MoanaThe morning after I finally revealed the truth about my lineage to Edrick, I thought that everything would finally be okay. I thought that maybe, we could finally be together without any issues now that he knew that I was a werewolf; or, at the very least, I thought that his family would hate me a little less.But as it turned out, things rarely ever happened so easily.I had spent the past two nights sleeping in Edrick’s room again. It seemed that our sleeping arrangement went back to the way it was before — only now, there were fewer barriers between us. When I woke up, the curtains were open to allow sunshine to come in. Edrick was already gone for work, so I laid in bed for a few minutes and looked at my phone while I woke up.However, my eyes shot wide open when I saw the headline of an article with a picture of Edrick and I going into the hospital from the day that I was attacked by the rogues. Neither of us were wearing masks. As I read the headline, I felt my heart sink.
EdrickThe sad look on Moana’s face that night broke my heart. I wasn’t planning in the slightest to make Kelly my wife, even if I only made her my fake wife. But even as I reassured Moana that she wouldn’t have anything to worry about, she still didn’t seem to believe me. How could I tell her that I wasn’t planning on making anyone my wife, real or fake? Even though I knew that Moana was my fated mate, I had still grown up seeing how horrible my father was to my mother. I could only see how marriage and mate bond made my mother miserable.But the way that she looked that night made me wonder otherwise.I didn’t know if I could make Moana my real wife… But I still couldn’t help but wonder if I could find a way to make her realize that she didn’t have to worry.I wasn’t going to marry anyone else if it wasn’t going to be Moana.…The next morning, I woke up before Moana. We slept in her bedroom that night, so I quietly slipped out and made my way over to my own room to get ready for wo
MoanaI woke up the next morning after a night full of too many dreams about Edrick. If I wasn’t sure of it before, I was sure of it now after our conversation the night earlier; Edrick would never accept me as his wife. Even if he decided to have a fake relationship with someone, he would never choose me because of the glaring differences in our social status.Even though my heart was broken, I knew that it would be for the best if I just left at that point. I couldn’t raise a baby in a home where its own father didn’t think that I was worth even having a fake public relationship with, and I certainly wouldn’t raise my baby in a home where Edrick was also living with a different woman. As I woke up that morning, I knew that it would soon come time for me to leave. I was just glad that I had been carefully saving my money for that inevitability; but I only wished that it had happened before my harrowing experience with Edrick. The way he saved me from those Rogues only made me more at
MoanaI was still completely and utterly shocked that Edrick announced that we were in a relationship on live television. Even long after Selina shut off the TV and ordered the maids to return to their work, and even after I woke Ella up and got her ready for the day, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.In some ways, I was elated that Edrick announced that I was his “secret fiancee”, since it meant that he may have been slowly coming around to the idea that we could be together. However, I still didn’t know exactly what all of this meant.Would we only be in a fake relationship?If this really did only ever turn out to be a fake publicity stunt, I couldn’t help but wonder if it would only cause more confusion and pain. Our relationship was already rocky enough as it currently stood; even though Edrick knew that I was a werewolf now, I could still tell that he had hangups about real marriage. Not only that, but I didn’t even know if we were mates. If Mina never fully emerged, then becom
EdrickI came home that night after a long, exhausting day of work. The news of my fake relationship with Moana quickly spread, and I found myself having to dodge all sorts of questions about it from intrigued coworkers. Thankfully, my father didn’t appear yet to berate me for it, although I knew that it was only a matter of time until that happened.When I arrived at home, I just wanted to sleep. The apartment was quiet and dark, so I took off my shoes and my jacket before heading into the living room to have a drink before bed.However, when I walked into the doorway, I finally saw Moana peering at me over the back of the couch.I knew instantly from the look on her face that she had seen the news. And I also knew that I would have to explain things to her, as she was clearly upset. Admittedly, I knew that I shouldn’t have said what I said earlier that morning; it just slipped out in the heat of the moment, and I found myself regretting it afterwards. But what was done was done, and
Edrick“What if I fall in love with someone someday?” Moana asked, her green eyes full of fire and fury. “What then?”I froze at her words. My eyes widened as what she said settled in fully, and already I felt a little bit of anger and jealousy beginning to bubble up inside of me.Even though I partially understood what Moana meant, and that she didn’t know yet that she was my mate, what she said just then angered me. The thought of her being with anyone else, despite the fact that I knew I would never be able to get married, made me feel almost sick. I didn’t know how to respond for the longest time as a million different things whirled around inside my head.Finally, I was able to speak.“You’re free to make any decision you want,” I replied, feeling my blood run cold as I spoke. “But you had better be prepared to pay the price for a decision like that.”Moana’s face fell. She glared at me intensely for several long moments, almost as though she was in disbelief, before she spoke. “
MoanaI didn’t sleep in Edrick’s room that night, and he never came to my room to sleep with me. I had to admit that I felt a little lonely without him, but I simply couldn’t get over everything he had said to me. It felt as though I had no choice in the matter, and now I was stuck in a fake relationship that I didn’t ask to be in and would have to change myself to fit the role of the “billionaire’s fiancee”.Not only that, but what had he meant when he said that I should be prepared to “pay the price” for falling in love with someone else?There was no denying the fact that we were both young, and it would be nearly impossible for either of us to live our entire lives without feeling love for anyone else. Maybe it was natural for Edrick to be closed off and without intimacy, but it wasn’t natural for me. I craved a loving relationship with a good man not just for my baby’s sake, but for my own sake, too. What woman didn’t want to feel loved and cared for?But then again, I did feel a
MoanaMy eyes landed on the TV in the living room, which was already showing clips of Edrick punching the paparazzi.I felt my blood run cold as I watched it. Not only did the paparazzi spread the clips of what happened so quickly, but I felt as though it was entirely my fault. If I hadn’t made such a stupid decision to go out only a day after Edrick announced our “relationship”, then none of this would have happened. Not only that, but I put Ella in danger by deciding to take her out with me, and now she was terrified.But when I looked over at Edrick, he didn’t look concerned in the slightest. Without a word, he calmly walked over to the television and shut it off.“Keep the news off for today,” he said, turning to Selina and the maids. The three of them often liked to play the news on the TV in the background while they worked, but now it wasn’t the best idea after what happened. Not only would it be upsetting for Ella to see clips of her father punching someone over and over again
MoanaI couldn’t help but laugh as I thought back on the beginning of our relationship.To think that, just a year prior, I was just Edrick’s one night stand who also became his nanny… And now, here I was, standing in front of the mirror in my wedding dress.The dress that I picked out was beautiful. We planned to have a late summer wedding to commemorate our meeting,six months after little Daisy was born. My dress was a blush pink color. It was soft and flowy with a beautiful floral embroidered pattern, and sleeves that fluttered in the breeze. It hugged my waist in all of the right places and made me feel more beautiful than ever.Daisy was six months old now, and Ella often mentioned how she no longer looked like a squished little grape. Ella had just turned nine, and thought that she was a grown-up, although she still liked to
MoanaAfter ten hours of intense and grueling labor, little Daisy was born.“She’s so tiny,” I whispered as I held the little crying bundle in my arms. The doctor weighed her at just six pounds and twelve ounces, but she was as healthy as an ox.Edrick, who hadn’t left my side throughout the entire delivery, leaned over my shoulder with a wide grin on his face and held his hand out to touch her cheek. Almost instantly, Daisy’s little hand shot out and gripped his index finger with a relentless force for such a little thing.Her eyes were squeezed shut, and yet she still had an instinct to keep her father’s finger in a vice grip.I couldn’t help but laugh, but I also wanted to cry.When I was on the cliff with Michael, I saw my parents at my birth. I did the same thing to my father, and I also wouldn&
MoanaThe time between Michael going to prison and Daisy’s birth were such a whirlwind of activity that the months practically flew by.Ethan and Kelly wound up being transferred to a mental health facility. I think that was better for them in the long run, as the things that they did were ultimately the result of Michael’s brainwashing. I didn’t hold any grudges against them; in fact, Edrick and I visited them on a monthly basis, and the medication and therapy that they went through seemed to be helping a bit.Of course, Kelly could never get over her obsession with Edrick. Nor could Ethan get over his obsession with me. It was very likely that they would spend years in that place, but at least we could have somewhat normal conversations with them when we went to visit.Michael, however, had no visitors and I didn’t feel the least bit bad about it. Verona ev
MoanaThe months in between Michael going to prison and Daisy’s birth were a whirlwind of emotions and unexpected turns. After the incident with Michael, where he was sentenced to prison for his attempt on my life, my world took another astonishing twist.The news outlets revealed a shocking revelation: Moana, the seemingly ordinary girl who was raised in an orphanage, was, in fact, the legendary Golden Wolf.I never imagined my life could become so entangled in a web of fame and attention.Suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of me. All sorts of brands and non-governmental organizations bombarded me with invitations and tempting monetary offers. It was overwhelming, to say the least. My inbox was flooded with messages from high-profile companies and influential figures, all hoping to capitalize on my newfound fame.It felt like the world had changed overnigh
EdrickWithin an hour, Moana and I were nervously walking up the front steps to my parents’ mansion.We left Ella with Selina just in case we walked in on anything sinister. The house was mostly dark, which was out of the ordinary. As I slowly opened the front door, I felt my heart catch in my throat.“Hello?” I called out, holding Moana’s hand as I stepped into the large foyer. “Mom?”There was no answer. Moana and I exchanged nervous glances and walked in a little further.“Verona?” Moana called, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice travel further. “Are you there?!”Still no answer. We decided to head into the sitting room, where my mother often liked to be during her free time, but it was dark and empty. At this point, I was starting to get even more nervous.
MoanaA little while later, Edrick and I were standing in the front doorway of the mansion and looking out at the scene before us.The security guards were leading Michael, who was cuffed, over to the car. His nose was still clotted with blood from Edrick’s punch, but something about it was satisfying to see. I enjoyed seeing Michael finally face some consequences for his actions, and I especially enjoyed watching Selina scold him like a child.What was even more satisfying, though, was seeing him being shoved into the back of the car to be driven down to the police station.Kat was found by the guards, too. Not long after Edrick punched Michael in the face, Kat was found hiding in the woods. As it turned out, Michael paid her a pretty penny to get close to me and lead me off into the forest to get lost so that he could kill me. She looked ashamed as the guards cuffed her, and
EdrickI hated to say it, but Moana looked more beautiful than ever as she practically assaulted my evil father on the back lawn.“He’s no threat,” she said as she released her grip on his shirt and let him fall back to the ground, then turned and walked back to meet me. “The knife is gone. He’s just an angry old man now and nothing more.”Moana was right; the knife was indeed gone. It shattered when Michael tried to stab her with it.During those moments when the knife was plunged into her belly, it felt as though my heart stopped. I watched in horror as the knife disappeared into her belly. When my father pulled it out, it was covered in blood and he had a maniacal grin on his face.But something happened then. She became enveloped in that golden light again, only this time it was even brighter and more blinding than before.
MoanaEveryone froze and stared at each other with wide eyes as the sound of the groaning and shuffling came closer.“Daddy?” Ella whimpered. “Who is there?”Edrick slowly sat Ella down, then walked toward the door. He gestured to the security guards, but before anything could be done, the last person we expected walked into the doorway.“Thought you could kill me, huh?”Michael stood in the doorway with an evil smirk on his face. Selina, the maids and I all let out a collective gasp. Selina suddenly grabbed Ella by the arm and shoved her behind us to keep her protected.“Michael,” I said, taking a step forward, “you were dead.”Michael just laughed. “I was indeed,” he said. “But not for long. I guess you didn’t realize that I was waking
Moana“Can you trust me to take care of him?” I asked.Ella began to sob, but I somehow knew exactly what to do. It all felt so natural now… I didn’t even really need to think about it. I just knew to wrap my arms around Ella and comfort her, although whether it was my abilities or simply my nurturing instincts, I couldn’t be entirely sure.Suddenly, Ella stopped crying.“Okay,” she whimpered after a moment, stepping back and wiping her tears out of her eyes. “I trust you. Please take good care of my daddy.”I managed a weak smile and nodded at Ella, taking her little hands in mine. “I will take good care of him,” I whispered as I looked into her eyes, still using my pacifying ability to keep her calm. “Don’t you worry.”Ella nodded and stepped away, allowin