Chapter 198: Hideaway
Edrick
Moana 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 attention that the whole ordeal had already made its way to the news. Somehow, those damn paparazzi got footage of Ethan being escorted into the cop car and Moana’s terrified face. Those clips were already circulating various news outlets with all sorts of speculations on what happened. I didn’t know if I would bother having a press conference about it, though. At that moment, I just wanted to get Moana and Ella away from the city.
The last time we had gone to the mountain estate, it had gone poorly. My father had sent a hired rogue to intimidate us and we had left abruptly as we no longer felt safe there. And I supposed that we could easily run into trouble again if we went back, but the city was just too dangerous right now. There was a good chance that Moana could shift at any moment now that her wolf had emerged, and I wanted her to be out of the city for two reasons: for starters, a wolf shifting for the first time would be dangerous in an enclosed space like the penthouse, especially since she didn’t know how to control it yet. And secondly, if Moana shifted her scent would permeate throughout the entire city, which would no doubt draw all sorts of sick people to us. If I wanted to keep her safe, I needed to get her somewhere where it would be unlikely for others to be close enough to pick up her scent.
And so, that weekend I worked tirelessly to hire an entire team of security guards. I hired over twenty new guards, all of whom were the best of the best. They were all Alphas with extensive combat experience, and I vetted them thoroughly to make sure that they wouldn’t turn on us if Moana turned. I paid them well, too; I didn’t care how much it cost so long as Moana and Ella were safe.
On Sunday evening, I finally finished my preparations. All that was left was to tell Moana that we would be leaving first thing in the morning. I knew that she wouldn’t take it well.
“We’re what?” Moana asked, standing up suddenly from the armchair by the window. “Tomorrow?”
I nodded grimly, trying not to pay any attention to the incredulous look on her face. “I’m sorry,” I said. “We’ll be staying until the baby is born. Potentially longer than that if I still think it’s unsafe for you in the city.”
Moana shook her head vigorously and frowned deeply. “We can’t leave!” she pleaded as she stormed up to me and grabbed my arm. “What about my teaching job? What about Ella’s new school? You can’t take that from her!”
Seeing the look on her face made me feel sad. I knew how much she loved that job, but it just wasn’t safe in the city. Until she shifted and until the baby was born, I wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing them back here. And besides, my father was still a threat. He would find out about Moana’s true nature eventually, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was the very first person to try to hunt her down. He had too much at stake as one of the wealthiest and most corrupt men in the world to let the Golden Wolf bring a new era in which humans and werewolves could live in harmony. He had built his entire empire off of the backs of underpaid and overworked humans.
“Moana, I’m really sorry,” I finally said. “I promise we’ll come back. I know you love your job, and we’ll find a substitute to fill in for you until we come back. You can claim it as maternity leave; you can tell them that you’re having complications with the pregnancy. The headmistress will understand and will certainly give you the job back once we return.”
Moana’s eyes were full of pain. She looked as though she was about to say something, but apparently decided against it and just walked away. She walked over to the window and looked out, folding her arms across her chest.
“I think we’re safer here.” Her voice was low, so low it was almost a whisper. “This is our home.”
Her words created a pang in my heart, but the preparations had already been made. The mountain estate would be the safest option during that time. I not only needed to make sure that Moana was safe until she had the baby, but I also needed to figure out how Moana would continue to be safe as the Golden Wolf. Without the help of the Mother Witch, I felt lost and clueless. The Mother Witch knew what would need to be done, and I hardly knew anything about the Golden Wolf aside from the fairy tales I was told as a kid.
“I know this is our home,” I finally said, walking up to stand beside her. We looked out the window at the bustling city for a few moments. Below us, there was a throng of paparazzi waiting outside the penthouse like hungry sharks. They had been camping out there all day and would likely be camping out there for several days on end, just hoping for us to come outside so they could bombard us with photos and questions. I gestured to them, then looked over at Moana. She shot me an angry, but still understanding, look. “Just look at them,” I said. “We can’t be here with them out there like that. Imagine what it will be like when they find out that you’re the Golden Wolf.”
Moana chuckled slightly as she watched the mob mill about outside like zombies. “I guess you’re right,” she said quietly. “They’re like piranhas.”
I turned to face her then and took both of her shoulders in my hands. I stared sternly into her eyes, hoping that she would see my sense of urgency. “The poachers and bounty hunters will be worse,” I whispered, taking note of the way that her green eyes widened. “I’m only doing this to keep you safe. I hope you know that.”
Moana looked up at me for a few moments, chewing the inside of her cheek before she finally nodded.
“I understand,” she replied. “So long as you promise that we’ll come home soon.”
