Not edited.
Ethan
"Hannah! Stop taking things out of the suitcases!"
Finally he was packing. Sorting through the mountain of things considered necessary had taken six days. He laughed at himself for listening to people. Now after everything had been decided on he was battling with Hannah to leave suitcases alone.
"I want my princess dress!"
"Sweetheart if you keep taking it out then you won't have it when we go away."
Hannah stood in her three year old defiant but curious stance "Why?"
"It will have have to stay to be washed."
"Why?'
"Because we can't put dirty clothes in with the clean ones."
"Why?"
"Because that will make all the the other clothes dirty and smelly."
"Why?"
Ethan looked at his daughter trying to work out how to stop this and coming up with nothing. Yep, it was official, he was losing his mind because of a toddler.
"Hannah why don't you go and pick three small toys to take with us?"
"Why?"
Ethan threw his hands up in the air "aaaaah!"
There was laughter. He looked up to see four people at the door laughing at him. Crossing to the door he scowled at them "Don't laugh at me. She's... she's..." He let them in and locked the door again.
"Exaspersting?" Alpha Paul offered.
"Infuriating?" Luna chimed in.
"Annoying?" Majorie laughed.
"I got nothing" West said with a smile "but I hear that it's normal."
Ethan scowled at them all as Hannah skipped down the hallway to her room.
"I love her. I really do but then..."
Paul walked to him and put a hand on his shoulder "Welcome to fatherhood. It only gets worse."
"It couldn't!"
For the next few minutes they all stood making fun of all the things that drive parents to the brink of insanity. Ethan kept shaking his head with a look of horror in his eyes.
"No, no, no,no... stop! Just let me wallow in my misery without adding anything else."
They all laughed at him as they pushed him to the kitchen.
"I'm making coffee." Marjorie stated.
"I brought cake." Clarice said.
"Cake!" a small voice from afar yelled as they heard footsteps running to the kitchen and a newly dressed Princess Hannah emerged at the door. Ethan shook his head and smiled as he went over to her and did up the button at the back of her neck.
"Ok Hannah. I'll wash this tonight but no more wearing it until we get Australia... Ok?"
"Ok Daddy." She went to the table and in a very unlady-like way climbed up at the table.
"Could I have cake please?" Her brown eyes suckered in them all as they awwed at her.
They chatted comfortably for a while before Hannah had finished her cake that was apparently "shoclate yummy".
"Hey sweetheart why don't you go and play in your room? I can hear a doll crying, I think they miss you."
"oh no" she scrambled down from her chair and raced to her room.
The others all smiled at him as his gaze stayed in the direction he watched her go in.
Majorie broke the silence as she placed a hand over his "you're a good dad Ethan."
"Sometimes I wonder." He shook his head sadly.
"She'd be proud of you Ethan. Hannah is an amazing little girl."
Ethan looked at her and smiled "You think so?"
"I know so Ethan."
"Thank you Marjorie. That means a lot to me after seeing how wonderful Nellie turned out."
"Speaking of my daughter" she removed her hand "I know you plan to look for her..."
"I'm going to find her and bring her home. It's time she came back where she belongs."
Paul lent forward and rested his elbows on the table "We don't know where she is for sure Ethan. Last we heard she was in Sydney but Simmo told Cam she was planning to move and had mentioned New Zealand."
Ethan had to stop himself from growling at the mention of the Alphas son. The pathetic little boy who wouldn't wait after everything he'd proclaimed after the night of the full moon. He didn't deserve Janella... ever!
"Where ever she is I'll find her."
"How can you be so sure Ethan? We had people searching for years and they found no trace until Cam realised who she was married to."
"She deserved to be happy Alpha."
"No one doubts that Ethan. If only..."
"Yes you're right Alpha... If only... If only Cam had found out exactly where she was instead of finding another mate. If only he grew up and stopped thinking about himself. If only he'd mentioned her husband had died before mentioning that she was leaving. There's a lot of 'if onlys' Alpha and they all come back to one person."
"Nothing can change that Ethan. I will never be proud of the way he treated his mate but I won't say I'm not proud of the way he supports Lily and my grandchildren. He's grown up in many ways. The time he spent in service helped that."
"It doesn't help Janella though does it?" Sander had come out, Ethans eyes turning black. "Tell me Alpha, who will help Janella get through the misery of seeing Cam with Lily? He knew she would be returning but still he went and marked and mated another."
"Stand down Sander." Paul tried his alpha voice to control the wolf and failed.
Sander laughed at him. "You aren't able to control me Paul. There's many things you don't know."
"Why does it matter to you so much Sander?"
"As I said, there's much you don't know. No one will know until it's time."
"Does Ethan know?"
Sander grinned "No he doesn't so the Alpha voice won't help you there either. Janella will be looked after but once again she's been failed by the people who were supposed to love and protect her. That, alpha, is something you and your son will have to live with."
"You're disrespecting me Sander" Paul growled.
"My ranking is above yours Alpha. If anything you should be respecting me."
All of then looked shocked as they looked at Sander.
Marjorie spoke "What's your ranking Sander?"
Sander turned to her and his eyes softened slightly "I'm afraid I can't say Marjorie. It's something you will all find out in time when the full story comes out."
"Does Ethan have any idea at all?" West asked.
"None."
"Why the secrecy?" Clarice asked.
"It was and is necessary for many reasons. Destiny is a strange thing at times but only the gods have any idea of where it will go. I must go. Ethan is angry that I took over. Please remember he knows nothing and don't speak of this conversation with him."
Ethan looked at them all nervously. His eyes rested on Paul who sat rigid "I apologise Alpha, he's getting stronger and blocks me out."
Paul blew out a large breath of air "Ethan it's fine. We may not completely understand what's happening with Sander but he assures us we will find out in time."
"That's what he tells me too" Ethan said shaking his head "I just hope we find out soon."
"We all do Ethan... but enough of this. We came here to wish you good luck on your journey and Marjorie has some photos for you to take in case you need them. Sarah is packed and ready to go and she'll be with you for the first three months until James returns. In the mean time we'll work out who will be with you next to help with Hannah."
"What will you do if you find Janella in the middle of your journey?"
Everyone in the room was silent. At first Ethan's face was unreadable, almost passive as they all watched on. Then he smiled widely.
"Make sure she knows where she belongs and bring her home."