3: Plan

"WHERE ARE THEY?" a loud voice boomed down the hall.

"Richard, calm yourself," Susan's voice followed as both Richard and Susan burst through the door to Maribelle's room. The door was flung wide open, slamming into the wall behind as Richard, Susan, Dr. Northern, and Ms. Bates filed into the room. 

"What happened? Where are you hurt? Who did this?" Richard asked, rushing into the room and walking swiftly to Maribelle's side. He stopped and looked her over from head to foot, determining her injuries. Seeing nothing serious, he relaxed and glanced into her eyes.

"Just my foot, papa," Maribelle replied.

"Your foot? That's all? You're sure the rest of you is ok?" Richard asked, gently prodding her arms, legs, and head, checking for bumps and bruises that would indicate she had another hidden injury.

"Yes, papa, just my foot. Livie got me free and brought me home, it was nothing, really," she said with a small smile.

"Olivia, you are ok? What happened? Tell me everything," Richard said, looking sternly at Olivia from head to toe, just like he did with Maribelle. When he had determined that his daughters were relatively safe, he grilled Olivia.

"Tell it to me, now," he said firmly, glaring at Olivia. So Olivia told the story again, telling her father the censored version that she had first told the doctor.

"Why did you run away from the wedding, Belle? You were supposed to stay near the house. Why did you go to the wall? That's a very long walk to do by yourself, you know you're not supposed to go off on your own," Richard said, glancing down at his youngest daughter reprovingly.

"I'm sorry, papa, I was angry. I heard there would be werewolves at the wall and I wanted to see one," Maribelle said with a chagrined look.

"Where did you hear about werewolves?" Richard's eyes darkened when he heard the word werewolf and he unknowingly glared at Maribelle in accusation.

"The market, papa. I went last week to shop for a scarf to go with my dress and I heard one of the ladies in the stall talking about werewolves that she saw at the wall last Saturday. She said she thought maybe they came every Saturday and that she might go to the wall next Saturday to see. I thought I might want to take a look too, so I just ran down to sneak a peak. But, I got caught up in the explosions-" Maribelle stopped talking mid-sentence, she realized her mistake. Olivia hadn't told their father about the explosions and she had now let the cat out of the bag.

"Ms. Bates' told me there was an explosion, don't worry, Belle. I have warriors working on a plan right now to take care of the wolves. They won't hurt you again," Richard said, soothing his daughter. He assumed her reluctance to talk about it was due to fear of the werewolves. 

"No, papa, they didn't hurt me. They helped us. There was a wolf there, he lifted the stones off my foot and my dress. He freed me and let Livie take me away. He said the wolves wouldn't hurt me," Maribelle said, blissfully unaware that her words were causing a rage to form within her father's chest.

"A werewolf helped you, did he?" Richard looked at Olivia with dark eyes. She looked down submissively and waited to hear what Maribelle would say.

"Yes, papa. He seemed to like Livie. He said he wasn't going to hurt us and that he could move the stone. So, he did. Olivia asked him why he was helping us and he said he couldn't tell us but then he let us go," Maribelle said, smiling up at her father. "That was rather kind, don't you think? Werewolves aren't all mean and scary like the stories say. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let us go, would he?"

Olivia watched as Richard looked down at his youngest daughter, emotions raging within. He wouldn't say anything, but she could see the rage building within. She cringed slightly. She would have some explaining to do when they were finally alone and she hoped they could postpone that talk for a little while longer.

"Well, what do we think about this foot, doctor? How does it look?" Richard turned to the doctor, waiting for his professional assessment. 

"It has a break, that much I can tell by feeling it. She will need to stay in bed for the next few weeks. There is a large scratch running up the length of her calf. It's not a deep cut, but there is always a risk of infection. We will want to wash it and clean it with alcohol twice a day for the next week. I will come to check on her every morning. We will get her back on her feet in no time at all," Dr. Northern said, giving Richard a solid nod. "I'll just wrap her ankle today, to provide it additional support to heal. There is some swelling, so this should help keep the swelling down. If you feel anything warm or hot to the touch, send for me immediately. That is a sign of infection."

Richard nodded and rose from the bed. He leaned down to kiss Maribelle's head and walk toward the door, Susan behind him. "Come, my love, let's go back to the festivities. I will check on you later tonight, Belle. Listen to the doctor and stay here in your bed. We will find things to entertain you while you heal."

"Yes, papa," Maribelle said softly as she smiled up at her father. Susan walked forward and brushed Maribelle's hair back off her head lovingly. She leaned down to kiss the little girl on the forehead. 

"I'm sure we can find many books to read over the next few days, would you like that?" Susan asked, smiling down at Maribelle.

She nodded in reply and Susan grinned down at her before she took Richard's proffered hand and walked out of the room. 

"I'll be right back, Belle, I just want to talk to father quickly," Olivia said as she rushed out of the room after her father. The doctor started to wrap Maribelle's foot and rub cream on her cut as Ms. Bates told Maribelle funny stories to distract her from the pain. Olivia walked down the hall toward her father, retreating down the stairs. 

"Daddy! Wait!" Olivia called out. Richard and Susan turned to watch Olivia rush toward them. He paused in the hall, waiting expectantly.

"I'm so sorry, Susan. I know you want to get back to the festivities, I just wanted to ask. Daddy, what is going to happen with the wolves?" Olivia asked, glancing nervously at her father.

"We will discuss it another time, Olivia," Richard said sternly.

"But, did you send people out to kill them? They were good to us. They didn't hurt us," Olivia said, pleading with her father.

"This wolf that helped you, what else happened between you and him? Did he touch you? Did he kiss you? Was he inappropriate?" Richard asked, looking intently in Olivia's eyes, searching for a lie.

"No, daddy, nothing like that. He said he just wanted to help. He said he could lift the stone pinning her down and then he did. He came over to us, lifted the stone then stepped back. There were wolves all around, but he said they wouldn't hurt us that the wolves were under his command. Then, we left," Olivia said, glancing nervously between the two.

"HE DIDN'T JUST WANT TO HELP," Richard roared. He was visibly angry, his nostrils flared and his face flushed red. Susan put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him without words but he barely registered her presence as he continued.

"THEY BLEW UP THE WALL AND NEARLY KILLED MY DAUGHTER!" he yelled.

Olivia flinched. He was right. They had caused the explosion, but they had no choice. Didn't her father see that?

"But, they need water too, Daddy. The drought has been so long, I'm sure they are suffering," she said, trying to reason with her father.

"THEY SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE THEY ATTACKED US!" Richard said, his voice booming through the manor. 

"But, Daddy-," Olivia started to say before Richard cut her off

"No, Olivia. There are no excuses here. They caused irreparable damage. You need to get your head out of the clouds, the world is not all happiness and rainbows. The wolves are dangerous. Stay away from them," Richard commanded, glaring at Olivia in anger.

Olivia looked at her father and saw his unwavering stance. He would not give. She could not convince him that the wolf they met today was good and kind. She knew that trying to push him further would make things worse. She lowered her head submissively and nodded.

"Yes, Daddy," she said softly, blinking back the tears that his tone brought on.

"Promise me you won't go near the wall on the west wing of the manor. Promise me you will stay away from the wolves," his voice boomed through the hall.

Olivia glanced up at him in shock. He was forcing her hand. She nodded.

"Yes, Daddy," she agreed, her eyes filling with tears.

His gaze softened at the tears that flowed down her cheeks slowly. 

"I do not mean to frighten you, Olivia, but the wolves are not good. You may have found one that had a moment of weakness, but give them the chance and they will rip you to shreds. I can not risk my daughters to them because they might have been kind to you one time. It will not last. That, I promise you," he leaned forward and kissed her forehead before grabbing Susan's hand and walking down the hall toward the stairs.

Olivia watched her father and new stepmother walk down the stairs and out the back doors toward the festivities in the yard. A large yell went up when they walked outside and a cheer went around the yard. Olivia sat in a chair in the hall, slumping against the back of it in defeat. Maybe it was better that she didn't see any more werewolves. She hadn't planned to actually seek them out, but it would have been nice to see Ben again. Her heart raced at the thought of the tall, dark-haired werewolf. He had been strong, lifting those rocks with barely any effort and tossing them to the side. His arms had rippled. She could still see them in her mind, the muscle barely straining as he moved effortlessly around them. 

"Taking a break, love?" a deep voice interrupted her thoughts. She sat up straight, looking into the deep blue eyes of Simon. 

"Just a moment of pause," Olivia said with a forced smile.

"Shall I escort you back down to dinner? It will start soon and I know your father will want you there. I would like you there as well," Simon said, his voice smooth as he offered her his arm.

She couldn't refuse him, to say no would be the same as rejecting him completely and her father had made his opinion well-known on that matter. Simon was an apprentice to her father. Her father still had a chance to have a son, now that he had married Susan, but Simon was his second in command. 

"Yes, that would be nice," Olivia said, keeping the grimace off her face with effort.

"Come, love, we don't want to let on that something is wrong," Simon said, grinning wickedly at her. He knew that she was not fond of him and he found the situation amusing.

"Indeed, that is the worst sin of our family, is it not?" Olivia said with a sigh. She took Simon's arm and they walked down the stairs and out the back door, blending into the people around the yard and settling in their seats at the table next to her father's. She looked around the feast and noticed the many faces looking her way and smiling with a knowing look as they glanced between her and Simon.

She rolled her eyes. 

Simon leaned toward her and whispered lovingly in her ear, "They think we are in love, it would be wise for you to encourage their assumptions. Even now, I am sure the Chattering Trio are talking about how I whisked you upstairs and had my way with you right under the nose of your father. They will talk about how I made you moan my name while I thrust into your-." He stopped short as he saw her face flush bright red. "There, that will give them the appropriate amount of fodder for their weekly gossip." 

He kissed her forehead lovingly and leaned back in his seat, grinning lasciviously at her. He had won this round, she would concede but she was not about to let him win their war.

She steeled her expression and stared at her father's table before she spoke.

"You are an abomination, Simon," she whispered at him, sending him a searing glance.

Simon chuckled lightly and reached over to grasp her hand. "I am sorry to hear that, love. You would do well to learn to love and obey your intended."