Turning Page

Addie was embarrassed for her mother to see her being so romantic with Andre, her mother had never seen her behave that way and it was…odd. It wasn’t helping either that her mother was staring at them both with such an examining look. He may had thought what they were doing wasn’t anything wrong, but where she came from couples didn’t act like they did, not even one’s that were in love. When he teased about Addie’s cooking she playfully hit him, which made her mother’s eyes widen. A wife hitting her husband?! What?!

Her mother looked at the food oddly than to Adella when he mentioned coffee and orange juice, obviously confused as to what he was speaking about. Adella smiled “You’ll like orange juice, its sweet but also a little tart” She said encouragingly and her mother nodded, trusting her daughter’s opinion [i]“Orange juice then” She said with a smile in return to Adella, who nodded happily and went to the fridge to pour her some as Indris watched Andre cook, not recognizing what he was making. Adella poured her mother a glass and handed it to her just as Celebron entered the room with his typical arrogant air. Both women looked to him and bowed their heads respectfully “Good morning, King Celebron” They murmured. He glanced to them and then glanced to Andre, as if expecting the same from him.

Celebron stared at Andre, first offended than angry as he glared at the wolf. He opened his mouth to say something, obviously something not at all kind, but Adella quickly interjected “Did you sleep well, King Celebron?” She asked nervously and he looked at her like she was an idiot “Of course not. The accommodations for me here are like a commoners. I expect better for this evening” He snapped at her and she frowned, nodding “Of course…I will fix it” She said softly. When Andre set everything buffet style, Indris did seem a bit surprised but not opposed to creating her own plate, but Celebron…big surprise…became livid.

“Serve ourselves? You expect me to serve myself? Do you not have servants? A maid? I will not serve myself. Preposterous!” Adella was ready to go sit, she was tired from all the cleaning and lack of sleep, but Celebron’s anger jolted her nerves and just raised her already high stress level. Indris had picked up a plate but slowly put it down during her husband’s outburst, knowing he would turn his anger upon her if she even showed a hint of being alright with not being served personally. Adella quickly grabbed a plate with shaky hands “We apologize. Please, sit, I will make you a plate and bring it to you”

Adella sensed the shift in her husband immediately and it made her nervous. Not for herself, but for her step-father and what Andre might do. He had a short temper as it was already, now with two wolves in him he was even more of a wild firecracker. She didn’t want him to explode, she wanted to keep peace…somehow, she was determined too. She didn’t want her mother to think Andre was some brute and she certainly didn’t want a fight between Andre and Celebron. All she knew of her father was he had been a Wolf…and he had been killed by Celebron in a battle. She feared Andre would suffer the same fate if he ticked off Celebron in anyway, so she was more than willing to keep the man happy no matter what. When Andre grabbed her wrist she sucked in a breath and looked at him fearfully. Now afraid of him, but what he was going to do.

She felt torn for a moment, whether to listen to the step father she feared or her husband who she loved. Indris looked surprised, staring at Andre and taken aback by his adverse reaction to what Celebron said and making Adella be his slave. To her, all women were slaves to their husbands, obedient and respectful…but it seemed Andre had no interest in this and certainly seemed to be taking very harshly to his wife being treated as such. Adella decided to listen to the very angry Andre and nodded, stepping back from standing in-between the two men but watched them warily. When Andre spoke she frowned and her mother did as well, but out of curiosity and not fear like her daughter. Indris was amazed Andre included her in his angry rant, for she did not think the treatment she was given by Celebron would be of any interest to the wolf.

“Andre…don’t” She whispered, her eyes going back and forth between the men. Celebron looked absolutely aghast by the way Andre spoke to him, and pure hatred burned in his eyes “How dare you speak to me in such a way! You dirty, filthy mutt! You’re all the same! Wild beasts with no mental sense to who is superior to them! I will not be treated in such a way! You will stand down and do as I say!” He snapped, getting in Andre’s face. Adella about died, she felt like fainting right then and there and stepped back towards the men “Please, both of you, calm down! Please! Do not fight! It’s just…just…a…a misunderstanding! ”

The fairy man stared down the wolf before him as Adella nervously watched, not knowing what to do. She kept waiting for a nasty fight to break out and she became so light headed she had to step back and grab the counter to steady herself. Her mother turned to her worriedly and stepped towards her, also fearful about the two men’s confrontation. She looked to Andre with pleading eyes when it became clear Celebron had no intentions yet of backing down and listening “Please” Indris begged the wolf to stand down first. She had watched as her lover was killed brutally by Celebron’s hand, and still remembered the suffering and heartbreak to have him die. She did not want this same fate for her daughter.

When Andre pushed him, both women thought that was it…the fight had begun. Celebron’s expression was scathing and his hand twitched as if he was going to take a sword out from his side, only to remember he did not have it with him. But it did not seem to matter to the man, for he stepped forward again in Andre’s space, the motion aggressive and asking for a brawl. Adella panicked and shook her head “NO!” She shouted and suddenly a burst of wind flew through the home, throwing Celebron back. Indris’s eyes widened and she looked alarmed, not knowing where such a force came from, before her eyes turned to her daughter in shock. Adella had always shown power towards the elements, but never anything so strong. Indris wondered if Celebron was even alive after such a powerful hit.

The man flew as far back as possible until a wall broke his flight. He slumped down to the ground, but unfortunately for them all, he was not dead. He groaned and rolled onto his side painfully, taking a few moments to regain himself before slowly standing up. His eyes locked on Adella with pure hatred, but for once there was something else…uncertainty and perhaps even a little bit of fear for the girl he had always tortured and pushed around. She watched him, scared what he might do, but he simply spat a French curse word at them and turned to storm out.

Adella had never seen Celebron back down. In her village no one dared stand against him, and the one’s that did were always cut down. Celebron was too prideful to lose any sort of fight, yet he had backed down and left, not happily by any means, she was sure he’d return with a new found vengeance but he had still walked away in the first place. She wondered why he had backed down: had he finally given in to Andre’s aggression or had he backed down because of her and what she had done? Celebron had never been afraid of her, her powers though had disturbed and disgusted him and that is why he wanted her to leave…at least, that’s what he had told her. Had he ever feared her? She wondered that now. But after the near fight and using her magic so powerfully, she was feeling a bit too faint to really ponder what had happened further.

She had one hand clenched against the counter and another on her belly, slightly bent over and she took in deep breaths. She nodded and looked at him “Just…just light headed” She responded breathlessly and took in another deep breath. Her mother rubbed her back and then helped Andre get her to a chair and sit down. Her mother was just as bewildered that Celebron had truly left, and not just attacked Andre ruthlessly with fury after what Adella did. When Andre asked her if she was alright she looked at him surprised and it would seem the woman always looked at him this way, but the wolf was constantly taking her aback. For him to worry about her was not something she expected, in fact she expected him to lash out at her for Celebron’s behavior and for them coming here in the first place. She was quite taken by his compassion and smiled softly ”I am fine”

She then looked to Adella, who was calming down and took Andre’s hand to squeeze it “I was so worried. I thought he would try to kill you” She said with tears pricking her eyes at the thought then leaned forward to lean her head against him, seeking comfort and reassurance. Her mother watched them, glancing towards the front door then to Andre “He will be gone for some time…he will not return until he can pass over his wounded pride” And that would probably take hours of him walking about aimlessly, if she knew her tyrant husband.

She knew Andre was on edge, she could feel it seething out of him. It was so powerful even Indris, who had very little contact of being around Wolves, could tell how furiously stressed he was .She nodded with understanding when he excused himself, knowing he needed to get out of the house and calm down before he exploded. She was a bit nervous for him to leave, knowing Celebron would return and take his revenge she was sure, but she couldn’t tell Andre to stay. She only hoped he wouldn’t be gone too long and return before Celebron did….even though she had already shown she can take care of herself and even her mother, she didn’t like the idea of Andre not being around when Celebron was.

Apparently her worry was unnecessary however, for hours passed and Celebron did not return. This made her mother curious, but Celebron’s ego had never been injured so much before, she only assumed he needed a lot of time before he would face them again. She was concerned for her husband for it was ingrained in her mind to be, but at the same time she enjoyed the alone time with Adella and helped her with some things in the baby room and tidying up the house. However though the baby began to give Adella a very difficult time, as she usually did when Andre was absent. Indris urged her to rest and so Adella did, sleeping heavily as her mother folded some laundry for her. When she heard the door open she froze and feared it was Celebron, but hearing Andre’s voice she went to find him.

Indris came down the stairs and looked over to him before going towards him, motioning upstairs “She sleeps” She told him “The child was giving her a difficult time so I told her to rest” She paused, looking thoughtful “Her pregnancy is very difficult. I had trouble carrying her as well, but not the discomfort she suffers….” She stared at his face for a few moments “The baby misses you, have you noticed?”

She could tell the old alpha was still in a bit of a mood, so in her hesitation she made sure to keep her distance from him and not crowd him, not knowing if he even wanted her presence or not at the moment. But she wasn’t sure what else to do with herself with Celebron gone and her daughter sleeping…and in truth, she wanted to know more about him. He was curious to her, so stoic and stand offish yet with Adella he was warm and playful. She had never seen such a difference in a man, when her own husband was angry and cruel every day for every minute. She nodded in agreement “She was worried about you” Indris did not understand the whole situation of him having two wolves in him, but she did know it concerned Adella.

She shook her head “No, the baby realizes when you’re gone. I assumed it had something to do with werewolves and you knew…the baby only gives her difficulty when you are absent. When you are around her, the baby is still” A contemplative look crossed her face “I believe the baby is…special” A werewolf father, a half werewolf/fairy mother…Indris didn’t know how she knew, but something about the child was special. When he asked about dinner she timidly came closer “Would you not prefer if I cooked?” She still found it utterly bizarre that he cooked, and especially after a long day, she felt she should offer.

She was not convinced by his theory that it was simply his voice. She felt it was far more than that, but she was not going to “argue” with him about it, that was not how she was raised. If a man felt a certain way, a woman was not to change his mind, so she merely nodded obediently and decided to demurely agree with him even though she really didn’t feel he was right. What he said about the baby not liking him though made her feel bad for him and her expression softened “It is your daughter. Of course she will love you. A baby knows nothing else but the love of its parents and returning that love” So this scary, big bad wolf had a soft side…she was surprised by this. He didn’t seem the kind of man to have tenderness, but she had seen him behave that way with Adella and now hearing him speak about the baby.

She motioned her hands in replace of a shrug “I have never had anything…spicy but I shall try it” Food was bland in their village, they did not have spices or other such things. She wasn’t even a hundred percent sure what he meant by spicy, but if that was what he wanted to cook then she’d eat it. She smiled more at him, just finding him so…interesting. Nothing what she expected. He seemed to be so comfortable around her and so open and friendly. She took the offered cider and took a sip, enjoying the taste…but when he said about kicking her feet up she looked confused “Kick…my feet up?” He wanted her to…do what? She was taking it literally, and didn’t understand.

Since she didn’t know what he meant she just stood, keeping out of his way so he could cook. She watched him in that calculating way again before speaking “I want to thank you, Mr. Louvel” She said softly “For being so kind to my daughter and treating her so well” She took in a breath and slowly released it “When Celebron told me she was coming to America to marry a werewolf I…I must say I feared for her. I feared for her treatment and happiness, but she appears to be very happy here with you”

Indris looked touched by his comment and smiled more warmly “I always tried my best to show her I loved her, considering her…condition, she was not well perceived in the village. Our people are not very affectionate, not like wolves I believe, but I always did everything I could” She would give Adella gifts and always tell her she loved her, though hugging and cuddling was not something done in their village, not even between mother and daughter. It was how things were, and it’s not like Adella ever searched for that type of affection either, so Indris was surprised now to see her daughter so receptive to when her husband was so touchy with her. She would have expected her to be stiff or shy away.

She felt her heart swell to him he speak so fondly of Adella and looked very curious “You love her, don’t you?” Seeing them together she could clearly see they had affections for one another, but she had never jumped to thinking they loved each other, not until she spoke to Adella did she see her daughter loved him but she had no idea if he felt the same for her. She followed him outside, taking in a deep breath of air “The air is so different here” It wasn’t a bad thing, it was just…different, was all. She found a place to sit while he grilled “This is not your permanent home, correct? Adella said you lived somewhere else, called…Caroline?”

To hear him say he did love Adella…it warmed her heart and soul “Well then, I shall never worry about her happiness and life again” A arranged marriage, two people from completely different worlds, and they truly both loved one another. She didn’t think such a thing could happen, perhaps a couple coming to care for one another but…in her experience, love was something that happened between to people that was forbidden and never meant to be, but in this case these two people had found it when they were forced upon one another. She watched with a smile, just watching him for some time “You remind me of Adella’s father” She commented “Not in appearance…he was not of alpha blood, he was far more lithe, but in mannerisms yes”

“I am sure she will. She wishes to make you happy” Though she didn’t know how attached Adella was to their home at the school, but Adella seemed so eager to please him, she could only assume…not realizing her daughter had gotten quite the backbone while living with Andre. She looked around, gazing off at what she supposed was the view, far different view then back home ”I think it was fate that you and Adella were matched. I hardly think anyone can say they were placed in an arranged marriage and fell so deeply in love” She tilted her head “Why did you agree to wed Adella? You did not want her…at least, from what I deduced from her letters in the beginning”[/i]

She grinned, the first ear to ear smile she had ever given “This baby makes me very happy. I wish I could be here for when she gave birth and meet her” But Celebron had never planned to be here long, just long enough to know if Adella truly was going to have a child and if it was a boy. Now after what happened, she was sure they would leave within the next day or two and she would never meet her granddaughter. It saddened her but to at least know she and Andre were so happy, she knew the baby would grow up in a loving and stable environment and not watch her mother be bossed around and abused by her father, like Adella had to watch growing up.

She frowned “That is because she never met him…and I was never allowed to speak of him” She looked down at her hands and fiddled with them, just like Adella did “I met him by the river in our village. I was a young woman just newly married to Celebron and…very unhappy” She sighed “I knew it was wrong but, Carver was so kind and loving. He treated me as an equal, something I had never been given. We were much like you and Adella. But he also had a temper. We had only been four months in our affair when Celebron hit me, and he challenged him to a fight” Her expression saddened “And of course, lost” She looked at him “That is why you must always be cautious. That baby must know you”

She nodded as he spoke and looked happy “You both are very happy. I thought I would come here and see Adella had made everything up in her letters. That I would see her oppressed and forcing herself to be happy and abused.” She then sighed “In so many words, yes. She thought she disgusted you since you would not touch her and you both didn’t speak much. She was frightened off you and feared she would make a mistake and you would harm her….” All because of Celebron’s treatment to her own mother, and Indris hated that “But then…things began to change. She started to speak of the gifts you would give her, and the nicknames you’d call her with affection. How you would come home and kiss her cheek and respect her space and not expect her to do chores. I began to feel more hopeful”

Indris also began to wonder where Celebron was. It had been such a long time…she could understand how angry he was, but too much time had passed. Celebron may not be familiar with the land but he was not the type to get lost, even if he stormed off blindly he still should have been able to make it back here regardless. She wondered if he went off to complain to Evelyn Varrow, though she wasn’t quite sure what the woman could actually do, but she seemed to have a lot of influence. Indris didn’t know, but she sure didn’t miss his presence. She liked that she was able to spend some time alone with Adella and Andre, and learn more about their life and her daughter’s husband.

She laughed softly “I have noticed she is…so different. She seems confident and speaks strongly, not with fear or hesitation in her voice. She makes decisions on her own and just seems, fulfilled. I have never seen her like that before. She was always such a self-conscious child and only did what others told her too” She liked to see those changes in her. Back home such changes would be greatly unwanted and discouraged, but here she could tell it was good and it was all thanks to Andre. He didn’t want Adella to be a simpering wife, he wanted her to be his equal and his lover and she was happy for it.

She nodded when he went to get Adella, who slept deeply upstairs in their bed. She stirred quietly as he began to wake her and she opened her eyes, sleepily looking at him and smiled “Hey, your home” She said happily, slowly stretching her legs. She giggled as he kissed her neck then jumped and squealed playfully when he blew against her skin. She turned carefully onto her back and slipped her arms around his neck, giving him a kiss before kissing his cheek and stroking the back of his neck affectionately “Mmm, I missed you” She sighed softly, kissing him again.