Morning came too quickly as the sun streamed in through the windows. The curtains hadn't been drawn shut before climbing into bed. Ash groaned as the bright light lined up with his eyes, rolling over to hide his face. The bed was supportive and extremely comfortable, something he should have expected of an expensive bed. His mattress back home was a single and had spots to avoid, either due to a loose spring or because it had taken an awkward shape.

He was fully ready to go back to sleep when there was a feminine clearing of the throat. Ash lifted his head from the pillow and looked around the room to see Amelia and two other omega servants waiting for him. All of their sleeves were rolled up and he could see steam coming from the bathroom behind them.

"Good morning, sir. We're here to assist you with your bath." Amelia was the one to speak but the other two were moving around her toward the bed. Oh no.

"I'm able to take my own bath, thanks," Ash said while hoping it would be enough to deter them from trying to bathe him. While a bath sounded divine to ease the tension in his shoulders, Ash was fairly certain that being bathed by other omegas wouldn't help relieve his aches. If anything, it would only stress him out more.

Amelia had a discouraged look on her face as she chewed on the inside of her mouth.

"Very well, but you will do it now before you dine for breakfast with the Lord." 

Ash blinked at her and nodded his head. It might be too early in the morning to argue an attempt at standing his ground. There was no need to stand his ground on bathing though as cleanliness wasn't a terrible fate to endure. Being bathed though was an entirely different story.

The omega climbed out from under the sheets, a slightly sour look on his face as he trudged over to the bathroom. With a large yawn and stretch, Ash closed the door behind him. He was certain if Amelia had conceded to him bathing himself that she wouldn't want to watch his entire morning routine.

Ash went through his routine, which ended with the prepared bath. He remained in the tub longer after washing though, enjoying the warmth of the water as it calmed his nerves. He would have stayed in the bath until the water turned cold, but the knocking interrupted his peace and quiet.

"Breakfast is in twenty minutes. Please make haste." Amelia called through the door. Had she been waiting for him the entire time? Grumbling to himself, Ash located the towel rack beside the claw-foot tub and wrapped himself up. Was there no end to being waited on? He could already feel the tension trying to ease its way back in between his shoulder blades.

The only mistake he'd made was entering the bathroom without a clean set of clothes with him. Ashley mentally cursed himself out for such a silly error in judgment. The door opened and the omega popped his head out to see Amelia waiting for him next to the bed. His eyebrow quirked up as he had to wonder what she'd been doing while he'd bathed. His eyes landed on the outfit that was laid out for him and he felt sheepishly thankful. While the idea of being catered to didn't sit right with Ash, he was thankful that he didn't have to rifle through the meager possessions he'd brought with him. It would appear that some of the clothes that were laid out for him were new as he'd never owned such a regal, blue shirt before now. It was vibrant in color with gold trim on the sleeves and would surely make his eyes pop in appearance. Ash told himself he'd have to look through the wardrobe later.

"Thank you for picking an outfit for me. I can get dressed by myself though."

"Very well, I will wait outside to escort you to the dining hall." Amelia did exactly as she said, bowing before leaving his room and Ash to his devices. 

He picked up the shirt and was surprised to feel the soft texture of the fabric. It looked silky and was smooth like silk but was soft as though it were well-worn. The shirt made Ash think that it could be a hand-me-down of sorts. Was he the first person to wear it?

After dressing, he looked in the mirror at his messy hair. Even though he attempted to run a brush through it, it still looked like a mop. He picked up a wavy strand of his blonde hair and sighed. His mother always told him he had beautiful hair if only he could take care of it. He didn't know if Gregory would uphold his end of the deal, but he had to have hope that his mother wouldn't die before receiving the medicine.

Ash opened the door and looked over at Amelia with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"You are running late," she informed him before taking off without another word. Ash fell in line behind the female omega. She was light on her feet as his eyes bore down into the floor as if he could create a hole from the intensity of his gaze. If only he could, maybe then he could escape.

The doors to the dining hall were opened for them. The light from the large windows made the meal on the table look far better than it should have. Then again, Ash had grown up with toast for breakfast his entire life. When they had the money they would buy bacon and use their eggs too. But usually the eggs they recovered from their chickens were sent to market to be sold. Ash had always dreamed of a different life, one where he wouldn't have to work so hard. And now that he was here, living his dream, he could only hope to go back to his difficulties soon. He knew what to expect in that life.

Ash walked over to the table where a position had been set for him. Tristan was waiting for him with a newspaper in his hands at the head of the table. Ash's spot was set on the side of Tristan's but had no less there. The same number of cutlery lay beside the plate, there was a glass of water and orange juice at the top of the place setting. The plates this morning looked different though. Last night they had been white bone china with gold trim and a floral pattern. This morning though, they were a pale blue color and had a decorative, swirled-line pattern on them.

Ash made to sit down just as a male servant pulled the chair out for him. He said a quiet 'thank you' as he was pushed in at the table. Tristan's eyes were side-eyeing him from above the top of the newspaper before it was folded and placed on the opposite side of the table.

"Good morning Ash, I hope you slept well last night," he greeted with a simple tone. It sounded more restrictive than welcoming.

"Morning, and I did, thanks." The food was brought out and placed in front of them. The meal looked incredible with a piece of toast on the bottom, a poached egg atop some pieces of bacon and greens, and a pale yellow sauce coating the entire thing. Ash had never been given something so fancy to eat in his life. He had an inkling that this would only be the start while he was trapped here. Picking up the fork and knife, Ash didn't hesitate in cutting through the egg and sauce concoction. 

If heaven existed, it was definitely in this dish! The sauce was delicious and made the entire bite melt in his mouth. 

"Good. I'm glad you like it." Tristan said with the smallest of smiles on his lips. Ash regarded the alpha for a moment, watching him as he smiled. He was a handsome man and that was only made more apparent when he smiled. The smile, however, didn't remain on his facial expression as he started to eat his own breakfast.

They ate in silence for a while with the only sound of cutlery clinking against the fine china. Ash tried not to focus on Tristan, but slowly there was a scent wafting toward him. Tristan didn't appear to notice the scent though. It was strong, like the crispness of the air in the fall only made better with the mixture of cinnamon. Ash didn't realize, but he was sniffing the air when Tristan cleared his throat.

"Is everything okay?" the alpha asked. Ash zoned back in from the momentary loss of thought for his eyes to focus on Tristan's face. 

"Oh, I smell cinnamon and something like the air. I don't know where it's coming from, though it smells really good." Ash had never been able to pick up pheromones before. His sense of smell wasn't hindered when it came to regular, everyday scents. But he had never been able to differentiate between alphas, betas, or omegas by their scents alone. He didn't think much of the scent before Tristan narrowed his eyes at Ash.

"It's quite rude to discuss pheromones at the table." 

Wait, what? Ash looked at Tristan with extremely deep furrowed brows and a clear look of confusion.

"I can't smell pheromones. Are you sure it isn't from the table?" he asked politely. Tristan shook his head as he lifted his fork to raise to his lips.

"I am certain. You are rather bold to cite my pheromone back to me. One might think you forward." he answered. It was then that they made eye contact and the tiny smirk graced the edge of Tristan's lips. Ash's eyes widened and he started to sputter out a response.

"I don't know what's going on, but if you're trying to get me riled up, it won't work." He huffed while crossing his arms over his chest. Ash wasn't pleased with how he was being treated. Yes, the service was amazing. But his companion had some nerve to imply he was trying to flirt or worse, with the alpha. He wasn't here of his own free volition after all.

Tristan barked out a short laugh as his head shook once more.

"You're surprising, Ash. Quite refreshing," Tristan's words almost sounded kind. But Ash was sure it wasn't truly kind.

"Thanks? I want to know something. You could have anyone as your bride, You have the means, power, and money too. So why me? How can I be the one for you?" Ash thought it strange that Tristan insisted on him when he could quite literally marry any omega and be happy with them.

Tristan’s attention came back to Ash and he swallowed the bite that was in his mouth. The alpha brought the napkin from his lap up to wipe his lips. He regarded Ash for a moment longer as though he were about to tell the omega all his deepest and darkest secrets.

"I need something that only you can provide me. Through our union, I will achieve what I seek. Since you are bound to me, I thought it—" But Tristan wouldn’t finish that sentence as Ash abruptly stood from the table, pushing his chair against the wooden floor with a loud scuffling.

"So I'm a means to an end! What if I wanted to marry an alpha for love? Why is it that one small mistake on my part means I have to throw the rest of my life away?" Ash yelled his question to Tristan. His face was flushed and the omega looked as if he might cry. Tristan picked up the cup of coffee from the table, a wry sort of twisting of his lips visible before he lowered the cup to the table again.

"I am sorry you feel that way, Ashley. We can live separate lives within this mansion as I provide for you. But hear me now, you are my omega and I will not tolerate your outbursts. Am I clear?" His voice was clear and sharp, demanding him to agree to what was just said. Ash’s resolve faltered as he saw the anger flash through Tristan’s emerald eyes. It was clear that the alpha wasn’t to be tested. Even if Ash wanted to try his limits and see how far he could negotiate, he ended up sitting back down with a defeated scowl.

"Perfectly clear. May I leave the table, oh loving alpha," he asked with an icy tone considering the atmosphere in the room. It was clear that Ash had been put in his place. However, it wasn’t the effect Tristan had wanted at all as the alpha mulled over the request before sighing in exasperation. 

"Yes, you may leave the table."