Chapter 237


    #Chapter 237: The Golden Light


    Moana


    I thought for sure that I was going to die.


    “Please,” I begged my wolf, “I need to shift. It’s the only way to save my baby.”


    The strong wind whipped against my hair and my clothes, and the rain had soaked all the way down to


    my skin by now. Behind me, I had nowhere to go but down. My heels already stood on the edge of the


    cliff, and I was just a small push from falling to my death.


    And yet, even then, as Michael slowly stalked toward me I knew that I would rather jump to my death


    than give him the satisfaction of killing me himself.


    But I did still have a chance; maybe, if I could distract him and stall for just a little bit longer, I would be


    able to get help. I was certain that Edrick was on his way to rescue me. I could feel it. I just needed to


    give him the time to find me, and hope that he would be able to pick up my scent by now.


    I pointed at the knife, trying my best to hide the violent shaking in my hand.


    “That knife,” I said, noticing how Michael’s eyes followed my finger down to the golden knife in his


    hand, “why use that to kill me? You could just push me.”


    Michael was silent for a moment. His eyes stared down at the knife during that moment, and I decided


    to take it as an opportunity to start inching to the left. Maybe I could get around him. I could run into the


    mist, although I didn’t know what the mist held in store for me. It was better than just standing here and


    letting him murder me.


    Ethan was smart and cunning, and yet my stalling tactics worked on him that night in the warehouse.


    But there was a difference between Michael and Ethan: Ethan secretly loved me, and he didn’t want to


    kill me. Michael, on the other hand, didn’t care about my life. He only saw me as an infestation on the


    earth that he needed to wipe out.


    And along with that, Michael was even smarter than Ethan.


    Before I could move two inches to the right, Michael stepped into my way.


    “Do you take me for a fool, w***e?” he snarled, taking another step in my direction. “You can’t stall for


    time or pull the wool over my eyes. Who do you think I am?”


    I tried to swallow, but I couldn’t. My tongue felt too thick and hard in my mouth, like I had swallowed a


    brick.


    Next, I decided to try to bargain my way out.


    “The Golden Wolf may be a harbinger of peace, but only if it chooses to do so,” I said, my voice


    trembling as I nervously clenched my fists at my sides. “If I promise not to get in the way of any of your


    ns, whatever they may be—”


    “Oh, shut up!” Michael growled. He took another step toward me. I felt myself teeter backwards a bit,


    making my stomach drop. I managed to right myself.


    Michael took another step. Suddenly, I clenched my eyes shut and conveyed all of my fear, my pain,


    and my urgency to my wolf.


    “Mina, we need to shift. NOW.”


    Suddenly, I felt a surge of power. It was different from all of the times that I felt it before. It was stronger,


    more potent. I felt it course through my body as though a drug had been injected directly into my veins.


    It was somehow sickening and enlightening, all at the same time.


    “Ahh! No!” I heard Michael groan. I cracked my eyes open, and they widened when I saw Michael


    staggering backwards, holding his arm up over his eyes to protect himself from the blinding golden light


    that was emanating from me.


    Then, I felt the power surge once more. A gust of wind blew, although I was certain that it came from


    me and not from the storm. It knocked Michael backwards a little more, and he crouched down, trying


    to push against it to get close to me.


    At that moment, I felt my feet lift off of the ground. I had no wings, and yet some sort of ethereal force


    was lifting me up, holding me higher and higher above the ground until I stood above Michael’s head.


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    Suddenly, it felt as though a thousand lifetimes of knowledge were shoved into my head, all the way


    from the first Golden Wolf to my parents. It was as though all of my ancestors who died before me


    stood around me, filling me with their light.


    I saw my parents standing in front of me. I had never seen them before, and yet I knew that they were


    my parents. My mom’s red hair was just like mine… My dad had my smile as he looked at me. I felt


    tearse to my eyes as I saw their hands intertwined, and their memories floated through my mind,


    filling me with all of the love that they had for me before they were brutally murdered.


    I saw my mom and my dad dancing together in the living room of our little house on the night that I was


    born. My mom’s belly was swollen, and her water hadn’t broken yet. They danced along andughed


    with each other while music yed on the radio.


    When my mom’s water finally broke, my dad rushed her to the hospital. Just a few hourster, I was


    born. My mom held me in her arms and kissed my forehead.


    “You came so easily, you little thing,” she whispered, touching my nose with her finger and making me


    smile. My dad stood over her, his cheek pressed against her head as he looked lovingly down at both


    of us. There were tears in his eyes, and he reached down to touch me.


    I wrapped my tiny little finger around his and squeezed so tight that my dad yelped and shook his hand


    away, and they bothughed.


    After that, I saw my mom sobbing, carrying the little bundle that was me as a baby up to the front door


    of the orphanage. She set me down on the steps and touched my face, then kissed my forehead. I


    wouldn’t let go of her hand; my tiny little fingers were wrapped too tightly around her index finger.


    She reached into her pocket and pulled something out — the tooth — and with a final sob, she yanked


    her finger away and put the tooth in its ce.


    I gripped the tooth so tightly and bawled as my mom ran off into the night.


    I saw all of this and more during just the few milliseconds that I floated there. I didn’t realize that my


    eyes were closed until I opened them, tears streaming down my cheeks.


    Michael stood now in front of me, his grin widening as I lowered back toward the ground. I still hadn’t


    shifted.


    But it didn’t matter…


    Because Edrick was creeping up behind Michael, in his wolf form.


    My mate hade to save me after all, and he was poised to attack.