Edrick
We finally located the place where Kelly called us from. It was a run-down abandoned warehouse nestled deeply into the Rogue district, where it was so dark that even the lights of the city from afar couldn’t brighten the place. Behind the warehouse were hundreds of stacked storage containers where the shipping boats came up the river and picked up shipments, but other than that there was nothing else; no people, no houses, no cars. Nothing. Long story short, it was the perfect place for a crime like this to be carried out. The police quietly surrounded the warehouse and got out, drawing their guns. I wanted to feel relieved, but I couldn’t yet until we were certain that Moana and my daughter were safe. When we burst in through the door, however, my heart sank. What I saw inside of that warehouse was my worst nightmare. Ethan, my evil half brother, was holding a gun to Moana’s head. “Put the gun down!” the policeEdrickEthan continued to hold the gun firmly up against Moana’s head. In the white blow of the bright spotlight that was trained on us, I could see the way that Moana’s red hair was stuck to her neck from sweating as her adrenaline surged through her. The ropes that held her to the hard metal chair in the middle of the floor crossed over her belly, restricting the little life inside of her. Seeing her like this made me feel physically sick, and if Ethan didn’t have a gun in his hand, then I would have ripped him to shreds as soon as I saw what he had done to her.“Just let them go, Ethan,” I pleaded as I took another tentative step forward.However, Ethan just pushed the gun harder into Moana’s temple.“You’re a liar,” he said through his teeth. “I know that you and your mother had something to do with it, too. Don’t take me for a fool, Edrick. Your family has done nothing but brought me pain, and now I’ll make you feel the
MoanaI wanted to beg Edrick not to fight and to just let the police take Ethan away, but it seemed as though Edrick had his sights set on a fist fight with Ethan. As I watched them roll up their sleeves and prepare to fight, I just hoped that Edrick was a good fighter and that Ethan wouldn’t pull any dirty tricks.One of the cops took Ella, who was thankfully still asleep. He took her to one of the police cars and asked if I wanted to come to safety, but I couldn’t rip my eyes away from Edrick.I felt so stupid for not trusting Edrick. Of course the conversations with Olivia were all fake, completely fabricated to make me lose trust in him. They wanted to separate me from the one person who would do whatever it would take to keep me safe.Ethan and Edrick stood on opposite sides of the open room and got into fighting stances. I watched with bated breath as Edrick put his fists up, prepared to fight. Everything felt still and silen
MoanaEdrick was bleeding out below me. I needed to mark him if I wanted him to survive, but he didn’t want me to. He said that it would be bad for the baby; he even admitted that the drops he was putting in my coffee were to specifically prevent this. But he didn’t know that I hadn’t been drinking my coffee, and I could mark him then and there.“I won’t let you die,” I said firmly as I held Edrick’s hand in mine.Behind us, Ethan and several Rogues were fighting with the police. It was a flurry of chaos in that abandoned warehouse, and I wasn’t sure what would happen if Edrick died. Ethan and the Rogues, who were likely hired by him, were certain to kill us. I couldn’t stop thinking about little Ella, who was still asleep in the cop car. Even Kelly was lying hopelessly in the corner, still unconscious. The cops were struggling with Ethan and the Rogues, and I knew that they needed Edrick’s help. If I marked him and healed him, then he would ha
MoanaEdrick stood, pushing his sleeves up to his elbows. “I guess we are gonna have a round two,” he said.Ethan’s bloodied face flashed with what looked like fear. Around us, the Rogues seemed to notice Edrick’s surge in strength. In a flurry of frightened yips and snarls, the Rogues took off in their wolf forms, leaving only Ethan to deal with.“I got this,” Edrick said, holding his hand out to the cops before they could jump in and restrain Ethan. I continued to kneel on the floor, completely in awe of Edrick’s strength. He looked bigger, even physically, since I marked him.Suddenly, Edrick rushed at Ethan with a speed that I had never seen before. Ethan didn’t even have time to react before Edrick slammed him to the ground so hard that the floor around him cracked. I gasped, jumping to my feet as I clamped my hand over my mouth. Had he killed him?I heard Ethan groan, and saw him move. Thankfully, he wasn’t dead.
MoanaAs the police officer drove us home that night, I felt immense relief wash over me. We made our way out of the dangerous Rogue district and the city began to grow brighter and cleaner as we headed back to the penthouse. The city lights illuminated the inside of the car, and beside me I could see Edrick still cradling the sleeping Ella in his arms.Seemingly without thinking much about it, Edrick saw me looking and reached his arm out for me. I hesitated for a moment, still feeling bad about the trouble I had caused, but I finally relented and scooched over to nuzzle down into the crook of his arm. How that I had marked him and my wolf had emerged, his scent overwhelmed me; it was so sweet and tantalizing, and filled me with a profuse feeling of peace.But Edrick’s concerns about my wolf emerging too early weren’t unwarranted. I understood that now that Olivia, Ethan, and now Edrick had confirmed that I was the Golden Wolf. Although I didn
MoanaWe headed upstairs after the police officer dropped us off. When we arrived, Selina and the maids were sitting on the couch and immediately jumped up when they heard us coming.“Oh, thank goodness!” Selina cried, rushing toward me and pulling me into her arms. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”I shook my head, then put my finger over my lips and pointed at Ella, who was still sleeping on Edrick’s shoulder. Selina nodded and wiped her tears away. Edrick took Ella back to her room without a word, leaving me alone with Selina and the maids.“Moana, what happened?” Amy asked, keeping her voice low. “We were worried sick.”“I’ll explain everything tomorrow,” I said. “But we’re okay. We’re safe.”This didn’t seem to fully satisfy the maids. Lily opened her mouth to ask me more questions, but Selina hushed her and sent them both off to her room. Selina left, too, but not before giving me another tight hug
EdrickMoana was right about the fact that I needed to tell Ella the truth about her mother. It was time that Ella knew what her mother was really like, especially after that whole ordeal. But at that moment, although I promised Moana that I would tell Ella about Olivia soon, I had more pressing matters to deal with.First thing in the morning, I took Moana to the doctor’s office for a full checkup to make sure that both she and the baby were healthy. Thankfully, they were. The baby was as healthy as an ox; in fact, when Moana was being strangled by Ethan, I remembered seeing her suddenly overcome with a burst of light that launched Ethan backwards. I didn’t know if it was the baby or Moana’s own abilities that protected her at that moment, but it didn’t matter. All I knew was that that burst of light saved Moana from being strangled to death by Ethan when I was still too weak to move.However, as the day went on, it quickly came to my attentio
EdrickMoana was terribly quiet for the next few days. I didn’t blame her, of course. She was going to be rightfully upset about having to leave, but it was the safest thing to be done. I only ever wanted to keep Moana and Ella safe, and despite our last incident at the mountain estate, I felt confident that our new security guards would protect us while we were there. During that time, though, I decided that I would have to figure out what to do about my father. I knew that he was going to come after us, but I had no real evidence. He hadn’t made any real threats yet, at least not anything that we could prove, so we couldn’t turn him in to the police. As of that moment, I was at a loss as to what to do about him. And my mother wasn’t picking up her phone when I called, either. I was beginning to get worried, to say the least.The next few days went by too quickly. I hired a moving company to get everything that we would need; mostly clothes, kitchenware, a
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