Bronze

Chapter 12 pt.3

Leah

"Oof!" I slammed into a hard chest and stumbled backward. My eyes followed the lines of the crisp white dress shirt, up to the smooth collar and neck, and then met the blazing orange eyes I've come to recognize.

...Oh no...

.

.

.

His hand snagged my elbow and tugged me away. His grip was tight, painful, and possessive, and every inch of my arm sizzled to life.

"Kane, stop," I said over the buzzing of people. A few heads turned, glaring with judgment in their eyes. 

"Leah," he growled back at me. My knees wobbled at the sound of his voice. Raspy. Husky. Oh-so-puddle-worthy. 

"What are you doing!" I snapped more to myself than at him. I was angry that I was feeling this way. I was angry that my body wouldn't let my mind have a choice, and even my mind was against me. 

"Dance with me," he said, demanding. 

We had stopped now, almost in the middle of the dance floor. The sea of people backed away, staring at their wonderful alpha, and curiously gawking at me. 

"No."

There were a few gasps around me. The humming of gossip began again, and all eyes were on us. I looked behind my shoulder and locked eyes on Katherine. She wasn't paying attention. Good.

"Yes," he retorted calmly. 

I scowled up at him, seeing the thin layer of red in my vision. This anger was directed at him, but I knew it was all my fault. I was angry at me. 

The red faded.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Alpha," I whispered, controlling my rage as best as I could. My eyes darted quickly away, focusing on my exposed toes and how the nail polish shimmered under the lantern's light. 

He slowly lifted my chin with his thumb and pointer finger. Pinching it, he held my gaze to his. 

"Dance with me...please?"

There was a soft kick to my gut when he asked. A silent wave of guilt mixed with triumph washed over me like a tsunami, crashing and knocking down every wall and barrier I managed to put up. 

I, Leah Brooks, had accomplished the unthinkable. I, an escapee turned rogue, had done what no wolf had done before.

I made the alpha beg.

And not just any old alpha; no, I made Alpha Kane ask to dance with me. And with every fiber, every nerve in my body screaming to embrace him, and my wolf nudging me forward with every minute I wasted staring at him, I had to make a choice. A choice that would ultimately determine whether or not I could continue fighting this bond.

Without fully thinking and comparing my options, I nodded. 

I was pulled to the center of the dance floor and twirled. The air all but knocked out of me, I couldn't comprehend what was happening until I was already wrapped up in his arms. With his arms around my waist and his chest pressed against mine, I was trapped, captured in his snare like the prey to a hunter. 

The music started off slow. 

I was confused by his actions and, truthfully, more turned on than I had ever been before. 

Not knowing where to place my hands, I held his biceps and leaned closer. The heat that came from him was scalding, but I welcomed it. I welcomed it because this was what I imagined finding him would be like. No wives. No alphas. No running, or chasing, or fighting. 

Just him and me, wrapped up in each other's arms and enjoying the fact that we belonged together. Reality didn't exist in the small bubble I placed us in. 

I giggled when he spun me again. This time I was ready for it, and reluctantly pushed away only to twirl right back to his chest. We were both smiling and out of breath.

"You look beautiful," he told me, his cheeks turning a shade of pink I had never seen before on him. 

 The people circling us disappeared into a dense fog surrounding my bubble. 

"You don't look too bad yourself," I said back, feeling my own cheeks heat up. 

We were swaying now; his hands around me and my hands against his torso. We didn't care about the music anymore, but rather, the music within ourselves. The steady beating of our hearts guided our movements. The slow exhales of our breaths decided the direction. The rushing of our blood determined when he would spin me, or when he would just pull me closer. 

Finally, I had my answer to all the questions running through my head. Finally, I was starting to feel my resolve crack. 

Finally.

Kane leaned down and sighed against my neck. "I give it a week," he chuckled at me. The warmth that I had felt in his arms turned to ice. My intense relief snapped like a switch, turning into pure dread. 

"What?" I could only pull back enough to see his face. He wouldn't let me go any further. 

"You and the boy...Lander, was it? I give it a week before he falls madly in love with you."

His eyes gave nothing away as always. He was calm, collected, and stone-faced. If I hadn't known better, I would have said he was a living statue. A cruel illusion in the mind of a lonely girl. 

"Really?" I asked with a smirk, though my insides were coiling around like snakes. I hid my emotions well. 

He touched the tip on my nose as if I were a child. "Yes, little rogue. You already have that boy wrapped around your finger." His chin jerked over my shoulder. "Look for yourself."

I twisted my head and glance behind me. Lander was staring at us, a drink in his hand, and two other guys trying to talk with him. Our eyes met and he smiled meekly. 

"What if I did make him fall for me? What would you do then?" I said still holding Lander's gaze. I attempted to smile back at him, but all I could produce was an anxious grin that furrowed my brows together and only turned the corners of my lips up. 

"I won't stop you from pursuing him, Leah. All I ask is that you tell me beforehand so I can prepare myself."

Sadness glinted off his bronze eyes. With his jaw clenched, he drifted his attention and avoided my furious stare.

"How dare you!" I yelled, pushing at his chest with all my strength. His cheek twitched, irritated, but he kept his gaze away. "So you're saying I can go after anyone I want? Does that mean fucking people, too? Is that who you think I am?"

His right hand clamped down on my cheeks and squeezed, jutting out my lips in a pout, silencing me. 

"Watch it, little one," he threatened darkly. "Rethink that tone of yours before I do something we'll both regret."

I gulped down the fear and lust building within me. 

"Like what, Kane? Because unlike you, who already has a commitment to another woman, I have to deal with this stupid bond alone. If I thought for a second that I could be with another person, I would've by now...but I can't. The thought of being with anyone else disgusts me! How could you be so cruel to even suggest that?"

I wretched away and looked up at his utterly shocked face. Kane was just a cruel illusion that I believed for a small glimpse in time. 

I had to get away from him. 

I turned on my heels and ran, not caring who or what I ran into along the way. I just needed to escape; that was my only mission. 

My wolf was silent throughout it all. She was there, watching, listening, but in the end, she agreed that what Kane said to me was wrong. And, though I had already come to terms with the fact that he was committed to another, I would never stoop to his level. 

I belonged to my mate, and he belonged to me, whoever and wherever he may be.

And all I know is that Kane will never, ever, be my true mate. I will get him to reject me one day; a day I hoped would be sooner rather than later.