Spoiled by the Alpha Wolf

My aunt sold me to the most vicious lone wolf hunter in pack for five silver coins. On the night of our mating ceremony, I sat on the edge of a broken bed biting my lip raw. I'm a wolfless omega orphan and Kane, the pack says he's a curse. His parents abandoned him as a pup and never came back. They say he walked into the shadow woods alone at six, shifted for the first time at twelve, and tore apart a fullgrown shadow bear. The scar running from his brow to his jaw that bear gave it to him. Mothers tell his name to scare their pups into silence. Everyone in the pack fears him. I did too. I crossed the street when I saw him, never spoke a word to him, never even looked him in the eye. I never thought my aunt would sell me to him. No gifts, no feast, no pack elder to witness it. I wore an old white dress and took shaky steps into his cabin. It smelled of blood and old fur. I didn't think I'd survive tonight. All I could hear was my aunt counting her silver. Don't blame me, Ella. A wolfless omega like you, you're lucky anyone would take you. I stood there like a fool, not knowing what to do until the door banged open. Kane walked in, fierce and drenched in blood. I gasped.

I was his. He could beat me, kill me. No one would care. But the blow never came. Instead, he took my cold hand and pressed something warm into my palm. I opened my eyes. A thin necklace. A pendant of pale white stone that glowed softly in the firelight. His hand calloused, cracked, still smelling of blood and steel, held mine. A necklace? For you. Moonstone. The moon goddess's blessing. I know this life is hard, you deserve better. " He pulled his hand back, wiped it on his leather coat and muttered, ". I'll take care of you. But not peacefully. My aunt screamed in my dreams, my cousin shoved me around, and a shadow bear lunged for my throat. I jolted awake, gasping. Strange ceiling, strange smells. Right, my aunt told me, "I belong to Kane now. " I wiped the sweat from my forehead, pulled myself together, and went outside. Quiet, the air smelled of blood and animal hides. Kane?

No answer. I found the kitchen filthy, the stone pots were rusted, mice scattered when I moved things. I couldn't run, couldn't hide, so I rolled up my sleeves and started scrubbing. I was halfway through when a voice came from outside. Ella, it was Kane, I'm here, I stepped out of the kitchen, he was holding another basket breakfast. Martha made it black bread. smoked meat broth, it looked like a feast, Kane tore into the bread and pushed the rest toward me. eat up, I can feed you. I nodded and didn't hold back bite of bread, bite of. meat you can cook right. I almost choked I pounded my chest and nodded. hard I'll bring the. meat he waited for me to nod again then finished the rest of the bread and meat packed the dishes in the basket and headed for the door. where are you going he turned I was thinking I'd clean the kitchen properly. So we don't get sick from dirty dishes. Kane's brow furrowed. The cabin is yours; do what you want. He left. I didn't trust his words completely, but I got back to work. By the time I'd scrubbed every surface, Kane was back with a leather sack. He looked at the clean kitchen and blinked. Flour. I'll trade for the rest at the market. I didn't argue when he left again. I opened the sackground flour, enough to last weeks. I went back to cleaning. I dragged Kane's dirty clothes into the yard. A mouse ran out of the pile. I chased it like a madwoman. Kane came back. Ella.

His leather coat was slashed open across the ribs. The smell of copper hit me before I could breathe. He didn't say a word, just dropped a basket on the table inside black bread, roasted venison haunch, a bowl of broth still warm. Eat. I was starving and I couldn't remember the last time I'd had meat. I ate like an animal. That meal was the first time I'd been full since my parents died. When he pointed to the bedroom, my blood ran cold. I crept inside and sat on his ragged bed, trembling like a leaf in winter. Kane sat by the hearth and sharpened his knife, a hunting blade as long as my arm. The whetstone sang with every strokescrape, scrape, scrape—each one scraping across my heart. I pressed myself into the corner. Come here His voice was gravel and broken glass I couldn't move He frowned The scar twisted like a living thing Then he stood His shadow swallowed me whole I shut my eyes and braced for the blow.

I bought meat pies, come eat. I hadn't had a meat pie since my parents died. Kane handed me one, soft, golden, steaming. I bit into the pie; juice ran down my chin. I ate two and stopped. Kane shoved a third into my hand. Everything for the kitchen is in the baskets, get it sorted, I'm getting fire. wood. I organized the kitchen. Kane came back with firewood and a basket of wild greens and eggs. "Cook it all, I eat a lot. " I nodded. "I could do that. Make extra whatever Kane didn't finish, I'd eat. " I hung the stone pot over the fire, chopped cured meat and wild greens into the broth. Then I cracked eggs onto a hot flat stone slicked with pork fat. They sizzled and turned gold at the edges. Kane looked at the stew, the black bread, the fried eggs. His eyes brightened. Sit, eat. I waited for him to pick up his knife and fork. Then I picked up mine. He dropped a piece of roasted meat onto my platter. I looked at him. Eat. He dug in. I ate slowly, keeping my eyes down. Ella, tomorrow you're coming into the woods with me. Me? Yeah, I can't bring enough meat on my own. Winter's coming. Hunting was men's work. Pack females sometimes came along to carry and dress the kill, but I'd never done any of it. I don't know how I'll teach you. I looked up at his scarred face, the firelight made it worse, but his eyes were steady, no disgust, no impatience. Okay.