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Molly inhaled deeply and took the knife from her mother’s hand. She couldn’t stop shaking. The last thing she wanted to do was peel and slice potatoes.

Her mother shook her head, sighing in dismay. “Honey, you need to learn to cook. This is important. How are you ever going to be able to prepare meals for your mate if you don’t pay attention and learn from me?”

Molly pursed her lips, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. She should be eager and excited to learn to serve her future mate. She was eighteen years old for heaven’s sake. In two years, she would attend her mating ceremony and move away from the valley to live with a stranger.

To say she was scared would be an understatement.

The truth was she wasn’t like other girls. She’d known that from a very young age. She was shy and introverted. She didn’t have close friends. She preferred to be alone in her room reading than doing anything else.

But she was born with the mark of an Alpha mate, and there was no escaping her fate. On her twentieth birthday, she would attend the official ceremony and move to some illusive home in the mountains with a man she’d never met.

She didn’t know anything about him, not even his name or age. Nothing. What if he was unkind? What if he hated her timidness? What if he liked his potatoes peeled perfectly?

At the moment, that was her focus—learning to use a knife.

She should have mastered cooking years ago. Other girls did. Most of the girls she knew had been helping their mothers in the kitchen since they could stand on two feet. They either enjoyed it or they pretended.

It was hard for Molly to know if she was truly different from everyone around her or if they were all faking it and had similar feelings of apprehension.

Most females living in the valley would eventually find their mates among the eligible men also living in their midst. They would be courted and mate someone of their own choosing.

Not the fated.

Not Molly.

No…

Why did she, of all female shifters, have to be born with the mark of the Alpha Protectors?

As if being shy hadn’t been a big enough stigma to make her stand out, Fate had added being marked to her pitiful existence so that other girls would not only think she was a freak for her timidness but also treat her with a certain level of disdain because they were jealous.

Jealous . Madness.

Molly would trade her stupid mark with anyone, any day. Let one of them spend their days cutting up potatoes and learning how to cook the perfect roast. That wasn’t entirely fair. All girls learned to take care of their future mates, but at least most of them would choose their mate.

“Molly…” Her mother murmured. “You have to get your head out of your stories and pay attention. You’re so distracted that you’re going to cut yourself or reach into the oven without a potholder and burn yourself.”

Molly picked up a potato and held the paring knife up to it. She rarely paid attention when her mother cooked because she had no interest.

“Honey, don’t hold it like that. I swear, you’re going to sever an artery.”

She sighed. It was always like this. Her mother would leave her alone for a week or so and then demand she join her in the kitchen and learn to cook.

Cleaning was another skill she needed. She would be expected to keep her new home spotless. That was what good mates did. They took care of the home. Cooking and cleaning.

Oh joy. How fun.

At least when Molly was cleaning, she wasn’t likely to cut herself with a knife. Cooking gave her more distress. Knives were not her friends.

Molly’s mother picked up a second potato and started peeling it.

“Like this, honey.” She didn’t raise her voice.

Ever. She was always patient, but Molly knew she was growing concerned.

Maybe it didn’t matter that Molly hadn’t been born to cook and hadn’t learned gradually as a child.

But the clock was ticking. She needed to get with the program.

After watching her mother, Molly tried to emulate the process. She wasn’t good at it, and it took her twice as long to peel the potato than her mother, but at least she didn’t cut herself.

Dealing with raw meat was worse. Gross. Bloody. She had to hold her breath and purse her lips to keep from vomiting. She wasn’t exactly a vegetarian. She could eat meat, but she didn’t want to handle it in the raw stage.

Molly felt like a freak of nature. It seemed she was doomed to disappoint her mate, which might drive him to anger. Maybe if she started preparing dinner early in the afternoon, she could manage to get something edible on the table by the time he got home from patrolling.

Her knowledge about Alpha Protectors was limited.

It wasn’t just her. No one in the valley really knew much about the communities of Alphas who lived in the mountains surrounding the valley.

What they did know was that the Alphas existed to protect the citizens of the valley.

Presumably they patrolled the mountains every day to do so.

Would he take some time off after their ceremony?

That unnerved her. If he hovered around her, he would figure out quickly that she sucked as a mate.

If he wasn’t home most of the time, she could keep him from realizing her housekeeping skills were paltry because he wouldn’t know how long it took her to do each task.

Molly had far bigger concerns about other expectations her mate would have besides cooking and cleaning.

He would of course want her to spread her legs for him.

And he would expect to impregnate her. The thought of accepting his, uh, member, into her body made her toss and turn at night.

The thought of getting pregnant and having a baby as a result terrified her.

Her mother set down her knife and turned toward her.

She wrapped her up in a hug and held her close.

“I know you’ve never been thrilled by the fact that you were born with the mark of an Alpha Protector, and I’m sorry it’s so stressful for you, but it’s an honor, honey, and I promise everything will work out.

Fate does not make mistakes. If She saw fit to mark you, She knew what She was doing. ”

Molly took a deep breath and held her mother close. All she could do was hope her mother was correct.

If not…

If her mate was displeased with her lack of skills and tendency to hide in a quiet corner reading…

Molly would find herself in a world of hurt for the rest of her life.