"I didn't agree to that!" Ash shouted while backing away. He was about to turn on his heel and bolt out of the room, but two alpha servants closed the door they had entered from, blocking the omega's escape route. Even if he tried, Ash knew he couldn't take down two alphas just to get away.

"You agreed to our deal, did you not? A promise to fulfill my debt in order to save your mother. I believe those were our exact terms."

"But you never said—"

"You never asked." Gregory stated simply.

It was at that moment that Ash knew he'd made a mistake. A deal with a fae was binding. If he didn't marry Lord Ghent, his mother would never be cured. She would die horribly without Ash there to take care of her. It was no way to treat his mother, the woman who had done everything for him. 

Lord Ghent cleared his throat and waved a hand over to the servant closest to him, an omega female who had a different pin on her uniform than the others.

"How you came to be here isn't important. You're here now and with your promise to Gregory, you will uphold my need for a bride. Whether you accept this fact or not, you are now bound to me," he addressed Ash. That statement made his veins feel as though they'd frozen over, the blood in his body turning cold. As Ash tried to stutter out his refusal to the deal, he felt a tightness in his chest that constricted his heart. The more he tried to say 'no' the tighter it became. It was only when Ash struggled to draw in breaths that he conceded mentally. A fae's deal was binding, but there had to be a way out. He just needed to bide his time to find one.

"Thank you, Gregory, your debt is paid. You may leave," he said as he picked up the fork and proceeded to eat another piece of the meat on his plate. Gregory bowed with a grandeur gesture before handing Ash's bag over to the omega servant with the pinned uniform.

Still processing what had just happened, Ash turned just as the door closed behind Gregory. The only person he knew there was Lord Ghent and he wouldn't exactly say he knew the alpha.

"Come and sit, Ashley. You must be hungry."

The words did little to soothe his growing panic. Lord Ghent's voice lacked any trace of concern or sympathy for the situation at hand. Ash looked over with a wide-eyed, deer-in-headlights expression before he swallowed the immediate lump at the back of his throat. This may not be ideal, but he didn't have to think fast, right? Surely there would be time before the wedding took place. That would mean he'd have time to think of a way out.

"Ash. I don't go by my full name." His words were hesitantly cool. Approaching the table slowly, he did sit down across from the lord. 

"Ash then. Amelia, please bring out another plate." Lord Ghent instructed. Within seconds, a plate of food was placed down in front of Ash. The aroma of the food was heavenly and made his mouth water. The assortment of cutlery beside the plate left him wondering which fork to use. Picking up one without concern, Ash picked up a knife and began eating. At least he knew how to hold them properly.

"Lord Ghent, I'm sure you could have anyone as your bride. I'm not noble, and I definitely don't have a pedigree or whatever. So why me?" Ash asked as the first bite was speared on the fork. Examining the food, he slid the fork past his thin lips and into his mouth. It was as delicious as it smelled!

"Tristan. You may call me Tristan. And I have my reasons. That's all you need to know."

Ash glanced over at the alpha who was side-eyeing him. Tristan looked coy, almost as though he were planning something. Ash didn't know what to think. The shock of this moment was still settling in his system. It was an awful lot to take in after all.

As he continued to eat the meal, Ash couldn't stop thinking of the why. His mind raced with scenes of what would happen to him here. He could be a slave of a bride. Forced to do as Tristan demanded. He could be locked away in a room or held on a podium as a trophy. If Tristan ever found out about his unicorn form, he was sure his head would be mounted on a wall or something. The number of mounts in the room was suddenly shocking to Ash.

"You will stay in the room next to mine. If you try to leave the grounds, I will hunt you down. Rest assured you are safe here and will be well taken care of," Tristan spoke without looking at Ash. Another bite in his mouth as he placed the dessert fork down and pushed the plate aside. 

"I'm not very hungry. Can I go to bed now?" he asked politely, feeling small within Tristan's presence. The alpha looked up then and saw the small portion of food that had been eaten and sighed. 

"Very well. This is Amelia. She is head of the omega quarters and your caretaker. She will show you to your room. I will stop by shortly," he said with a short nod. Ash pushed his chair back from the table, watching Amelia lead him away from the dining room.

She was short with her blonde hair pulled back into a neat bun. She had dark, tanned skin and long elven ears. Whether she belonged to the Seelie or Unseelie court was unknown, but Ash assumed she was a member of one. There were many courts within the realm of the fae. Seelie, Unseelie, Life, Death, and then there were the four seasons. All were separate and yet all were still connected. Ashley was lost in thought of whether she belonged to spring or summer when Amelia stopped and turned toward Ash. Her hand held the door open for him while his suitcase was in the other. It was meager in comparison to what he should have packed. Ashley had assumed he would be here a couple of days at most. Now he was to be married to an alpha he knew nothing about. All because of a fae trick he'd been naive enough to agree to. It would definitely take everything he had to get out of this dilemma.

"Thank you, I can get myself ready for bed," Ash informed the other omega. He felt his cheeks burn at the thought of being taken care of. The idea of being waited on hand and foot didn't sit right with the omega.

"As you wish, sir," she said with a bow and a quick turn before she disappeared down the hall. Ash sighed before entering his room.

The room was generous in size. It was larger than his whole house and made Ash wonder just how rich Tristan was. There was a four-poster, king-sized bed in the center of the room with large bay windows that started just above the floor and went to the ceiling. The room had lights along the walls that were cast in golden sconces. Attached to the room was a private bathroom with a large tub, sink, and toilet. Both rooms were a powder-blue color and were definitely too much for Ash. How could he possibly become comfortable in such opulence?

He placed his bag near the wooden wardrobe and thought about a nap. Maybe this was a dream and he would wake up from it as soon as he lay down. The bed looked so soft as he walked over to it. The covers were soft and silky to the touch. He wanted to climb under them and forget the mess he had gotten himself into. If it were real at all. Ash still wanted to believe he was dreaming.

As he swung his legs up onto the bed, Ash closed his eyes for a moment and took a few deep breaths. This was a mistake and he would wake up any moment from the nightmare.

There was a knock on the door that startled the omega's eyes open. He looked up at the canopy above his eyes and then toward where the sound had come from. He was still in the mansion, meaning his wishes for everything to be a dream were in fact reality. He was in a pickle and wouldn't be getting out of there any time soon.

The knocking came again with a harder rapping on the wooden door this time. It sounded a little more irritated than the first one had.

"Come in?" Ash called out. He had no knowledge if he was expected to answer the door physically.

A beat later, the door opened and Tristan stepped inside. Another reminder of his situation: the alpha he was supposed to be engaged to. Well, as far as his assumptions on the matter were concerned, were they really engaged if Tristan hadn't proposed to him?

Tristan walked into the room a little more before he stopped at the foot of the bed where Ash still lay, propped up on his elbows to look at the alpha better.

"Come now, Ash, stand so I may inspect you further."

Ash raised an eyebrow and hesitated for a second before sighing softly and getting off the soft mattress. He assumed that Tristan wanted to get a better look at him, to get a feel for who he would be marrying. Although, if the omega had anything to do with it, they wouldn't be married at all.

As he stood there, Tristan moving in closer to him, Ash felt the expectant gaze on him. It was as though the alpha wanted something from him, but Ash had no idea what it was. The look intensified as he tried to motion with his gaze for Ash to do something and the omega stared at him blankly. He wasn't a mind reader.

"I'd like for you to undress, Ash." Tristan sounded confident as he informed his desire. It was at that moment that Ash's face went from confusion to questioning to mild shock as his eyebrows shot up. Come again?

"Why do you need me to undress?" It was a simple question, one which he assumed would get an elaborate response. He was disappointed though at the simple answer.

"So that I may look at you."

The thoughts flying through his mind told him something wrong was going to happen. His instincts hackled and his thoughts ran rampant with grand scenes of how his virginity would be stolen. He wasn't ready to lose his virginity and especially not to an alpha he knew nothing about! Ash stood there hesitant until Tristan crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

"I won't do anything without permission, I assure you I'm not that kind of man," he said with the hint of a gentleness Ash wasn't expecting. It was a matter-of-fact statement, but the kindness behind the words gave him some reassurance.

His hands moved then to lift his shirt over his head. Ash wasn't much to look at. He had a willowy frame and little to no muscle mass. He was on the tall side for an omega but chalked that up to being a male omega. The only hair on his chest started around the navel and traveled down past the waist of his pants. He hesitated on removing the pants, believing that the removal of his shirt would be enough. Tristan continued to wait though, his arms moving in their crossed position as if to encourage him to continue undressing.

Ash's thin lips curled in a self-conscious frown. This was really happening. Even with Tristan's reassurance, he couldn't help the anxious feelings. He was shirtless in front of a stranger he was 'engaged to' and the alpha didn't seem to see anything wrong with the situation.

His pants were tugged down his legs to reveal his underwear and Tristan nodded his head in an encouraging way. His eyes raked in Ash's form up until this point. It made his skin crawl to be examined this way. Under some kind of scrutiny from the alpha, it definitely wasn't making Ash feel any better about this arrangement. If he had been hesitant before about the idea of marrying Tristan, he was definitely adamant now about getting out of the deal.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Ash slid his underwear down his legs, the cool air of the room hitting his nethers and causing a shiver to run up his spine. Ash tried to stand tall and confident. He had never considered himself a spectacle to look at. In his mind, he was average; not something alphas would line up to try to claim. 

During his nineteen years of living, there had only been one alpha who'd shown interest in him. Although he would never call that interest romantic. They were best friends with no awkwardness between them. Unlike the awkward silence that lingered from Tristan as Ash fidgeted with his hands.

Another moment of silence fell between them before Tristan nodded his head. Had he passed the alpha's inspection?

"Hmm, you'll do."

Ash felt his face falter from its shock to a somewhat disappointed look. He hadn't wanted to receive Tristan's approval, hadn't needed it in the slightest. But now that the alpha seemed to have given him a barely passing acceptance, Ash felt completely self-conscious of his body. Was he simply a means to an end?

"Get some sleep, Ash. My room is next door, but if you need anything, ring Amelia." His eyes gave Ash a quick once-over just before he headed over to the door. Ash should say something, but the embarrassment blazed across his cheeks. He was certain that nothing good would come from marrying Tristan. Now he just needed to find a way out.