The Alpha's Ballerina (#Wattys2016)

All I Ask Of You

"Abbie." A voice called in the darkness. "Abbie." The voice called again. My field of vision was filled with a bright light. Eric stepped out of that light. In his hands he held a whip. "Abbie." He called. His voice had a harsh tone but if you listened closely a sweet overtone clashed with it. It was like the two voices were combined.

"Abbie." The voice rang as a light earthquake started shaking everything. Stuff started falling of shelves and breaking. Eric wasn't phased by this. Slowly he walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder. There was something off about it once he touched my shoulder. It was way too soft for those to be his hands. As I looked up Eric morphed into Theo. "Abbie." And just like that I woke up like in one of those movies.

I have been home for a month now. Ever since that night in the bathroom Theo has insisted that I sleep with my arms around him. He just wanted to make sure nothing like that night ever happened again. Most of the time nightmares plague my nights. Theo was always there and awake to clam me down. I asked him once how he knew but he just said that it didn't matter.

"You alright?" He asked me that all the time. Some nights I didn't have an honest answer for him. I don't know if I'll ever be okay again. Most nights I told him I was but he always can tell when I'm lying. He never said anything about it. He never pushed me to talk about it if I didn't want to. He just held me close until I fell back to sleep.

"I don't know. It's like I know it's just a dream. It's the fear and the pain that makes it not okay. I remember every lash and every burn. Those memories are where the pain comes from." Theo pulled me into his chest. His chin rested on my head. "All I want is freedom. Freedom from that year." Theo kissed the top of my head.

"Let's go for a run. That will help clear your head. Besides, maybe if you shift Evey will come back." He had a point. I always felt free and calm when I went for a run. "Let's do it." Both of us got up and went outside. We left our clothes behind a tree so they didn't rip. I had never shifted in front of someone. Well, I haven't shifted in a year. The wolfsbane effectively prevented that.

Theo's muscles rippled and his nose and fingers grew longer and wolf like. Once he shifted his wolf was my height. His fur was a deep, dark brown, but his eyes remained the same. Theo made shifting look so easy. The hardest part of the shift wasn't the actual shift. For me it was actually being in the mindset and forcing myself to actually grow myself out.

After fifteen tries I finally shifted. The height difference between my wolf and Theo's was the same as when we are human. "Oh hey! You're actually alive." For once I wasn't upset to hear Evey's voice. "Nice to hear from you too Evey." It's comforting to know that she was still there. As much as that wolf annoys me I still missed her so much.

Theo came by me and motioned to start running. He took off first and I tab right by him. The wind ran through my fur and sent tingles all through my body. The feel of my paws hitting the ground as I ran was only slightly less comforting then dancing was. For the first time in a year I felt completely liberated. The chains from the nightmares weren't holding me back out here.

Once in a while Theo and I shared glances. Hell, there were times we ran around each other like Nala and Simba do in "The Lion King". You know, during that whole "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" scene. Anyway, we ran for what seamed like an eternity. I didn't even realize that as we ran we headed towards the waterfall my mother showed me. Even at three in the morning it was stunning.

It was a mix of greens and blues that made it look straight out of a fairy tale. It took less effort to shift back to my human form then it took to shift to my wolf form. Theo shifted as well and soon after he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His breath sent goose bumps down my body.

"Mom showed me this place before she died. Every new moon I came out here to shift once I started shifting." Every time I came out here after she died I felt close to her. This was her last gift to me. "She would be proud of you. Your father would be as well." I smiled a bit as I thought of mom and dad. Theo's hand started playing with the red streak in my hair. "This isn't dyed?"

"No. Supposedly three centuries ago my mom's ancestor's mate was a hunter. Obviously it was frowned upon but they couldn't help it. She left her family and came to live with the wolves. Ever since then all the girls shared that same strip of red hair that she had. In a way, it's a mark." A mark that had always made me feel different. One that marked me as someone who wasn't fully a wolf. "Did the hunters recognize it?"

Slowly I shook my head. "No. They just wanted information from me." Theo let out a soft sigh.

"No more talk of that darkness. Nothing can harm you now. Not as long as you let me be your freedom. Not as long as you let me be the daylight that dries your tears when you cry. As long as you let me be here with you and beside you I will guard you and guide you. I will love you every waking moment. I need you now and always. I promise you that every single thing I say is true. I will be your shelter and light. Those people will never find you again. The fear of those people is behind you now."

Theo's words made a heat bubble in my chest. It wasn't one that stirred from kisses. This heat came from the sweetness of his words. It was a heat that only my mate could create within me. "I want you to always be beside me Theo. I want you to hold me when I he those dreams. I need you to hide me from those memories." Theo's face lit up like a Christmas tree at my words.

"We already share one love for our one and only life time Abbie. The Moon Goddess sought to that. That can only go so far though. You have to only say the word and I will follow you. Where ever you go I want you to let me go too. That is all I ask of you Abigail Mason."

Somehow he had carried a small black box with him on our run. It was now open and in my hand. A small ring rested on the pillow. The band was a pure stainless steel with a diamond resting on it. "Are you asking me what I think you are Theo?" He came closer and for the briefest moment captured my lips with his. "Yes I am Abbie. I want you to be my wife as well as my mate."

The ring was a perfect fit. It slid onto my finger with ease. "Yes." Theo literally picked me up and swung me around as we shared a passionate kiss. As he set me down a smile spread right across my face. "You do know you basically took your proposal speech from 'All I Ask of You' in 'The Phantom of the Opera' right?" his deep rumbled laughter rent through the forest.

"I know. While you were gone I asked your brother what your favorite movie was and he said it was that. I just have watched it twice a week. I see why you like it so much." Just like that we were engaged. Sometimes our people got married but not as often as you would think. Instead of running back we just took a nice stroll hand in hand.

Authors Note

So sorry for the late update! I've been on like a string of not having service. First it was because I went to the Wisconsin North Woods where service sucks so much. Then on Friday we left for the Michigan Upper Peninsula and my service was in and out. Again, so sorry! I'll be trying to get back into updating twice a week this week.