"Then, I have an idea..." Leo remembered something on his to-do list he'd been putting off despite its importance. And since conditions were perfect, he might as well do it tonight.Smirking at the confused Rose, Leo flew the heli to Forks Forest, hovering over an opening close to his house and taking Rose down.
Looking around, she was confused, as she expected something more, based on their last date."Now." Taking Rose's hand, he looked her in the eyes. "Are you willing to become my life partner?"Putting his other hand on her cheek, he continued, "Despite it beginning as soul mates, I really love you. How you move, laugh, get angry..."Putting their foreheads together, he whispered, "And most importantly, I love that strong and stubborn spirit of yours."
Rose froze, not expecting this. As a matter of fact, she had her insecurities that came from the way she changed. Additionally, you might find it surprising, but this was probably the first time Leo moved to touch her on his own accord.In the past few months after they started dating, despite knowing her real age, he had hardly become proactive with her, and all the hugging and kissing had started from her side. That pushed her to think he was with her only because of the mate bond they shared.
And now, not only did she get to see a hidden part of his old life, but she was also being proposed to. The venomous tears started to fall from her eyes."Wha!! What's wrong?" Leo asked nervously, patting her shoulder as he noticed the tears.Getting her bearings, she threw herself at him. Leo fell back with her in his lap.
"Before I answer, can you hear something?" burying her head in his shoulder, she decided to tell him her story."I told you when I turned," she said, getting a nod from Leo. "Well, I was the daughter of…" Rose started to recount what happened — how she got engaged, how she was ganged on,and finally how she took her revenge and joined the Olympic Coven (the Cullen family). By the end of her story, she noticed Leo was hugging her tighter.
"Leo?" Looking up, she found a surprising view. Leo's eyes had taken a feline form, glowing with cold blue light. But the real surprise wasn't there — it was the strange light around them, forming the shape of a lion, that stunned her.Hearing Rose's call, Leo calmed down, restraining his aura and looking at her with a smile."Sorry, I got pissed for a second there," he said, patting her head proudly. "You did well."
Those words almost made her heart beat again. Rose dodged his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay with me? I am der—"Not letting her finish, Leo kissed her deeply for a couple of seconds before letting go and smirking.There was no need for him to say anything else — his face said it all. Rose laughed and jumped at him, kissing him back.
As things started to get heated, Leo stopped her and sat down."What?" Rose asked, not understanding."Well, I'm not really a forest man," he said, kissing her forehead. "And before that, let's get back to what we're here for."
This confused the aroused Rose even more since she had already accepted his proposal — and he knew that."Well, let's go in first," Leo said, taking her hand and making a slicing motion in front of them with his other hand. The next second, they found themselves in a frozen patch of forest.The environment felt as if all color had been drained from it.
"Welcome behind the Veil," Leo said, pointing around before explaining what the Veil and this place were."Are all places frozen like this?" Rose asked, noticing that the frozen trees were actually alive and trembling — as if the planet itself were made of ice."No, actually this place was outside for a while, but thanks to the high energy around, it was swallowed by the Veil. That's why the other side is just an open patch in the middle of the forest," Leo answered.
"And it's the place I awoke in. It's the best place to do what's next," Leo said, surprising Rose — since she understood that the cause of this frozen place was him."And what exactly are we doing here?" Rosalie asked, looking at Leo expectantly."Well, we're actually completing the mate ritual," Leo said. "The moment you became my mate, you already had the chance to go through it. So, are you ready?""What is this ritual?" Rose asked, remembering what Alice saw when they first met Leo."In simple words, you'll become part of my clan," Leo said. "Are you willing?"
"That means…" Rose looked excited, "I'll become a normal human?"But her words earned her a weird face, as if he were saying, are you serious?Catching his misunderstanding, she coughed and rephrased her words, knowing full well he hated being compared to normal humans."I mean, we can have children!! And I can eat normal food! And walk in the sun?" she exclaimed. Hearing her, Leo felt a sting in his heart for some reason.Flicking forward, he hugged her again. "Yup, and more than that."
"Then what are we waiting for!!!" Rose said, laughing. Leo nodded before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.The next second, he opened them — but his aura and eyes were completely different from usual."It may be painful, so hold on," with those words, Leo bit her neck.
Seconds passed, and Rose felt something stirring inside her body. The next thing she felt was her heart starting to beat, followed by a wave of pain that almost made her collapse. Thankfully, Leo caught her and held her in his lap.Time passed, and the painful twitching lessened, her heartbeat growing stronger.The moment it stabilized, Rose gained a sense of comfort, and her body began to generate energy that started to seep out. Wherever it touched, ice began to form — surprising even Leo, since even among the Rageheart clan, the ice and snow elements were rare.
The moment her aura stabilized, she began to shift, gaining mass and shredding her clothes in the process.In the end, she stood on four legs — three meters long and two meters high — covered in silky white fur with unique blue markings. Blue eyes and paws that left ice wherever they touched.Leo looked at the elegant snow leopard in front of him, fascinated.
Observing her new form for a second, Leo nodded and scanned her — then was shocked.Not only had she jumped to level 24 and gained the ability to control snow and ice, but she was also an Alpha.An Alpha is a rare beast even in the Rageheart clan and can be considered an ancestor of its kind — meaning she could turn others into her kind and create her own pride. But since she was under Leo, they would automatically be part of his pride too.
After calming and gaining clarity, Rose looked at her body for a second, then back at Leo.Surprisingly, he could hear her voice in his mind. 'It's a weird feeling, moving on four legs... but interesting. And now I can control ice and snow? How do I know that?'"Well, it's the inherited memory of the beast clan. We know how to use our powers, like how a kid knows how to walk. You're also an Alpha, so that's surprising," Leo answered her, surprising Leopard Rose.
'You can understand me? And what is Alpha?' Rose growled and got closer to him, but Leo didn't answer as some info came to her mind — shocking and exciting her.'Wait, I can do what you did to me too?'
Shifting, she sat on Leo's lap. He noticed her eyes were now sky blue, her skin healthy white with a faint blush, and most interestingly, she still had the blue markings.Seeing Leo absentmindedly looking at her body, her heart swelled with pride.Noticing the smirk on her face, Leo gave an embarrassed cough, causing her to chuckle.
"What?" Leo asked, trying to move past it. He took off his jacket and put it around her."This is probably the first time I saw lust in your eyes!" Rose teased. "I almost thought you were gay.""Not seeing it doesn't mean I didn't have it," Leo flicked her forehead. "It's just how we are — I have high control over my body and emotions.""Eh? Even with me? I'm your girl, you know?" Rose asked."Well, yeah. That's my way of respecting you. I know how it looks, but not touching you was my way of showing respect," Leo said, sneaking a quick kiss."What changed now?" she asked, giving one back."Now, you're my wife," Leo said, freezing her in place before she realized it with wide eyes. "Then the ritual was…""Yup, that was the marriage ritual," Leo said. "But don't worry, that's just the initial one. We'll definitely have a great wedding later, don't worry."
"Now, before I decide to eat you, can you shift?" Leo said, looking away. "As happy as I am, I won't take your first time here.""Oh, sweet," Rose said, standing up and about to shift — only to stop after catching Leo's words about her "first time."Looking at him, then slipping her hand down to check something, she withdrew it in fright and stared at Leo."Leo… what really was this ritual you did?" Rose asked, then looked back at him, smirking."As I said — your first time," he said, shifting to his lion form and waiting for her to do the same.
Sighing, Rose knew he didn't intend to explain. Since most of her psychological burdens were gone, she sighed — for the first time in a long while — with freedom.Shifting to her beast form, she followed Leo out of the Veil.
While at it, they ran around the forest as Leo proposed to help her control her senses for a while.And as they were hunting a deer, they crossed paths with the Cullens hunting.About to talk to them, they were surprised when the Cullens didn't freak out. Alice actually sped up and jumped at Rose's leopard form, screaming, "Cute!"Freezing the pair for a second before realizing she probably saw it coming.