The Alpha's Chosen Bride

First night together

Silence reigned between Nina and Ezra for a while, with the Alpha holding his face where she had just slapped. He stared at her, disbelief filled his gaze.

Nina on the other hand didn't mean to slap him. Her anger just got the better of her, but she did not regret it the least. She believed that he deserved it.

Ezra crossed the distance between them. He gripped her chin, and forced her to look up at him, his angry gaze boring into hers, matching her intensity. "The next time you will raise a hand to me, you will not be getting just a warning. I will remind you again that as long as you are in this pack, I am your Alpha, and I do not tolerate disrespect."

"Then you should learn to be respectful yourself, Alpha." She stared into his eyes. She felt intimidated by his threat, but she did not want to back down. She knew that she was no match for him. Even if her wolf was still okay, she knew that she could not take him, talk more now that her wolf was weak. But she didn't just want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her surrender, seeing her shiver in fear of him. She was tired of men like that.

She stared at him, knowing that she had provoked him. She wondered what he would do. Hit her?

She was still contemplating what he would do when he suddenly left her and walked to lay on the bed. He got under the covers and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep. She stared at him, disbelief clouding her gaze for while. This was one very spontaneous man.

After recovering from her shock, she hesitantly went to lie on the other side of the bed, making sure that there was a good distance between them. Thankfully, the bed was large enough.

When she woke up the next morning, Ezra was not in the room, and there was no sign of him at all. She guessed that he would have left the room a long time ago.

She got up and prepared herself for the day, having her bath and changing her clothes. When she stepped out of the room, she was surprised to bump into Ezra who had on a grim expression. He frowned deeply as he looked at her.

"What is this I hear Nina? You are being followed?"

"Followed?" Nina uttered, utterly confused.

"Yes. Claire made mention of how you saw a man yesterday. The man had scared you. Did you know him?" He asked, searching her face.

Nina seemed to tense as he asked her that, and her reaction didn't go unnoticed by the Alpha. She definitely knew him.

"If you know him, you better speak up. You should never hesitate to tell me if you are in danger of any kind. You hear me? You are a member of this pack now." He blurted, forgetting that she had not performed the Luna ceremony that would officially make her a member of the pack. "You are also my wife, so it is my duty to protect you."

"Protect me?" She sounded like she didn't believe it, as if it was strange to have someone protect her.

"It is my duty." She nodded. "Now who did you see?" Claire told him that she didn't catch the man's face, and he hoped Nina would tell him.

"Alpha Jake of the Spring snow pack." She stated. "He was my mate, the one that rejected me." She then averted her gaze from him, feeling embarrassed. "I don't know what he was doing, but he was there. I wondered if he had been following me all along." She revealed to him.

When she saw him the previous day, her whole frame froze. She had suffered terribly because of him, as the rejection had weakened her wolf. When a werewolf is rejected by their mate, their wolf suffers. Some lose the ability to smell strongly, shift, their sharp vision and some other senses. And they mostly suffer from pain for the first few weeks.

"You are scared of him." Ezra noted, and Nina couldn't bring herself to look at him. Of course she was scared of Jake, her wolf crawls back in his presence.

"Why did he reject you, Nina?" Ezra asked, his voice surprisingly laced with concern. Nina stared at him, wondering if it was safe for her to reveal it to him. What if he uses it against her. And she knew how spontaneous he could be. He seemed calm at that moment, but he could flare up in the next. She didn't not him, at least not yet.

He then took one of her hand and began to walk her down the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Nina asked him. He seemed to be in a better mood that morning. It was far from what she had expected, especially since she slapped him the previous night.

"To have breakfast. The rest are waiting at the table."

"The rest?"

"Do you have breakfast alone in your pack?" He asked, genuinely curious, and she nodded. His eyes widened a little, showing his surprise. Was it a strange thing to do here?

He didn't say anything anymore, he just led her downstairs. When they got to the dining room, she was surprised to see a very large f, and people surrounding it. They looked their way, with faces bright with smile, chatting happily and teasing each other. She had met some, but most were new faces. This was something Nina wasn't used to. In her pack, every member is expected to go about their duties seriously, no times to play around.

Ezra clapped his hands in a perculiar rhythm, and everyone in the room went silent.

"I would love you all to meet my wife and your new Luna, Nina."

Nina waved, feeling a little awkward with the whole situation. They were so friendly, and she felt as if she was the odd one out.

"Nina, you have met my Beta, Axel, and his mate, Claire. You could make her your Beta. She is very reliable." Axel and Claire who sat next to each other waved at her.

Nina wondered if it was possible to have two Betas. In her pack, it cannot be more than one.

Ezra then walked her to a woman, dark hair and blue eyes. She seemed a little older than the people there. While they all appeared to be in their twenties, she looked like she already crossed thirty.

"This is my mother, Elder Michelle, the former Luna of this pack." Ezra introduced, and Nina's eyes went wide. She never thought to ask him of his parents.

Michelle stood up and enclosed her in a warm motherly hug that made her body tense. She felt too warm, too homely, reminding her of all the things she could not get from her own parents.

"You seem like a sweet child." Michelle said to her softly. "Please let me know whenever Ezra is giving you a hard time."

Nina smiled, the woman's warmness seemed to shake a nerve inside of her, and she was suddenly emotional. She tried to hold back the emotions as she didn't want to spoil the joyful mood.

Ezra then led her to a man, that looked to be his and Axel's age. "This is Daniel, my Gamma."

Daniel stood up, offered a polite bow to her, before speaking. "It is a delight to finally meet you, Luna." He then sat back down. He seemed like a cool and calm guy, and he was the one that spoke the least.

He then walked her to young boy and girl that seemed to be in their teenage ages. "These are my cousins, Bella and Patrick. They are twins, and they live with my mother, close to the packhouse."

She wanted to ask why they didn't stay in the pack house, but she decided to keep it for later. Ezra then led her to an empty chair, pulling it out for her. She was shocked at the gentlemanly gesture, but she concluded that he was trying to be proper in the presence of his mother.

Delicacies of different kinds filled the table, and everyone served themselves. It was going to take a while before she got used their way.

"Don't be shy child. Grab anything you want." Michelle said, and a blush painted Nina's cheeks. "And you Ezra, do I have to remind you to make sure that she is well fed? You should be the one filling her plate." She fumed at her son.

"We just joined the table, mom." Ezra responded in a dry tone.

"You should learn a thing or two from Axel."

Nina then looked over at Axel. He was happily filling his mate's plate and also feeding and teasing her. At that moment, he dropped the spoon and used his thumb to wipe the side of Claire's mouth.

"As big as you are, you still do not know how to eat." He teased and she bit his hand. Nina laughed.

Ezra shook his head vehemently. "Anybody but Axel and Claire." He could not imagine himself being all smitten by somehow every time of the day.

The table burst into laughter, making Nina feel like she had been transported into another world. These people were just two different from her people.

"Excuse us please." Axel said, standing up, holding Claire's hand.

From the look everyone gave them, Nina could tell that they could all tell what they were going to do, and they were used to it. She chuckled.

"Look at them, always hungry, never satiated." Ezra shouted after them, but they just waved without turning back to him. "Not like you didn't already do it this morning."

They laughed again, and Nina felt like asking him how he knew.

"Just remember to give her a rest regularly." Michelle added, and the laughter continued.

"Claire does not need any rest, I assure you." Daniel said, amplifying the laughter. Meanwhile Axel and Claire only amplified their pace.

"Open your mouth." Nina heard Ezra's voice, and she was surprised to find him holding a spoon to her mouth. "Eat."

She blinked severally. She felt like saying something, but decided against it, for the sake of his mother watching them. She then opened her mouth to take the food.

Michelle suddenly stood up and walked towards them. She came to stand at the back of Nina, staring at her shoulder. Nina already knew what she was looking for, and she was unfortunate as she had worn a tank top with slim hands.

"He hasn't marked you yet?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that the Luna ceremony will no longer take place today." Ezra chimed in.