Janella's Patrician

Chapter 6

Not edited.

Ethan stood silent at the door as he watched his family playing together on the floor. Alex was half sitting while being propped up with pillows around him squealing at the two in front of him. Hannah was chatting endlessly to Nellie about the dresses they were putting on Hannah's new dolls. Nellie was smiling and obviously intensely listening to everything that Hannah was saying with the appropriate reply placed where it should go to make Hannah happy. He could feel the pride build within his chest as he watched them play.

Nellie had accepted Hannah without question. He hadn't actually expected anything less; that's just who Nellie was. Her heart was as beautiful as she herself was.

Hannah claimed Nellie long before he himself had because of her mother. Her claims to talk with Holly were in one way unnerving while in another they were comforting. He had no idea if Holly really did visit Hannah but it was obvious that someone had told her things she otherwise wouldn't have known. It was a mystery he didn't believe he'd ever unravel but one he'd never question because according to the human kind werewolves such as himself weren't real and were a part of  fables and follies. Holly had a way of knowing things in a way that he could never understand. Things she just seemed to know were more than uncanny. He questioned her at times looking for answers but she would always smile and he'd forget what it was that he wanted to know.  He was always lost in the moment. While he never questioned the knowledge she had; he did always question the how? Now it seemed that Hannah may be following in her mothers footsteps, it brought a smile to his face.

"Daddy!" Hannah was up and racing over to him. He straightened and bent down in anticipation of the body hurtling to him.

He grabbed hold of her and raised her up above him as she squealed and then giggled.

"No no Daddy! Put Hannah down!"

They all stopped when they heard a small growl. Looking down at Alex he looked intensely angry.

"He's a wolf!" Ethan exclaimed.

"But how?" Both adults shook their heads. They never expected this. Nellie was human as was Sam. For Alex to be a wolf that would mean...

Nellie looked up to Ethan with tears in her eyes "Do you think...."

Ethan placed Hannah down and went to Nellies side on the floor and pulled her in close. "I don't know baby. We need to talk to someone, maybe the counsel or the moon goddess..."

"Let's talk to Misty." Nellie was quick to choose the beautiful woman who helped her before she left.

"Nellie... we may need to go back home.. "

"No. I can't do that... not yet." She looked at him pleadingly "Not yet, I can't..."

"Shhhh... not yet baby... but soon." He tucked her head into the crook of his neck and rocked her slowly. Hannah had forgotten them as she played once again with her dolls.

Alex kept growling softly as he stared at his mothers tear stained face. It was with awe, excitement and in some ways intrepidation that they realised how protective he was going to be over his family. Ethan was was again filled with pride. That was his son.

It also meant the unspoken words between them may possibly be true. Nellie, his beautiful Janella may still have her wolf.