Edrick
I couldn’t sleep at all that night after the picnic.
It was for a variety of reasons: first of all, I was still admittedly upset over what Moana had told me earlier that day. I knew that I shouldn’t have been jealous or hurt over it, as Moana was my mate and what happened between us was only fate striking at just the right time, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. I just wished that she told me sooner that she broke up with her ex not even an hour before we met, and I had to admit that the way she pitied him made my mood darken.
However, that feeling was quickly overshadowed by the way that she suddenly blurted something out.
It was only one word: “No.”
Somehow, I knew that she was talking to her wolf, and not to me. But what were they talking about? Was there something that she wasn’t telling me?
MoanaWhen I woke up and found that Edrick was gone, I was confused. It was still early, and he usually didn’t leave for work until a little later. I figured that he just got up early and was having breakfast in the dining room, so I got up and made my way out there to see where he was.However, when I headed out to the dining room, Edrick wasn’t there. His study door was also open and he wasn’t in there, either. Furrowing my brow, I headed into the kitchen next, where Selina was already awake and preparing some coffee.“Good morning,” she said. “Coffee?”“Yes, please,” I replied as I walked up to the counter island. I then looked around, my brow still furrowed. “Have you seen Edrick?”Selina shrugged. “I haven’t seen him yet this morning. Was he not in bed?”
EdrickWhen I finally came home from the library, I had intended on going straight to work despite how tired I was. I didn’t realize it when I was in that dark basement, but it was well after sunrise by the time I came out, and I knew that Moana would be awake and wondering where I went. I didn’t want to alarm her, so I planned on telling her that I had a work emergency; especially since I would have to cut a lock of her hair later to take to the Mother Witch. Right now, I really didn’t need her getting suspicious and worried.However, when I walked in the door and saw none other than my father sitting at the dining room table, I knew that my plans would be thrown out the window. My eyes widened as I saw him, and I instantly felt a pit of dread grow in my stomach. He was sipping a cup of tea, and Selina and Moana were nowhere to be found. I instantly became worried.“Edrick,” he said, standing abruptly from the table without so much as a hello.
MoanaI didn’t know what Edrick and Michael were exactly talking about, but I had a pretty good idea of it. It was clearly because of his fake relationship with me, and when I heard raised voices and saw Michael storm out, followed by Edrick giving me a strange look and slamming the door, it only solidified my suspicions.Edrick stayed in his study and didn’t come out for the remainder of the day; not even for dinner. In fact, I didn’t see or hear him ever come to bed, and he was gone again when I woke up the next morning as well.To wake up without him sleeping beside me for the second morning in a row was not only a bit odd, but also a little heartbreaking. I had quickly grown used to feeling his presence beside me, whether his arms were wrapped warmly around me or not. Not only that, but it was Saturday morning; he rarely worked on Saturdays, and when he did, it was never this early. But maybe it was just because he needed to do extra work t
MoanaAfter Ella and I had our little breakfast date together, we headed out for training. I dropped her off at the training facility before heading over to the orphanage to spend a few hours volunteering and helping Sophia out.Ever since Ella mentioned wanting to refer to me as her mother, my heart couldn’t stop fluttering. I felt both anxious and ecstatic at the thought; I had considered this before, but never seriously. I had only ever thought of us occasionally as acting a bit like mother and daughter, but I knew that I could never really replace Ella’s biological mother. I wasn’t sure if it was really appropriate to even bring the subject up to Edrick, as he had never really brought up Ella’s biological mother. All I knew was that Ella’s biological mother died when Ella was very young, and no one ever really talked about her. There weren’t even photographs or anything indicating her existence around the house. Edrick’s family never mentioned her, and
MoanaMy eyes were wide with disbelief. There was no way that Olivia was Ella’s biological mother. Ella’s biological mother was dead!I didn’t know what to say or do. All I could manage was to stare back at Olivia, unblinkingly, as I tried to figure out if she was telling the truth or that she was simply playing a joke on me. But at the same time, the resemblance was uncanny. She really did look just like an adult version of Ella, aside from the color of her eyes. Everything else was almost exactly the same. Her face shape, her nose, her hair… If no one had ever told me that Ella’s biological mother was dead, I would have believed her instantly.Olivia must have immediately noticed the confusion on my face, because she let out a sigh and ran a hand through her dirty blonde hair.“I know it’s hard to believe,” she said. “I’m not sure what Edrick told you about me, but I am Ella’s biological mother.”“H-He told me
EdrickWhile Moana slept, I secretly snipped off a small lock of her hair and stashed it away in my sock drawer. It was only a small piece, and I made sure to take it from a spot where it wouldn’t be noticed easily. Once I stashed it away, I was so exhausted from two days of no sleep that I couldn’t do anything else except climb into bed and pass out immediately.The next morning, I woke up earlier than Moana. I made sure to quickly get dressed and slip out of the room without waking her up, her lock of hair in a little plastic baggie in my pocket. On second thought, I turned back around and cautiously took the Alpha tooth out of its box, hoping that I would be home in time to put it back before she ever noticed it was missing.I didn’t need Moana, or anyone else for that matter, asking where I was going; if they found out that I was going to see the Mother Witch, then they would soon discover that I was investigat
MoanaI felt utterly shocked after my conversation with Olivia. At first, I thought that there was no way that she really was Ella’s biological mother, because Ella’s biological mother was supposed to be dead. But the resemblance was uncanny, and she even knew things that no one else knew, such as Edrick’s drinking problem. And the way that she cried when she talked about Ella… It was too real. She didn’t seem to be faking it, and if she was, then she was a hell of a good actress.But even then, I still didn’t know if I could trust Olivia enough to fully believe her. There was always a possibility that she was lying and wasn’t Ella’s biological mother, but was instead somehow related to Michael or Kelly. That would explain why she knew so much about Edrick and Ella, and why she called Edrick so much late at night. Maybe Michael or someone else wanted her to bother Edrick and lie to me to get me to leave. I had no way of knowing at this point.E
Moana“He has it.” My wolf’s voice was steady and even-toned, but also agitated. “Check his pockets.”I immediately trusted Mina’s instincts. She was too sure of it for me to even begin to question it, and she had never been wrong about these sorts of things before. And besides, by now I had spent so long frantically searching the apartment for my tooth that I was desperate. It was the only physical thing I had that was linking me to my past and my lineage. If I didn’t have that tooth, I felt lost, and I felt as though I might never find my parents or at least find out who they were.“Show me what’s in your pocket,” I growled, holding my hand out flat as I glared up at Edrick with narrowed eyes.Edrick looked taken aback.“Why?” he asked, sounding a bit confused. He seemed innocent, but my wolf was insistent that he had my tooth. And I could sense it, too. The way that Edrick’s eyes widened for just a split second as I
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