Letting Go

Chapter 1

4 years ago

Mora’s Point of view 

“Mora!” A man's voice yells. It’s not Ren’s voice, but I’m still frozen in fear. I hear him continue to yell for me. I look down at Marley and she starts to stir in her sleep. I rock her in my arms, so she doesn’t wake from the ruckus going on above me. I don’t want her to give us away. It’s never good when someone is looking for me. Ren doesn’t let other men touch me, but he has set traps for me, and there have been times when people have come looking for me to get back at him. 

“Mora! It’s dad,” a familiar voice yells. What? Every fibre of my body ignites with hope. “DADDY!” A scream takes over me. 

Logically it can’t be him, can it? Ren's told me over and over that my family thinks I’m dead. I am long forgotten by now. 

“Where are you baby?” he asks, and relief floods my body. It’s him. I feel the tears immediately start to fall.

“Under the car,” I yell and my voice cracks. 

"We're here baby, you're safe, okay? Don't worry Mora," he assures me, and suddenly I feel sobs racking my body. Is it over? Is it finally over. I feel Marley moving in my arms and I notice she's awake. I pull her into me tighter, and her little arms hold onto me tightly.

Light starts to flood my little room, as I see the wood being pulled off of the bars above me. 

The first person I see is a really large man that I don’t recognize. “Where are the keys?” he asks after he tugs at the bars. 

 “A guard. I don't know. It’s always different,” I say while wiping the tears from my eyes, and he disappears. 

“Mora, baby. We’re getting you out of here. It’s almost over, okay?” I hear my Dad say, and I turn to see my dad kneeling by the bars. I never thought I would ever see him again. His hair is a little greyer than before, and he has aged a little, but he’s still Dad. For the first time in years, I feel safe. 

“I thought you thought… I was dead?” I choke out.

“I did. I’m so sorry Mora. I just found out this morning that you were alive. I’m so sorry,” he says and then breaks into sobs. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. I’m so sorry,” he cries. 

“Daddy, don’t cry. You didn’t know,” I assured him through sobs. How could he know? I have been through hell the last 4 years, but the last thing I want is for the people that I’ve loved the most to feel guilty about it. This was Ren’s fault. 

I stand up and raise my hand to his, and he reaches down to hold my hand. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” he says through tears.

“I’ve missed you too. I’ve missed you all so much,” I nod, trying to pull myself together.

“Mama,” Marley is bundled up and secured tightly to me with my other hand.

“Is she…?” My dad asks. 

“She’s mine. Her name is Marley. I named her after you,” I admit. He gives my hand a squeeze, and I let go to better hold a wiggling Marley. 

I look back up at him, and his smile looks pained as he looks at her. I feel a sinking feeling. They might never accept her, but she’s mine and I won’t ever give her up. Ever.

The large man is soon at the bars again, and unlocking it. Everyone backs away from the bars once it’s been unlocked, and a woman steps forward. Suddenly, it’s as if my body knows it’s time to be strong. I need to get Marley and I out of here. I wipe the last of my tears, and I push myself.  

“Hi, I’m Zo. We’re going to get you out of here, okay?” she says, as she lifts the bars. 

“Hand me your baby, and then I’ll help you up,” she says. I see my dad again, but he’s in his wolf form now. He gives me a nod, obviously sensing my hesitation. 

“I’ll be careful,” she assures me as I reach up, handing Marley to her. I hear Marley start to fuss, and I hate it. 

She lays Marley gently on the ground and then gets on her knees to lift me up. As soon as I make it out, I quickly grab Marley, and she quiets in my arms. The woman puts an arm around me, with Marley between us and she lays a protective hand on Marley’s back.

“Listen, we attacked Cold Moon to get you, and the battle isn’t over. Stay close to me. You’re well protected with us, I promise,” she says with a reassuring nod.

 I nod, and we walk outside the garage. The fresh air hits my lungs and my skin, and it feels better than I remembered. This is the first time I've stepped outside in 4 years. Tears threaten to escape me, but I hold it together. I know I need to concentrate on getting us out of here. I look around to see what looks like thousands of wolves fighting. The sound of snarls, growls and howls suddenly fills my ears as I'm pulled out of my thoughts.

I see a wolf running towards us snarling, and panic starts to set in. Before I even have time to recoil, from behind me, the large wolf jumps in front of us, and grabs him by the neck and whips the now lifeless body to the ground. Not only is he larger than anyone or wolf I’ve ever seen, but he’s also strong and scary. I’m grateful he’s with my Dad right now, but it doesn't mean I’m not scared of him, or that I would trust him.

Again and again, wolves try to attack Marley and me, but the large wolf seems to be faster than my dad and the other wolf at stopping them. Not only does he stop them, but he kills them. I can feel the anger radiating off of him.

Once we make it into the bush, the attacks on me stop. “Your mother is waiting for you in a van not far from here,” Zo tells me. The thought of seeing my mom makes me want to run the rest of the way. I can’t wait to see her. I remind myself to hold it together, but a few silent tears fall. 

Finally, we make it to a Van, and there she is. My mom.

“Mora,” my mom says, and her voice cracks as she wraps me and Marley in her embrace. Seeing my mom breaks the dam of my emotions. It does for both of us, and we sob in each other's arms.

“It’s really you? You’re alive! We thought you were dead. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry Mora, ” she says through tears. Sobs rack my body again, and I nod as I fall apart in her arms. I’m overcome with a mix of emotions. Not only am I filled with relief, but I’m also still afraid. There is no way Ren will allow me to stay gone. He’ll come back for me. He’ll hurt my family, the people I love most and anyone in his way. He’ll punish me for leaving too. He’s a monster.

“Is she yours?” my mom asks as she looks down at Marley.

“Yeah. Her name is Marley, I named her after dad,” I explain. When I looked at her I wanted to be reminded of the best man I know, not the worst. 

“She’s beautiful. She looks like you,” my mom smiles warmly.

“Hi Marley, I’m your grandma,” she says through tears as she leans in, planting a few little kisses on her forehead.

We shared a few moments where we both just sobbed and held on to each other. If she only knew how much her embrace meant to me, and how much I craved it all these years. It would break her heart to know. It would break all of them to know how much I missed them, and what I’ve been through. 

When Marley starts to join in on the crying, I force myself to calm down. I pull myself together. I need to be stronger for her. I’ve been strong for her any way I can since she was born, and that won’t change now. 

I pull away from my mother and wipe my eyes. “It’s okay Marley girl, it’s okay,” I comfort her, and she soothes. 

“I think she wants to nurse,” I tell my mom. 

“Let’s get in the van,” mom says. She gives me a blanket for my legs, because I don't have pants and I nurse in the van with my mom cuddled into me. 

“Are you okay, Mora?” my mom asks and I nod because what else can I do? I can’t tell her what’s really going on in my head. What I’ve really been through. I can’t talk about it, for so many reasons. I feel so dirty, ashamed and I don’t want them to know and look at me differently. I am different though, from the girl they last saw. I don’t even know who she is anymore. 

“Where's dad?” I ask

“He’s gone back to fight. He wants him to pay, honey,” she says, and her hand grasps mine and gives it a squeeze.

Oh no, what if he gets hurt? Or worse? I feel the tension in my chest building up. Mom must sense it because she puts her arm around me. 

“He’ll be fine. He’s with plenty of strong wolves,” she nods reassuringly.

She leans over and grabs a cooler, and opens it. “Here Mora,” she says and hands me a sandwich and bottle of Gatorade. I haven't had anything to drink except water or ate freely in years. Meals aren't consistent, so I’m always afraid to eat a full meal. The tears threaten to spill at the reminder of how my nightmare has finally ended. For now, at least. I take a deep breath, reminding myself that my tears would only upset Marley who just fell asleep nursing.

“Can I hold her?” mom asks. I hand her over, careful not to wake her up, and I eat. It’s a turkey and pickle sandwich… It was my favourite. A few silent tears fall, but I hold myself together the best I can. Could this be over? Really over? If they kill Ren, maybe it will. If they don’t, I’ll never be free. I just hope if he does get me back, Marley can be safe with my parents. She deserves so much more than a dark hole in the ground, with only 1 toy. Oh no! I forgot her blue bear stuffy. 

I was filled with worry, so it felt like forever, but finally, my dad shows up at the van again, and Eli’s there too. “Did you get him?” My mom asks my dad. His face was etched with anger and disappointment as he shook his head. His face softens when he looks at me, and he climbs in the van right away and pulls me into the biggest bear hug. “I missed you so much,” he rasps, and I feel his breathing become ragged. 

“I missed you too, dad. So much,” I admit, and the strength that I had mustered is gone again. Soon, Eli is pulling me into a hug too. After a few minutes, we pull ourselves together. 

Eli soon leaves with the other warriors, and then the very large man that rescued me with dad shows up.

“Damien, how hard would it be to track him? I want him. Now's the time. We should go back home tonight and tomorrow night hit him again. He won't stop, and neither will I. I need him dead,” he says. I wonder what Ren did to him to piss him off so much.

He’s only in shorts, and I see his large muscular body. He’s much bigger, and more intimidating than Ren. My dad obviously knows him, thankfully. But I can see the power and strength radiating off of him and he scares me. He looks at me and my mom, and I can’t help but be afraid. 

“We want him dead,” my dad says, and pats his shoulder, and he nods and agrees, “Yup.” 

“Does anyone have a phone? I need to call Aria, she’s probably worried sick,” he asks.

“Aria... My sister?” I ask, panic starting to set in. How does he know her?

“Yeah, she’s my mate,” he says with a small smile.

My heart is racing. No! I look at my mom, “Aria is so young and small,” I plead to my mom. She doesn’t stand a chance against him.

“Aria is 18 now Hon, she hasn't grown much taller since you last saw her, but she is older. Oh, don't tell her that I said she didn't grow,” mom chuckles. “She hates how short she is,” she adds. 

“Aria is so small. He’s too big. What if he hurts her?” I whisper. Aria was always so sweet and tiny, she can’t suffer at the hands of a man. Especially him. He’s too powerful. 

“Baby, he would never hurt Aria. He’s really gentle and kind to her. He is actually the person that did all this research and found out you were actually alive. He found out yesterday, and he rallied 3100 people to do this. I only found out this morning you were alive,” she adds.

 “I would never hurt Aria, I love her more than anything,” he says softly. 

“You saved me? How did you get so many people so quickly?” I asked nervously. I never thought his whole thing was a rescue mission. I assumed Ren pissed people off, and I was getting rescued in the process of other people settling the score.

“When Aria told me about you, she mentioned she thought Ren had killed you, and not rogues like everyone was told. I didn't like that she didn't know what happened and that justice wasn’t served. As Alpha of Blood Moon, I had the resources to look and dig deeper. So I did, in secret. One source told one of my guys before he was murdered, that you were alive. I didn't know who his source was. So I spent the next few weeks digging deeper until I got confirmation last night. Ren killed his Alpha and started to build an army, so it wasn't hard to convince people it was a smart idea to make alliances. Only, when I found out you were still alive, we called in our alliances, and most came. I knew we had to move fast. We needed to get you home,” he explains softly. 

“Wow, thank you.”  

“You’re welcome. I’ll keep you and your baby safe. I don't want you to worry about that, he can’t hurt you anymore,” he says, and he gives me a reassuring nod. I nod timidly. The man passes him the phone, and I watch him as he leans against the tree and calls her. Even though he rescued us, and he says all the right things, and my parents obviously really like him, I have a hard time thinking he'll be good for her. My tiny sweet baby sister.

I watch him talk to her, and I hear him calling her babe and baby, and he’s smiling broadly and he lights up as he talks to her. Before he gets off the phone he tells her he loves her and misses her. I don’t ever remember Ren lighting up for me, or telling me he loved me or missed me. Not even the first few weeks of our relationship when things were consensual. I still don’t like that he’s with her, but maybe he isn’t a bad guy? Dad’s a beta, and he’s big and strong and he’d never hurt my mom.