart."

Everything Leo said was a lot to take in, but he's right. I never understood why I feel the way I do with him, but it all makes sense now. We've both been hurt in the worst ways possible; we're meant to balance the others pain out.

I smiled to Leo, loving how much he truly understands me. "Why couldn't you be my mate?" I wondered aloud.

"I was thinking the exact same thing," Leo chuckled before pulling me in for a passionate kiss.

Leo and I spent hours in the field just laughing and enjoying each others company. I learned so much about him and it just proved how great we are together.

Leo's 20 years-old and one of the top fighters in Xavier's pack. He was up for the position of Beta, but it had been offered about his issue with his mate. He felt too heartbroken to take on such a demanding role, so instead he settled to be a fighter. His story touched me, but it didn't do much for my wolf. She's all about power, control and position, whereas I feel the complete opposite about people.

I didn't let Gloria get to me though and she seemed to warm up more to Leo with time. He told me how much he loves to train and even invited me to join him once in awhile. I rejected his offer after I told him that I'm not allowed to shift. It wasn't until he pointed it out to me that my brother is no longer around that I felt it all hit me.

I'm allowed to shift; no one will stop me. After realizing this, I begged Leo to take me on a run, but he was hesitant to do so.

"I don't think you should shift, Cuffs." Leo told me in a worried tone.

"Why not? I've never seen my wolf before and I'm so excited to test out what she can do!" As I was saying this, I could feel Gloria jumping around inside of me, just begging to come out.

"Yeah, but it's going to hurt. You said the last time you shifted you were little, so that means the bones need to snap back into place. Trust me, Roxie, you're going to be sore and in a lot of pain." He warned me, but I wasn't worried about the pain one bit.

"We can handle it," I answered with a smile and Gloria howled inside my head in agreement.

"Roxie-" Leo started, but I didn't give him a chance to finish.

"No, don't 'Roxie' me. Leo, I need to do this," I begged him, putting on the best sad face I could muster up.

Leo looked at me with pitiful eyes and I knew I had him right where I wanted him. "Fine, we can go runni-" Leo began, but I cut him off again with my screams of joy.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" I shouted, tackling Leo to the ground in a giant hug.

Leo laughed at my silly actions, but went right back to business again. "On one condition though," He stated and I pulled away from the hug to look at his serious expression.

"And that would be..." I let the sentence hang, hoping he would fill in the blank.

"You promise to stop if the pain becomes too much," He proposed and I didn't mind it much.

"Fine," I agreed with a big smile on my face.

I already knew I could handle the pain. Gloria is strong, I may not be, but she has enough power for the both of us. I can feel it when she comes out in me; she practically radiates power. I have no idea what it's like to let her come out and play, but right now I'm more than excited to see.

"Where shall we do this?" I asked, wanting to get this show on the road.

"Follow me," Leo ordered, but not in a strict voice.

I let him tangle and lock his fingers in mine, pulling me in the direction of the location he has in mind. We stopped when we reached a clearing in the middle of the woods. Everything looked so calm and serene that I was afraid to disturb the peace. Leo reassured me that no one comes back this far into the woods, so we would be more than okay to shift here alone.

"So where do I start?" I questioned Leo, not sure on how this actually works- I've never shifted on purpose before.

"Well I suggest you go behind that tree and undress. You don't want your clothes ripped to shreds, beings that you don't have any spares." He informed me and I nodded in understanding.

I moved behind the tree and took off all my articles of clothing. I wrapped them into a ball and set it down on the ground where I could go back and get it later. I really didn't want to have Leo see me naked, so instead I called out to him and asked what I do next.

"Close your eyes and concentrate. I know your wolf must be dying to come out, so just let her take over." He instructed and I did my best to comply.

All of the sudden, I felt power build inside of me. A rush of energy filled me out of nowhere and I couldn't deny it access to take over. The foreign feeling of strength bounced around within me until it finally had enough influence to come out.

I could feel my bones beginning to morph. The crackling sound they made filled the forest, but it surprisingly didn't hurt. I liked the feeling, it made me feel whole. When I first shifted as a child, I remember it didn't hurt then either. I guess my body was just made to be in wolf form, whereas others needed to make adjustments.

"Are you okay?" Leo questioned in a shaky voice, probably expecting to hear my screams by now.

I couldn't talk out loud anymore due to the fact I just shifted into wolf form, so I decided on testing out the pack mind link.

When Xavier brought me here, I technically joined his pack. I had blocked out everyone and everything, but right now I need to have some form of communication with Leo.

"I'm fine, I feel great!" I exclaimed, loving the feeling of my new found power.

I had fully shifted into my wolf with no problems what-so-ever. Leo thought this would be bad or painfully, but it was exhilarating! I felt alive and free. My vision became sharper, my senses more alert, and overall, I felt omnipotent.

I felt power coursing through my veins and I knew I needed to run. I made a dash through the trees, running in circles along the border of the clearing. I could hear Leo laughing to himself at how I'm acting, but I couldn't care. I smiled on the inside and allowed my wolf to run as fast as she wanted.

"Come out here so I can see you, Cuffs!" Leo called to me after he got tired of me running and being a blur to him.

"Okay!" I sang, excited to show off my wolf to him.

I haven't seen my wolf yet, but I hope I get the chance to. It's really exciting to have a part of you come out and expose itself to you like this. I knew Gloria had power, but I was acting experiencing all her might firsthand. She always seemed strong, but feeling it is nothing in comparison.

I slowed down and came to a halt before turning toward the clearing and making my way out of the dense forest. I trotted along with a big wolfish grin spread across my face for Leo to see how happy I am about all of this.

The thing is, once I can into sight, Leo's mouth dropped wide open. At first I thought something was wrong with me and I became scared. I didn't want this part of my life to be tainted with anything, it was supposed to be the strong, independent side of me.

"Leo, what is it?" I questioned him through our mindlink in a terrified voice.

"Your wolf," Leo stated, his eyes wide as he took in everything my wolf had to show.

"What about my wolf?" I pressed further, not at all liking his vague attitude.

"She's... Beautiful," He started, but went back to correct himself. "You're beautiful," He answered proudly and if I was in human form, a blush would diffidently be on my face right now.

I didn't know how to answer him, so instead I just walked close and took a seat beside him. Leo looked at me with eyes of aw and I felt so lucky to have him.

"Roxie, I had no idea that you're a Shimmer Wolf." Leo stated as he reached down to scratch behind my ear.

"A Shimmer what?" I asked, not sure what he's getting at here.

"A Shimmer Wolf," Leo repeated, but it didn't help so he explained further for me. "Your fur coat is white with silver tips, making you a Shimmer Wolf. Just by looking into your black and silver speckled eyes, I can tell that you're one. Only Shimmer Wolves have different colored eyes when they change. Even though I've only ever read about them in books, it doesn't take a genius to know you're one. Roxie, they are one of the most powerful wolves out there. No wonder why your brother made it so that you couldn't shift into her. He was probably afraid you couldn't handle the power, but seeing you here says otherwise."

I couldn't believe his words. Am I seriously a Shimmer Wolf, supposedly one of the strongest wolves alive? I couldn't be though. I'm just Roxie, the girl who always finds trouble. I've never been able to defend myself or stand up for what I want, so why would I even have reason to believe that my wolf is a mighty one.

"What does this mean?" I asked Leo, unsure of how to go about processing this information.

"Well, for one it means that I'm never taking you on in a fight," Leo chuckled, being his fun and lovable self by finding humor in this. "But I guess it also means that even cuffs can't contain you now!" He winked at me playfully.

I smiled brightly at Leo, I would have laughed, but wolves can't do that. "Thanks Leo," I whispered, once again seeing how he calmed me down from a situation that was freaking me out.

Leo nodded his head and smiled down at me. "No problem, Cuffs. How about you run for a little while longer, then we head in and call it a night?" He proposed and I had to say I liked the sound of that.

I nodded my head to confirm that would be the plan, then I continued on my running in circles. Gloria couldn't stop howling with excitement after being let free. I was with her on it though, it felt nice and I couldn't believe I went this long without shifting. Derrek may have been trying to protect me, but I would have benefited from it if he would have been straight-forward with me about this all.

I guess there's a lot of things Derrek hides from me, but I never thought they meant anything. People always say never to assume something, and boy is that right. I think I need to have a talk with him sometime, but I don't know when that'll happen.

I miss home and I miss everyone from my pack. Maybe now that I'm with Leo, he'll let me visit them or something. It would be great to at the very least, hear their voices and tell them I'm alright.

I shrugged it all off of me though for the time being. I finished up my run, then went back behind the tree to shift back and put on my normal clothes. Leo walked me back to my room and helped me get situated for bed.

I was laying in my bed when Leo was saying his goodbyes and getting ready to turn off the light and leave.

"Leo, is this a good thing?" I asked him before he had the chance to leave my room.

"It's a great thing, Cuffs. Now go to bed, you had a rough day." He answered in a hushed voice before flicking the switch to the lights off.

I heard him exit the room and leave me alone in the darkness. Leo's right, this is a great thing. Maybe now things will turn around because I know I have the power to make them. This can be good, as long as I use it right. I trust Gloria completely and I know I wouldn't have her as my wolf half if she was too much for me to handle.

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Thoughts? I love those comments and vote... Also thank you to everyone who fan/followed me! You guys are amazing and I appreciate having each and every one of you reading my book  and giving support.

- Autumn <3

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