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 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?

Without saying another word to her, Ezra walked towards his closet, while she watched him in confusion. It took him a little while, before he began to walk back. She could hear the clanging of metals, and she instinctively stepped back.

"What are you doing, Ezra?"

She began to walk towards the door in cautious steps, her mind beating in fear. Was he going to hit her with those metals? But to her disappointment, when she had gotten to the door, he bolted there and blocked her path. He then carried her and threw her over his shoulder, before he began to walk towards the bed.

"Let me go." She struggled against him, but he firmly held her. When she began to writhe too much, he slapped her backside, and the pain sent her gasping. Now she was seething in anger. She hit and kicked until he got to the bed. He then threw her unceremoniously on it. Then he got on the bed.

"What are you doing? Leave me alone." She thrashed at him, but he easily grabbed both of her hands and chained them together, before chaining them to the bedpost.

"If you don't stop screaming, I will gag you as well." He threatened. She could tell that she had really hurt his ego by slapping him.

"I don't regret slapping you. I will do it again."

"You don't regret it. For now." He then climbed down, walking round the bed, inspecting her. "Now what will I do to you? I am open to your suggestions." He smiled slyly.

"Go fuck yourself."

"I'd prefer fucking you though." He then stood at the end of the bed where he faced her. She struggled against the chains, and it seemed to amuse him. "I believe you cannot break them."

"Unchain me." She demanded, her voice covered in fury.

"Now I know the perfect punishment to give you. It's something very easy actually. Apologize first, then beg me to free you."

"Go to hell."

"Your choice." He then went to lie on the bed and closed his eyes.

"You are not going to sleep with me like this right?"

He ignored her, and she began to kick at him.

"It seems you do not like the freedom of movement you have." He then stood up and got another chain. He chained her legs this time, restraining her movement, before going to join her in the bed.

"I can't sleep like this, Alpha."

He still ignored her, and Nina decided not to talk anymore. She wasn't going to die if she spent the night like that. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her beg. She then closed her eyes, forcing herself to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Ezra woke up to see her sleeping with her hands and legs chained to the bed post. Her head rested awkwardly on one of her arm, and he was sure her neck would ache when she got up. Somehow, seeing him like that brought a strange unease to him, and he found himself wanting to free her. Perhaps even comfort her.

He pushed back the urges and closed his eyes again, but sleep refused to come. Instead he heard her distressed breathing, and it seemed to torment him. Why?

After fighting with himself for a while, he gave in. He stood up and went to unchain her. He then watched as she relaxed, and her breathing became steady. He came to lie down beside her again, feeling the strange compulsion to touch her face, her hair. He shook his head at himself, before he turned away from her.

When Nina woke up the next morning, she didn't find Ezra in the room. It took her a little while to recall the incident that happened the previous night. He had chained her. But when did he free her, and why?

She sat up, her neck hurting a little. She took her wrist, massaging it gently. She had wounded herself from her struggles. It would heal anyway, but her healing was very slow due to her wolf.

The door then opened, and Ezra stepped in. She glanced at him for a second, before returning to massaging her wrist. Ezra's eyes followed her actions, and he could see how red her wrist was. He walked over to her.

"Let me see."

"No, thank you." She quickly refused him, and he nodded.

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

"Followed?" She creased her brows in confusion.

"Yes. Claire made mention of how you saw a man yesterday. The man had scared you. Do 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. Especially not him.

"It is my duty." He repeated and she nodded quietly, and it made him feel restless. He knew that she was still very pissed about what he did last night. "Now who did you see?" Claire told him that she didn't catch the man's face, and he hoped Nina would tell him.

"It's so ironic that you want to protect me, you know that. Thank you for unchaining me though, I am sorry for not thanking you earlier earlier." She sarcastically apologized to him.

"Who did you see, Nina? I need to know."

"Of course, Alpha. How dare I not tell you? It's just my mate who rejected me." She then stood up. "Excuse me, please."

"You should bath and get yourself ready. We would soon be having breakfast. My mother would be joining us this morning. She wants to meet you."

Nina nodded. "I will be ready in a few minutes." She took her clothes and toiletries and entered the bathroom, while Ezra watched her with his gaze fixed on her. He didn't fail to notice the cloud of sadness surrounding her, even though she tried to hide it. It bothered him a lot, and he wondered why. He had just known her for only a day.

Nina came out a few minutes later, already dressed. She already dried her hair, and her face was flushed. She gazed at him for a moment, before turning her eyes away. It was as if she hated looking at him.

"I am done. We should go."

Ezra nodded. He then went to her and took her hand.

"You don't have to. We are still alone here."

He didn't bother to answer her. He just took her hand and began to descend the stairs. When they got to the last floor, Nina was surprised to see more people than she expected surrounding the dining table. She turned to Ezra in question;

"Don't they have breakfast together like this in your house?"

"No." She stated curtly, seemingly uninterested in him. He sighed. They then walked to the dining table in silence.

The people in the table seemed to notice them, and 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. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the interaction to come.