Toni's PoV:
I stirred in my bed, unwilling to open my eyes. I could feel the warmth of sunlight hitting my skin and the knot of my bed sheets around my feet. The sheets were soft and downy, unlike my usual durably starched cotton, and I wondered for a second why they'd been changed.
With that thought, all the events of the night before came rushing back to me. I was no longer at home, with my family, with my friends; I was sleeping in a room in the Fortier Pack's territory. I blinked open my eyes. I had to go speak to William.
I pushed myself up and got a look at where I was. I had been lying in an old four poster bed, with the Fortier blue curtains pulled back to let in the light. The room itself was bigger than my room back at home, but bare -- with it's plain walls and sterile looking surfaces, it seemed more like a guest room than I would have thought. There was a thick navy blue rug over the stone floor and a dresser on the opposite side of the room. I could see a trunk at the end of the bed and, next to that, the suitcase my mother had packed was left partially opened.
I glanced briefly over it and saw that the only thing that had been taken out of it was a pair of pajamas, which I was wearing. I wondered, fleetingly, who had undressed me after the ceremony -- the white dress I had worn for the ceremony was hanging on the back of an ornate blue armchair by the window, but I didn't remember changing out of it. I frowned.
There were two doors -- one on the far side of the room, which was made of polished wood and expensive looking gold hinges, and a smaller, older looking door near to me. My head snapped round to look at the smaller door, where I could hear a heavy knock coming from.
"Come in," I called, uncertain. My voice was raspy and sore, as though I hadn't used it in a long time. I guessed the ceremony had really taken it out of me.
The door inched open carefully, revealing a girl only a few years older than me, holding a tray. She smiled at me as she came in.
"You're up! I was starting to think you'd never recover, miss, but you're looking right as rain now. How are you feeling? I brought some breakfast to cheer you up --"
The girl babbled happily, placing the tray on the dressing table. She was wearing a neat grey dress and apron, with her hair tucked neatly into a cap. I watched her carefully, noticing the rosy cheeks and bright smile, as well as the freckles covering her face. She was pretty, with brown eyes and a slightly upturned nose, and I could smell that she was, too, was a werewolf. An Omega, I guessed.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" I interrupted.
"Oh, how rude of me -- I didn't even introduce myself! My name's Sophie, I'm the maid."
I stared at her. "I'm sorry?"
"I'm Sophie, miss, your maid." The girl -- Sophie -- looked at me with a patient smile on her face. She stood by the side of the bed, her hands folded neatly over each other, with positive energy just radiating off her.
"Oh, okay," I said.
Sophie seemed to see that I was still confused, because she continued. "The Alpha promoted me when you arrived, I'm meant to help you get used to living here."
I scowled. I didn't want to be staying there for long at all.
With a sigh, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and eyed the tray Sophie had put down. It held a plate of toast and eggs, some orange juice, some tea, and a pancake on the side. It looked absolutely delicious and I couldn't help but salivate as I felt my stomach ache. It had been hours and hours since I'd last eaten, and I quickly dug in.
My limbs all ached and my throat felt like someone had rubbed sandpaper against it. Moving felt like I was lifting stone -- it would take a while to recover properly from the ceremony. I ate quickly, reveling in the relief that finally eating brought.
"My name's Antoinette," I said between bites. "But you can call me Toni."
Sophie nodded. "I was told to inform Master William when you woke up," she said. "He's been waiting a long time to talk to you."
"A long time?"
"Yes, miss, you've been asleep for two days."
I stopped to stare at her. "Two days?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, Master William said it was normal, but you seemed really tired. I'm glad you're awake now, though!" Sophie laughed, the sound infectious. I smiled at her.
I couldn't believe I'd been asleep for two whole days -- it barely felt like a moment, and I was still so tired. Nobody had warned me about how bad the ceremony was going to hurt, or how long I would stay so weak. I doubted I would even be able to shift into my wolf form, I was just too weak.
"I need to speak to William as soon as possible -- I need to speak to my friends."
Sophie wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Your friends?"
"I didn't get to say goodbye to them. I think I might be able to convince William to let me go back home for a few months, to say a proper goodbye and maybe spend the summer with my friends. It was all really sudden."
Sophie seemed even more confused by this. She took the tray from me and balanced it on one hand. "Don't you want to marry Master William?"
I snorted. "Want has nothing to do with it. It's important for our families to be united, so marrying him is my duty. I just wasn't given any warning."
"I see. He's a good fighter, and he will be very powerful when he becomes Alpha." Sophie sounded like she was trying to convince me to marry him. I wanted to laugh at this -- of course, there was no question of whether or not I would marry him.
I stood up. "I know. Are you going to tell him or his father anything I've said?"
Sophie straightened her back, her eyebrow quirking up. She understood that I was asking whether or not she could be trusted; that I wanted to know exactly what her loyalties were.
"Ma'am, I am your maid, not the Alpha's. I'm here to help you."
I smiled. "Then I think we're going to get along just fine."