Bronze

Chapter 2 pt.2

I woke up in a soft bed wrapped in blankets. The room was dark except for a small fire crackling in a fireplace in front of me. The smell of baked goods filled my nose, and I was instantly reminded of home.

Home.

I missed my little sister, Sophie, and her crazy little adventures. I missed the smell of my aunt's cooking and playing in her backyard in the summertime. I missed James and watching movies until midnight. I missed my home.

I cried for a while before trying to get up. Walking around the room, I observed everything I could about it.

Where was I?

The walls were a bright white--but looked grey in the dark-- and the floor was a nice stained wood. The bed was white also, with transparent drapes hanging from beams above it. The fireplace was well-cleaned and had fresh wood placed inside. I could only assume I hadn't been here for long. There was a worn dresser beneath a large double-paned window on the other side of the room and a closet by the bed.

I walked into a door beside the fireplace and was greeted with a bathroom. To my left was a large bathtub, and to my right was a counter with a large mirror. The lights were very dim, but I could still see my reflection. My face was red, swollen in places, and I was starting to get a bruise around my neck. I touched it, hoping I was still dreaming, but I winced and started to cry.

I'm sick of crying!

Rest, my wolf urged. She knew we were exhausted, not having a full night's sleep in days.

Leisurely, I curled up on the bed, wrapping my arms around my knees, and dozed off.

Hours passed and I was left with nothing to do. I had already looked around the room twice, getting a mental image of everything, thought of what had happened multiple times in my head, and tried building a tower out of random objects around me.

The entrance was locked from the outside, and although I tried multiple times to break the knob, it wouldn't seem to budge.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. I jumped back, scared of who it might be, toppling my latest tower—made of a few books, bars of soap, towel rolls, and a hairdryer—to the floor. I hesitated. Was it Kane? My question was answered when the door opened, and a small girl came in with a tray filled with treats and a glass of water.

The girl placed them on the end table beside me and started to walk out. She was petite, with a tiny waist and thin limbs, and had pixie-like black hair. Her skin was tanner than what I would expect considering she showed no obvious signs of circulation.

I quickly got up to grab her wrist, making her stop.

"Wait," I said hopefully, letting go of her slender arm. She turned to face me, and there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Who are you? W-Where am I?"

The girl shook her head and sped out of the room.

That was weird, I thought as I walked over to the food tray. There were tarts and cheeses and different kinds of fruit displayed in a beautiful assortment. I grabbed a raspberry tart—which I had never tried before—and sat crisscrossed on the bed.

Just before grabbing my third one, after filling up on the other stuff and almost exploding my stomach, another knock startled me. It sounded rougher and more urgent, so I went up to the door and opened it myself.

To my surprise, standing there in front of me was an alpha with a first aid box in his hands. He casually walked inside, pushing me off to the side by my shoulder. I didn't dare shut the door behind me; I could already feel the mate bond pull me towards him, and shutting that door would only lead to bad things.

"What do you want?" I asked with a sneer, walking over to the glass of water that I had placed on the nightstand, and grabbing it so I could take a long drink.

"Do not talk to me that way," he snapped.

I jumped back, spilling the drink all over my clothes. The water dripped to the floor, pooling around my feet. Some went down my cleavage as well, and I could feel Kane staring at my breasts.

This was all so new to me. Having someone--my mate--look at me that way. I was always the shy girl who had her hair in a side braid most of the time and her nose stuck in a book. I was the one who got all A's that no one ever looked twice at because I was never important enough. Now this alpha male was looking at my breasts with desire in his eyes. And the powerful wolf bond, that made it really hard for me to not stare back, was getting stronger by the second.

"Shit," Kane muttered, setting the box down on the bed and pacing the room, just like he had when I was in the cell.

This time, though, he didn't stop until I broke him out of his trance. He would've been there for a while if I hadn't found enough courage to approach him. Just looking at his hands brought back the pain to my throat.

I lightly touched his exposed arm. Those electric shocks that I had always heard about coursed through my fingertips and up my arm. Apparently, he felt them, too, because his eyes widened when he looked down at me.

"Mine," we both whispered in unison.

I jumped back when I realized what I had just said. Kane, on the other hand, wasn't fazed at all. He stared at me with awe, his jaw in a straight line, and his body relaxed from my touch.

I couldn't allow this to happen. He had already abused me once. What was to stop him from doing it again? Over and over again. And what about that wife of his? There was no way I was becoming his mistress. I wouldn't stoop to that level.

I continued to step away until my back hit the wall. That was when Kane snapped out of his thoughts and started to panic again.

This whole thing is too messed up, I said to my wolf as I watched him march around. She didn't answer.

"Why won't you reject me?" I asked from the depths of my heart. My wolf could sense the agony within us and howled up to the moon goddess for help.

He groaned. "I need you," he said before walking out of the room with a grimace plastered on his face. Those words sent shivers racing down my spine.

I had almost forgotten.

Of course, he would need me. Alphas weren't as powerful without their mates and had only a short time to consummate the bond before their tie with the moon goddess was severed.

How could I have forgotten that?

When young pups are first learning about what we are, we learn about alphas. They are the head figures in our culture, aside from the moon goddess. Not only were they the most powerful of us—they are the direct descendants of the original Lycans—but they also had heightened senses and emotions, and when they discover their mates, it's almost impossible to deny the bond unless there's rejection. When an alpha finds their mate, their power is stronger, their control more honed. The only downside was that an alpha and his mate were linked far beyond that of normal mates.

And it's never heard of to have an alpha mate with low-ranking wolves. Because ruling over a pack is only meant for those who handle the hardships, alphas only mate with alpha, beta, or gamma bloodlines.

Did Alpha Kane think I was from some sort of bloodline?

No, that was impossible. My father and mother were lowly omegas. 

Losing my appetite, I curled back in bed and cried myself to sleep, knowing full well that I wasn't going to allow the alpha to keep me here any longer.