Mated to the Alpha of the North

My name is Willow Anders, and this is my story. It does not start out happy, but I must remain optimistic for the future. This cannot be my life. I refuse.

I used to dream of the day when someone, anyone would rescue me from this horrid existence and the truly vile Alpha Zeke of the Southern Province, but I had given up on that a long time ago.

It did not used to be like this. I reminded myself of happier times when the encroaching storm clouds got too heavy to bear, back to when my parents were still alive.

Luna, I was so naive back then. Things were not perfect, even I knew that.

The bears were still infringing, but, on our little farm, I could pretend everything was still alright, at least for a little longer. That was, until the day everything changed.

The unthinkable had happened. I shuddered, remembering that dark day as if it had occurred only yesterday.

I returned home from exploring the nearby caves to find my home invaded and my parents murdered. I still saw their panic-stricken eyes where they lie mutilated on the bloodied ground. The image glued itself to my eyelids, even as I fled for my own life.

I transformed into my wolf mid-stride, the pain of transformation near obsolete with my adrenaline rushing, and continued at the same punishing pace, just barely managing to evade capture, or something far worse.

I heard the bears roar with displeasure at their near miss. However, the sound of their lumbering footfalls quickly faded away the more distance I placed between us.

I kept running for what felt like days, but, in reality, was probably only several hours. The sound of heavy paws on the soft earth behind me disappeared long ago, but I kept running until my wolf was about ready to collapse.

The trees and surrounding foliage were beginning to all converge into a green and brown mass of bleariness. It seemed the adrenaline was finally fading, and I was about to crash back down into reality.

I began to ascertain my surroundings more thoroughly and started to look for a safe place to rest. I had allowed my senses to roam while I sprinted through the forest.

I knew I had been alone for some time, but the image stuck to my eyelids had me constantly keeping one eye open, despite my perceived safety.

My paws ached something fierce, and I was nearing the point of exhaustion. Nevertheless, I continued trudging forward, never letting my guard down, though I did notice I had slowed to a near walk due to my fatigue.

After a few more minutes, the stream I had been utilizing as a guide and to hide my scent, led to a scenic waterfall that nearly took my already short-winded breath away.

The water rushed swiftly down from about 50 feet above me and cascaded down in rivulets that had long ago been carved into the rocks it quickly flowed over. I scanned the gorgeous view in front of me until I located the opening I suspected.

It was barely detectable, and no one but a wolf would have noticed the small opening that was concealed in the rockface behind the silvery water. I instantly searched for the safest route to the entrance and began the daunting climb to my temporary sanctuary without wasting anymore time.