A/N: Hey guys! This one is completely Storm and Leah. Some people were wondering why Leah was so mean to him in the last chapter. Answer: Leah's a dick. Honestly, there are times when she is 100% bitch, whether she's in human form or not. HOWEVER, in this case she had reason to be, in her mind at least. Suffice to say Leah's not exactly the type to take change well, especially if it's a surprise. It'll all be explained, I promise.

Oh! And on my profile, I have some pictures for you guys to check out. They're characters, in case you wanted to see what I had in mind.

Much love! ~Kasha

Chapter Twenty-Five: Second Chance

Leah watched the two packs leave like they were being chased by -haha- wolves. The last one to leave was a young boy, looking like a big troublemaker, but with worry in his eyes. Leah snarled at him to make him hurry along like the little pup he was. To her surprise, he just looked at her sadly, then left in complete silence.

With his departure her head whipped back to the man that stood in the same place he'd been in the entire time, his eyes riveted on her. It was like he was trying to see each and every thing about her from the inside out. For some reason this irritated her even more.

She began to pace, growls rumbling low in her throat. She didn't want a mate! She had seen how much it took over the imprinter's life, making them crave their mate like a drug until nothing else mattered.

Not even when you loved someone else.

She snarled again, whipping back and forth and wearing long tracks in the grass beneath her. Why did she have to have a mate? She was perfectly fine being an independent person, not being bothered with an unwanted, tag-along male dragging her down. She didn't want a mate. Hated the thought of being forced against her will to be with someone she didn't love, didn't know, didn't give a flying fuck about.

And why was he staring at her?

Those brown eyes snatched his gaze again, and amber met emerald in a brilliant spark. She rumbled threateningly. He remained unfazed, still as quiet as the earth beneath them. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I do not understand." His voice was so quiet she almost didn't hear it.

Leah's pacing and snarling stopped, although she retained a wary look and her face tilted to the right a bit. She took the time to fully examine him now. He was taller than her, broader, with bulking muscles, but despite his size, he looked worn down – a cliff that had been in the wind too long, and had faded to sand. The luminous green eyes held a tired look in them, a weariness that came from too much sorrow in too much time.

Her hostility died down and melted to nothing inside of her. "Don't understand what?"

Long lashes closed over those gem-eyes, and lines etched into his features. "I had a mate. A long time ago. She..." his throat worked harshly, and when he opened those eyes again, unbelievable sorrow showed in them. "She died, because I didn't protect her. I didn't understand what was happening. I fought it, and when I realized what had happened, it was too late."

Leah couldn't breathe. Somehow, their souls had melded and destroyed barriers she hadn't known existed. Without them, his pain poured into her and stole her breath, her heartbeat. Her body hitched and stilled. Wide amber eyes turned liquid and overflowed, though she didn't know. Her consciousness was buried too far into his to realize anything outside of the magnitude of sorrow, guilt and emptiness that ate at him. So much pain. So alone. So completely alone.

Leah blinked, pulling out of his soul as far as she could, although her will seemed nothing to the way their spirits were melded together. She felt vulnerable in a way she had never felt before, her mind wide open for him to know her past and present to an extent she felt helpless against. But as he traveled through her mind, drawn into it just as she had been sucked into his, he smiled. When his eyes glinted with a presence that signaled that he was fully within his own self again, his look was respectful, almost proud. "You are strong," he said softly.

Leah didn't quite know what to say to that. Always she had kept herself apart from everyone else, kept them hating her because it was safer that way. She didn't know how to handle it when people didn't sneer at her. But he hadn't. He had smiled, and acknowledged her spirit for the warrior she was. He had laid himself open and bared his sins to her, the greatest sin a wolf could have on his soul. If he could accept her as she was -as no one had- then she would do so as well. Anything else would have been unacceptable to her.

"You weren't to blame. About your mate, I mean."

The smile dimmed, and his eyes lowered from hers. "Thank you for saying so, but I cannot be freed from the choices I made."

"You couldn't have known." She held her hand up in a surprisingly gentle fashion when he would have argued with her. "I realize ignorance is not an excuse, but if you could change what you did, you would. That is enough to show me who you are. Stop killing yourself over a mistake any of us would have made. You are just a person, not a god." Her normally aggressive personality was settled into patience, something that would have been laughable at any other time. "I may not be happy about not having free will, but I'm not going to kill you over it... yet." Humor flickered over her features, and Storm smiled in return and nodded silently.

"Would you kill me if I asked for a walk?"

"Depends." The arrogant assurance was back in her voice now. "You gonna wanna talk during that stroll?"

The smile widened over his face, but he tamped it down so he could shrug nonchalantly. "Perhaps."

Leah grinned. "I can let you live – this time."

She sauntered out of clearing, turning just as she was enveloped by the green of the huge leaves to bestow a look that would have been along the lines of come-hither if it hadn't also contained a bite to it that threatened to take a chunk out of him while doing so.

Storm let out the breath that had suddenly hitched in his lungs, and for the first time, felt as if there was something for him to live for and look forward to in this world.

He glanced up at the sky and thanked whoever was up there for the second chance he had never thought possible.

A/N: Holy moley cow! This chapter came as a total surprise for me. I expected Leah to be all over him and clawing at his eyes, but nope! Boy oh boy did she surprise me.

Anyway, the pictures of Storm, Sage and a couple of Leah are up on my profile, if you want to check them out!

Hopefully you enjoy the picture of Storm as much as I do. It's exactly the picture of him looking up that I had thought of. Which is awwweeessoommme! Anyway, tada! Surprise for everyone this time! Tell me what you think of things! Much love! ~Kasha