Bronze

Chapter 4

^Up top is a picture of what Leah's wolf color is. By no means is she that small. Think of that wolf but three times larger :) 
Also, there is a symphonic orchestra cover of Lana Del Ray's Young and Beautiful. I love this version so much!^

Leah

I was dreaming. 

I was in the world within my head where my wolf lies. This was her domain, and I was only allowed permission when she wanted me to be here. This was a rare moment.

My eyes opened and I stare up at a dark purple sky. Dark grey clouds swirl in circles above me. The moon is always full here.

I sat up and looked around. I was in a small patch of meadow circled by dense forest. Beyond the first layers of trees, I couldn't see anything. There were no sounds of other animals or of the wind the blew against my face. The grass beneath my fingers was smooth to the touch, and I began to pick blades of it while I waited.

 "I'm here!" I shouted into the emptiness. 

A branch snapped to my right and I took my time looking at her. 

"Hello, girl," I said with a smile as I made my way over to her. She bowed her head and waited for my touch. I rested my palm against her forehead and felt the current between us flow through my veins. 

She lifted her head and dangled her tongue. 

In this realm, I couldn't talk to her. She was full wolf now, and since we were already in my mind we couldn't talk through the link. 

Her golden eyes stared back at me as she jumped around. She wanted to play. We haven't played for a long time, and I missed the feel of running with her. 

Her reddish-brown fur blew in the breeze as we both ran. Her paws created large holes in the dirt. I chased her around the circle, pretending to be both predator and prey as we switched roles. 

"Wait!" I called out after I had lost my breath. I held my ribs and tried hard to slow my breathing as my heart raced in my chest. She continued running, jumping around me and growling playfully to get me to chase again.

"Girly," I said with a light chuckle. "I'm not as fit as I used to be." I placed my hand on my hip and waited. 

But that didn't stop her. Her large body, which was triple the size of a regular human-world wolf, hopped around wildly, and she started digging holes in the ground. Her tail waged with joy.

She was too happy, I observed. Her energy was spiking as I felt some of it spike into me. I'd never seen her this happy before, not while I was in her territory. She had a plan. What other reason was there for the sudden invite and the giddiness?

"What's going on?" I asked her. She stopped and tilted her head to the side. She made her way over and laid in the grass by my feet, still coming up to my chest when her head was raised. 

She sniffed my shoes and whimpered apologetically. I bent down to pet her snout but was quickly startled by another twig snapping in the distance. My head jerked and I was met with another pair of vast glowing eyes. 

This wolf was huge, much bigger than mine. Whereas mine came up to about my height when on all fours, this one was at least a foot or two larger. His dark chocolate fur was neatly groomed and looked silky to the touch. His paws were the size of my face. He had a rose beige stripe going down his back and a beige underbelly.

He growled and my wolf jumped to her feet. She looked at me and licked my hand, then trotted happily over to the larger male. 

Kane.

This was Kane's wolf. His authoritative presence alone should have told me that, but being an alpha, he was also larger and more heightened. 

When she neared him, he nuzzled her neck with his snout, licking her, and nudging her with his shoulder. She, in turn, licked his face and leaned against his side. She fit perfectly there beside him. 

"Really?" I yelled frustrated.

Kane's wolf growled loudly at me. I took a step back and watched as he stared me down. I didn't know if I should submit or keep eye contact, but I knew if I didn't think fast I was a goner. I tried lowering my gaze and bowing, but this only angered him more.

Dammit, I should have realized. If Kane hated my submission, of course his wolf would, too. 

He furrowed his bushy brows at me and snarled low. He crouched and within a few seconds he was racing toward me, mouth open and ready to bite. 

I sprinted as fast as I could in the opposite direction. My wolf started jumping again, howling and yipping as she watched.

Kane was much faster. His paw knocked me to the ground, spun me, and directly pinned me. 

I tried to get away, but his constant snapping at my neck froze me like a statue. He sniffed the air and then bent down to sniff me. My heart thudded with fear as his large canines came inches away from my face. 

"A little help, please," I begged my wolf. She sat patiently with her head cocked and her eyes wide with curiosity. She wasn't going to help me. No, this was her big plan. She wanted us to officially meet, and now that he was getting to understand my scent, she was just going to sit there and watch.

Conniving little she-wolf!

If I didn't have a six hundred-pound male wolf on top of me, I would've smacked her upside the head with my shoe. I didn't want this. I didn't want his wolf to know me. I hated Kane, and no matter how many of these trips I make because of her, I will always hate Kane. 

Can't you see he's dangerous?

When I thought I was finally done for, when the wolf bared his teeth in my face and I smelt his warm breath, I screamed. 

He jumped back in alarm and whimpered. The female laughed and rolled around in the dirt. I scowled at her, furious that she was finding my current situation amusing. 

Then he came back, placing his paw back on my chest, and sniffed the fresh tears that stained my cheeks. He continued to sniff, and then his rough tongue licked my right cheek steadily, taking his time getting all the salty tears. He did the same to the left side. 

My wolf came over and nudged him. When he stepped back, she crouched down and used her nose to push me up into a sitting position. She blinked at me and smiled.

See, I could imagine her saying. He's not so bad after all.

I bit my lip as I turned to look at the brutish wolf standing over me. His eyes gleamed with pride and amazement as he watched us sit together. In the end, we were one and the same. Two parts to the same Alma. If you loved one, you had to love the other. 

I reached out my hand to him and let him sniff my palm. Then I rubbed his head gently, hesitant, scared that he might still attack me. 

*********

I woke up panting. My whole body was covered in perspiration and my breathing was labored. My forehead was hot to the touch, a sign of being in mid-shift. 

I had to admit, his wolf wasn't horrible. In the beginning, when I ran from him, I think that was just his alpha instinct chasing a suspected threat, but once I snapped him out of his trance, he quickly recovered and tried his best to comfort me and apologize. 

I really admired that. 

But his wolf was separate from his being. Though connected, the two entities shared similar but not completely the same traits. That's how you get wolf-human disagreements and, worse-case-scenario, permanent separation.

The wolves were also bound by the moon spirits. They obeyed the laws of the moon, whereas our human sides didn't have to. That was why those two were pushing our mate bond. In the end, they control the bond, not me. I could try and stop it and take control, but only if I was stronger than her. And that was not going to happen if they kept meeting like that.

I couldn't let this happen again.