Moana
I went to sleep that night with anger still in my heart for Edrick. When I woke up, however, that anger turned into fear. I found myself no longer in my bed, but I was now at the little desk that was in my room. And it wasn’t just that, either. I had my sketchbook lying on the desk in front of me, and what was drawn on it… Was the knife. I gasped and quickly snapped the sketchbook shut. Why was this happening to me? I stood, knowing that I needed to tell someone, but I couldn’t tell Edrick. If I told him, then he would likely only freak out even more, and I already felt like a prisoner. These drawings had to be prophetic. And the only way that I could get to the bottom of what they really meant was by accessing whatever part of my brain that they were coming from. Maybe then, I could start to use them to my advantage before something really bad happened. It was late, but Dr. Rhodes did mMoanaI let out a yelp. I jolted, and then everything stopped. The rain, the wind, the grass… All of it turned back into the still, calm air of my bedroom. Michael’s hand no longer gripped my wrist, and the golden glint of the knife in his hand turned into the soft amber glow of the lamp on my bedside table.“Moana?” Dr. Rhodes said, sounding concerned. “Are you there?”I quickly sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Y-Yes,” I replied. “I’m okay. It’s just…”“What is it?”I shook my head. “Nothing,” I lied. “Dr. Rhodes… Will you be available to try again tomorrow?”The therapist paused, then cleared his throat. “Sure. You can call me anytime if you want to try again, or even if you just need to talk. Are you sure you’re okay, though?”“I’m fine,” I lied again, even though my hands were shaking. “Thanks, Dr. Rhodes. I’ll call you tomorrow.”…I didn’t sleep very much at all for
EdrickI stayed up almost all night thinking about things.Moana was right about Ella needing to know the truth about her mother. Especially if bad things were about to happen, I felt as though I needed to finally tell her everything. And besides, Moana was angry with me; maybe this would remind her that I wasn’t all that bad, and that I was trying my best.“Ella, can you come here, please?”Ella sighed and pushed her chair back, causing it to scrape against the floor in an unpleasant way. She was upset with me, too, because she didn’t understand why we had to leave the penthouse so suddenly. But nonetheless, she came over to me and sat in my lap.I caught a glimpse of Moana standing in the kitchen. Her green eyes met mine, and as I held Ella, I saw them soften as they looked at the two of us.“Ella, there’s something that I haven’t told you. And I think you deserve to know the truth.”
MoanaSeeing Edrick finally tell Ella about her real mother made me soften toward him.I softened even more when Ella said those sweet things, and it made me feel as though we really were a little family despite everything that was going on. I couldn’t help but hug both of them tightly, and I felt comforted when Edrick buried his face in my hair.But when we pulled apart and I watched them reconcile Edrick’s lies, I felt my smile fade because something just felt off.I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It almost felt like some sort of sixth sense, but for what was still a mystery.All I could do was stare wistfully out the window as I tried to rack my brain over it. Maybe I was just feeling cooped up…“Do you feel strange?” I asked Mina.“A little,” she replied. I could tell that she was just as confused as I was. “Some fresh air could be nice.”I nodded to myself. Ella was play
MoanaI felt my eyes go wide at Kat’s proposition.“Really?” I asked quietly. “You could actually help me shift… today?”Kat nodded with a smile on her face. “It’s easy,” she replied. “You could get it over with really quickly.”I could feel my wolf reacting strongly to this. It had felt as though Mina was coming close to shifting for a while, ever since Edrick and I marked each other, but it still hadn’t happened. And maybe, just maybe… shifting could finally make all of this ambiguity stop.“What do you think?” I asked Mina.She seemed excited. “We should do it,” she replied. “I’ve been feeling stuck, like I keep coming close to shifting but I just can’t make it happen all the way. This could be what I need… And I trust Kat.”I agreed with Mina. With a smile, I nodded at Kat. More than anything, I was just excited to finally be able to shift. Maybe then, Edrick wouldn’t think that I was so i
EdrickI watched as Moana’s head of red hair slowly faded into the distance. She seemed to stop and look over her shoulder before stepping into the treeline, with Kat following secretly at a distance.From where I was standing, I could still see her as she began to wander around the entrance to the forest.Just one day ago, I wouldn’t have let her go out like that. But I had a constant patrol keeping watch around the entire perimeter of the property where anyone could feasibly get in, I had patrolled the whole property myself just last night, and I sent Kat along with Moana to keep an eye on her.If my father was going to try to get at Moana, it would certainly be near impossible for him to accomplish. And besides… keeping Moana cooped up would only make her more likely to be in danger.“Daddy?”I was suddenly snapped out of my deep thought by the sound of Ella’s voice. I didn’t realize it, but I mus
Moana“Kat?” I called out.My bodyguard was nowhere to be found. One minute she was right beside me, and the next she was just… gone. She just took off running and didn’t look back.Maybe she found the valerian roots, I thought to myself, although I think I knew deep down that it wasn’t the case. She had left me; although I didn’t know why.“Hello?” I started to jog in the direction that she ran off to. Over my head, the wind began howling more aggressively and the sky darkened as a horrible thunderstorm began to form in the sky. No matter which way I turned, I couldn’t see the mansion anywhere.And we had taken so many turns that I didn’t even know where I should go to find it now.“Okay…” I stopped and shut my eyes for a moment, thinking. We hadn’t been walking for that long… Maybe if I just got my bearings, I could find my way back to the mansion. When I opened my eyes again, I resolved to start off by heading upwards, since I remembered walking down a gradual slope.But from here
EdrickElla slowly pointed her little finger in the direction where I last saw Moana and Kat walking over by the edge of the forest.Only now, no one was there.I felt my heart drop as I quickly scanned the treeline. I couldn’t see a flash of red hair anywhere I looked, no matter how hard I strained my eyes through the light drizzle of rain and the darkening sky.Maybe she came back in without me realizing, I thought to myself.“What’s wrong, daddy?” Ella asked, cocking her head.I shook my head and stood, forcing a weak smile so as not to cause Ella to panic. “Nothing, baby. Why don’t you go up to your room and play? Ask one of the maids to stay with you.”Ella gave me a puzzled look, but didn’t protest. I watched in horror as she ran off to play, and then I bolted into the kitchen to look for Selina.“Have you seen Moana?” I asked once I found Selina bent over the sink, washing
Moana“The baby’s strength has proven to be incredible before,” I finally said, clenching my fists tightly next to my sides. “Try it now.”After a moment of waiting, I felt my wolf’s power surge ever so slightly as she released a large amount of her scent.“There,” she said, sounding somewhat satisfied with herself. “I released a lot of scent. Even more than before, when you were in the Rogue district. If Edrick is anywhere nearby, he’ll certainly smell you.”I felt a bit relieved, but not completely. There was still the threat of Michael coming out of that mist, just like in my dreams. And now the rain and the wind were only getting even more intense as time went on.“Kat?!” I called out into the mist, hoping for a response. “Edrick?!”There was no answer. My quivering, scared voice was almost completely drowned out by the sound of the wind and the rain anyway.I felt so stupid for following
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