Charlotte woke the next morning feeling more refreshed than she had since she'd been kidnapped. She'd slept soundly through the night, surprisingly unplagued by nightmares.
Joanna bustled around her room, opening the curtains, laying out a meal, and a dress for Charlotte. She turned back to her. "I will return in an hour. Be dressed."
Charlotte watched her leave, then turned to look at the dress. She'd never been responsible for dressing herself before; she'd always had Penny's help.
Joanna had left her a pretty blue day gown complete with petticoats and a corset. Charlotte sighed. She'd better get dressed first, as that wasn't going to be easy for her to do alone.
An hour later, Joanna retuned to find Charlotte sitting on the bed half dressed, her corset gripped in one hand as tears of frustration streamed down her cheeks, her breakfast untouched. Joanna sighed in exasperation. "Come."
"But I'm not dressed." She never thought dressing herself would be so difficult. Her respect for Penny went up a notch.
Joanna shrugged. "You are due to meet with Alpha Aydan now. You will not keep him waiting."
Charlotte sighed again and tossed the hated corset on the ground. Joanna looked down at it, then looked back up at Charlotte, shaking her head. She turned and walked out of the room.
Charlotte thought briefly about staying behind but she had a feeling Joanna wouldn't think twice about turning Charlotte over her knee. The woman would probably enjoy it, she thought ruefully.
She hurried after Joanna, following the woman through the maze of corridors. They stopped at an elaborate wooden door. "Here." Joanna turned and walked away, leaving Charlotte alone.
Charlotte stared at the door in trepidation. She was fully covered, but still in her undergarments. She reminded herself that Lord Aydan had seen her in less and her cheeks heated in embarrassment. She thought about trying to find her way back to her room, but the thought of wandering around in the castle half dressed didn't sit well with her.
The door suddenly opened, and Lord Aydan stood in the doorway staring down at her. "Why are you in your under garments? Are you making me an offer, Charlotte?"
Her cheeks flamed. "Must you be so crude?"
"You're the one who showed up at my door half naked. What am I supposed to think?" He held the door open and Charlotte grudgingly entered his office.
"I wasn't allowed to finish dressing." She wrapped her arms around herself.
"You were given plenty of time to dress and eat, neither of which you accomplished. I'd say that's poor time management, Charlotte." Lord Aydan sat down behind his desk.
Charlotte just glared at him in frustration. She would not cry in front of him today.
"Have a seat," he said, looking back down at his paperwork scattered across his desk.
Charlotte perched on a chair and waited. Finally, he sat his pen down and looked at her. "Is your room comfortable?"
She blinked at his question. "Yes, my lord."
"Call me Alpha," he said, leaning back in his chair.
Charlotte frowned. What an odd title. "Yes... Alpha."
He smiled. "Good. Now I'm sure you would like to know what is going to happen to you."
"I would," Charlotte lifted her chin.
"Ive already told you that I purchased you as a gift," he folded his hands on his desk, leaning towards her.
Charlotte leaned back in her chair and swallowed. "Yes and I'd like to know for whom?" She lifted her chin.
"Caleb Remington," he sat back again. "I'll be presentimg you to him as his companion and his concubine."
She leaned back in her chair. She was afraid of being gifted to a man she didn't know to be used. Her opinion on anything no longer mattered. It didn't matter if she didn't want to be touched. Her body was no longer her own. Well, not that it had been her own for a bit. She'd been violated more than once against her will.
Charlotte chewed on her bottom lip for several moments and sighed, then looked back up at Lord Aydan. "My.. Alpha?"
"Yes Charlotte?" He didn't look up.
"May I leave?" She desperately needed time to think.
"Joanna is coming to get you and will show you back to your room. A seamstress is waiting to measure you for a new wardrobe," he said quietly.
"I will see you again in the morning and we will discuss everything then. Make sure you're dressed appropriately."
"Thank you Alpha," Charlotte gritted.
When Joanna knocked on the door, Charlotte stood. She bowed to Lord Aydan, then hurried out. She breathed a small sigh of relief once she was away from him, and followed Joanna back to her room.
Alpha Aydan was insufferable.. and attractive. She hated that she found him so much better looking than the Earl.
Charlotte entered back into her room to find the seamstress waiting for her. She breathed a small sigh. Finally, something she was familiar with. The seamstress took one look at her and almost choked when she saw how Charlotte was dressed.
The seamstress took her measurements quickly, then left the room.
Lunch was brought in, and Charlotte settled down to eat. She wondered about Penny, and hoped that she was okay.
After she finished, she had nothing to do but sit around and think. The bedroom didn't have anything in it. She sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day.
Charlotte wished she knew how long it would be before she left this place, but even then, she had no idea what her life would be. Would she look back at this period and wish she was back here because it was so much better than what she was going to?
It was strange to think that she was going to be a concubine to a man she didn't know. She wondered if he had a harem full of women. She'd read a book once about harems..a book she probably shouldn't have read, but it had been quite informative. She knew there was a possibility she'd be placed in his harem and forgotten.
Caleb Remington.. the name sounded vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it. It sounded English. Was he English? She frowned, wondering if he was married and wanted a mistress. She knew that some members of the aristocracy would keep a mistress in a townhouse, though as far as she knew, they weren't slaves.
She slipped the dress off, and crawled in the bed, deciding to sleep the afternoon away. She couldn't be stuck in her own thoughts or she would self-destruct.
***
Penny slipped her arm through Roland's as they boarded the ship bound for England.
He had made this trip bearable and kept her going when she'd wanted to give up. She was sore and tired, and didn't care if she ever rode a horse again in her life.
Roland had promised her a bed aboard the ship and she couldn't wait. He'd been so kind to her, and she found herself falling for him already.
Roland had purchased one room on the ship, allowing the ticket seller to believe that they were married. He knew of Penny's fears and had promised to not let her out of his sight.
He led her down to their room, and pushed the door open, then stepped back to allow her to enter first. The room was larger than the two previous ones she'd been in and quite comfortable.
Roland placed their bags down and turned to her, as Penny attempted to stifle a yawn. "They're bringing us dinner, and then you can go to sleep if you'd like."
She nodded, stifling another yawn. "I think I'd like that."
An hour later, they were sitting at the table, finishing their meal. Penny had gotten over her shyness around Roland and peppered him with questions. She'd learned quite a bit about werewolves in general, and about Roland specifically and his wolf, Neo.
"Once we get back to the pack, I have to help Ragnar finish any last minute preparations for the Werewolf Summit. You're perfectly safe at the castle with our pack, but when the Summit happens, I want you to stay close to me or in your room where you'll be safest." Roland leaned back in his seat, studying her.
Roland had explained all about the Werewolf Summit to her on their second day of travel. She had ridden her own horse for a while, but eventually, she'd grow so tired, he'd moved her over to his so that he could make sure she didn't fall. She'd enjoyed being in his arms, and it made it easier for them to talk.
"So I won't be staying in your room?" Penny asked him boldly. He felt like her security blanket and until she grew accustomed to being in a new place, she didn't want to be away from him. She'd been through too much in such a short period of time.
Roland raised his brows at her. "You want to stay in my room?" Penny was surprising him once again. He figured she'd want her own space.
She looked down at her plate. "I..." she paused, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
"Penny, if that's what you want, tell me. I want you with me. We werewolves don't take things slow when it comes to our mates, but I realize you are human and have been through a lot in a very short period of time. I will move as slow as you want. But if you want to stay in my room, you are more than welcome to. It's where I would prefer you, so I can keep you safe." Roland stood.
Penny stood as well and walked over to him, stopping a few inches away. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "I would feel more comfortable staying with you. At least for now."
Roland placed his hand on her arms. "Whatever you wish."
Penny smiled at him, then yawned. "I think at the moment I wish to go to bed."
Roland gave her a half smile. "I'll step outside the room to give you some privacy." He dropped his hands and started to walk away, but Penny reached out and caught his arm.
"Just turn around. I don't want you to leave," she pleaded with him.
His eyes flashed and he nodded. "Alright." He stepped away from her and turned his back to her.
Penny quickly began to pull off the riding habit. She stripped down until she was just in her chemise, then undid her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders. She climbed into the bed, and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Alright."
Roland turned around and was happy to see her comfortable. At least one of them would be. He had been sleeping on the ground since he had met Penny and didn't think that would end anytime soon.
He walked over to the bed, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. He grabbed a pillow.
"Sleep in the bed," Penny said softly.
He looked at her in shock.
"You've been sleeping on the cold, hard ground the last few nights. You can sleep in the bed tonight. With me." She met his gaze. It was completely unfair of her to ask him to sleep on the floor tonight after their hard journey.
"Are you sure?"
She could see the hope in his eyes and gave him a small smile. "I'm sure."
"I'll just.." he began to button his shirt back up, and do up his trousers.
"Roland!"
He stopped and looked at her.
"Take your trousers off and get in bed. I'm not asking you to bed me," her cheeks took on the rosy shade he loved so much. "but get comfortable and get in bed."
He grinned and nodded, then dropped his trousers, pulled his shirt off and crawled in next to her. He glanced over at her. "You're absolutely sure you are okay with this?"
Penny rolled her eyes at the ceiling, then giggled. "Roland. Go to sleep."
He laughed as well. "Alright. Good night, sweet Penny."
"Good night."