The first thing that caught my attention as soon as I was pulled out of unconsciousness was the silence.
My mind was reeling, yelling at me to get up. I must have missed the alarm despite how impossible that was.
The servant’s quarters were deathly quiet, which surely must mean—
And I jolted up, my eyes snapping open as soon as the realization hit me; I wasn’t in the servant’s quarters.
The sudden movement was enough to cause me a headache so strong that it blurred my vision, and so with eyes obscured from pain, I scanned the room. This was in no way shape or form my room, nothing remotely close to it, and I wondered how I hadn't figured that out earlier from how cozy the bed was.
The room was large, two of mine back at the servant’s quarters would have easily fit into it, and that was worrisome…
Where in the world was I?
I tried probing through every corner of my brain for the memory, any memory of what had happened, but my mind came up blank. I could remember fighting with the rogues and eventually feeling faint, and that was all.
Where was Callan? Had we been found by some other travelers and brought here? Or, worse… have we both been captured?
It was only when I stood up and headed toward the door at the other side of the room that I noticed what I was wearing. It was a long, deep blue colored simple gown, but I could tell it was made from expensive silk. I stopped and stared at it, my eyes slowly moving to my fights clad in wool socks Were prisoners usually clothed in fine silk? And I realized in horror that whoever my captors were they possibly were keeping me for something in exchange. They must have captured me and Callan thinking we were worth something—well he was. I, for one, wouldn't have offered a penny in exchange for me.
I pulled at the doorknob and its resistance confirmed my fear. I’d indeed been abducted and was currently locked in here, and I knew that escaping as soon as I could before the truth about me was uncovered would be the most sensible thing to do. My eyes went to the window. The curtains had been pulled together, leaving the room lit only by the glowing lamps placed on the two opposite sides of the room.
I reached the window and pulled apart the curtain to stare outside the window. The sight that met me wasn't one I’d expected. It seemed as though this room was situated in its own space. The only thing I could see was the lush greenery that spread far into the distance. It was beautiful, and from far away, I could hear the soft sounds of birds chirping.
The question arose again: Where was I?
A click on the door from outside had my head snapping back just as the knob twisted, and two young women entered the room, one with a bowl and washcloth hanging on her shoulders. They both stopped as soon as their eyes met mine.
“You’re awake?” one of them whispered, her eyes widening as she turned to look at her companion, and I watched the silent interaction between them before, with a small bow at me, the second woman scurried out of the room.
The one with the bowl approached me with a smile on her face. She placed it on the table by the bed. “Hello, how are you feeling?” she asked pleasantly.
The first thing that captured my attention about them had been the fabric they wore. Maybe it was because I've washed all sorts of fabrics, ranging from the finest ones to the poorest, but I was able to discern this one's richness, and it made no sense to me. They seemed to be servants, but they looked nothing like me, Leah, and the rest of the servants. At the reminder of Leah, the feeling of guilt spread through me.
In all of the chaos, I had completely forgotten about her.
“Where am I?” I asked. My voice came out stronger than I’d intended and probably even harsher because the woman visibly flinched, her smile dropping.
“Uh, you’re in one of the guest rooms of the manor. You’ve been passed out for days.”
Manor? Guest house? Where was this place?
My confusion must have been displayed on my face because she quickly added, “Black Tide Pack. You’re at the Black Tide Pack.”
“What?” My mouth vocalized my shock before I even had the time to process her words properly.
I hadn’t been kidnapped like I’d thought. I was in Black Tide Pack—Callan’s pack.
“The Alpha brought you in,” she continued. “You were unconscious and badly injured when you’d been brought in. Your wolf side wasn’t healing you fast enough.”
“How is Callan? Where is he?” I asked with a pounding heart. According to her words, he’d saved me, but how he’d done that surprised me because the last I remembered of him, he must have been severely injured.
I noticed her eyes widen a fraction at my words before she said, “The Alpha is not in currently.” She pulled the washcloth from her shoulder.
“I’ve been wiping you with this for the past few days, but now that you’re awake, I suppose you’ll want to have a bath yourself.”
I cleared my throat. “Uh, and how long have I been unconscious for?”
Her brows creased as she thought about it for a few seconds. “Perhaps a fortnight.”
That was long enough, plenty of time for too much to have happened, and I’d spent it asleep.
I opened my mouth to ask about Radley and the rest of Callan’s pack members we’d left behind when a figure materialized at the door, grabbing my attention. I turned away from the woman to look toward the door.
Another woman stepped in, and I had to stifle myself from expressing my surprise at her appearance. She was beautiful in a way I knew no one back at the Dark Wood Pack to be. She was, without doubt, the most beautiful woman I’d ever set my eyes on, and from the way she carried herself, she knew it too.
Her skin was beautifully tanned likely from being out in the sun, and from the riding boots and trousers she had on, it was obvious why. Her long legs reached me in a few strides, and a pleasant smile lit up her face.
“I heard you were awake, and I knew I just had to come see for myself immediately.” She spoke with ease too, calmly and sure of herself. Her eyes ran over me. “Being awake surely does something to a person’s appearance.”
I had no idea what to say to that, so I simply remained quiet wondering, who she was. She spoke to me casually. I could tell she was someone of importance.
Could she be Callan’s sister?
I watched her stretch out a hand lightly smeared with dirt towards me. “Nice to meet you, Sophia. I’m Amelia.”