Mated to the Alpha of the North

Chapter One

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.

Yet somehow despite the weight loss caused by meager rations, my generous hips and bust line have managed to linger.

Hell, I could not even heal myself properly anymore, though that might have been a side effect of only being allowed to shift rarely. My wolf had started to fade slowly, but it was getting to the point that I could barely sense her presence at times.

I flinched when he walked closer and immediately shrunk away from his imposing demeanor.

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 mark 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 with a bruising force, causing me to skid back a step.

I tasted blood in my mouth as he continued to shove and berate me.

"You stupid b***h! Look what you have done now. Dinner had better be done before they arrive, and I do not want to see your ugly face again until they are gone!" He snarled with a disgusted look on his face before stomping out of the room without a backward glance.

I quickly dropped to the floor, picking up the scattered carrots and potatoes 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 swiftly 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 was eye-catching, taking center stage 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, in stark contrast to what I now knew his temperament really was like.

He had apologized that his warriors had been unable to prevent harm from befalling me, but he had also rushed to assure 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 after all of the heartbreak and strife that I had been forced to endure on my own throughout my journey, with only the company of my wolf to keep me from going insane.

What a joke.

If only I had known what alone truly was back then.