Willow
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 to believe that this was what Luna had in store for me, in spite of the lack of evidence to the contrary thus far.
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 pipe dream a long time ago.
It didn’t used to be like this. I reminded myself of happier times when the encroaching storm clouds got to be too heavy to bear, back to when my parents were still alive.
Luna, I was so naive back then.
Although things weren’t perfect, my father had shielded me from the worst of it, leaving me happily unaware of the harsh veracities of the world that we lived in until the bucket of ice water was tossed over my head, opening my eyes in a flash.
I had known that the bears were infringing on our territories, but, on our family farm, I had been able to pretend everything was alright, at least for a little longer while I lost myself in discovering the mysterious secrets of the nature that encompassed me.
That was, until the day that everything changed; the unthinkable happened.
I shuddered as a chill raced down my spine, remembering that dark time as if it had occurred only yesterday. I’d returned home from exploring the nearby caves, eager to share my discoveries with my parents, but I’d found my home invaded and my parents murdered, instead.
To this day, I still saw their panic-stricken eyes where they had laid, mutilated on the bloodied ground. The picture permanently affixed itself in my mind while I fled the scene for the sake of preserving my own life.
Shifting into my wolf mid-stride, the pain of transformation was near obsolete with my adrenaline pumping, and I continued at the same punishing pace, barely managing to evade capture, or something far worse as I made my escape.
The bears violently roared at their near miss, but I didn’t pause to look over my shoulder. Ensuing, the sound of their lumbering footfalls faded away with the more distance that I placed between us, my tread outstripping theirs before much time had elapsed.
I kept running for what felt like days, but, in all actuality, was probably only several hours. The thundering of heavy paws on the soft earth behind me had disappeared long ago, but I had pushed myself onward until my wolf was about ready to collapse.
The trees and surrounding foliage began to all converge into a green and brown mass of bleariness as my steps faltered. It seemed the adrenaline was finally waning, 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 before my limbs stopped responding to my commands altogether.
I had allowed my senses to roam while I sprinted through the forest, so I knew that 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 reaching the point of exhaustion.
All the same, I persisted to trudge forward, never letting my guard down, but I did notice that I had slowed to a near walk due to my fatigue.
After a few more minutes, the stream that I had been utilizing as a guide and to hide my scent led to a scenic waterfall that took my already short-winded breath away.
The water rushed down from about fifty feet above me and cascaded into rivulets that had long ago been carved into the rocks it flowed over. I scanned the gorgeous view in front of me until I located the opening that I had suspected was hidden within plain sight.
It was barely detectable, and no one but a wolf would have noticed the small opening that was concealed in the rock face behind the silvery water.
I wasted no time in searching for the safest route to the entrance and commenced the daunting climb to my temporary sanctuary without any further delay.
As I sloshed through the water and ascended the rock face, I counted myself lucky again that I was so familiar with the hidden caves beyond some of the waterfalls, found only in the Northern Province.
I could safely rest here while I decided on my next best course of action. I had plenty of fresh water, and my wolf could hunt for any sustenance that we might need. Realistically though, I knew this safe haven would only briefly provide me respite.
These caves were supposed to be a secret that only a select few guarded ferociously, and I felt confident that it would remain that way. Nonetheless, the bears that had overrun my home would be close behind me.
I may be faster, but if my father could not overcome the sheer number and brute force of the bears on his own, then I didn’t have a chance in hell of succeeding. Really, I only had one choice left: to the Southern Province I went.
The trip took me about a week. I was not sure how long it should have taken, but I had to be careful to travel when the forest was less occupied. I knew that I could not trust anyone, and I did not want to have another encounter with the bears again.
I decided to stay in my wolf form for the most part, mainly because she was less needy if I was being honest, and the unrelenting wave of anger and grief seemed easier to handle while in that shape.
Wolves coped with loss differently, and I had never been so thankful to have my wolf with me than I was during that lonely transition period.
She had provided a way for me to endure the heart-rending ache while I traveled to safety.
I had reasoned that I would break down later when my life was no longer in danger, but I knew I was only putting off the inevitable. Every step forward reminded me that this was it. My last hope. My family and home were gone now.
However, I wasn’t sure that I would have made the arduous trek had I known what awaited me, but then again, I did not have much of a choice. I was seventeen when I had arrived, heavily bleeding and running for my life.
The trip had been dangerous, especially for a young girl all alone. The key to my survival had been staying obscured when others were around and using my wit to remain two steps ahead on my journey, but it appeared that my luck was about to run dry.
I thought I would make it. I was so close to the boundary of the Southern Province. Unfortunately, the bears were also much closer than I had anticipated.
One bear hurtled out from the undergrowth on the right directly in my line of sight. I pivoted in response, attempting to stay out of range, but the pain radiating out from my hind leg on my left side told me that I had been too slow to evade the bear's massive paw.
I yowled in pain, swiftly dodging the next blow and darting in the other direction. A second bear appeared out of nowhere, endeavoring to steer me back towards my original assailant.
Twirling ninety degrees, I winced in pain at the abrupt motion and took off for the Southern Boundary, hoping there would be someone there to assist me when I arrived with the pair of bears hot on my heels.
I heard the bears snarl in frustration and anger as they stampeded through the thick forest behind me. I ran full-out with the last of my strength, but I knew they were gaining ground, my injury having slowed me down.
Branches cracked from all around me, and the only thing I could think to do in the moment was pray the bear shifters weren’t about to finish me off.
Without warning, I felt blinding agony spiraling out from my right side, which, in turn, caused me to tumble into a heap on the forest floor, regardless of my best efforts to keep upright. The pain was too intense.
My wolf retreated, leaving me lying unclothed on the forest floor as my blood seeped into the dirt. I did not have the wherewithal to care that I was naked in front of Luna only knew who, but I was aware enough to grasp the compromising position that I had been left in.
My last vision was of half a dozen wolves closing in around me before I lost consciousness, the sound of growling fading into the ether as I was dragged under into a thankfully blissful darkness.
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 needed the prompt. Hopefully, I would be able to secret away some scraps after I had cleaned up the dinner party occurring later this evening. Zeke watched on 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. Sadly, my life had not been easy here in the Southern Province, notwithstanding 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. Even so, somehow in the face of the weight loss caused by meager rations, my generous hips and bust line had managed to linger. Hell, I couldn’t even heal myself properly anymore, but that might’ve been a side effect of being prevented from shifting on a regular basis. My wolf ha
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 p
Willow Still Two Years Earlier… When I awoke an undefined amount of time later, I gazed around the room to ensure I was alone before doing anything else, noticing as I did so that I could now see the details of the room without the aid of Zeke’s remote to turn up the lights. Sighing in relief, I sagged back into the fluffy pillows and sank down further into the velvety covers. Even so, I popped right back up just as swiftly as I realized why I had awoken in the first place. I really had to pee! My eyes darted around the room, looking for a door that might lead to a bathroom, scrambling out of bed when I noticed two doorways on my right. I tried the one closest to me, but I was disappointed to find a walk-in closet instead of the restroom that I desperately needed at this point. I speed walked towards the other door, praying it was the bathroom and rushing in at the first glimpse that I caught of a tub. Yes! I took care of business and then permitted myself to look around the room
Willow Still Two Years Earlier… Zeke’s face soured as his grip on me constricted infinitesimally more. I tried not to show my discomfort, but it became impossible as he proceeded to recklessly grope my curves with abandon. I shoved against him with the little force that I still possessed and successfully managed to continue resisting his advances, at least for the time being. I prayed that he would not try to take my innocence anyway. I did not know how well I would fare against him, but I knew I sure as hell was not going to just roll over and give up either. He snarled directly in my face before saying, "You can let me make you feel good and take care of you or you won't like what happens next. The choice is yours." My mind raced as his words filtered through, but I stammered out, "B... But you are supposed to provide shelter to those fleeing the other provinces. The town elders said I would be safe here! You cannot do this! You are not my mate. I do not want you." Zeke releas
Jax I ran my fingers through my hair, a common gesture for me when I was stressed, as I thumped my knuckles against the sturdy wooden door. I was feeling antsy all of a sudden. I had been traveling over the last month to meet with Asher, Alpha of the Eastern Province, and Reese, Alpha of the Western Province. After we had finally driven the bears from our lands, we took some time to assess the overall damage caused to our people by the war before making our next move. Most of the homesteads could and would be rebuilt and were already in the process, but our warriors seemed to have one overarching need throughout all of our territories: mates. Our men were looking to rebuild their lives after the devastating losses we suffered early on during the war. We simply were not prepared for the onslaught of the bears' full force attack that soon. We thought we had time to get our loved ones to safety and gather our troops. We were wrong. We lost a lot of good wolves during that time, my par
Jax I paused for a moment at the door, noticing the tantalizing scent again, but the feeling continued to exacerbate so I shuffled out the door after the other two males, completely ignoring any comment Zeke may have made in protest. The scent faded the further I walked from the house, and I had this odd urge to go back, like I had forgotten something. I pushed the feeling away and caught up with the other two. We continued walking down the path in silence for a while, me savoring my brownie while Asher shot me a pleading look, knowing Zeke would be able to hear us with his sensitive ears. Finally, Reese broke the silence once we were far enough away not to be overheard. "So, you want to tell us what all of that was about? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I agree with that everything you said, but you kind of rushed out of there. In fact, it looked like something was bothering you all night." Reese stated. We continued talking as we walked down the rough-hewn path towards our dwellings
Willow I was startled awake by Zeke slamming open the door. I moved as far away from the raging alpha as possible, feeling very disoriented by the stark difference between my reality and my dream. I was having one of the best dreams I could recall ever having in my life. I tried to hold on to the feeling as long as possible or to remember even some small shred of my happiness, but the details were slipping away as the seconds ticked by. Zeke stomped into the room, kicking my shelf into the wall in his anger. Crack! The shelf splintered and pieces went flying. I had already curled up into a ball when Zeke pushed his way into the room, but I ducked my head down just in time. A large chunk of wood hit the wall right where my head had just been. Zeke yelled, "This is your fault. What am I supposed to do now?" As he continued stomping around the room, muttering under his breath. I remained cowered against the wall, knowing nothing I said or did would help. I did not even know what h
Jax I awoke slowly, hearing the sounds of the forest surrounding me. I rolled over in bed, noticing the sun was just beginning to shine through the slits in the fabric of the curtains. The sight did not surprise me. It did not matter where I was or how late I had stayed up the night before, I always rose with the sun. Some days, I wished I could sleep in just a little longer, but today was not one of those days. I must admit, we were shocked when Zeke informed us, we would not be staying in the pack house, as tradition demanded for visiting alphas. He rushed to assure us that he had acquired us private dwellings so that we could relax and conduct any business we may need while we stayed in the South. He said he thought we would prefer it this way after the turmoil of the war. We questioned his choice, but I knew I was grateful for it last night after my first experience meeting the guy. Even so, I did enjoy the sound of nature all around me while waking up, and it was nice not spe