Bronze

Chapter 12

Leah

I've tried the whole forgetting thing. I've tried it, failed, and did it again and again, hoping to find a different result. I think Einstien once said that that was the definition of insanity. Either way, I was definitely going insane.

I was bed ridding for a day and then I wasn't able to walk around the halls for another twenty-four hours. Kane was responsible for that rule. According to him, I was reckless and selfish, only thinking about myself and no one else's feelings. 

He was talking about himself. 

Yes, I can say I'm reckless, but I'm not selfish. I didn't willingly go out there on my own accord to get attacked by a pack of rogues. I didn't successfully escape on my own, I had help from a tall, witchy lady by the name of Katherine. 

When she heard I made it back in one piece, she flipped out. I woke up just in time to see her face when Kane walked in with me in his arms, both of us completely naked. I'd never seen her so consumed by anger. 

She deserves whatever happens to her. I told Kane, but whether or not he believes me is a different story altogether. I did what I could do without retaliating or getting vengeance. It was up to the Moon Goddess to decide her fate now. 

But right now, all I was worried about was getting my casts off. 

All the doctors from around the packhouse came at the request of their alpha to help me. They lathered me in some weird ointments, gave me painkillers, and wrapped both my broken leg and arm in a four-inch-thick cast of plaster. 

My wounds would heal overnight, they said. Try not to move around much. Kane made sure I didn't move. He planted a guard at my door and asked Nika to sit in on me while I stayed in bed. 

Nika and I didn't speak much. I was angry that he was there and Nika was pissed he had to babysit. Though, we would grunt to each other a few times throughout the day. He was checking up on me and I was responding to his nonverbal question. It was a lot more comfortable to just stay in silence with the guy than try to start up a conversation.

"You have to help me,"  I whined to Wendy, who was cleaning up my room. "I'm starting to feel claustrophobic within my own skin!"

She glared at me. "Stop complaining. You're lucky to be alive right now."

The whole house was buzzing with gossip about me. The moment the guards saw Kane and I coming from the woods, the stories started.

"Did she run away?"

"Was she kidnapped?"

"Do you think Alpha Kane tormented the poor girl?"

"I heard that she was running with a pack of rogues!"

"No way!"

"Yes! And Kane found out and killed them all. He spared her because they're related, I think."

The fact that people thought Kane and I were related sickened me. I couldn't imagine that without wanting to puke my guts out. 

"You know what," I huffed. "I'm getting out of this with or without you."

"I guess you'll have to do it without me. I'd rather not have broken limbs of my own, thank you very much." She twirled the duster rounder in her fingers, then swiped the surface of my dresser with it. A cloud of dust followed after, dancing in the light from my window.

Clenching my teeth, I curled my clawed fingers around the edge of the plaster on my leg. I yanked and bits flew everywhere. I continued to do this until I could easily pry the cast away.

Except for the tiny teeth-like scars dotting my leg, it looked normal, like it hadn't been broken in the first place. I swirled my ankle around, spread out my toes, and bent my knee. All my joints popped and ached, but it felt better than having the damn cast on. 

The hardest part would be the arm. My arm had a lot more fractures and would take the longest to heal. I doubted it was fully healed by now, but I was already done with having my arm immobile. I would just have to grit my teeth and bear the pain.

One.

Two.

Three.

I gripped the edge like I had done with my leg, and pulled as hard as I could. A chunk of plaster ripped away and fell out of my hand. It thumped to the floor.

Wendy ran to my side and started nagging at me. Her voice was shrill, laced with fear and worry, but I had somehow convinced her to help me get the rest off. She held on tightly and jerked back. The plaster cracked and slid off my arm.

All the tension from my shoulders eased. I bent my elbow and made sure to loosen the joint. Then I rolled my wrist and moved my fingers. 

The arm itself looked fine. The bone on the inside, however, still hurt like hell. It wasn't fractured anymore, but the nerves and muscles hadn't completely healed back. This was to be expected. Still, I had my arm freed and that was what mattered most.

Wendy took my arm and inspected it like a doctor would. She rotated my joints, made sure everything worked, and then slowly massaged my bicep. Large canine marks indented the skin there and would take at least a week to return to normal. 

"I used to help the healer in our town," Wendy said when she saw how curious I was about her. She sighed and lifted her head. "Where I come from, the boys would always get into fights and try to kill each other. We didn't have enough nurses, you see, so I helped volunteer after school."

"You'd make a great doctor," I replied.

"You think?"

I nodded my head and patted the space beside me. She sat and rested against my shoulder. This was nice. This was the kind of friendship I wanted from her. The kind of friendship that lasted a lifetime. 

Suddenly, Wendy shot up, her eyes glazed over as a look of pure dread took over her face. "I need to go. The party is about to start soon."

"Wait!" I called before she could race out the door. "What party?"

"The Alpha's holding his annual pack banquet tonight," She said holding onto the doorknob. "A lot of high ranking wolves will be here in a few hours, and I need to go help set up."

There was a long pause. We both didn't move

Then wendy asked, "Is there anything I could get you before I leave?" There was a hint of mischief in her voice. 

"Actually," I said with a smirk. "...there is. If you would get me a dress-"

"On it, and I'll get you some heels and makeup, too!"

"You're the best!" I yelled as she ran. She giggled and then the sound of her voice faded. 

I bent my arm one last time before trying to stand. I wobbled on my feet, and almost tripped when I took my first steps, but I slowly, carefully, made my way to the bathroom. 

What I needed now was a bath. A long, steamy bath to try and forget again. Hopefully, it would work this time.