The Wolf Within

Chapter 16: The Market

Toni's PoV:

When I woke up the next morning I groaned, wishing that I could go back to sleep. Unfortunately, I had a busy day ahead of me. 

Sophie stood by my bed, as was becoming usual, and rattled off a long list of gossip about the other maids as I ate my breakfast. She didn't name any of them, so there was no danger of any of them getting in trouble, and it was mostly about which maid had a crush on which who. Sophie seemed to delight in the easy friendship we'd fallen into -- I'd never had a maid before, so I didn't ask much of her, and we laughed a lot at each other's jokes. She was funny, I thought, but kind, more than anything. We understood each other.

I got dressed in a hurry, slipping into a pair of purple jeans and a pretty lilac blouse. I wore my usual retro shoes and tied my hair up in a ponytail -- I didn't know where I was going and I wanted to be prepared.

It wasn't long after I was dressed that there was a knock at my door. I opened it, sending a pleading look over my shoulder to Sophie, who laughed and disappeared down her set of stairs. I gritted my teeth.

Will stood on the other side of the door, his ice coloured eyes wide. He was wearing a casual white t-shirt and blue jeans, with normal black sneakers on his feet. His hair was messy, curling gently across his forehead, and he seemed a bit paler than usual. I wondered, suddenly, if he was nervous.

"Hi," I said. 

"Good morning, Antoinette."

"You're so formal! Loosen up a little," I said, rolling my eyes. I stepped out of my room and shut the door with a click. "Where are we going anyway?"

"To the next town over," Will turned to the stairs. "There's a Saturday market on and I thought you might like to visit."

I shrugged. "Sounds better than being cooped up here."

Will led me down to the ground floor, which was probably a good thing, since although I was starting to know the Library and top floor quite well, I had no idea how to actually leave the pack house. 

We exited through a small side door just outside of the stairs, Will holding the door open for me. No one was around and I guessed that the main reason we went that way was so that we wouldn't be seen together.

Outside, the sunlight hit me full force. I breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh air. It was wonderful to be outside again, to see the sky above me and to shake off all the cobwebs. There was grass all around us, the lush green giving me a welcome break from the unrelenting blue of the Fortier pack house. In front of us was a dirt path, flanked by wildflowers and long, uncut grass.

Will smiled at me, dimples in his cheeks. "I love these lands," he said. "They're so beautiful. The town is only a mile or so away from here, so we'll be there  soon. We've got all morning."

I couldn't help the fluttering feeling in my stomach. Maybe the fresh air was getting to me, but this was the happiest I'd been since I'd arrived, and all it took was being outside for a few minutes.

We walked down the path, listening to the insects buzzing in the grass beside us. The pack house -- a large, stone fort of a building, with hundreds of windows and many stories -- was sat on top of a hill, so going the path inched its way down at a slant. 

I could see other hills in the distance, some completely covered in trees while others were devoted to fields for growing crops. Near me, little white wildflowers swaying in the wind.

"It's nice to be out the house," I said. 

Will smiled as though he understood. "It certainly is. You don't know the kind of negotiating I had to do with my father to get time off this morning."

"But it's only a few hours," I looked up at Will's smiling face. He didn't seem to mind the effort it took to be able to get out of work. 

"You know what it's like to have responsibilities, Antoinette -- isn't it like this for your brother, too?"

"Well, yes, but Corentin's only sixteen, so he's still being taught about all this stuff -- he's not as vital to the everyday running of the pack."

William didn't respond, though he did nod in understanding. 

"My father was more strict with me a lot of the time, because he thought I would embarrass the pack if he let me do what I wanted. Corentin was the heir, though, so he had different responsibilities, I guess."

William turned his head to look at me, the morning sunlight catching on the grey of his eyes, making them look silver. There was understanding in those eyes that I hadn't seen before, a look so soft I couldn't believe it was coming from Will. He held out his hand to me with a smile.

"Some of my friends are jealous because I'm the son of an Alpha," he said, "and because I get to marry some like you. I don't think they understand how hard it can be, though -- I've spent my whole life preparing to take over when I'm twenty one, and the job will only get harder when I do -- my whole life has been planned out since before I was born. it's a lot to deal with sometimes."

"Wow, Will," I said. I held onto his hand, feeling how strange it was to be this close to him, to be able to see all the emotions flickering across his face and to feel the warmth of his hand around mine. The butterflies in my stomach returned bigger than ever. 

"I always thought it came easy to you -- you're such a natural at this stuff. You always know what to say and what to do, and your dad always seems so proud of you."

Will snorted. "Not always. I've made mistakes before -- my dad's a great teacher, though, and he understands that it's not easy."

His voice was low, unlike the stern tone he usually used. It was nice, I realised, to be able to talk honestly with him -- maybe he wasn't as much of an arrogant asshole as I thought. We walked on, exchanging little words of conversation, until we came to the bottom of the hill.

In front of us, the outline of a small town began to creep forwards, the buildings and landmarks becoming clearer as we neared. Will led me past the bushes and wildflowers that lined the path and onto the gravel footpath that would lead us to town. There were pretty houses on the outskirts of the town, but it was small enough that we passed by them quickly, following the walkway until we got to the centre of town.

Shops lined the street, their produce showcased in rows outside their windows, and people hurried in and out of them. The town was quaint and the streets were old and cobbled, not allowing any traffic onto them. Stalls were set up all around the town centre, each with a different theme and product, all manned by cheery farmers and craftspeople. I grinned as we passed by the vendors, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the busy market place.

"Where do you want to start?" Will asked.