Chapter Two

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 that I was clean, wearing some sort of nightgown.

It was concerning that someone had touched me while I was incapacitated, but I guessed I was thankful for the clothes and comfy bed. Yet, I became more alarmed when it became clear the garment that I was provided with was sheer, lacy, and did not leave much to the imagination.

I attempted to take stock of my surroundings, but I summarily concluded that the room was unnaturally dark before much time had elapsed. Even my wolf’s superior eyesight had been unable to discern anything in the blackness.

I was interrupted by someone opening the door. The light at their back provided a silhouette that casted their face in shadows, but it was obvious by the bulky shape that this newcomer was male.

Shrinking back into the covers and clenching a pillow to my chest, I stared wide-eyed at the Alpha of the Southern Province as he flooded the room with light by apparently using some sort of remote that he held in his hand in the next instant.

I was stunned to see a vaguely familiar face, but I at least felt consoled by the fact that I knew he had been charged with safeguarding my wellbeing.

I watched as he tucked the remote into 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 started, "Hey, it's okay. I heard you waking up and figured I would come answer any questions you might have. I’m sure this is all disorienting, and I’m here to help in any way."

Observing as an amused glint lit up in his eyes when he took note of the pillow that I was still clutching tightly to my chest, it completely negated the miniscule bit of relief that his previous words had managed to inspire.

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

The interrogation kept going once I had opened my mouth.

"Whoa, slow down!” Zeke interrupted, giving me a chance to catch my breath as he tackled my queries.

“Firstly, my warriors took care of the bears that were tailing you. I am terribly 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 the girl attending to you reported that you weren’t 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 are starving, and you still need more rest to finish recovering from your injuries."

Zeke completed his monologue by gesturing to a table laden with food, nestled in the corner of the room that I had overlooked in my brief perusal. Then, he assuredly strode towards the bed.

I had been silently appraising him as he relayed the previous information, and I had to admit that he was handsome in the classic pretty boy way. All the same, I had zero interest in him.

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.

Regardless, cataloging his features was not enough to distract me from the inquiry burning to spill from my lips. 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? Surely, he did not attend to any of the other refugees like this.

Nonetheless, I did not have long to ponder the thought before I felt my heart pick up speed 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.

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

I shied away, trying 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 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.

He propelled me into a seat, and I moved to cover as much of myself as possible, feeling uneasy under his gaze as 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 confused by what was happening.

My father had told me that the town elders had gathered back home to discuss the risk of the bears encroaching into the wolves' territories increasing in all of 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 didn’t concern myself with it too much. My father was the strongest wolf that I had known. I had never doubted that he would protect me until his dying day.

Although, I knew that he had been making plans to send my mother and me with some nearby neighbors who would have brought us to safety in the South while he had remained to help drive out the threat.

I had been worried, but I had also thought that he would be okay. I never dreamed of the day that 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.

Just the same, my dad had made sure that 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 hurriedly figured out was the case later.

Glancing up as Zeke's fork scraped against his plate, I watched as he swirled the pasta around his fork, the smell of oregano making my stomach growl in protest.

I hadn’t realized how hungry I was, let alone how long it had been since I’d 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 that I had no plate of my own.

Before I could ask Zeke, he startled me by reaching out and firmly gripping 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 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, disregarding my objections.

Zeke proceeded to follow the same pattern as he calmly replied, "You need to regain your strength. I’m 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 once again, but I reminded myself that he was the alpha and was taking care of me, I guess.

Nevertheless, I fought with myself internally about him treating me like a child. Maybe because I came alone, he felt responsible for me?

Either way, I felt extremely uncomfortable during the 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 cringed away objecting, "I can walk by myself."

I would never admit it, but I was somewhat 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 had led me there were finally taking their toll.

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

Even considering all of that, I could not stand the thought of Zeke putting his arms around me. He was good looking and all, but something about him crept 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 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 meditating on my situation, Zeke paid no mind to my words as he gathered me up in his arms and walked towards the bed.

I stiffened in his hold and kept as much distance as possible between us. He reached the bed faster than I expected, 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 my basic necessities here, at least for now, but I distrusted my safety with Zeke's words and actions earlier, especially considering what I was wearing and the situation with the lights.

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