Mated to the Alpha of the North

My name is Willow Anders, and this is my story. It does not start out happy, but I must remain optimistic for the future. This cannot be my life. I refuse.

I used to dream of the day when someone, anyone would rescue me from this horrid existence and the truly vile Alpha Zeke of the Southern Province, but I had given up on that a long time ago.

It did not used to be like this. I reminded myself of happier times when the encroaching storm clouds got too heavy to bear, back to when my parents were still alive.

Luna, I was so naive back then. Things were not perfect, even I knew that.

The bears were still infringing, but, on our little farm, I could pretend everything was still alright, at least for a little longer. That was, until the day everything changed.

The unthinkable had happened. I shuddered, remembering that dark day as if it had occurred only yesterday.

I returned home from exploring the nearby caves to find my home invaded and my parents murdered. I still saw their panic-stricken eyes where they lie mutilated on the bloodied ground. The image glued itself to my eyelids, even as I fled for my own life.

I transformed into my wolf mid-stride, the pain of transformation near obsolete with my adrenaline rushing, and continued at the same punishing pace, just barely managing to evade capture, or something far worse.

I heard the bears roar with displeasure at their near miss. However, the sound of their lumbering footfalls quickly faded away the more distance I placed between us.

I kept running for what felt like days, but, in reality, was probably only several hours. The sound of heavy paws on the soft earth behind me disappeared long ago, but I kept running until my wolf was about ready to collapse.

The trees and surrounding foliage were beginning to all converge into a green and brown mass of bleariness. It seemed the adrenaline was finally fading, and I was about to crash back down into reality.

I began to ascertain my surroundings more thoroughly and started to look for a safe place to rest. I had allowed my senses to roam while I sprinted through the forest.

I knew I had been alone for some time, but the image stuck to my eyelids had me constantly keeping one eye open, despite my perceived safety.

My paws ached something fierce, and I was nearing the point of exhaustion. Nevertheless, I continued trudging forward, never letting my guard down, though I did notice I had slowed to a near walk due to my fatigue.

After a few more minutes, the stream I had been utilizing as a guide and to hide my scent, led to a scenic waterfall that nearly took my already short-winded breath away.

The water rushed swiftly down from about 50 feet above me and cascaded down in rivulets that had long ago been carved into the rocks it quickly flowed over. I scanned the gorgeous view in front of me until I located the opening I suspected.

It was barely detectable, and no one but a wolf would have noticed the small opening that was concealed in the rockface behind the silvery water. I instantly searched for the safest route to the entrance and began the daunting climb to my temporary sanctuary without wasting anymore time.

As I sloshed through the water and ascended the rockface, still as my wolf, I counted myself lucky again that I was so familiar with the hidden caves found beyond some of the waterfalls, located only in the Northern Province.

I could safely rest here while I decided on my next best course of action. I had plenty of fresh water, and my wolf could hunt for any sustenance we may need. Realistically though, I knew this safe haven would only temporarily provide me respite.

These caves were supposed to be a secret that only a select few guarded fiercely, and I felt confident it would remain that way, at least a little longer.

Nonetheless, the bears that overran my home would be close behind me. I may be faster, but even my father could not overcome the sheer number and brute force of the bears on his own. Really, I only had one choice left: to the Southern Province I went.

The trip took me about a week. I was not sure how long it should have taken, but I had to be careful to travel when the forest was less occupied. I knew I could not trust anyone, and I definitely did not want to run into the bears again.

I decided to stay in my wolf form for the most part, mainly because she was less needy if I was being honest, and the unrelenting wave of anger and grief seemed easier to handle in that form.

Wolves handled loss differently, and I had never been so thankful to have my wolf than I was now. She provided a way for me to cope while I traveled to safety. I would break down later when I was able, I reasoned to myself, but I knew I was putting off the inevitable. Every step forward reminded me that this was it. My last hope. My family and home were gone now.

Yet, I was not sure I would have made the arduous trek had I known what awaited me, but then again, I did not have much of a choice. I was 17 when I arrived, heavily bleeding and running for my life. The trip was dangerous, especially for a young girl all alone.

I stayed hidden and used my wit to remain safe on my journey, but it seemed my luck was about to run dry. I thought I would make it. I was so close to the boundary of the Southern Province. Unfortunately, the bears were also much closer than I had anticipated.

One bear crashed out of the undergrowth from the right. I quickly pivoted, attempting to stay out of range. However, the pain radiating from my back, left leg told me I was too slow to evade the bear's massive paw.

I yowled in pain, swiftly dodging the next blow and darting in the other direction. A second bear appeared, endeavoring to steer me back towards my original assailant.

I rapidly twirled 90 degrees, wincing in pain at the sudden motion, and took off for the Southern boundary, praying there would be someone there to assist me.

I heard the bears roar in frustration and anger as they crashed through the thick forest behind me. I kept running, but I knew they were gaining ground, my injury having slowed me down.

I could hear branches cracking in front of and behind me. I prayed the bears had not circled me and were not about to finish me off.

Suddenly, I felt blinding pain spiraling out from my right side, which, in turn, caused me to quickly collapse into a heap on the forest floor, despite my best efforts to keep upright. The pain was too intense.

My wolf retreated, leaving me lying naked on the forest floor bleeding out. I did not even have the wherewithal to care that I was naked in front of Luna only knows who.

My last vision was of half a dozen wolves, surrounding me before I lost consciousness, the sound of snarling fading into the ether as I was pulled under into a thankfully blissful darkness.

Willow

I could smell the savory scent of the roast cooking in the oven, making my stomach protest loudly and reminding me that I had consumed little since yesterday morning, like I really needed the reminder. Hopefully, I would be able to secret away some scraps after I cleaned up the dinner party occurring later this evening.

Zeke watched with disdain as I struggled to lift the bucket of vegetables onto the counter, an action that should have been beyond easy for a werewolf like me.

Unfortunately, my life had not been easy here in the Southern Province, despite my initial high hopes. Zeke's daily abuse, combined with my near starvation and tremendous workload, had left me weak and unable to defend myself.

Hell, I could not even heal myself properly anymore, though that might be a side effect of only being allowed to shift rarely. Yet despite the weight loss caused by meager rations, my generous hips and bust line have managed to linger.

I flinched when he walked closer and immediately shrunk away. Regrettably, Zeke chose that moment to slink up behind me and grab my ass, a common gesture for him. I jerked away from him; the unexpected action caused me to lose my precarious balance on the bucket. The vegetables went tumbling toward the floor as I tried to flee out of his arm range.

Zeke's left hand snaked out and clamped down on my wrist like a vise, no doubt leaving another bruise that would take hours to heal. I did not even see his right hand coming until it was too late. His hand came crashing down on the side of my face. I tasted blood in my mouth as he continued to shove and berate me.

"You stupid bitch! Look what you have done now. Dinner had better be done before they arrive, and I don't want to see your ugly face again until they're gone!" He snarled with a disgusted look on his face.

I quickly dropped to the floor, picking up the scattered vegetables as Zeke stormed out of the kitchen. I did not bother to respond anymore, knowing it only served to increase his ire and my suffering in the long run.

As I gathered the fallen vegetables and began to wash, peel, and prepare them, I attempted to shake off the pain and lingering disgust caused by Zeke's unwanted touch.

I thanked Luna again for the millionth time that groping was the worst of it in that regard. Zeke may treat me deplorably and lash out whenever the mood struck, but he had never crossed that line. I was not sure what stopped him. But I was thankful for whatever it was, and I did not intend to question it too thoroughly. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that, right?

I lost myself in the task of preparing the dining room and finishing dinner, one of the tasks I would actually enjoy if Zeke had not forced me to cook for him and all the unmated warriors every day I had been stuck in this purgatory. I was just setting the last dish on the table when I was startled by the loud knocking that came from the direction of the front door.

I quickly glanced around the spacious room, making sure every detail was in place before I departed. I knew I would catch hell for it later if Zeke deemed even one thing below his impossibly high standards, not that he would get off his lazy ass to do anything himself. The large rectangular table took center stage, centered under a beautiful crystal chandelier that brought out the rich tones in the mahogany colored surface and seemed to make the silver sparkle even more than it had after I had just polished it.

The wonderful aroma of the feast I had prepared bathed the air, making me think about the buttery potatoes and the piquant...

Thump, thump, thump!

Another round of loud pounding on the door sent me dashing off to my room, though calling it a room was being generous, before the visiting alphas caught a glimpse of me and I had to deal with Zeke again.

Finally, I let out a deep breath I did not realize I had been holding, as I leaned against the closed door of my domain. It was not much, but it was mine. Just a small storage room with a ratty old, twin-sized mattress on the floor, taking up most of the space, and a small shelf with my precious few belongings resting exactly where I had placed them last. At least Zeke had left my space alone today.

I sank down onto the mattress as I allowed my gaze to travel over the rest of the sparse room. I remembered back to the day I had first opened my eyes after the attack. Everything was so different then.

Zeke was warm and welcoming. He apologized that his warriors were unable to prevent harm from befalling me, but he assured me that I would be perfectly safe and well taken care of here in the South. It seemed like I had finally made it to the promised safe haven.

What a joke.

Willow

Two Years Earlier...

Sure, everything was great at first. I awoke in a spacious room with a soft, fluffy bed cushioning my body. I could feel that my injuries had mostly healed, and I noticed I was clean, wearing some sort of nightgown?

It was concerning that someone had touched me while I was incapacitated, though I guess I was thankful for the clothes and comfy bed. However, I quickly became even more alarmed when I noticed the garment was sheer, lacy, and really did not leave much to the imagination.

I attempted to take stock of my surroundings, but I quickly realized the room was unnaturally dark.

I was interrupted by someone opening the door, though the light at their back provided a silhouette that casted their face in shadows. It was, however, obvious by the large shape that this newcomer was male.

I shrunk back into the covers and clenched a pillow to my chest, starring wide-eyed at the Alpha of the Southern Province after he flooded the room with light, by apparently using some sort of remote he held in his hand. He tucked the remote in his back pocket.

Then, he held up his hands and made sure to keep his distance from where I was huddled up on the bed, an action I very much appreciated at the time.

Zeke calmly stated, "Hey, it's okay. I heard you waking up and figured I would come answer any questions you might have. I am sure this is all very disorienting, and I am here to help in any way," though I had observed an amused glint in his eyes as he took note of the pillow I was still clutching tightly to my chest.

I stammered, "Wh..Where am I? Where are my clothes? What happened with the bears?"

The questions kept coming once I had opened my mouth.

"Whoa, slow down! Firstly, my warriors took care of the bears that were tailing you. I am truly sorry they were unable to get to you sooner, but I assure you the threat has been dealt with. You will be safe here. As to the other questions, you are in the pack house of the Southern Province, and, unfortunately, the girl attending to you reported that you were not wearing any clothes when you arrived. I believe she was asking around to find you suitable clothing for your lifestyle here. In the meantime, she has given you one of her slips. Now, any other questions will have to wait. I'm sure you're starving, and you still need to rest to finish recovering from your injuries."

Zeke finished his soliloquy by gesturing to a table, laden with food and nestled in the corner of the room, that I had not noticed before, and he slowly, but very assuredly, walked towards the bed and held his hand out.

I had been silently appraising him as he relayed the previous information. He was really, very handsome in the classic pretty boy way, but he just did not do it for me. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and had the typical blonde hair and blue eyes combo going on. He was about 6 foot 1 with bronze skin and stacked with muscles, though I was perplexed as to why he was here personally. Didn't he have a million other things to do as Alpha of the Southern Province?

I did not have long to ponder this question, however, when I noted him slowly approaching me. My heart hammered in my chest as I took in his proximity to my scantily clad body.

He exuded power as he patiently held out his hand to me. Surely, he did not attend to all of the refugees personally, I found myself questioning internally.

I shrank back as far as possible, but Zeke reached out confidently and latched onto my wrist, dragging me out of the bed. Zeke maintained the same even tone as he stated, "You need to eat. I will not harm you."

He then began towing me towards the table, casually tossing the pillow onto the bed as he went.

True to his word, his hold did not hurt, but I could feel an uncomfortable pressure radiating from my left wrist.

I quickly attempted to cover myself with the pillow still clasped tightly in my right arm and stumbled after him, gasping when he ripped my shield away without a care in the world.

He propelled me into a seat, and I quickly moved to cover as much of myself as possible, feeling very uneasy under his gaze. His eyes perused my body freely while he took his seat.

I looked down at the table unseeingly, unable to meet his eyes. I was so confused.

My father had told me the town elders had gathered back home. The bears encroaching into the wolves' territories had been ever increasing in all the provinces, save the Southern, due to it being the furthest distance from the turmoil.

It was decided that the vulnerable would be sent to the South, entrusted into the care of Alpha Zeke and his warriors, and the remaining would stay and present a united front against the enemy.

I knew all kinds of contingency plans were made, but to be honest, I did not concern myself with it too much. My father was the strongest wolf I knew. He would protect us.

Although, I knew he was making plans to send my mother and me with some nearby neighbors who would have brought us to safety in the South, while he remained to help drive out the threat. I was worried, but I thought he would be okay.

I never dreamed of the day my dad would fall. It still had not fully set in that my family was really gone. I was truly all alone in this world.

Nevertheless, my dad made sure I had the necessary skills to survive and make it to safety on my own, though the trip was not easy and took much longer than it should have, due to all the circuitous routes I was forced to take to ensure my safety.

I never would have dreamed Alpha Zeke, my supposed guardian, would turn out to be so abhorrent, as I quickly figured out was the case later.

I glanced up as Zeke's fork scraped against his plate. He was swirling the pasta around his fork, the smell of oregano making my stomach growl in protest. I had not realized how hungry I was, let alone how long it had been since I had had a home cooked meal.

My mouth began to water as I looked down in front of me, and, for the first time, I noticed I had no plate of my own. I was about to ask Zeke what was going on; however, I was startled when I felt his hand firmly grip my chin, guiding my face up before I could do so on my own.

"You need to eat," Zeke stated again, as he brought the fork to my mouth.

I opened my mouth to protest him feeding me, but he used the opportunity to quickly shove the forkful in my mouth.

I sputtered out angrily in between bites, "I can feed myself," as he continued shoveling bites into my mouth, despite my objections.

Zeke proceeded to follow the same pattern as he calmly stated, "You need to regain your strength. I am going to feed you and then put you to bed so you can rest. Your safety is my top priority. Now, stop this nonsense so you can finish eating."

I wanted to protest this strange behavior yet again, but I reminded myself that he was the Alpha and was taking care of me, I guess.

Nevertheless, I was not a child, and why was he even here, I argued with myself. Maybe because I came alone, he felt responsible for me?

Either way, I felt extremely uncomfortable during the entire ordeal, and his roving eyes did not help much.

I was starting to question whether I was truly safe here or not. I remained quiet, not that he was listening to me anyway, while he finished feeding me, seething the entire time as he unabashedly continued to ogle my assets.

Once I was finished, he pushed aside the plate and moved to pick me up. "Let's get you to bed," Zeke crooned as he bent down.

I immediately moved away objecting, "I can walk by myself."

I would never admit it, but I was a little unsure whether I would be able to make it the short distance to the bed.

My injuries, though fading, were still throbbing in pain and the stress of the attack and the consequent, treacherous journey that led me there had finally taken their toll.

I had just been through too much, and I also had never allowed myself to stop and sift through all of the ramifications of my quickly changing reality regarding my family.

Despite all that, I could not stand the thought of Zeke putting his arms around me. He was good looking and all, but something about him just creeped me out.

Maybe it was the way his eyes kept trailing over my body, despite my obvious discomfort. I had been fairly sheltered growing up, but even I was beginning to question what his true intentions were.

Did he do this with all the women who withdrew here seeking sanctuary when the warring broke out?

While I was pondering my situation, Zeke paid no attention to my words as he swiftly gathered me up in his arms and began walking toward the bed.

I stiffened immediately and kept as much distance as possible between us. He quickly reached the bed, depositing me under the covers, without touching me any further, to my relief.

"Get some rest. I want you feeling back to normal when you wake up again," he quietly murmured, giving me a heated look before silently exiting the room and cutting the lights off, shutting the door behind him, thankfully.

My thoughts raced as I evaluated my circumstances, struggling to remain awake in the blackness.

I appeared to have all of my basic necessities here, at least for now, but I questioned my safety with Zeke's words and actions earlier, especially considering what I was wearing and the situation with the lights.

I wanted to continue assessing my situation; unfortunately, I did not last long before I was claimed by a blissful darkness that promised peace and no more thinking.

I endeavored to remain awake, still feeling uneasy about my surroundings but was ultimately unable to resist succumbing.