The Wolf Within

Chapter 19: Twice By The Stranger

Toni's PoV:

My bones ached when I woke up. Partly because of the ceremony, which had only happened maybe two weeks before, but mostly because of the stress and tiredness from the night before. I groaned and rolled over in my bed.

"Are you okay?" Sophie stood by my bed as usual, her usually sunny demeanor overshadowed by concern. 

"Hmmm," I moaned into the pillow.

"You need to get up."

" I don't want to."

Sophie sighed and pulled back the covers. "You have to. Master Phillip has requested your presence."

Phillip? I groaned again, trying to grab the covers again. "What does he want?"

"I don't know, but if were you I wouldn't keep him waiting, he asked for you to come to his rooms at nine."

I sat up, pouting the whole time. "Alright. But I won't be happy about it."

I looked at the clock, calculating how much time I could afford to wast before I needed to leave my rooms. "I don't see why he would want to see me," I mumbled. "He doesn't know who I am."

Sophie looked at me in surprise, her eyes probing.

"When I met him I told him I was the friend of his brother's fiance, sent to help out. He thinks I'm the daughter of a Beta wolf or something."

If Sophie thought it was strange she didn't say anything.

I rolled out if bed and shivered in the chilly room. Somehow Summer had passed by this little corner of the world, or at least my bedroom specifically, because it was absolutely freezing. Goosebumps broke out across my skin, leaving me felling oddly vulnerable in my nightgown. 

I sifted through the trunk at the edge of my bed, deciding on what clothes to wear. I chose black trousers and white blouse, with a purple cardigan to fight off the chill. Sophie coughed from my side, and I noticed that she was holding a pile of folded laundry as well as the breakfast tray balanced on her hip. 

"Thank you, Sophie," I said, holding put my arms for the laundry so I could put it away. She shook her head and knelt down beside me, putting it away herself.

Sophie laughed, the freckles on her cheeks arching up with her smile. "You'll do me out of a job, Sophie."

I smiled and got changed speedily. I didn't mind undressing with Sophie -- I figured she had been the one to change me into my pyjamas when I first arrived, passed out from the ceremony -- and grabbed my shoes. I still had a little time left before I needed to find Phillip, so I ate and cleaned myself up a bit. 

I left after I'd brushed my hair. Sophie was practically pushing me out of the door, worried that I would be late, but I knew it would only take a minute to get to Phillip's room. I remembered the way from last time.

"How did you know he wanted to see me?" I asked suddenly, just as the door was about to shut. 

"Oh, um, his servant told me he was looking for a girl that sounded like you, so I passed on the message. It seemed like Master Phillip was going to come find you himself, but I didn't think you would want him to know where your rooms were, so I offered."

I smiled at Sophie. "Thanks."

She shrugged. "You just seem like quite a private person."

I waved goodbye and shut the door. 

***

When I arrived at Phillip's door it was closed. I balled my fist and raised it to knock on the door, but there, mid air, I hesitated. There was an odd squirmy feeling in my stomach -- nervousness, I realised with a jolt. I felt weird about seeing Phillip again, especially when he didn't know who I was, like I was betraying William, somehow. I knew the brothers didn't get on. 

I sighed and knocked hard against the wooden door. It opened before the third wrap to reveal a smug looking Phillip, his lips twisted to the side in his signature crooked smile. He beckoned me in.

"Marie, Marie! What a pleasure to see you again," Phillip ran his eyes up and down my body, making me feel exposed. "Let me make you some coffee."

He led me back through to the counter where we'd talked the last time I was in his quarters, humming as he went. He was wearing a smart blue button up and black pants, but his hair was as unruly as his brother's. 

I watched as Phillip took out the cups and poured the coffee grounds into the machine, the smell filling the room. I breathed in deeply, enjoying the familiar scent. It reminded me of breakfast with my mother, and my brother before he was old enough to get annoying. If I closed my eyes I could pretend I was back in my old pack's kitchen, drinking coffee before school.

I wasn't home though. I was in the strange pack house of William Bellerose and his flirtatious brother, who was handing me coffee. I took it, letting the heat warm my fingers, and thanked him.

"You're welcome, you look like you need it." Phillip leaned back against the counter.

"I'm just tired."

"Preparing for the Veriten girl must be exhausting, I suppose."

I hesitated, caught up in the lie. "Uh, yeah, it is."

"When is my brother's little fiance arriving? Surely she should be here by now?" 

"Hasn't your father told you?"

"No," Phillip sighed, his eyes darting. "I could ask him, but I'd much rather ask you."

I gulped.  Phillip slid a little closer, his lips slightly parted. I noticed how tall he was, how his muscles showed clearly through his shirt -- I wondered, privately, if he'd chosen the shirt on purpose.

"Oh, um, I don't really know. They don't usually tell me too much about politics or anything."

"I see," Phillip said, his voice low and silky. "But if she's not here soon, then you'll have some free time on your hands, perhaps? Maybe you could spend it with me?"

I smiled at him. "Sure, so long as I haven't got any preparation to do."

"That's marvelous, Marie, just marvelous."