248- The Scent of Home
POV Elowen Grimwald:
“Now I really believe you’re fine.”
“Do you realize I’m going to meet my sister? Do you realize that?” I said, stopping in front of her and holding her by her thin shoulders.
“I’m happy for you.” And her gentle smile betrayed nothing to the contrary.
I kissed her cheek and saw her wipe it clean before I stepped away.
“Stop wiping off my kisses!”
“And you stop being so clingy!” She tried to frown to look angry, but the corners of her lips lifting betrayed her.
I remembered something else that mattered to me at that moment.
“Where is Aldren?”
“Working, of course.”
My memories of him insisted on coming like a fast-forwarded film, causing an anxious chill in my belly.
“Is he coming for lunch?”
“He didn’t say anything about it, but if I know him, I’d bet he isn’t.”
I was surprised.
“Why?”
“The Aldren I know would want you to have time alone with your sister. Although he’s been a bit different lately…” The last sentence sounded more like a thought out loud than something meant for me.
“Different? Different how?” She shook her head and turned back to the sink, regretting what she had said.
“What would you like for lunch with your sister, dear?” she changed the subject.
“Nerin…”
“The menu?” she insisted on ignoring me, and I accepted defeat.
“Whatever you want, my love, as long as I can help you make it.”
“You’re going to hover over me anyway if I say no, so go ahead.”
“Good thing you know that.”
I helped her put away the dishes and we decided to make sarmale for lunch—a simple dish of stuffed cabbage rolls, but delicious, and one my sister loved.
I couldn’t eat anything at breakfast; anxiety gnawed at my stomach and nothing but tea went down.
Two hours later, we finished the preparations and were assembling everything, standing at the central island. There was still an hour and a half before my Lunara arrived.
“Aldren stopped by my room at dawn…” I needed to talk about that with someone.
Nerin frowned, her mouth twisting into an expression of disgust.
“Spare me those sordid details, girl. You know I consider Aldren my son? I don’t want to know about his indecencies.”
I bent over laughing.
“What dark thoughts are those, Nerin? He only went there to give me a kiss on the forehead—literally!”
Her expression turned to relief.
“You’re terrible, and he’s even worse, so what am I supposed to expect?”
“I was just saying he was affectionate, ma’am.”
“He is,” she agreed. “When he wants to be, of course,” she corrected herself.
“No one knows that better than I do!” Our laughter echoed as one.
“You didn’t tell me what you went to do at old Korlina’s house.”
“Well, you didn’t ask.”
“Then I’m asking now.”
“She invited me for coffee. It was delicious, by the way—she’s lovely. It was a coincidence that we ended up talking about Lunara.”
“Korlina came looking for you, very worried.” My heart tightened in my chest.
“Poor thing. I got up and left in a hurry. It wasn’t her fault—I just needed to hide so I could cry. Bratvo carried me from the forest all the way here. I completely fell apart.”
“When I saw you like that, for the first time, I didn’t know how to act. I just called Aldren.”
My chest warmed as I remembered how he took care of me.
“He explained everything to me. I can’t even be upset about having hidden from Lunara.”
“Resentment is a poison, and the choice to drink it or not is always ours,” she said, drawing on her wisdom.
“It’s sad to say this, Nerin, but the only moment I remember feeling as happy as I do now was when I was in a falling-apart cabin with my sister. Look at how many things I’ve gained, you know… you, Aldren, Lunara safe and expecting a baby.”
Nerin’s silence made me lift my eyes from what I was assembling to look at her. She seemed thoughtful and distant.
“Earth to Nerin.”
She snapped out of it, offering an empathetic smile.
“I relate to what you’re saying. People don’t understand when I say I’m happy here, taking care of Aldren and the house.”
“The family you never had…” I said. She nodded sadly.
“And neither did he,” she added.
“My dream is for Aldren to open up to me. It torments me to know that something worries him. I know he’s anguished about something—I’m sure of it.”
“May I give you some advice?” She looked at me tenderly.
“Always.”
“Don’t insist. Let him be free to share whatever he wants, whenever he feels like it.”
I agreed.
“Yesterday, he was kind of tense. Out of nowhere, a raven appeared and he completely shut down. He got up angrily to chase the thing away and didn’t want to eat anymore. He didn’t treat me badly or anything, but he pulled away, you know?”
“Aldren hates ravens, Elowen.”
The revelation made me curious.
“Why? I’m not afraid of them, I swear.”
“You should be.” She looked away, turning back to the cabbage rolls.
And my curiosity climbed.
“Can you explain…?”
“Stay away from them. That’s all.”
There was no point insisting. As always, she only spoke when she wanted to—or when she thought she could.
It intrigued me why a simple raven caused such a reaction, but when it came to Aldren, I imagined his reasons were anything but simple.
After we finished everything, my anxiety was so intense that I took a second shower and couldn’t keep still.
In the living room, I paced back and forth, focusing my energy on sensing my sister’s scent as she approached.
My nervousness affected Nerin, because even she was tense, cracking her fingers beside me.
“Do you know what I’m thinking right now? She’s pregnant. What if I hug her too tight?” I asked, pacing.
“It takes much more than a tight hug to hurt the baby of a she-wolf, Elowen,” she stated the obvious.
“Oh, for God’s sake…”
“Try to stand still and breathe, or you’ll have a heart attack.”
“It’s just that…” I stopped speaking the instant a familiar scent hit me like a grenade. “OH MY GOD!”