To Love a Were Ch. 08

***

She stayed in the bath tub for almost an hour before she got out to dry herself. She was about to go out when she noticed that there was another door at the other side of the bathroom and it was open. Curious, she walked closer and gave a gasp of surprise to find a walk in closet that housed a feminine selection of apparels. She frowned at the thought that he had actually lied when he said there was no other woman. She didn't think there was but who would wear all these fashionable clothes anyway? Despite her annoyance, she peeked into the cupboards and wardrobes with curiosity, finding that the fabric and cuts suit her taste after all. She reached for a floral dress hanging in the closet and placed it close to her body, examining herself in the mirror. It was demure and sweet, with little frills at the shoulders and of a modest knee length.

"I hope whoever's this is won't mind that I'm borrowing it for awhile," she said to herself as she slipped into the dress. She didn't know what the material was but it felt so soft and warm against her skin.

She had called out to him when she entered the room but he wasn't there. He was probably having his dinner, she decided as she looked at the time on the clock. It would be best to look for him. She didn't like being alone for too long. It spooked her.

She walked carefully down the carpeted corridor towards the staircase but her attention was caught by a picture frame hanging at the other corner of the corridor. It looked like a family portrait but she could not be sure from such a distance.

As she came closer, she confirmed her hunch; it was a family portrait but whose? She saw that it had been hand painted; similar to the one hanging in her adopted family's drawing room. She peered closer at the only grown man in the picture. He was handsome, with blonde hair braided down his back and sharp green eyes. He looked a lot like Eian, except the hair. The woman beside him was equally blonde but her eyes were blue... or perhaps grey, she couldn't tell but she thought her eyes looked sad. In front of the couple were two children, a girl and a boy. They looked almost of the same age and height but they had different colouring. She was blonde while his hair was dark as night but their eyes held the same green intensity as their father's. Fiona gently touched the girl's face with her finger before she heard a cough behind her.

"Oh! I'm sorry... I was just looking," she began apologetically when she turned to see Rousseau.

"As the Mistress of the house, you do not need to apologize for touching your belongings," he replied in a flat voice but Fiona could see that his eyes held a soft kindness to them.

"Still, I shouldn't have. But, I hope you could tell me if this is Eian... I mean Master Keiran's family?"

"Yes my Lady, it is."

The old man was looking at her intently and she wasn't sure what to say. Should she pry more?

"I know that you wish to know more and I humbly regret that I can only tell you some of what I know young Mistress...for it isn't my place to tell the story." Rousseau came closer to the frame and looked up. "But the young master is all that I have left and I care so deeply about him."

"Did... something happen to his family? Were they killed?" she asked, feeling a tightening feeling in her gut.

"That depends, my Lady... on how you define 'killed'. You see, the Great Duke, that is his father, took his own life rather than face a terrible curse that befell his only son. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about," he said with a shadow of a smile. Fiona nodded slowly but did not say anything. Rousseau then touched the frame closest to the little girl's portrait. "And this, was the young Mistress Fleur. She died at the tender age of eight by accident. It broke the young Master very much because she was his twin. If was not for the Grand Duchess herself, Master Keiran would have probably died too."

Fiona couldn't stop herself from crying now even as her hands were on her mouth. Eian had never told her about such sadness in his life; he understood the loss, the pain and he took her in.

"I think that's enough of a history lesson for now Rousseau," said a cold voice from behind them. She saw Rousseau bow slightly before leaving her but she didn't dare to turn around to look at Eian even as she felt him approaching her.

"You shouldn't cry Fiona... all this happened centuries ago." His hand on her elbow was gentle as he pulled her slightly away from the portrait. She let him hold her that way as they walked towards the terrace, overlooking the pool.

"I'm sorry for your loss... it must have been really difficult for you," she began slowly. "I'm... I'm thankful you took me in and gave me a family, in fact two families to live with... Thank you," she whispered, leaning her head slightly on his chest.

"Love is a very important element for someone who has just turned," he said slowly, gripping the ledge a little tightly. "I've tried to give you as much love... and so has Culzean, in his own ways. I can only hope that's enough for you Fiona..."

"It was enough that I have you..." she replied in barely a whisper.

Eian stared out onto the distance for a very long time before he said anything. He was finding it hard to re-tell the whole story again, even though it had been eons ago. He didn't even know where to start... so he decided it was best to start right from the beginning.

"I was about eight I think, slightly younger than you were when you turned but I was a happy boy. At that time, surrounding us were deep forests and mountains. It was a natural fortress and it was meant to be that way. The countries were at war and my father had been at the forefront, directing troops so he wanted the three of us safe and where better than a house surrounded by treacherous natural landscape?" Eian drew in a deep breath. "You see, I wanted to follow my father into battle but I was too young. It enchanted me to wear the armour and fight the bad guys or so I thought. One night I had slipped out from my bed to practice with one of my dad's swords. It was more like a dagger really but what the hell, I wanted to be a warrior so much that holding a weapon in my hand made the illusion real. Then I heard them... the wolves."

"More than one?"

"Yeah, a whole pack of them. I didn't see them but it felt like they were everywhere around me. I was playing down here," he said pointing to the pool. "It used to be a playing ground for me and my sister. It had slight hedges but no gates or walls protecting us. And that's when they came, hungry, looking for prey."

Fiona's hands were on her mouth once again, covering the sound of her gasp.

"They were real wolves?"

"Yes they were. I probably should have died that night but the guards heard my screams and a week later when I woke up, my mother was beside me."

"You were alright?"

"Or so I thought. Truth is, I don't remember much of what happened in that one week but my mother told me that she thought I was dead. The guards had heard my screams but they couldn't find me even though they searched the entire castle and the surrounding forests and mountains." Eian leaned forward on the railing and took a deep breath. "The thing about memory is that it conveniently forgets what the mind refuses to believe. For example, humans who claim to have seen Werewolves or Vampires were often ridiculed or ostracized to the point that they just choose to forget the encounter or pretend it was a dream. For me, it was a dream- a really bad dream."

"You don't have to remember if you don't want to," Fiona said reassuringly. Remembering was always difficult and painful for her.

"No, I'm not remembering anything. I'm just retelling. So anyway, a week later, I was brought back to the castle; held at the scuff of my neck by a wolf, possibly the Alpha female. I can still smell her fur sometimes when I go to sleep. She must have nursed me, thinking of me as one of her own. I don't know."

"But... but you were changed by then? I thought the wolves attacked you?"

"Yes, they did. I still had multiple bite marks and deep scars when I was returned. The doctors were puzzled as to how my wounds could heal so fast. Back then, if you re-grew your torn muscles within a week, that's considered too amazing for scientific understanding. Werewolves heal slightly longer than Vampires, but they can heal. So we all just believed it to be some miracle of God or whatever."

"That wolf must have loved you somewhat, to have returned you home." Fiona's words were barely a whisper but Eian heard it. For a moment he wondered if she was talking about herself or about him.

Eian gave a ghost of a smile.

"Sometimes I wished I had died. It was a much better option that what I put my family through afterwards. A few days after I came to, I began to feel strange... I knew something was wrong with me and I felt different. My sister, Fleur, she could tell that I had changed and wanted to help but what was either of us to know what had happened to me?"

He slammed his fist onto the ledge.

"How was I to know how to control the damn transformations? How was I to know how not to fear myself? I didn't even remember killing her Fiona... I just remembered waking up and holding her dead body in my arms. I didn't even have the decency to remember... but I knew it was me. She was just eight for god's sake."

"Eian, I'm sorry my love... you don't have to continue if you don't want to," said Fiona, looking up into his eyes. She saw that the green in them had darkened.

"It's better to let it out in the open I suppose. It doesn't change the past, Fiona..." he said with a forced smile and he brought her close to him. "After her death, I locked myself in my room, never coming out, not even for meals. Over the next few days, I'd shift, often without me realizing it but one day my mother found out. She was worried about me; worried at how withdrawn I had become. I remembered she slept in my room one night and she saw that I shifted in and out in my sleep. I thank god for that one mercy for if I had killed her too then I would probably not be here right now."

Eian gave a long sigh and turned to look at Fiona. "She was a good mother. She understood what I had done and what I had become, even when she didn't know how. Later on in life when I asked her if she blamed me for Fleur's death, she said no. Even then, I blamed myself... always. And so did my Dad. He wouldn't... no couldn't accept what I was and it loathed him to have a son like me. He wouldn't hold me, wouldn't even look at me... and one day he killed himself by drinking poison."

"I'm sorry Eian... at least you still had your mother..." said Fiona, trying to calm him down.

"Yes... she was the only one I had left... and the only one who truly loved me. She forced me to change her too; told me that it was the only way for us to be safe around each other and also for me to have a companion during the transformation. What the hell... I was only eight. I wanted my mommy, so I bit her. I soon realize that as an adult, you had better control of your emotions and thus the wolf born inside of you could be better controlled. My mom taught me how to control myself and eventually I did."

Eian took in a deep breath and felt himself smile a little as he thought about his mother. "The years passed and I grew up but she never looked a day older. It was then that we realized that after a certain age, our bodies' age slower. Eventually, I became old enough to inherit the title and so I did. Then one day, Rousseau came to work for us. He was already fifty at that time and my mother fell in love with him. She said she knew right at the very start when she saw him that he was 'the one'; her mate," he said with a smile. "So yeah, you could say Rousseau has the right to fuss over me. But he was adamant on being a domestic and eventually my mother moved out to live with him and they had their own children. He asked her to change him too and when my step siblings were born, we found out that they were Werewolves too and that's when we understood that it was hereditary. It was there and then that we formed the first pack with me as the head of the family. We made up the pack rules and promised to stay together as a family as the best form of protection. Over the years we let in more humans into our secret but we stayed close together until the pack became too big to handle. It was then that I gave some of my half brothers permission to start their own pack in the neighbouring lands. Some will call this wolf blood in me a curse while others call it a gift. But do you know the most valuable lesson I learnt from being in a pack?"

"Not really... tell me?" she replied softly.

"That one should always marry for love. Political marriages like the one my parents had was not enough to get them through my crisis. They didn't love each other and because of that, my father wouldn't sacrifice anything for her or me. That's why, I guess I didn't accept Culzean's proposal at first. I didn't want to make a political marriage like my parents. "

Fiona looked up at him and pressed her lips softly against his. "But I love you."

"I know... I love you too..." he replied, holding her tight. "Let's go back to the room, Fiona... it's getting cold."

She nodded and they held each others' hands tight as they walked back to his room.

***

As one door closes, another one opens.

"Hey Sophia," greeted Dominic as he and Sydney stepped through the front door. He dropped a kiss on each of Sophia's cheek and gave Sydney's dad, Edward, a handshake before he found himself in the man's embrace.

"We're family now. No need for such formality my boy," grunted Edward as the four of them walked towards the living room.

Dominic liked Sydney's family. They were almost as much of a riot as his. He watched as Sophia led her daughter to the kitchen, rattling on about party favours, leaving him and Edward alone.

"So, I hear you're the bloke who's stealing my only daughter away from me aye?" said Edward in what sounded like a stern tone but his eyes gave him away; full of laughter and happiness. Dominic just had to laugh.

"Yeah, something like that," he said with a laugh. Coming closer, he made an exaggerated act of whispering to Edward, "But just between us men, she was one hell of a reluctant gem to steal."

Edward gave a loud hearty laugh, "That's my baby girl alright. If no one sweeps her off the shelf, she'll glue herself to it."

"Hey, hey! No gossiping behind the bride's back!" said a half annoyed, half amused Sydney as she walked into the living room with a tray of drinks. As she settled herself next to Dominic, no one would doubt that they were in love with each other: Dominic's casual arm over her shoulder, his hands on her knees, her gentle pat on his thigh, they way their eyes sought each other every five minutes...

The gestures didn't go unnoticed by her parents.

"Anyway, Mom, Dad, we have something to announce, other than the proposal of course," said Sydney as she clutched both her hands together. "We're building a house... like from scratch! I can't believe it Mom! And that's not the best part. The best part is that we're hoping to have the wedding there!" she clapped her hands as she all but squealed the last part. "Oh Mom you should see it. It faces this beautiful lake and just yonder you'd see mountains and it's so quiet and serene. It's perfect!"

Dominic was surprised at how excited she was for she never shared all that information or emotion with him before. However, the light in her eyes seemed to extinguish at the sight of the grim faces of her parents'.

"You're not going to have the traditional wedding here?" asked her mother with a pout. "I... I was hoping you'd indulge us... seeing that you're our only daughter." Dominic could tell that Sydney was having a hard time trying to swallow her mother's response but she had her bargaining face on.

"Well, we could still do all that at down in England, Mom. I'll have accommodations arranged for everyone, no problem. I know the traditions Mom... but traditions are mobile; they're not rooted to a place!"

"Don't raise your voice to your Mother," said Edward with a gentle warning even though he didn't seem quite disturbed by their argument. He gave a silent toast to Dominic and tried to hide his smile behind the glass.

"But Mom... you'll get a chance to get out of here for a bit; see the sights in England... see the Queen's palace?" Dominic could tell that the last bit was bait. Sophia seemed to be considering although he knew she wasn't going to agree to anything without a fight. Why, he wondered, had Sydney inherited that from her mother?

Edward gave an amused smile and gestured for Dominic to come with him into the kitchen, leaving the women to their disagreements.

"She'll cave in eventually," he said with a casual wave of his hand. "Plus that girl's no pushover, as I'm sure you know." Edward gave a wink.

"She'll kick and scream when appropriate," replied Dominic returning his wink. "But I really hope that both of you won't mind holding the wedding at our new home. I guess it's not traditional huh?"

"It's pretty mental but a man almost always gives in to his woman unless of course he'd rather sleep on the couch for a week," he replied with a laugh. "Like Sydney says... traditions can be brought to wherever man roots himself, not the other way round. So mind you lad, you're going to be in for quite a surprise."

"Eh?"

"Enough with the panic look already lad or you'd make me pee in my pants. You well versed in the tongue my boy?" he asked, holding his belly as he laughed.

"You mean Gaelic? Hell yeah. It gets the ladies." Edward slapped a pat on Dominic and they giggled like two high school girls.

"Aye, you'd better get your tartan ready too lad. And beware the Blackenings. Oh yeah..."

Dominic widened his eye upon hearing Edward. Blackenings are designed to ruin any man's reputation, or so he thinks, by literally stripping the groom-to-be to his waist but he's seen some stripped to his underwear. Thank god it's spring.

"By the time they're through slapping on soot and god knows what other stuff, I'd rather be naked!" laughed Dominic. "Ah, but all in due time..."

At the precise moment, Sydney and Sophia walked into the kitchen, giggling and chattering about the flowers and food they were going to have.

"Ah, good to see that we're all good friends now," said Edward in jest before he gave Dominic a 'see I told you so' look.

"Don't need to be so snide Darling. You're spoiling the spirit," said Sophia as she smacked his arm. "Now, for the most important question," she said, turning to the couple. "How many grandchildren can I expect?"

"Mom!" Sydney's protests was drowned by everyone's laughter.

A few hours later, with dinner in their tummies, Dominic laid back on Sydney's single bed and stretched out.

"Between Sophia and Pearl, I'm not sure who my stomach loves more," he said with a chuckle. Sydney simply rolled her eyes and threw a cushion at him.

"I'm not that good a cook so you'd have to scoot off to your sister's place if you're dying of hunger."

"My stomach is hurt by those cruel words of yours." She threw another pillow at him. "What? That's what my stomach says but Dominic didn't say that... In fact Dominic thinks that he can survive on burnt and or bland food for eternity as long as he gets to eat this every night." Dominic had moved to where Sydney was sitting on the floor and was currently licking a tender spot on her neck. She tried to swat him away like annoying fly but it only led to a playful tussle in which she found herself lying on her back.

"You play dirty, MacFarlane." Sydney could hear herself growl.