MoanaBy the time I picked up Ella and took her home, I had almost completely forgotten about the woman named Olivia who called the orphanage. Ella and I spent the remainder of the afternoon drawing and playing in the penthouse, and by the time that dinnertime came around, I was too tired and hungry after my long day to think about much of anything.“Let’s get ready for dinner, Ella,” I said. I wasn’t sure what Selina and the maids planned on preparing for dinner that night, but I looked forward to sitting down and relaxing a bit. I helped Ella clean up her coloring books and toys, then had her wash her hands and clean herself up before we headed back out to the dining room to eat.However, when we walked into the dining room, I was surprised to find that there was no dinner. In fact, when I poked my head into the kitchen, it didn’t seem that Selina and the ma
MoanaHearing how sweetly Edrick spoke to Ella made my heart swell. And to hear him mention me, too, made my heart swell even more. Was my wolf right when she said that Edrick would come around? These past few days, did his attitude toward our relationship begin to shift in the right direction?I heard Edrick kiss Ella goodnight and approach the door, so I quickly scurried away before he realized that I was eavesdropping. I wasn’t sure whether he actually saw me or not, but if he did, he didn’t say anything about it.When we climbed into bed that night, however, I still couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face.“What is it?” Edrick asked, watching me as I climbed into bed. “You’ve been smiling nonstop all night.”I shrugged and laid down next to him, not sure if I wanted to openly say that I was smiling
Moana The next morning, I awoke with a pounding headache. I felt more confused now than ever with my relationship with Edrick; if my wolf really was right about Edrick being my mate, then it only made all of this even more complicated. I couldn’t help but wonder, too, if Edrick also knew that I was his mate and that he wasn’t telling me about it. But I couldn’t imagine why he would want to keep something like that a secret from me. I finally got out of bed and made my way out into the living room, expecting Edrick to be locked away in his study after what happened the night before. But, much to my surprise, he wasn’t. In fact, he was standing in the living room and looking out the window when I walked in. As I approached, he turned to face me directly without even a hint of remorse or embarrassment on his face. “Sorry for the late notice,” he said, glancing at his watch, “but I just found out that I’ll need to go to a networking event tonight. You’ll need to be there as my fiancee
EdrickAs soon as I saw the look on Moana’s face as the paparazzi swarmed us, I knew that I should have prepared her more for an event of this magnitude. It wasn’t just any old event; it was a huge networking event for some of the most affluent people in the city. The majority of people in attendance were other CEOs, celebrities, and extremely wealthy werewolf socialites. It really was no place for a girl like Moana, who had very little experience with events of this caliber, and I should have given her more time to get used to all of the media attention before I suddenly sprung this on her. But I had completely forgotten that the event was this weekend, and had mistaken the date as being the following weekend.I could tell that Moana was trying her best to smile for the cameras and stay close to me, but when the paparazzi noticed her holding her belly and began to swarm her even more, it became too much.Instinctively, I put my arm around her… But that only sent the paparazzi into ev
Moana Edrick showed so much affection for me when he realized that I was freezing up in front of the paparazzi, and without a moment of hesitation, he shielded me from the cameras with his body to hide my vulnerability and ushered me inside. Once we were safely inside, he led me over to a table and left me there while he got me some water. Even though I was still stunned by all of the shouting and the flashing cameras, I couldn’t deny the fact that my heart felt full of love for the man who always cared so deeply about me. While I waited for him, I began to calm down a bit and take in my surroundings. The inside of the building was a beautiful old concert hall with round tables scattered around, an art deco ceiling, and an ornate wooden stage at the front. There was a microphone and a stool sitting on the stage, and it made me realize that there must be a live show tonight. I hoped it was a comedian; I needed to laugh. But as I sat, I still couldn’t help but notice that people were
Moana I knew that I should have just walked away, but I was too stubborn to just let these women get away with talking so poorly about Edrick like that. When I pushed the door open, the women suddenly stopped talking. Their eyes were wide as they turned to face me. “What are you talking about?” I said as I stepped into the bathroom. The women were silent. I felt like I was being appraised and judged as they looked me up and down, but I didn’t care. If people were going to say such nasty things about Edrick, then they could judge me all they wanted; but I was going to say something about it, and I felt as though I caught them in the act. However, the women’s shock quickly wore off. Their wide-eyed looks turned to plastic smiles. “It’s not very polite to eavesdrop,” one of the women, a blonde with an enormous diamond ring on her finger, said. She leaned into the mirror and wiped a bit of her lipstick away from the corner of her mouth with her pinky finger, eyeing me in the reflect
Edrick I fell asleep beside Moana that night with a bit of a smile on my face. Even though the event started out on a bad note with the paparazzi, it was a lot of fun to enjoy the comedy show with Moana. Even just that short time of the event made the entire event worth it, despite the fact that I was forced to mingle with people who I utterly hated. To call myself one of those people always made me sick. I hated how they acted, I hated their views on the world, and I hated their horrible attitudes. I never felt as though those people could ever even come close to being my friends, which was why it was almost laughable when Moana told me that she was worried she would ruin my image. Those people were already looking for any little thing they could find to ruin anyone’s image. If it wasn’t Moana, it would have been something else. Even if they knew that Moana was not only a werewolf, but that she was my fated mate and that there was something else that was exceedingly special about h
MoanaA few days passed by after the networking event. Things felt peaceful in the penthouse, and although I really only stayed in with Ella to stay away from the paparazzi, I didn’t mind. It was relaxing to stay inside and away from the public, and I spent a lot of time drawing and reading with Ella, which was nice after being so busy lately. I just hoped that events such as the networking event were few and far between. Although I enjoyed spending the evening with Edrick and watching the comedy show together that night, I didn’t like the other people that were there and I feared that I would see many of the same people at future events like that.However, it seemed that my reprieve was brief, because Edrick came to me a few days later and told me about another upcoming event that I would have to attend with him.“I need you to come to a work event with me tomorrow morning,” Edrick said casually as he stirred his tea on Thursday morning before work.I felt my shoulders sag as he told
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