Baka stared at her wedding gown, captivated. It was a gown made for royalty and it looked like it was painted on her body. It flowed into a delicate train that pooled around her feet. The floral embroidery on the train was accentuated with tiny pearls and ruffles which covered the bodice and sleeves of the form fitting gown, tapering off on the trumpet skirt.Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail with two strands of hair framing each side of her face.She could hardly recognise herself. The more she looked, the weirder she felt. In the best way possible.Henry appeared in the doorway, carrying little Dream in his arms. They’d become inseparable since Rohey’s unfortunate passing and he had taken it upon himself to become a father to her.“Still admiring yourself in the mirror?” Henry chastised. “By the time you’re done, Tatum will be on his deathbed.”Dream, who was playing with his curls, started giggling.Baka glared at Henry through the mirror. “Don’t influence the little gi
The cool night breeze carried a cold whisper into the late evening, and a stronger chill was left in its wake.Inside the small congested room, Baka could hardly feel the cold. Yet she knew something was wrong before she heard the howls. Loud, desperate howls, piercing the silence of the night. Goosebumps ran down the length of her arms with rapid precision and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.She sat up for what seemed like the fifth time that night. Her roommates were snoring loudly, seemingly deaf to the terrifying howls. Even despite the cold breeze, the room was as hot as ever because it was poorly ventilated. About twenty people occupied their small room. Baka could barely stretch her legs.She stared down at her roommates as they slept on either side of her on the matted floor. Nothing but fatigue would have them sleeping under all that howling. The work they performed every hour of every day could make one sleep through a stampede.But try as she might, she couldn'
Baka woke up early the next morning intending to set out into the woods. It occurred to her that she shouldn’t be prowling about on a morning like this after the death of the Luna queen. But she had left mouse traps in the woods and was afraid that they would turn bad. Besides, she had never tried to escape before. She had to scout the area herself to see what she was up against.Their settlement was surrounded by a thick, wide wall with iron spikes sticking out of them and barbed wires perched on top of the walls.There were only two exits, one that led to the woods and another that led into Khandom City where the werewolves lived. A guard was stationed at each exit, Beta’s from either packs who stood watch. They rotated every two days, that much she knew.But it wasn't enough.One particular Beta guard had been kind to her once. Thorin. She hoped it was his shift today. Or better yet, no one at all as they might be too busy grieving over the death of their Luna Queen and heir or ga
The blood-bringer was made especially for them and could cause them to bleed from their ears if ignored—hence its name. It sounded three times. Any longer and most of them would be screaming and covering their bleeding ears. The ringer—an Omega called Wadou from Wesley Pack— would let it ring longer if he didn’t see more than ten people filing out of the room by the third ring.This had happened twice before. No one was looking to make a third occurrence.As everyone around her sprang into action, Baka looked for Bessia amidst the chaos. She found her trying painfully hard to rise up from the floor, her brunette hair a maze of tangled webs at her back. She winced as she tried to pull at the strands of hair stuck on her angry, red bruises. Baka’s heart ached for her. Moving to Bessia’s side, she sat beside her and gently began lifting each strand of hair.“Thanks, Baka.” Her voice was soft and shaky.“Of course.”Bessia looked up at her. “Is the Luna Queen really dead?”Baka’s eyes
“Who is there?” came the bold question from Healer Freya.With trembling feet, Baka walked the rest of the distance slowly and stood at the entrance of the small shop.“It’s Baka.” Her voice sounded feeble even to her.“Come in, Baka,” Freya ordered, her voice changing tones expertly into a warm welcome. Yet Baka noticed the slight tremor in it. As she took a step in, she noticed a dark, cloaked figure standing on the other side of the room. He made no sound, but Baka could feel the energy exuding off him in her very core. It was almost magnetic. He stood in the shadows, the hood covering his face, stopping at the bridge of his lips which were pressed into a thin, hard line.She let her gaze fall on Freya’s brown eyes, trying not to let her fear get the better of her. “Forgive the interruption,” Baka began, sounding braver than she felt. “What do you want?”Freya was human, short and stout in build. The werewolves found out she had more knowledge of herbs than their own people. So
Later that evening, Baka walked slowly down the streets of Khandom City back to her prison. Her breathing was shallow and each step took great effort. Their curfew was at 8pm. She was mere minutes away from breaking it.The burial had ended an hour ago and she had had to prepare her mistress for bed. She couldn't remember if she had had anything to eat. Probably not.Food was rarely a luxury and sometimes she had to eat their leftovers. For now, here she was, walking back to her over populated room, her stomach rumbling, and her feet sore. Only to repeat the cycle all over again tomorrow.Her people had no future here. They were slaves, used for sexual pleasure and heavy duty work. Some of them were punching bags. Her thoughts wandered to poor fifteen year old Bessia who had winced the entire time Baka had carefully applied the herbs as her mother had taught her to when she returned from Healer Freya’s shop.But it was like putting a bandage over a cracked wall. It solved nothing. B
“I can hear your heart racing,” the Alpha King spoke without turning. His tone wasn't menacing, but it wasn’t friendly either. “Do I scare you?”That seemed like a trick question. Surely, he knew the answer.“Yes, my lord.”“Your heart tells me otherwise.”What was he driving at? She didn’t like how his presence made her feel at all. It was the same strange feeling she had felt when they were in Healer Freya’s shop. A strong magnetic force tugging at her.She had no doubt in her mind that he was the cloaked figure making demands at Freya. Standing still, she waited for him to explain why she was summoned. “I don't think you fear me. I think you fear what I can do.”Weren’t they the same thing?He still had his back to her. She refused to be cowered by a king who wouldn't give her the courtesy of facing her when they spoke.“No words? Earlier today you had a lot to say.”She blinked, shocked that he brought up their meeting. “Don't be so shocked. I know you recognized me the moment
Working for her new master, the Alpha King, was nothing like Baka had expected it would be. He was out for most of the day and would come back past her curfew. She hardly ever saw him nor knew what he did outdoors. And when she did see him, he never said more than two words to her. He’d either eat alone or go to the balcony or the garden and spend hours on end there. The man who had spoken to her at length during their second meeting seemed to have vanished. Not that she was complaining. She hardly thought it did her any good to become his conversationalist.Baka dedicated herself to her job which included cleaning the master’s room, preparing his clothes, and making sure his food was exactly how he liked it. He had given her a long list of things he didn’t eat. She’d never met anyone so picky. He didn’t eat ketchup or mayonnaise. Didn’t like onions or garlic in his food. Only ate red meat and drumsticks and didn't like his egg scrambled.The other slaves in the palace hardly spoke