Bronze

Chapter 16 pt.2

Leah

Waking up was the hardest task of the day for me. My body was still reeling from Kane and I's claiming yesterday and from the strain of running both there and back. 

I peered curiously down at the scar on my hand. It was a dark wine red color, scabbed nicely, and already starting to heal over at the ends. Kane's was already gone by now since his blood was a lot quicker at healing than mine was. 

The brute, thinking he could claim me and then avoid me like the plague. Though, I couldn't really fault him. I'd been sleeping since we came back, and he still had a loving wife and pack to take care of. Avoiding me seemed like the most logical option. 

Sitting up with my legs hanging off the edge of the bed, I mentally prepared myself for the day ahead. The dream I had really scared me and made me realize just how severe my decision to leave was. 

I left my sister behind, and now Markus could use her against me. He knew how important she was, that I'd do anything to keep her safe. What lengths would he be willing to go to ensure my capture? Would he hurt her? Kill her?

Needing a distraction from the violent images racing through my head, I got changed into a pair of jeans and a plain red t-shirt and headed out to find either Wendy or Lander. Both of which I needed to apologize to. Wendy for leaving her without a word, and Lander for getting him caught by his wicked cousin. 

Taking the stairs to the kitchen, I skipped down to find Wendy. 

Maids and servants bustled around me, placing pots down and cleaning with stained rags. One man was sweeping around the cooking staffs' feet. He looked older and more refined than the others around him. Even while bending down, he kept his shoulders squared and his chin raised. 

Wendy was sitting at a stool, humming again, while polishing silverware. 

I came up to her. She turned her head, smiled, and a pink-tinted blush formed on her thin cheeks. "Long time no see," I said, taking an unused rag from a bin beside me and grabbing a fork. I could see my reflection in it, but thought that it still needed a good shining. 

"I was worried," she murmured, watching a maid with blonde hair walk by. The two locked eyes, Wendy nodded, the blonde wiped at her brow, and then they parted. "When the Luna took you, I was certain you were kicked out."

"She can't get rid of me that easily," I said with a smirk. After the fork, I grabbed a spoon. My face was like an oblong egg in the metal. I blew hot air onto it, rubbed it, and stared at myself some more. 

"If what you told me yesterday was true," she said with a skeptical sideglance. "...then she can't get rid of you at all."

A guardsman stepped through the threshold of the back door, carrying in his hands a large wooden box of chicken. Another behind him had potatoes and wheat. They each set their boxes down on an empty counter, the one closest to the chef tapping him on the shoulder. The chef, a shorter man around my height turned briskly the catch the guard's eye. Without words, a conversation played in their heads. The guard motioned toward the boxes, and the little chef nodded. 

After the spoon was cleaned, I randomly selected a knife. A butter knife. This time, I didn't stare long at my reflection. The way half of my face was cropped by the blade made my stomach turn while memories of my dream last night replayed in my head. 

I'll have to find a way to get her, I told myself. There was absolutely no way I was going to let her stay with Markus, grow up in his pack, without me with her to take the blows. I promised her I would be her guardian. What kind of guardian abandons their sister?