Bronze

Chapter 13

Leah

I haven't left my room for days. A part of me was scared to leave the comfort and the security, and another part of me, a dark part, was fearful of Kane. I wasn't afraid of him perse, but afraid of how I would react to him. 

And I think he was scared, too. 

He tried visiting me the day after the banquet. He stood outside my door for hours, just waiting like a crazy person until I yelled at him to go away. 

He hasn't come since. 

My brain kept telling me that I needed to get out. I had to find an escape. But from what? What was I running from?

Markus? Was I still trying to run from him after all? I couldn't keep lying to myself and say that Markus didn't frighten me. And now that his searchers were after me? I was even more terrified than when I first left, but that wasn't who I was running from.

I was running from myself, from the bond that kept me chained to Kane's side like a dog on a leash. From one alpha to the next I was passed around and abused, chained and pushed aside, screaming to be let out.

Large wolves were training outside my window. Swarms of them, fighting and circling each other, snarling and biting like rabid animals. Fitting, considering the obviousness of what we were as a species. Animals.

My wolf was begging for me to go outside. Being cooped up made her antsy. Hell, it made both of us antsy. A wolf isn't meant to be kept in a cage. We run. We hunt. We are social creatures by nature.

I peeked my head out the door into the hallway. It was clear for now, but anyone could wander up here at any moment. I either went out now, or I stayed put.

Not seeing how staying inside was a very good option, I stepped out into the vacant hallway. Wearing nothing but a red tank and denim shorts, I pressed onward, going down a set of stairs that led to the dining hall. From there, I tried to find the exit.

It was through the kitchen that I found a door that led outside. I was lucky none of the kitchen staff noticed my presence, or if they had, didn't acknowledge me walking passed. 

Wendy was sitting on a bench when I reached the open doorway. The crisp summer air blew against my cold, pale face, warming my cheeks and adding color back to them. I jumped at the sight of Wendy's brown does eyes staring up at me.

She grinned. "Finally decided the leave your den?" she asked with a cheeky smirk. 

I took the spot beside her and sighed. "It's not like I wanted to be in there," I told her. 

Andreas and Nika were sparing across the field. Unlike the other groups, these two took up an entire meadow, rolling around and chasing each other. This was the first time I'd ever seen Nika look genuinely happy. 

Wendy looked up from pealing the apple in her hand to watch the guys. Her face flushed a bright pink when Andreas looked over. 

Nika lunged himself at his distracted opponent, knocking the poor guy to the ground and pinning him. 

She resumed her peeling, humming a tune that reminded me of a Disney movie. 

"Why were you up there anyway?" she asked after a moment of silence. I stared off into the line of trees, past the training fields, beyond the men. 

"I shouldn't be here, Wendy," I confessed. "I need to leave. The sooner, the better."

The apple dropped from her hand into the large bucket of peeled skin. It made a thumping sound as the apple met the bottom of the wooden bucket. The strength of hundreds of skin pieces was no match for the force of gravity.