Mated To The Alpha Of The North
Chapter 3

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 replace 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.

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. M

y 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.