Chapter 9

The furnishings in the corridors were so simple that for a moment I wondered if Sophia and I should be offended. It didn't look like an apartment suitable for visiting alphas until the servant opened the doors and showed us into the rooms.

The entrance opened up into a large sitting room complete with skylights, dappling the room with light and shadow playing from trees overhead.

I stared up at the shifting leaves and tried to understand how leaves could be in the middle of a castle. I couldn't remember seeing a forest anywhere near where they were.

But it was obvious that King Gabriel, or his household, had thought out the lodgings for the Autumn pack and our princess. We felt most at home in the forests after all.

The room was painted in beautiful shades of green, with thick rugs underfoot in deep brown. The furniture was wood, simple but gorgeous, and as I ran my hand along the table I wished with all my heart that my father could see it all.

I turned and gasped as I saw the far wall.

It was made up almost entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out onto a deliciously overgrown garden.

This is where the trees were.

I could make out, even in twilight, the ruby color of bees' balm flowers and the thin stems of tiger lilies. A tingle went up my spine and I itched to run to the doors leading outside, to lope through the greenery and roll beneath the lush plants.

The servant was showing Sophia into another set of rooms now and I hurried to keep up, almost tripping over the hem of my dress. I huffed and tossed my unruly locks over my shoulder, already wishing for pants.

These rooms were Sophia's.

The bed was huge, luxurious, four-poster with opaque fabrics in golden hues obscuring the interior. Again, deep-colored and simple wood furnishings surrounded us.

The two other servants that had accompanied us carried Sophia's luggage and went about unpacking carefully, opening a large armoire as Sophia asked questions and complimented the layout of the room.

"And for you," another service that I hadn't seen gestured to me and walked quietly from the room, across the living space, and into a small but spacious apartment.

The bed was much smaller but no less fine. My bones ached to sink into the mattress and plush comforter.

I was pleased to see a set of doors in this room leading out into the garden as well, which meant I could sneak out as often as I liked without disturbing Sophia.

"Here."

The servant showed me to a small attached bathroom with a deep tub and simple décor. It was more than anything I had ever dreamed of myself. Our bathroom at home was small and cramped. I felt my eyes begin to water as I took the space in, feeling tired suddenly, but Sophia calling snapped me out of it.

"Yes?" I called back, walking out into the living space.

The Alpha's servants showed Sophia's other servants out and apparently to the quarters they'd be sharing.

"We don't have much time," Sophia said, already undoing the tie at the small of her back. "Do you think I can manage a quick bath before dinner? My hair smells like the road."

And so we went about preparing, laughing, and scrambling with only the two of us to ready ourselves.

"Did you see the other princesses?" Sophia asked as she lay in the bath, her perky breasts peeking through the soapy water. I traced the curve of the princess's body with my eyes before looking away.

"I did," I replied, pulling a brush through my hair that had somehow become tangled in the short time since our arrival.

"Some of them had as many as ten people on their revenue!" Sophia exclaimed, sitting up with a slosh of water on her hair.

"Well, they also have a much bigger space," I said, rising to wander out into the main bedroom and find the dress Sophia insisted on wearing tonight.

The princess chattered away about her first impressions of the other territories, the castle, and Gabriel himself.

"Did you see those eyes!?" she exclaimed, toweling herself off without the least bit of embarrassment. Luckily, her room didn't have large windows to the garden, meaning that no one would be able to catch a glimpse of the Autumn alpha's bare body.

"No, I didn't," I answered truthfully, fretting now over what I should wear.

"They were like frost," Sophia sighed, dropping back onto the bed with her arms spread. "Like the first fallen snow. Like a robin's egg."

"So they were blue," I deadpanned.

I sat at the edge of the bed and felt the mattress dip dangerously. Sophia shot up quickly.

"Not just any old blue," she protested as I rolled my eyes.

"Do you think you can manage to brush out your hair while I go and find something suitable to wear?" I asked, trying to keep the nervousness from my voice.

"I suppose so," Sophia answered imperiously, falling back onto the mattress.

I sighed and stood, heading for my room. It was only now starting to sink in that I would be here, without my family, in the judgment of strangers, for a little over a month.

What have I gotten myself into?